Clubs that welcome kids can boost membership and service

Two days after my son, Wes, was born, my husband delivered celebratory cigars to the stogie-loving ladies and gentlemen at our Rotary club’s Tuesday morning meeting. The gesture was genuine, but I secretly hoped it would also help cushion the impact of our next surprise: Our noisy, spit-up-spewing newborn was about to become a Rotary regular.

Our club had not yet broken the baby barrier. We’re a young and jovial group, but I had trouble envisioning an infant blending in at our weekly breakfasts. After a three-month leave, I stuffed a diaper bag with pacifiers, blankets, diapers, wipes, onesies, and enough spit-up rags to mop up the entire restaurant. Scott and I loaded up the car and hoped for the best.

It didn’t take long to realize that my concerns were unfounded; the welcome from the members of our club – the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak, California, USA – couldn’t have been warmer. Soon enough, Wes had a better attendance record than many of the grown-ups. The wait staff started setting out a high chair for us in advance – near an exit, in case we needed to make a speedy departure. Fellow Rotarians joked that Wes was the founding member of a brand-new club they called “Romperact.”

Clubs are not always so accommodating. In an online forum in 2009, Genevieve Flight, now a member of the Rotary Club of London, reported that at her previous club, she was reprimanded after she brought her three-year-old to a meeting. A club officer warned her never to bring her son again. In the same post, she suggested that Rotary International do more to encourage clubs to welcome Rotarians with children. “This is the best way forward towards getting more younger members into Rotary,” she wrote.

Rotarians often fret about the absence of 30-somethings in their clubs. Interact and Rotaract clubs attract teens and young adults, but most don’t become Rotarians. Worldwide, only 11 percent of Rotary club members are under age 40.

Some clubs have attempted to bridge the gap with less-frequent meetings or lower dues. Many others have worked to make Rotary more appealing to tot-toting families like mine. Those family-friendly clubs have reported success in gaining new members and keeping those they might otherwise have lost.

Here are some tips from parents and clubs who are making Rotary a family affair: Read More...