Attracting younger leaders to Rotary

How can Rotary clubs reach more young people? What role should young leaders play in a club’s recruitment strategy? LaShonda Delivuk, the 29-year-old president of the Rotary Club of Lynchburg-Morning, Virginia, USA, definitely knows something about younger leaders and attracting young people to Rotary. 

When club leaders were asked recently about their biggest membership challenges, 31 percent said they struggle to motivate members to participate in club activities, volunteer for service projects, and serve in leadership roles. “There is this perception that you have to be perfect to be impactful in Rotary,” LaShonda says. “But perfection doesn’t exist. And we certainly don’t need any ‘perfect’ Rotarians. What we need is a group of service-minded leaders who are willing to stand up as they are and simply be present.” She has modeled this in her own life by being transparent about how she leads her club while keeping her Rotary responsibilities manageable. 

At this year’s International Assembly, LaShonda took the stage to inspire the next class of district governors to think in new ways about Rotary and the balance members are searching for. The key, she says, is “showing them you find their time to be valuable. If you can make Rotary worth someone’s time, not only will we change Rotary, but we will change the world.”