Rotaweek dated 27-Apr-2008

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THE ROTAWEEK
A compendium of Rotary news
No. 843 Sun 27-Apr-2008



DISTRICT EVENTS
________________________________________________________

Friday-Sunday, May 02-04
RYLA - Joka, I. I. M., Joka, 3-30pm

REPORTING
District Awards Reporting latest by 30 May 2008
to Chairman, Awards, DGN Utpal Majumdar



PREPARING FOR THE NEW ROTARY YEAR
________________________________________________________

THE CLUB PRESIDENT-ELECT
Congratulations!
Your club has selected you to serve as upcoming President!
How do you best prepare for this important job?

Primary Tasks at the start
• See the current President as a mentor...be an understudy
• Learn as much about Rotary and the Club as you can
• Build rapport with club members and solicit their input into your
training and planning

Your Club President
Ask for mentoring
Observe how it is done
Attend all meetings and observe
Consult and ask questions

Ask Past Presidents
Wealth of resources from this group
Input on club history Analysis of club needs
Sounding board for your thinking and planning

Seek Assignments
Ask President to assign tasks to contribute to your learning
Learn about the work of all committees of the club
Review recent work of the Board of Directors of the club

Get to Know Club Members
Build rapport
Seek ideas and suggestions
Identify interests and skills
Plan how to use effectively

Learn how the club is organized
What seems to work well?
What does not work and needs attention?

Study the documents
Examine the Club Constitution
Review the Club By-laws

Learn about your district
The Club is part of the District
Identify district leadership in your club
Review purpose of district and recent history

Learn about Rotary International
What is the Rotary Foundation?
What are the current programs of RI?

District Awareness
Plan to hear the D. Governor make a presentation
Explore participating in some district activity or project
Visit the District Web Site for information
Read the Governor's newsletter

District Conference
Outstanding district event
Way to learn more about Rotary
Way to network with other clubs

President Elect Training Seminar PETS
Primary training for President elect
Attendance is essential for the P-E

Rotary's programs and themes presented
Governor's program announced
Networking with other Clubs
Coordinating with the Assistant Governor

Beginning Preparation
Rotary leaders and district offer well-planned training
New year's plans unveiled
P-E has obligation to the Club to attend
Can be major learning experience

Planning time is important
Last six months Basic plan for the year
Key leadership Chairs selected

After PETS
The P-E is ready to assemble the plan for the year
Connects club needs, club plans,
Rl themes and Governors plans
Structures an organization in the club to get the job done
Recruits key people

Club Assembly
Incoming President and the club leadership
outline and validate the plan for the year
Key leadership at every level reports plans
Input obtained from A. Governor

The Assistant Governor
Great resource for new President
Offers experience, advice, resources
Link with Governor and all of Rotary
Ready and willing to be helpful

Early and careful preparation
Essential for the club and president to have a good year
Requires hard work and planning
Cannot be done at the last minute

And now the year begins....
• The KEY to success began months ago
• In learning experiences
• With good planning


RI NOTES
________________________________________________________

THE ROTARY CLUB PRESIDENT

The Club President..
.. .to preside at meetings of the club and board
and to perform such other duties...."
Model by-laws for a Rotary Club, Article III
Key Leadership Role for the Club
Preparation is essential
Requires months of hard work
Causes the club to have a successful year

Just before July 1st....
Club Assembly brings into focus all the planning for the new year
Establishes the working team of key leaders for the club
Connects the club to the district and Rotary International

Primary tasks Tor President
Leadership and motivation for the board
Leadership and motivation for the club

The Board of Directors
Can be a key leadership team for the club
Supports the President
Reviews and approves plans for the year
Helps maintain continuity and consistency

President and the Board
Keeps board well informed
Prepares agendas for meetings
Presides over an efficient meeting
Keeps board focused on proactive steps
Implements board decisions
Informs club of board action

Weekly club meetings,
President provides effective leadership for
the Rotary club.

Planning for weekly club meetings
Working in advance, the President can insure
a good weekly meeting of the club

Good Program is essential
President must ensure the Program Chair
has good programs planned well in advance
Adequate time must be reserved for the main program and speaker
Publicity for the program builds interest

Fellowship is very important
President needs to encourage informal fellowship and fun
Important part of every weekly meeting

Management of the Agenda
President must control agenda
Announcements must be to the point and brief
President must monitor work of key club leaders, committee
chairs and others to insure plans are properly executed all
year long.

President looks for activity
• President encourages committees and key leaders
to meet regularly to accomplish objectives
• Arranges for reports to the board and also to the club
of significant upcoming events, projects and activity
• President can build a strong club fellowship by honoring and
recognizing club members all year long.

Roll out the "red carpet"!
Make club members feel welcome as they arrive.
Newer members can serve as greeters

Look for Celebrations!
Recognize members for accomplishments in the community
Plan special awards to honor members

Keep the club informed about members:
>Who are ill
>Have had a loss of any kind
>Job changes
>Birthdays & anniversaries
This makes a difference
Club members knows the club considers every member
an important part of the club and the community

Club President
Role and Responsibilities

Rotary International is the association of Rotary clubs.
Your primary role as club president is to lead your club,
ensuring it functions effectively. It is your responsibility
to guide your club towards achieving the
Object of Rotary by carrying out activities along
each Avenue of Service.

Sustain and Increase Membership
Implement Successful Service Projects
Support The Rotary Foundation
Develop Leaders Beyond the Club Level

Club Leadership Plan
Four Avenues of Service

As President-elect
Your preparations as president-elect will influence what
you are able to accomplish once you take office.

Before 1 July, you should
• Review your Club President's Manual and bring it with you
to your presidents-elect training seminar (PETS).
• Review your club's long-range goals and set annual goals
with your fellow incoming club leaders using the
Planning Guide for Effective Rotary Clubs.
• Appoint committee chairs.
• Ensure your club leadership team attends the district assembly.

Your Club's Effectiveness
Assess the current state of your club by identifying its strengths
and weaknesses and set goals to improve your clubs effectiveness.
Pay particular attention to
• Your club's membership situation.
• Your club's service objectives.
• Your club's support for The Rotary Foundation.
• Development of future leaders through important district events.

Your Year as President
As club president you should implement and continually evaluate
the status of your club's goals and ensure each committee has
defined objectives.

After 1 July, you should
• Preside at all meetings of your club.
• Prepare for and encourage participation at club and district
meetings.
• Meet with your board of directors.
• Supervise budget and fundraising plans.

The RI Theme
The RI theme is the RI president's personal vision for his year
as president. You will learn the theme for your year during PETS.
Think about what the theme represents to all Rotarians and how
you will incorporate it into your projects and activities.

Committees
Appoint the following five committees to carry out your club's annual
goals
• Membership
• Club public relations
• Club administration
• Service projects
• The Rotary Foundation
Consolidate, eliminate, expand, or add sub-committees as necessary.

Club Assemblies
A club assembly is a meeting of all club members, officers,
directors,
and committee chairs. As president-elect, hold the first club
assembly
after the district assembly. Club assembly discussion topics include:
• Service projects, committee, and club activities
• Annual and long-range goal setting
• Membership growth and retention
• Attendance at district and RI meetings
• The programs of Rotary

The Official Visit
The district governor is required by RI to visit each club in the
district. The official visit is an opportunity to ask for guidance
with
challenges and successes facing your club. The purpose of the
official
visit is to
• Focus attention on important Rotary issues.
• Provide needed attention to weak or struggling clubs.
• Motivate Rotarians to participate in service activities.
• Recognize the outstanding contributions of Rotarians in the
district.

Preparing for the Official Visit
To prepare for the official visit, you should
• Announce and publicize the visit well in advance to your fellow
club members.
• Arrange for the official visit to coincide with an important club-
wide event.
• Review your club's plans for the year and be prepared to discuss
them.

Weekly Club Meetings
It is your responsibility to conduct weekly club meetings.
Meetings should be well-organized, punctual, and feature relevant,
interesting programs. To ensure effective weekly meetings,
you should relate programs to current club projects and activities
and use the Rotary calendar as a guide.

Promoting Rotary Events
To help develop future club leaders, you should promote district and
international events. These events include the district assembly,
the district conference, the district Rotary Foundation seminar,
and the RI Convention. These events promote fellowship beyond
the club level and serve as discussion forums for various projects.

Resources
The following resources are available on the RI Web site:
• Club President's Manual
• PETS Discussion Questions
• Rotary E-Learning Center

GOOD LUCK


Regards
________________________________________________________

Dr Dipak R Sarbadhikari
Editor Rotaweek, RC Calcutta
District 3290 Webmaster

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