Highlights from June 2018 RI Board Meeting

Highlights from the June and “July” 2018 Rotary International Board of Directors Meetings

The 2017–18 RI Board of directors held its fifth and final meeting on 21 June 2018 in Toronto, ON, Canada. The 2018–19 RI Board held its first meeting on 29 June 2018 in Toronto, ON, Canada. At these meetings the Board reviewed reports from six committees and recorded 39 decisions.

June 2018 Board Meeting Highlights

 

The Board

  •   amended its policy regarding regional leaders to better ensure cooperation and effective outcomes from all regional leader teams;

  •   revised the district structure under which regional teams operate to align with the new zones structure;

  •   looked favorably on the general secretary’s decision to recognize the LGBT Rotarians and Friends Fellowship and the Young Rotarians’ Fellowship, and further amended the definition of a Rotary Fellowship to be:

    A Rotary fellowship is a group of Rotarians, their family members, Rotaractors, program participants, and alumni who globally unite around a common interest, vocation, or recreational activity with the primary purpose to network and further friendship.”

  •   Adopted a new strategic plan for Rotary with four key priorities:

Increase our impact

- Eradicate polio and leverage the legacy

  • -  Focus our programs and offerings

  • -  Improve our ability to achieve and

    measure impact

    Expand our reach

    - Grow and diversify our membership and participation

  • -  Create new channels into Rotary

  • -  Increase Rotary’s openness and appeal

  • -  Build awareness of our impact and

    brand

Enhance participant engagement

- Support clubs to better engage their members

- Develop a participant-centered approach to deliver value

- Offer new opportunities for personal and professional connection

- Provide leadership development and skills training

Increase our ability to adapt

- Build a culture of research, innovation, and willingness to take risks

  • -  Streamline governance, structure, and processes

  • -  Review governance to foster more diverse perspectives in decision-making

  •   agreed that Zones 5, 7, 8, 11, 16B, 20A, 23B, 27, and 31 shall select committees in 2018–19 to nominate RI directors for election at the 2020 convention to serve in 2021–23;

  •   approved the 2018–19 RI operating budget, reflecting revenues of US$113,826,000, operating expenses of $86,483,000, use of general surplus funds of $1,056,000, and use of convention reserves of $1,115,000, resulting in an excess of revenues, general surplus funds, and convention reserve over expenditures of $1,847,000.

“July” 2018 Board Meeting Highlights

RI ADMINISTRATION

The Board

  •   welcomed the 2018–19 appointments of John C. Matthews as RI vice president and Peter Iblher

    as RI treasurer;

  •   adopted the 2019–20 annual goals for Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation as follows:

    GOALS FOR PRIORITY 1 – UNITE PEOPLE

    1. Strengthen the process for activating leadership in clubs and districts.

    2. Increase club membership by attracting new and retaining existing members.

    3. Start new clubs.

    4. Increase the number of female members, members under 40, and Rotaractors joining

      Rotary.

    5. Enhance the engagement and collaboration among Interact, Rotaract and Rotary club

      members and other Rotary participants.

    GOALS FOR PRIORITY 2 – TAKE ACTION

    1. Publicize the role of Rotary and Rotarians in polio eradication.

    2. Increase local and international projects by fully utilizing District Designated Funds to

      fund district grants, global grants, PolioPlus and the Rotary Peace Centers.

    3. Increase contributions to the Annual Fund and PolioPlus while building the Endowment

      Fund to $2.025 billion by 2025.

    4. Build awareness of Rotary, and promote the People of Action campaign.

    GOALS FOR PRIORITY 3 – INTERNAL/OPERATIONAL MATTERS

    10. Analyze the effectiveness of our current volunteer leadership levels. 11. Focus and potentially narrow our program efforts.

  •   agreed that committees referenced in Article 17 of the RI Bylaws should not meet during the month of July, the first two weeks of August, and from the fourth Thursday in November through the end of December and requested future RI presidents to authorize meeting times accordingly;

  •   in its ongoing review of governance matters in Rotary, established a new, six-person committee to review regional leaders and structure, including the effectiveness of institutes, presidents’ representatives, and regional leaders; the regionalization model; volunteer leadership layers between directors and the districts; and district matters, including the ideal number of districts, their size, leadership structure, and duties of the governor;

  •   approved a four-year pilot for incorporating young past governors as a resource to the RI Board as a way for including younger perspectives in the Board’s decision making process.