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The major objective of a
well-conceived public relations program should be to increase membership by
providing a factual and comprehensive account of the service provided by
Rotary Global History to Rotary International. The main purpose
of this program should be to inform all Rotarians of the tangible benefits
that can be gained by acquiring an intimate knowledge of Paul Harris’ life
and the history of Rotary.
Public relations could be
defined as a means of informing, persuading, and ultimately, involving
people in the acquisition of knowledge of the legacy of any given
organization. Rotary Global History works diligently to serve
these purposes. It strives to collect the history of Rotary, driven by the
belief that this knowledge will encourage membership retention and will
increase contributions to the Rotary Foundation. So, our mission is to keep
people informed by enabling them to get involved in the process of acquiring
the fascinating history of Rotary. By providing a virtual access to the
archives of this history, we strengthen the bonds of fellowship among all
Rotarians. It is a fact that well-informed Rotarians are infinitely more
likely to remain in Rotary and become better ambassadors in the promotion of
Rotary’s ideals. Furthermore, by acquiring this knowledge they may do a
more effective job in recruiting potential new members for their own Rotary
clubs.
 Norm Winterbottom,
Secretary of RGHF and Chair of the Fellowship Committee, puts it this way:
As we discover
and piece together the scraps of the past, we are slowly making a
picture of where Rotary came from and how it grew. We are
privileged to do that, for like any single individual, unless we
know where we came from, we really do not know who we are or what we
are as Rotarians.
It is my belief that
public relations, recruitment, orientation, membership retention, and
fellowship are all inextricably bound together. Learning, digesting, and
disseminating information concerning the history of Rotary is the glue that
binds and reinforces all of these elements.
Frank
Longoria, RGHF Board Member |
