Only 37 Days Until The Radio Auction!
Radio Auction items are continuing to flow
in. As of last night, we have already collected 98
items worth more than $22,500. That's about
45% of this year's $50,000 goal.
Great job, folks! Let's keep 'em coming...
In a newsletter that I receive (forwarded) from the
Zone called Membership Matters, an article caught my
eye about "Membership Myths and Realities". The commentary
involved a report released in Canada that tracked volunteerism
and charitable giving. Overall, 45% of Canadians report that
they volunteer for an average of 168 hours annually and that
youth under 25 have the highest rate of volunteering of any
age group.
Although the same statistics cannot be seen in the United States
(for instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that
27% of all Americans volunteered in 2006 for an average of 52
hours and 20-somethings were the least likely to volunteer),
some findings seem to be universal.
| Reason for Volunteering |
% of Those Surveyed |
| Contribute to community |
92% |
| Use skills and experience |
77% |
| Personally affected by the cause |
60% |
| To meet people |
47% |
| Friends volunteer |
43% |
|
|
The Canadian study looked at why people volunteer and discovered
that the overwhelming reason was contributing to the community.
If you read the top five reasons in the table to the right,
you'll notice that these are exactly the opportunities that
Rotary has to offer prospective members through fellowship and
service. Something else that could be in seen in both the Canadian
and US reports is that the #1 reason volunteers became involved
in a service organization is because someone in the organization
asked them!
The answer for Rotary is one simple thing -- asking members
of our community who are inclined to get involved or are already
involved in other organizations to join Rotary. We have the
fellowship, the opportunity for personal growth and development,
and the projects to give back to the local and global community
-- we just need to ask! And what better time to ask than during
our Radio Auction drive. As you're visiting local businesses
and merchants, please keep this in mind.
(And yes, I wish George Rebane was back from his vacation,
since I know he'd find all of these statistics interesting as
well!)
In Service Above Self,
President David "The Kidd" Kenitzer
