Our new club, the Rotary Club of Washington Global was chartered on February 28. We will aim to serve as a knowledge club or small "think tank" for Rotarians. Our charter members are mostly based in Washington, DC and working for international development organizations, but we welcome members from all walks of life. Apart from a core group meeting in DC, members located elsewhere in the US and abroad will be able to attend meetings online.
Our program of online seminars on the first and third Tuesdays of the month is open to Rotarians from other clubs (see the information on our Speakers page). The first series of three seminars focuses on transforming Rotary with presentations by leaders from our district. On March 3, Ashley Waters talked about social media dos and don’ts. On March 17, Barton Goldenberg will share insights from a presentation he made to the Board of Rotary International on how Rotary could use a customer relationship management approach to improve the Rotarian experience. And on April 7, soon to be Rotary International Director Peter Kyle will talk about the power of partnerships to increase Rotary’s impact globally.
If you would like to attend any of those seminars online, please register on our website, so that we can send you a weblink to participate. Our program of seminars lists all our speakers until December. After the first three seminars focusing on Rotary (to get our members up to speed), most of the other seminars planned ahead focus on issues and debates related to international development.
In terms of service work, we plan to practice Service Above Self by using our professional skills in support of other clubs, Rotarian Action Groups, and nongovernmental organizations, both locally and internationally. Essentially, we will engage in pro bono consulting work to support projects that reach some of the most vulnerable groups in the world. Quite a few of our charter members are Rotary Peace Fellows and Ambassadorial Scholars – they have great professional skills to offer in their volunteer work. If you see opportunities for us to partner with your club or non-profit on a project, please let us know.
We will working hard to keep our dues to a minimum (currently $250 per year, and even $200 for those under 35 and spouses or partners of existing members), so that professionals based in developing countries as well as young professionals based in the DC area or elsewhere can join. We will be thrifty with our membership dues, but we plan to develop a great website.
We started our club with 38 charter members, but we now already have 40 and a number of new applications in the pipeline. We are also interested in sponsoring satellite clubs, not only in the United States but also abroad. If you are interested in joining us, or if you know friends or colleagues who may be interested, please contact us. Our membership application is available on our website, under the Membership page. Please share your ideas. We are eager to practice Service Above Self.