Sparta Rotary Club
Member Orientation
Revised December 2012
Table of Contents
Lesson 1
1-8
Outline
Purposes of Rotary Orientation
What Is Rotary and Its Purpose?
How Rotary Implements Its Service
The Rotary Club of Sparta
How You Were Invited to Rotary Membership
What Rotary Expects of Its Members
What You Can Expect from Rotary
Admission Fees and Dues
1
2
2
3
4
4
5
7
8
Lesson 2
9-17
Outline
Congratulations! You Are A Rotarian
Attendance Re-Emphasized
Rotary Membership
Vocational Classification
Process of Entry into The Rotary Club of Sparta
Traditions and Taboos
9
10
10
12
13
14
15
Lesson 3
18-27
Outline
The Rotary Club of Sparta
The Mechanics of Service
18
19
22
Lesson 4
28-36
Outline
History of Rotary
Rotary International Organization
The Rotary Foundation
Rotary International Foundation – How Funded
Where Can I Get Further Information?
28
29
30
33
36
36
Appendix
38-40
Rotary Milestones
The 4-Way Test
Rotary International Mission Statement
Past Presidents of the Rotary Club of Sparta
38
39
39
40
By-Laws of The Rotary Club of Sparta
Constitution of the Rotary Club of Sparta
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Outline for Lesson No. 1
1. Purposes of Rotary orientation
A. To give a bird’s eye view of Rotary
B. To answer questions the prospective member may have
C. To determine if the prospective member wishes to accept membership
2. What is Rotary and its purpose?
A. Fundamental characteristics of Rotary and its history
B. The object of Rotary
3. How does Rotary implement its service?
The avenues of Rotary service
Club Service
Vocational Service
Community Service
International Service
New Generations Service
4. The Rotary Club of Sparta
A. Its meetings and history
B. What the Rotary Club of Sparta does
5. How you were invited to Rotary membership
A. Membership qualifications
B. Vocational classification
C. The process of becoming a member
6. What Rotary expects from its members
A. To know what a Rotarian should be
B. High ethical standards – the Four-Way Test
C. A willingness to serve
D. Attendance at club meetings
E. Prompt payment of financial obligations to the club
F. Abiding by rules and policies
7. What you can expect from Rotary
A. Good fellowship
B. Good programs at meetings
C. Opportunity to serve
8. Discussion and questions
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Lesson No. 1
For Prospective Members Before Final Acceptance
1. Purposes of Rotary orientation
A. To give prospective new members a bird’s eye view of Rotary, to let the prospective
members know what Rotary is, what Rotary does, how Rotary functions, what he or she
can expect from Rotary, and what Rotary expects from him or her.
B. To answer questions the prospective member may have about Rotary and about our club.
C. To determine, after discussion, whether the prospective member wishes to accept our
invitation to become a member of the Rotary Club of Sparta.
NOTE: Matters discussed during this lesson will be dealt with in more detail in future
lessons if the prospective Rotarian accepts membership.
2. What is Rotary and its purpose?
A. Fundamental characteristics of Rotary and its history
Rotary is an organization of business and professional men and women united worldwide
in local Rotary clubs, providing humanitarian service, encouraging high ethical standards
in all vocations, and helping build goodwill and peace throughout the world.
Rotary is a service organization, not a business or professional organization. One does
not join Rotary for business gain or to prospect for more clients.
Rotary is not a religious or political organization. Adherents of nearly all religious faiths
– Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Shintoists, Hindus, etc. – are Rotarians. Persons
of all races and nearly all-political views belong to Rotary.
Local Rotary clubs, such as the Rotary Club of Sparta, are gathered together into an
association called “Rotary International.” The club, not the individual Rotarian, belongs
to Rotary International.
Rotary, which was founded in 1905 in Chicago, is the oldest international service club,
with more than two-thirds of its membership outside the United States and Canada.
There are more than 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 32,596 Rotary clubs in more than
200 countries.
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B. The Object of Rotary
The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy
enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
First, the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
Second, high ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of
worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation
as an opportunity to serve society.
Third, the application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business,
and community life;
Fourth, the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through
a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
3. How does Rotary implement its service?
Rotary carries out its ideals of service through five “Avenues of Service.”
The “Avenues of Service” are:
Club Service – the club’s “engine,” doing the work necessary for the club to
operate, to meet, to maintain fellowship, to achieve service goals, and to grow,
so the Avenues of Service can function.
Vocational Service – the basis of Rotary membership, promoting Rotary’s high
ethical standards in the business and professional world, dignifying all worthy
occupations.
Community Service – Rotarians at work in the community, trying to make our
community better.
International Service – seeking to promote better understanding and goodwill
among all peoples of the world. This is done through Rotary International which
offers assistance in under-privileged areas elsewhere in the world. Rotary
International also sponsors peace conferences and gives peace awards. Rotary
volunteers offer their expertise to villages and communities in other countries
where needed. Rotary International meetings and projects help persons from
different nations and cultures become better acquainted. Local clubs, such
as ours, provide international club-to-club assistance in many ways to
communities with specific needs, especially during disasters.
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New Generations Service- Recognizes the positive change implemented by youth
and young adults though leadership development activities, involvement in
community and international service projects, and exchange programs that enrich and
foster world peace and cultural understanding.
4. About the Rotary Club of Sparta
A. Its meetings and history. The Rotary Club of Sparta was organized in 1935 and is the
3888th Rotary club, organized after Rotary began in 1905. It has a membership of
approximately 40. Every Rotary club meets weekly so members may enjoy fellowship
and discuss service goals. The Rotary Club of Sparta meets at 7:00 a.m. each Thursday
at the Senior Citizen’s Center. Meeting times and places of Rotary clubs nearby are
listed in the weekly newsletter as well as on the web site.
B. What the Rotary Club of Sparta does. The Rotary Club of Sparta finances its in-club
programs and operations through dues, which are required, and its charitable and
educational projects. All contributions to these projects are voluntary.
Through the Rotary International Foundation, our club participates in the world’s largest
international scholarship program, in international vocational study, and youth
exchanges, and in gigantic programs to improve health, relieve hunger, and uplift the less
fortunate.
One of Rotary International’s projects is a polio elimination program, under which
Rotary seeks to eliminate polio in all countries of the world. By 2012, only 3 countries
have not eliminated polio, but efforts are continuing to eradicate polio worldwide.
Rotary International and Rotarians have committed more than $1 billion to eradicate
polio, Along with other contributions, a total of $2 billion have been spent and more than
two billion children have been immunized against polio since 1985.
5. How you were invited to Rotary membership
A. Membership qualifications. You must be invited to join Rotary. You did not apply for
Rotary membership. Some member or members of our club thought you would make a
good Rotarian and proposed you for membership. You are now being invited officially.
Rotarians are selected from men and women who are or have been (if retired) managers,
proprietors, partners, officers, or otherwise top executives of worthy and recognized
businesses and professions, and they must have good personal character and reputation
and good business and professional reputations. They also must live in or have their
business and professional practice within the club’s locality.
Your membership in Rotary will be your personal membership, not the membership of
your firm, corporation, partnership, or professional organization.
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You must not be a member of another service club while you belong to Rotary. Our club
does not consider anyone for membership if he or she has been a member of another
service club such as Lions, Kiwanis, Sertoma, Exchange, or Civitan, within the past six
months.
B. Vocational classification. Your membership will be based on your “vocational
classification,” which is determined either by the principal activity of your firm or
professional organization or your own activity within the business, firm or profession.
Your “vocational classification” is not your firm or professional organization nor your
position in your business or profession. If you were connected with a bank, for instance,
your classification would not be “Money National Bank” or “bank president” but
“banking.” It’s what you do.
The club loans your “vocational classification” to you. A large club may have up to 10%
of its membership in each “vocational classification.” A club of 50 or fewer members,
such as ours, may have up to five. There must be an opening in your classification for
you to be invited. The Board of Directors of the club draws up the club’s list of
“vocational classifications.” If you change “vocational classification” after you join, you
may remain in the club regardless of the numbers limitation. If you move from the club’s
locality, or for certain other reasons leave the club, you may transfer your membership to
another Rotary club if that other club accepts you. Members who are retired are not
included in the numbers limitations.
C. Process of becoming a member. After your proposer submitted your name to the club
secretary, the club’s Board of Directors verified that the “vocational classification” to be
loaned you was open. References and other information your proposer provided were
checked and you were investigated by our Board of Directors as to your personal
reputation and the reputation you have or have had in your business or profession and in
the community. The Board of Directors, with this data about you in hand, discussed your
proposed membership and by unanimous vote tentatively approved you for membership.
If you decide to join our club, our entire membership will be asked to approve you. Your
name will be published in our weekly bulletin and any member within ten days may
register in writing an objection to you. If this happens, our Board of Directors will reconsider your proposed membership and make a final decision on whether to accept you.
If no objection is made, or if the Board overturns any objection and re-approves you,
then to become a member you must agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the
Sparta Rotary Club and of Rotary International. You must also pay the necessary fees
and dues.
6. What Rotary expects from its members
A. To know what a Rotarian should be. After you join, you will be expected to attend the
new member information sessions to learn in more detail how Rotary functions.
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B. High ethical conduct. Rotarians use the Four-Way Test of things we think, say or do, as
a measure of their ethical conduct in their personal, business, and professional life:
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
This Four-Way Test was composed by Herbert J. Taylor when, in 1932, at the bottom of
the Great Depression, he sought a means to save his near bankrupt Aluminum Company.
Feeling his company had to offer something his competitors did not, he devised the FourWay Test for his company’s policies, its employee relationships, and its customer
relationships. Taylor, a Rotarian in Chicago and then later a Rotary International
president, felt the Four-Way Test saved his company.
C. A willingness to serve. Rotary’s motto is “Service above self.” Service to the
community, the world, and our fellow persons is at the heart of Rotary. You will be
expected to serve individually in our community and on service projects undertaken by
the club.
D. Attendance at club meetings. Rotary stresses attendance more than other service
organization. If you cannot attend or are not willing to attend our meetings, YOU
SHOULD NOT JOIN ROTARY! Rotary is a participation organization. One cannot
participate without attending and learning what the club is doing.
Each Rotarian is expected to attend the club’s regular meetings and stay throughout the
meeting. If you have to miss a meeting, you may “make up” your attendance by
attending another Rotary club meeting 14 days before the meeting you missed or 14 days
afterwards. There are other Rotary clubs in the nearby area meeting every day of the
week. You also may “make up” by attending certain Rotary International and Rotary
District meetings, by attending a meeting of the club’s board, a service committee to
which you may be assigned, or by participating in a club service project or clubsponsored community event. There is little excuse for not attending or “making up.”
You may also do a “make-up” by visiting the following website: www.rotary.org.
For your attendance to count, you must attend at least 50% of the meeting of our club or
of the club at which you “make up.” You also are expected to maintain 30% attendance
at your home club, that is, the Rotary Club of Sparta, during each six-month period, July
through December, or January through June.
The Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Sparta may excuse a member’s absence
because of protracted illness or impairment or for other valid reasons. If you find
yourself unable to attend or make up for a period of time, you may apply to the Board of
Directors for a leave of absence. The Board will decide whether to grant it. The Board
also decides when a member shall be dropped from membership for non-attendance. The
Rotary Club of Sparta strives for better than 90% attendance at each meeting.
Attendance at meetings of service clubs other than Rotary does not count.
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E. Prompt payment of financial obligations to the club. Contrary to the practice of many
service clubs, we do not ask our members to sell fruit cakes, light bulbs, brooms, etc.
Operation of our club and its in-club projects and programs are financed through your
dues, which are required and are payable quarterly or monthly. Solicitation of any kind
from the podium or otherwise by outside groups is forbidden at our meetings. (See list of
fees and dues)
There is a suggested, but voluntary, contribution of $50.00 bi-annually to support the
work of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. All contributions are tax
deductible.
F. You must abide by the rules and policies of the Rotary Club of Sparta and of Rotary
International.
7. What you may expect from Rotary
A. Good fellowship. As a member of the Rotary Club of Sparta, you will receive
immediate acceptance and friendship from our members. You will make new
acquaintances and have opportunity to exchange ideas and views as you eat and talk in a
relaxed atmosphere around the Rotary table. Committee assignments will allow you to
work closely with your fellow Rotarians and enable you to know them better while
learning more about Rotary.
You also will enlarge your interests and knowledge about matters not directly connected
with your vocation. You will learn about other vocations and about new things in our
community and the world. In making up at other clubs and by attending Rotary district
and international meetings, you will meet Rotarians from nearby and from all over the
world. Fellowship with others provides an opportunity for you to better serve your
fellow persons.
B. Good programs at meetings. The Rotary Club of Sparta has excellent speakers and
informative programs.
C. The opportunity to serve. This is the prime reason for belonging to Rotary.
8. Discussion and questions
Do you wish to become a member of the Rotary Club of Sparta? May we publish your
name as a prospective member before our entire membership? If so, we ask you to sign a
card, giving us permission to submit your name in the club bulletin.
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Permission Card
I wish to become a member of the Rotary Club of Sparta.
Please publish my name in the bulletin as a prospective member.
Signature________________________________
Date____________________
ADMISSION FEES AND DUES
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Your admission fee will be $20.
Your dues will be $40 per month, payable at the beginning of each month.
Members may choose to pay their dues quarterly, semi-annually or annually in advance.
The Rotary fiscal year begins on July 1.
For new members: Upon admission to the club, your dues are prorated to the end of the period
at $40 per month. If you are admitted prior to the 15th of the month, you pay a full month’s proration. After the 15th your dues become payable as of the first of the following month.
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NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Lesson No. 2
This lesson deals with Rotary customs and courtesies, attendance rules, membership and
classification structure, and how new members are proposed and selected.
1. Congratulations! You are a Rotarian!
A. Wear Rotary pin with pride and name badge at meetings
B. Fellowship within the club
C. Welcome visitors and make speakers feel appreciated
D. No smoking
2. Attendance re-emphasized
A. The basic rules of attendance
B. When attendance can be excused
C. Termination for non-attendance
3. Rotary membership
A. The club chooses its members
B. Kinds of Rotary membership
1. Active membership
2. Honorary membership
4. Vocational classification
A. Basis for membership
B. Limitations on classifications
5. Process of entry into the Rotary Club of Sparta
A. Will he or she make a good Rotarian?
B. How to propose a prospective member
C. The club’s procedure
D. Things to remember
6. Tradition and Taboos
A. No off-color jokes or racial slurs
B. Respect for all religious faiths
C. No partisan politics
D. No endorsements or stands on controversial issues
E. No outside solicitations
F. Restrictions of use of Rotary emblems
G. The Board runs the club
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7. Discussion and questions
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NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Lesson No. 2
For new members after final acceptance.
This lesson deals with Rotary customs and courtesies, attendance rules, membership and
classification structure, and how new members are proposed and selected.
1. Congratulations! You are a Rotarian!
A. Wear your Rotary pin with pride.
Your lapel pin identifies you as a Rotarian and community leader. Your pin is your
passport to other Rotary clubs.
B. Opportunities for Fellowship. Most Rotarians are successful because they hear
opportunities knock and take advantage of them. Once a week the opportunity for Rotary
fellowship occurs at each club meeting. The weekly club meeting is a special privilege of
membership in the Sparta Rotary Club. It provides the occasion to visit with fellow
members, to meet visitors and new members, and to share your personal friendship with
other members. You are encouraged to sit in a different seat or at a different table each
week or to sit with a member you do not know as well as your longtime personal friends.
Members are asked to invite new members or visitors to join their table and share the
conversation around the table rather than merely eating in silence or talking privately to
the person next to them. You should make a special point of trying to get acquainted
with all members of the club.
Welcome visitors and make speakers feel appreciated. Invite any visitor you meet to
sit at your table and introduce him or her to others at the table. Involve him or her in the
table conversation. Treat the visitor, as you would like to be treated when you visit
another club. Tell speakers after the program how much you appreciated their
presentation. If you have to leave before the program ends, apologize, and explain to the
speaker before the program starts. Unless there is an emergency, please do not leave
during the presentation.
C. No smoking. Rotarians are encouraged not to smoke at club meetings and other Rotary
events. (2001 Council on Legislation.)
2. Attendance Re-emphasized
Rotary is more strict on attendance than other clubs. Our club strives for at least 90%
attendance at each meeting.
A. The basic rules of attendance. A Rotarian is expected to attend the club’s entire
meeting. Sometimes he or she cannot. A member is counted as attending only if he or
she is present during 50% of the time devoted to the meeting or makes up his or her
attendance 14 days before or 14 days after by attending at least 50% of the meeting of
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another Rotary club. The 14 days is counted from the time one’s home club meets. If
you are present and unexpectedly called away before you attend 50% of the meeting, you
must produce evidence satisfactory to the Board of Directors that such action was
reasonable for your attendance to be counted.
To aid you in making up missed meetings, the times and places of Rotary clubs locally
and throughout the world are found in the Rotary International Club Directory. If you
know you will have to be absent, try to make up within the 14-day period before you are
absent in the event you are prevented from making up during your absence.
In addition to making up at another Rotary club, your attendance will count:
1. If you are present at the usual time and place of the regular meeting of another
Rotary club for the purpose of making up and that club is not meeting at that time
and place.
2. If you attend a regular meeting of an Interact, Youthact, or Rotaract club, or
Rotary Community Corps (you will learn about these later,) or a provisional
meeting of these organizations.
3. If you attend a meeting of our club’s Board of Directors or a meeting of a service
committee of our club to which you are assigned or participate in a club service
project or a club-sponsored community event.
4. If you attend a Rotary International convention, assembly or institute, or other
Rotary International meetings such as a district conference, district assembly, a
district committee or training meeting called by the district governor, or a meeting
held under direction of Rotary International.
5. If you are engaged in Rotary International or Rotary district business or some
Rotary business authorized by the Board of Directors of our club.
B. When attendance can be excused
1. If the aggregate of a Rotarian’s years of age and his or her years of membership in
one or more Rotary clubs totals 85 or more, a Rotarian may be excused entirely
from attending meetings. Such members, however, must notify the club secretary
in writing of his or her desire to be excused and the Board of Directors must
approve.
2. If a Sparta Rotary Club member is traveling outside the United States for more
than 14 days, he or she may make up his or her attendance by attending the
meetings of Rotary clubs in another country at any time during his or her period
of travel. Attendance at Rotary meetings outside the United States will count as a
“make-up” regardless of the 14-day-before-and-after requirement.
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3. The Board of Directors may excuse a Rotarian’s absences for reasons that the
Board considers good and sufficient. If a Rotarian is an officer of Rotary
International or is traveling on Rotary business, his or her absence also may be
excused.
C. The Board of Directors may terminate the membership of a Rotarian because of
non-attendance if the Board finds his or her excessive non-attendance sufficient for
such action.
3. Rotary membership
A. The club chooses its members. Each Rotary club chooses its own members. One does
not apply to join Rotary. You must be invited. The individual Rotarian is a member not
of Rotary International but of the local club, in your case, the Rotary Club of Sparta. The
local club belongs to Rotary International, the worldwide association of Rotary clubs.
B. Kinds of membership. There are two kinds of Rotary membership: active members and
honorary members.
1. Active membership. An active member must be an adult person who is, or has been
if retired, a person of good character and good business and professional reputation.
He or she must:
(a) Be engaged as a proprietor, partner, corporate officer or manager of a worthy,
recognized business or profession,
(b) Hold an important position in an executive capacity with discretionary authority
in a worthy, recognized business or profession,
(c) Act as the local agent or branch representative of a worthy, recognized business
or profession having charge of such agency or branch in an executive capacity.
The active member must have his or business or profession within the locality of the
Rotary Club of Sparta, that is, the city of Sparta or surrounding area.
No Rotarian may simultaneously hold active membership in two Rotary clubs or in a
Rotary club and a Rotaract club. While in Rotary, one must not be a member of
another service club, such as Lions, Kiwanis, Civitan, Sertoma, Ruritan, etc. To be
proposed for membership in the Rotary Club of Sparta, one must not have been a
member of another service club in the Sparta area for at least six months.
Active membership can, under certain circumstances, be transferred from one Rotary
club to another provided the club to which he or she desires transfer accepts him or
her. Any member may propose to active membership a transferring member, or a
former member of another Rotary club, if the proposed transferring member or
former member is terminating or has terminated his or her membership in his or her
former club due to no longer being engaged in his or her assigned classification
within the locality of his or her former club or the surrounding area. The transferring
member’s former club also may propose him or her for membership in another club.
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However, an active member moving from the locality of his or her club or the
surrounding area may retain membership in his or her club if the Board of Directors
of that club grants such permission and such member continues to remain active in
the same classification. If a member retires, or a member with three or more years of
service, changes residence or place of business so that the member no longer meets
the locality requirements, the club also may continue his or her membership without
change of classification.
2. Honorary membership. Persons who have distinguished themselves by meritorious
service in the furtherance of Rotary ideals may be elected to honorary
membership by the Board of Directors, the term of such membership to be
determined by the Board. No person can be an active member and an honorary
member at the same time in this club or another club. Honorary members are
exempt from admission fees and dues. They have no vote on club matters and
cannot hold any office in the club. They hold no classification. They have no
rights or privileges in any other Rotary club, although they may attend other
Rotary clubs without being a guest of a Rotarian.
C. Public office holders. Persons elected or appointed to public office for a specified
period of time are not eligible to active membership under the classification of their
office. This restriction does not apply to persons holding positions or offices in schools,
colleges, or other institutions of learning, or to persons elected or appointed to the
judiciary. Members elected or appointed to public office for specified terms, who already
are members of a Rotary club, may continue as members under their existing
classifications.
4. Vocational Classification
A. Basis of membership. Rotary membership is based on a “vocational classification”
which is loaned to you by the club. “Vocational classification” has been the structure of
Rotary since it’s beginning in Chicago in 1905. A Rotary club is a cross-section of the
business and professional life of its community with a balanced membership. If a club
had all lawyers, it would be a legal society; all doctors, a medical society.
A member’s “vocational classification” is determined (1) by the principal and recognized
activity of the firm, company or institution, or profession with which a member is
connected or (2) by the principal and recognized activity of the member in his or her
business or profession. A member must devote at least 60% of his or her time to the
activity for which he or she is classified, or obtain 60% of his or her income from that
activity, and he or she must be identified in the community with that activity.
A member’s “vocational classification,” in other words, describes what the member or his
firm, institution, or profession does. If a member were connected with a bank, his or her
classification would not be “Money National Bank” or “bank president” but “banking.”
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B. Limitations on classifications. The club’s Board of Directors decides what “vocational
classifications” are applicable in the club’s community. A larger club may have up to ten
percent of its members in any one classification. Clubs of 50 or fewer members, such as
ours, may have up to five in each classification. An open classification means that the
numbers limitation has not been reached. If a member changes his or her “vocational
classification,” he or she may remain in the club under his or her new classification
regardless of the numbers limitation. When a member retires from his or her business or
profession, he or she remains in the club under his “vocational classification” also,
regardless of the number limitations. To be accepted into a Rotary club, there must be an
open “vocational classification”. That means the number limitations must not have been
reached.
5. Process of entry into the Rotary Club of Sparta
This process is distinctive to the Rotary Club of Sparta.
A. Will he or she make a good Rotarian? When proposing a person for membership,
consider first whether he or she would be a good Rotarian. He or she may be a good
buddy, a good golfer, a good bridge player, a fellow church member, a close friend, but
does he or she have the right Rotary qualifications? A prospective member must be a
leader of high ethical reputation and in a top management position in his or her business
or profession with a favorable community reputation.
B. How to propose a prospective member
1. Obtain a membership proposal form from our Secretary. Fill out the form from
your knowledge of the prospective member and have three members of our club
personally sign the proposal as references. If the proposed member has been a
member of another Rotary club or is known personally by a member of the other
Rotary club, references from that club or from a member of that club may be listed.
2. Return the membership proposal form to our Secretary.
3. Do not discuss the membership proposal with the proposed member or anyone
else except as necessary to obtain the required references.
C. The club’s procedure
1. After you submit the proposal form, our Secretary will forward it to the Board of
Directors to certify that the numbers limitation in the classification proposed for the
proposed member is not reached. If the limit on the proposed classification is
reached, the Board of Directors then may try to find another open classification. If no
suitable open classification can be found, the Board of Directors rejects the proposal
and informs our Secretary.
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2. If a classification is approved, the Board of Directors returns the proposal with its
report to the Secretary who then obtains information about the proposed member
from the person who proposed the new member.
3. The Secretary, after this is completed, transmits the entire file on the proposed
member to the President who checks the proposed member thoroughly, including his
or her character and ethics, his or her business, financial, social, and community
reputation, and his or her general eligibility for Rotary membership.
4. Only after the approval by the Board should the proposed member be told about
being proposed. At this time he or she will be given an overview of Rotary by the
Club President and an opportunity to ask questions and decide if he or she desires to
accept the club’s invitation to join.
5. At the conclusion of this meeting, the proposed member must give written permission
for his or her name to be published for approval or disapproval by the entire club
membership. After the proposed member gives permission, his or her name is printed
in the next bulletin. Any member within ten days after the publication may object in
writing to the proposed member becoming a member. The objection must be
addressed to the Board of Directors, stating reasons for the objection.
6. If no objection is received, no further action is required, and the proposed member
becomes a candidate for membership. If an objection is received, the Board must
consider the objection and decide on its merit and vote again on the proposed member
by secret ballot. The Board’s re-approval must be by unanimous vote.
7. If the proposed member is approved or re-approved as a candidate for membership,
on payment of required admission fee and dues, the candidate automatically becomes
a member. Attendance is counted from this time. At a later date at a regular club
meeting, he or she is formally presented to the club.
D. Things to remember
1. This procedure requires time, usually several weeks. Don’t be upset if a person you
propose is not accepted. There may not be a classification opening, or the club may
be right!
2. Do not propose a person who is a member of another service club, such as Kiwanis,
Lions, Civitan, Sertoma, Optimist, or Ruritan.
3. If the member you proposed becomes a member, take responsibility to see that he or
she gets the right start. Check his or her attendance, his committee work. Help him
or her become acquainted with fellow Rotarians. Encourage him or her to become a
good Rotarian.
16
6. Tradition and Taboos
A. Off-color jokes and remarks that slur any ethnic group or race are out of place. Speakers
should also be so warned.
B. Meetings should start and end on time. Program Speakers should be reminded that they
should attempt to end their program by 7:40. This typically allows a full 30 minutes for
the guest speaker.
C. Invocations or religious talks should not cast disrespect on any other religious faith.
Evangelizing by any speaker is out of place in Rotary, which has Hindus, Jews,
Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and many other religious faiths among its members.
Rotary International’s Policy
Rotary clubs throughout the world include members who have many
religious beliefs and values and are united in service to humanity. Each
Rotary club, being autonomous, should use its own good judgment in
conducting its meetings in a manner that reflects Rotary’s basic principle
of tolerance. Every Rotarian is expected to be faithful to his or her
religious principles and to evidence respect for the beliefs of others.
D. Partisan politics is out of place in Rotary. No candidate for public office should use the
Rotary platform for a campaign speech. Our club prohibits inviting candidates as
speakers. Political references should not be used in introductions. A public office holder
may be invited between elections to report on what his or her office is doing, but not
while campaigning.
E. The Rotary International Constitution prohibits Rotary clubs from expressing opinions or
taking positions on any pending controversial public matter, local, national, or
international, and from endorsing candidates or issues.
Our Club constitution points out that “the general welfare of the
community, the nation, and the world is of concern to members of this
club, and the merits of any public question involving such welfare may be
the subject of proper, fair, and intelligent study and discussion, with all
pertinent viewpoints presented, before a club meeting for the
enlightenment of the members in forming their individual opinions.”
“This club shall not endorse or recommend any candidate for public office
and shall not discuss at any club meeting the merits or demerits of any
such candidate. This club shall neither adopt nor circulate resolutions or
views, not take corporate action, dealing with world affairs or international
policies of a political nature.”
See Article XI of the Rotary Club Constitution
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F. Outside solicitation from the podium or otherwise is prohibited. Speakers may report on
the work of worthwhile charitable or community organizations, but not ask for money or
for membership. Speakers should be so cautioned.
G. The By-Laws of Rotary International prohibit use of the Rotary name, its emblem, or
other insignia for commercial purposes. These must not be used on business stationery,
cards, or in advertising (except when approved as a Rotary promotion.) Display of the
Rotary emblem on doors or windows of a business is discouraged. The Rotary
membership roster or directory must not be used for solicitation, commercial purposes, or
as a mailing list.
H. The club’s Board of Directors runs the club. Do not bring up any resolution or motion
from the floor at any meeting. Take any ideas or proposals you have to a Board member
or to the Board of Directors through an appropriate committee. This rule does not apply
to matters referred to the membership by the Board and to certain constitutional matters.
7. Discussion and questions
18
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Lesson No. 3
This lesson deals with organization of the Rotary Club of Sparta, duties and functions of the
Board of Directors and the officers, how they are elected, the committee structure, the avenues of
service, and club finances.
1. The Rotary Club of Sparta
A. History, charter and by-laws
B. Officers and directors
C. Method of electing officers and directors
D. Meetings
E. The Past-Presidents Council
F. Budget and finances
2. The mechanics of service
A. How committees are appointed
B. Committee structure
1. Administration Committee
2. Membership Committee
3. Public Relations Committee
4. Fundraising Committee
5. New Generations Service Committee
6. Rotary Foundation Committee
7. Service Projects Committee
 Club Service
 Community Service
 International Service
 Vocational Service
C. Club assemblies
3. Discussion and questions
19
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Lesson No. 3
This lesson deals with Rotary customs and courtesies, attendance rules, membership and
classification structure, the club leadership plan, and how new members are proposed and
selected.
1. The Rotary Club of Sparta
A. History, charter and by-laws
The Rotary Club of Sparta was formed November 4, 1935, its formal organization taking
place November 7, 1935. The International Association of Rotary Clubs (now Rotary
International) issued its charter April 7, 1936 at which time the Rotary Club of Sparta had
16 charter members. Cowan Oldham, president of the McMinnville Rotary club, was the
organizer. Mason Gooch was the first president, Scott Camp was the first vice-president,
J.S. Cardwell was the first secretary and Jake Lefkovitz was the first treasurer.
The Rotary Club of Sparta operates under its 1936 charter and the Standard Rotary Club
Constitution prescribed by Rotary International and adopted locally. It also operates
under by-laws drawn up and adopted by the local club. These local by-laws must not
conflict with the Constitution or By-Laws of Rotary International since, as a member of
Rotary International; the Rotary Club of Sparta must abide by the Rotary International
Constitution and By-Laws and Rotary International rules, regulations, and policies.
B. Officers and directors
1. The governing body of the Rotary Club of Sparta is its Board of Directors, which
consists of 10 members: the President, the President-Elect/VP, the Secretary, the
Treasurer, the Past-President, and five directors. The Board of Directors holds
meetings as called for by the President. The decisions of the Board of Directors are
final, subject only to appeal to the membership as provided in the Club Constitution
and By-Laws.
2. No resolution or motion to commit this club on any matter may be considered by the
membership until it has been considered and approved by the Board of Directors.
Any resolution or motion, if offered at a club meeting, is referred automatically to the
Board of Directors without discussion. Therefore, do not offer any resolution or
motion at a club meeting except on matters on which the Board requests a
membership vote or on matters on which the Club Constitution or By-Laws require
a membership vote.
3. Discussions and actions of the Board of Directors are kept within the Board unless by
their nature such action or actions require disclosure. The duties of the officers,
20
directors, and committees are set out in the Standard Rotary Club Constitution and the
By-Laws of this club.
C. Method of electing officers and directors
1. The officers and directors for the ensuing club year are elected at an annual meeting
of the club the third Thursday of each December. Those elected take office the
following July 1 and serve until June 30 of the year after they take office.
2. At a regular meeting of the club, not less than four weeks before the annual
meeting(the third Thursday in November), the current President appoints a
Nominating Committee for naming nominees for officers and directors for the
ensuing club year.
The Nominating Committee consists of last five (5) Past Presidents
of the club. The current Past President serves as the committee
chairperson.
These individuals who make up the Nominating Committee are traditionally
asked to stand during the meeting so that they can be easily identified by the
membership. The membership is informed that suggestions for officers and
directors may be made to this Committee.
3. The Nominating Committee selects eight names to be placed in nomination for
officers and directors for the ensuing year: one to hold the office of PresidentNominee; one to hold the office of Secretary; one to hold the office of Treasurer; and
five directors.
The Nominating Committee does not nominate anyone for President
since the President-Elect/VP of the preceding year automatically
becomes President.
4. The Nominating Committee presents its slate of nominees to the membership one
week before the club’s annual meeting (the second Thursday in December) at which
time the current President asks for nominations from the floor. After nominations are
received from the floor, or if there are none, the President asks for a motion that the
nominations be closed.
5. The members vote on the nominees at the annual meeting on the third Thursday in
December. If there is no opposition to the slate presented by the Nominating
Committee, the vote is viva voce (orally). If there is more than one nominee, the
nominee receiving a majority vote for each office is elected. In the election of
directors, the five receiving the highest votes are elected.
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6. A third of the membership, excluding Honorary Members, constitutes a quorum for
transaction of club business, including election of officers and directors. A majority
vote determines an election when there is a contest for an office. The vote always is
viva voce, unless there are nominees for an office other than those presented by the
Nominating Committee. In such cases, the vote is by ballot.
7. The officers and directors serve one-year terms, July 1 to June 30. The remaining
directors or directors-elect fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors or the Board of
Directors-Elect including that of Officers and Officers-Elect.
D. Meetings. The regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Sparta is held at 7:00 a.m. each
Thursday at such place as the President determines. At present the regular meeting place
is the Senior Citizen’s Center. The President may change the time or the place of the
meeting so long as the change is within the week. The President may cancel a meeting in
the event of a disaster, epidemic, or other emergency. Meetings may also be cancelled if
it should fall on a holiday, or in the case of death of a member. The President cannot
cancel more than four regular meetings in a year for causes other than these and the club
must not fail to meet for more than three consecutive weeks.
E. The Past Presidents’ Council. All Past Presidents of the club, who are currently
members of the club, constitute the Past Presidents Council, the duties of which are to
advise and counsel current officers and directors and provide such assistance as may be
requested by the officers and directors. At least one Past President traditionally
accompanies the President Elect to the District Assembly at TTU. The Past Presidents
Council is unique to the Rotary Club of Sparta.
F. Budget and Finances.
1. The incoming President prepares a club budget for the year which is submitted to the
Board of Directors for approval on or before July 1. The Board authorizes the
assessment of dues and fees to cover the club’s general operations. The annual dues
are set by the Board and are payable monthly at the beginning of the month. The
dues include per capita assessments due Rotary International, District 6780, and a
subscription to The Rotarian, the Rotary International’s official magazine. When a
new member enters the club, there is a $20 admission fee.
2. Our club does not ask its members to sell fruitcakes, light bulbs, brooms, etc., as do
some other clubs. Our club’s operations and its’ programs and projects are financed
by dues, which are required.
Recent projects funded by the Sparta Rotary Club include signage for the White
County Library, funding the non-revenue sports programs, and the Sparta Christmas
Parade.
Other voluntary contributions may be requested by the Board of Directors for special
causes they have approved, such as, disaster relief in some area of the world.
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2. Mechanics of Service
A. How committees are appointed. There are seven standing committees as set out in the
By-Laws of the Sparta Rotary Club. Additional committees (which may vary from year
to year depending upon each President’s plans and objectives) may be appointed by the
President each year with approval of the Board of Directors. The seven standing
committees and chairpersons are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Committee
Administration
Membership
Public Relations
Fundraising
New Generations
Rotary Foundation
Service Projects
 Club Service
 Community Service
 International Service
 Vocational Service
 New Generations
Chairperson
(Club Secretary)
(Board Member #1)
(Board Member #2)
(Board Member #3)
(Board Member #4)
(Board Member #5)
(Club President)
The club’s Board of Directors prescribes the duties of each committee. All five
individuals on the Board of Directors also serve as chairpersons of a committee, and may
appoint a co-chairperson with the president’s consent. Presidents, before taking office,
will ask each club member for his or her committee choices. A member may or may not
get his or her first choice, depending on the spread of requests, but each member usually
gets one of his or her choices.
All club members must belong to at least one committee.
B. Committee structure. Each committee group member is responsible to the chairperson
in charge of that particular committee. Each committee chairperson is responsible to the
club president.
1. Administration Committee -This committee should conduct
activities associated with the effective operation of the club. The club
Administration Committee members are responsible for maintaining
membership records, recording attendance, sending out meeting
notices, recording minutes of board meetings, making required reports
to RI, remitting subscriptions to The Rotarian magazine, and any other
duties that usually pertain to the office of club secretary. The current
club secretary is traditionally the chairperson of this committee.
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2. Membership Committee -This committee should develop and
implement a comprehensive plan for the recruitment and retention of
members. The Membership Committee is responsible for establishing
membership goals, identifying prospective club members, developing a
recruiting action plan each year, conducting new member orientation, and
educating club members on the purpose of the classification principle.
One of the five elected directors serves as the chairperson of this
committee.
3. Public Relations Committee -This committee should develop and
implement plans to promote Rotary by providing the public with
information about the service projects and activities of the Sparta Rotary
Club. The club public relations chair is responsible for maintaining a list
of media contacts, responding to media inquiries about the club, and
ensuring that special events and club projects are documented and
promoted through the media during the current Rotary year. One of the
five elected directors serves as the chairperson of this committee
4. Fundraising Committee -This committee should develop, organize and
implement fundraising projects to provide the financial support the club
needs to meet obligations and achieve club goals. The club fundraising
chair is responsible for planning and organizing the club’s annual BBQ
and Golf tournament fundraisers. One of the five elected directors
serves as the chairperson of this committee
5. New Generations Committee -This committee should develop and
coordinate projects, awards, and activities for youth. The Youth
Service Committee chairperson is the club liaison between the Interact
Club and the Sparta Rotary Club. He or she also coordinates our
participation in RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), and is
responsible for presenting the high school awards and scholarships of
the Sparta Rotary Club. One of the five elected directors serves as the
chairperson of this committee
6. The Rotary Foundation Committee -This committee should develop
and implement plans to support the Rotary Foundation through both
financial contributions and program participation. The Foundation
Committee chairperson is responsible for assisting the club president in
educating Rotarians about The Rotary Foundation, setting club goals, and
developing an action plan for Foundation fundraising. One of the five
elected directors serves as the chairperson of this committee.
7. Service Projects Committee -This committee should develop and
implement educational, humanitarian and vocational projects that address
the needs of the Sparta community and communities in other countries.
The service project committee chairperson is responsible for planning,
implementation, and documentation of projects that address one or more
of the five Avenues of Service. He or she also encourages club and
24
community involvement and evaluates the projects at completion. The
current club president is traditionally the chairperson of this
committee.
The five avenues of service include:
Club Service. Club Service is the “engine” that pulls the club, keeping the club
running so other committees can perform. The Club Service Director is responsible
for the club bulletin, website, and assists the following officers with their duties:
 Sergeant-at-Arms. The Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for
fellowship, meeting room preparation, and technology. The
Sergeant-at Arms is also responsible for member attendance,
program schedule, and membership development.
 Treasurer. The club Treasurer is responsible for monitoring
and accounting for club dues and expenditures, ensuring per
capita dues are sent to RI in a timely fashion, provide financial
reports to the board as requested, and ensure an annual
financial report is prepared by a qualified individual at year
end.
 President-Elect/VP. The President-Elect/VP is responsible
for member classification, publications, archives and history,
and memorial resolutions. The president-elect is also
responsible for public information, special events, club
projects, documenting the current Rotary year, and most
importantly, preparing for their year as president.
Community Service. The Rotary Club of Sparta has a long history of service to the
Community. The Community Service Director is responsible for all community
related projects undertaken by the club to include the Christmas Parade, School
supplies program, any youth service projects, or any project which seeks to improve
the community.
New Generations Service. Recognizes the positive change implemented by youth
and young adults though leadership development activities, involvement in
community and international service projects, and exchange programs that enrich and
foster world peace and cultural understanding.
i.
Rotary International believes every Rotarian should be an
example to youth. Rotary International offers Youth
Leadership Awards, Youth Merit Awards, and sponsors Youth
Exchanges between Rotary countries. Rotary District 6780
also sponsors a District Youth Exchange program.
ii.
Interact Clubs are Rotary-sponsored service clubs for youth of
secondary school or pre-college ages (14 to 18). The purpose
is to recognize and develop leadership and personal integrity,
25
to encourage thoughtfulness and helpfulness to others, and to
encourage young people to dedicate themselves to
understanding. Most Interact clubs are school-related. The
sponsoring Rotary club works closely with school authorities.
A Rotarian representing the sponsoring club attends each
Interact meeting as an advisor. The Rotary Club of Sparta
sponsors an Interact Club at White County High School.
iii.
Interact is worldwide. The first Interact club was organized at
Melbourne, Florida, in 1962. There are today more than 7100
Interact clubs with more than 164,000 members in 107
countries.
Our Rotary District 6780 has sponsored
approximately 20 Interact clubs, including one at White
County High School sponsored by our club. In District 6780,
Interact clubs hold an annual Interact District Conference in
March.
iv.
Rotaract Clubs are similar to Interact but for young adults 18 to
30 years of age. They too are Rotary-sponsored. Many are
college-related but many are community-related. The first
Rotaract club was organized in 1968 in Charlotte, North
Carolina. Today there are 6800 Rotaract clubs in 151 countries
with more than 150,000 members. There is a Rotaract club at
Tennessee Tech University which is sponsored by the
Cookeville noon Rotary Club.
Vocational Service. The Rotary Club of Sparta Vocational Service Director
provides career information to high school students, assists in finding temporary
employment for young people during vacations, sponsors vocational bookshelves at
the White County Library, conducts tours of local businesses, and promotes the use of
the four-way test in businesses and schools. At least two vocational service programs
are expected to be held each year.
i.
Vocational Service is the heart of Rotary. Rotary was founded
on vocation. You were selected for Rotary because of your
vocation. Rotary’s Basic Library says Vocational Service is
the Main Street from which the other Avenues of Service flow.
Paul Harris wrote: “Each Rotarian is a connecting link
between the idealism of Rotary and his trade or profession.”
The first and second Objects of Rotary, deal with Vocational
Service:
“The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of
service as a basis of worthy enterprise.”
26
“High ethical standards in business and profession; the
recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the
dignifying by each Rotarian of his or her occupation as an
opportunity to serve society.”
ii.
Rotary International’s Vocational Service Committee has
adopted this statement: “Vocational Service is the way Rotary
fosters and supports the application of the Idea of Service in
the pursuit of all vocations. Inherent in the Vocational Service
Ideal will be:
(1) Adherence to and promotion of the highest ethical
standards in all occupations, including faithfulness and fidelity
to employers, employees, and associates, fair treatment of them
and of competitors, the public, and all those with whom one
has any business or professional relationships;
(2) The recognition of the worthiness to society of all useful
occupations, not just one’s own or those which are pursued by
Rotarians. (3) The contribution of one’s vocational talents to
the problems and needs of society.”
“A Rotarian should not expect, and far less should he or she
ask for more consideration or advantage from a fellow
Rotarian than the latter would give to any other business or
professional associate.
It is contrary to a Rotarian’s
obligation to competitors and the spirit of Vocational Service
for a Rotarian to grant a fellow Rotarian (because he or she is
a Rotarian) privileges he would not normally accord to others
with whom he or she has a business or professional
relationship. Any use of the fellowship of Rotary as a means of
gaining an advantage or profit is foreign to the spirit of
Rotary.”
International Service. The International Service Director is responsible for our
international contacts, world community service, our contact with the Rotary
Foundation of Rotary International, and reviews candidates for Rotary international
scholarships.
i.
The Rotary Club of Sparta serves internationally directly
through its international service committees and indirectly
through the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, with its
Ambassadorial Scholarships, its Group Study Exchanges, and
the Future Vision Plan (which includes a program to eliminate
polio and promote World peace).
27
The aim of International Service is to encourage and foster
international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a
world fellowship of business. However, Rotary clubs’ must
not engage in any corporate effort to influence governments,
world affairs, or international policies, nor adopt or circulate
resolutions, petitions, or views dealing with national, world, or
international political policies or issues. Neither should
Rotarians try to interfere with the laws of other countries.
Rotary clubs can provide programs which enlighten individual
Rotarians, if all sides are presented fairly.
C. Club Assemblies. Committee work generally is not discussed at club meetings. We
leave that time for our speakers. To learn what committees are doing, you must attend a
Club Assembly at which each committee, through its Director-in-Charge Chairperson,
reports on work planned and done. Club Assemblies are held each year as directed by the
President. All members are invited and encouraged to attend. Committee chairs or
Directors-in-Charge must attend.
Note: The first Club Assembly of the year occurs when the District Governor or his
assistant visits the club at its regular meeting. Each committee announces its plans and
objectives for the year. At later Club Assemblies, the committees report on their
achievements or progress.
3. Discussion and questions
28
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Lesson No. 4
This lesson deals with the history of Rotary, how Rotary International is organized and operates,
and the Rotary Foundation.
1. History of Rotary
Rotary International Organization
A. An association of Rotary clubs
B. Rotary International’s Secretariat
C. Rotary International Officers and Board of Directors
D. Rotary districts and District Governors
2. The Rotary Foundation
A. Humanitarian programs
1. Future Vision Plan
2. Polio-Plus
3. Other programs: Matching Grants, Discovery Grants
4. Community Assistance Programs
B. Educational and Cultural Exchanges
1. Educational Ambassadorial Scholarships
2. Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarships
Groups Study Exchanges
Grants to University Teachers
Rotary Volunteers
Youth Exchanges
Recreational and Vocational Fellowships
3. Rotary International Foundation—Funding
A. Paul Harris Fellowships
B. Paul Harris Sustaining Memberships
C. Foundation Benefactors
4. Where can I get further information?
5. Discussion and questions
29
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
The Rotary Club of Sparta
Lesson No. 4
This lesson deals with the history of Rotary, how Rotary International is organized and operates,
and the Rotary Foundation.
1. History of Rotary
Rotary was founded February 23, 1905, when Paul Harris, a young Chicago attorney, invited
three friends—a coal dealer, a mining engineer, and a tailor—to his office to discuss forming
a new kind of club in which men in different businesses and professions could become better
acquainted. The next day a printer and a real estate agent joined them. They “rotated”
meetings between their places of business, hence the name “Rotary.” This rotation ended
when the club became too big. After that, luncheon meetings were held. The first Rotarians
sought to steer business to each other, but in 1907—two years after Rotary began—the coal
dealer and first president of the Chicago club, Sylvester Schiele, introduced service to the
community, making Rotary America’s first “service club.” Its first community project was a
“comfort station” at Chicago’s City Hall.
Rotary became international in 1910 with a Rotary club at Winnipeg, Canada. By the end of
1910, there were 15 clubs in the United States and one in Canada with a total of 1,500
members. The first Rotary convention was held in Chicago and Paul Harris, who was never
president of the Chicago club, was elected president of the “National Association of Rotary
Clubs.” In 1911, Rotary crossed the Atlantic with clubs in London and Dublin, and the
Rotary magazine, The Rotarian, was started. Two mottoes, “Service Above Self,” and “He
Profits Most Who Serves Best,” also were formulated in 1910. In 1912, the name was
changed to “International Association of Rotary Clubs,” and the cog wheel became the
Rotarian emblem.
In 1913, the first Rotary club of Tennessee started in Nashville. The next year, 1914, clubs
were organized in Memphis and Chattanooga. The Rotary Club of Sparta was chartered on
April 7, 1936, by Rotary International.
Paul Harris died in 1947, and the Rotary Foundation, which had been started at the 1917
Rotary Convention in Atlanta, grew rapidly as memorials to Rotary’s founder poured in. In
1957, Paul Harris Fellowships were created to honor Rotary’s founder. In 1980, Rotary
celebrated its 75th anniversary with James L. Bomar, a Tennessean (Shelbyville), as Rotary
International President. As an anniversary project, Rotary launched its Health, Hunger, and
Humanity Program. From this anniversary 3-H Program grew Rotary’s PolioPlus Program to
eliminate polio from all countries of the world by 2005. Rotary’s 100th birthday. Dr. Webster
Pendergrass, a former president of the Rotary Club of Knoxville and past District 6780
governor, was instrumental in forming the “Hunger” section of the Health, Hunger, and
Humanity Program. Rotary membership passed one million in 1982.
30
A turning point for Rotary came in 1987, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Rotary clubs in
the United States could not exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. The
ruling came after the Duarte, California Rotary Club admitted three women and Rotary
International withdrew its charter for violating Rotary International’s all-male constitution.
Another milestone came in 1990, when a Rotary club was chartered in Moscow, Russia, the
first ever in the former Soviet Union. Totalitarian countries, such as Mainland China, Iran,
Iraq, Cuba, etc., still have no Rotary clubs. Hong Kong, however, had clubs organized
before Hong Kong became part of China. In 2005, the Rotary Club of Sparta observed its
70th anniversary with an appropriate celebration. And this year is historic because you are a
Rotarian.
Rotary International Organization
A. An association of Rotary Clubs
Rotary International is an association of all Rotary clubs in the world. The local Rotary
club is the member of Rotary International, not the individual Rotarian. The local club is
technically autonomous, but must abide by the rules, regulations, and policies of Rotary
International to which it belongs. Rotary International prescribes a Standard Club
Constitution which the local club must adopt. The local club adopts its own by-laws but
these must not conflict with the Constitution or By-Laws of Rotary International.
B. Rotary International Secretariat
World headquarters of Rotary International is in Evanston, Illinois. Rotary service centers
(or branch offices) are in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Zurich, Switzerland; Seoul, Korea; New
Delhi, India; Makati City, Philippines; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Parramatta,
Australia.
The Chief Administrative Officer of Rotary International is the General Secretary who
supervises the professional staff of 500 people that makes up the Rotary International
Secretariat. The General Secretary’s offices are in Evanston. The General Secretary is
responsible to the Rotary International Board of Directors, which elects the General
Secretary for terms not exceeding five years at a time. Usually the General Secretary is
re-elected when each term ends. Since 1910, there have been only ten General
Secretaries. The present General Secretary is Edwin H. Futa from Honolulu.
1. Council on Legislation and International Convention
A Council on Legislation and the Rotary International Convention govern Rotary
International. The Council on Legislation is Rotary International’s legislative
arm.
The Council on Legislation, the legislative body, meets every three years to act on
proposed enactments and resolutions submitted by clubs, districts, and the Rotary
International Board of Directors. The Council’s last meeting was in April, 2007.
The Council’s enactments and resolutions can—and frequently do—change
31
Rotary International’s Constitution, By-Laws, regulations, and policies. All
Rotary International rules and policies, along with the Rotary International
Constitution and By-Laws, are set forth in a Manual of Procedures which is
revised after each Council on Legislation meeting.
The Council on Legislation consists of one representative from each Rotary
District, elected by the District Conference. He or she must be a past or present
officer of Rotary International, except for the District Governor who is in office.
The Council also includes all Past Presidents of Rotary International and certain
others designated by the Rotary International By-Laws.
Clubs submitting proposals for Council on Legislation consideration must first
submit their proposals for endorsement or rejection by their District Conference,
although they may still submit their proposals to the Council regardless of the
action taken by the District Conference. This procedure is designed to screen the
number of proposals submitted to the Council.
After each Council meeting, the Rotary International General Secretary notifies
each club secretary of the actions taken. If as many as 10 percent of clubs object
to any action, that action goes before the next International Convention for final
decision. If no objection is registered by 10 percent or more clubs, actions of the
Council on Legislation become final.
2. The Rotary International Convention meets annually at a place somewhere in
the world selected by the Rotary International Board of Directors. The
International Convention elects Rotary International officers, including the Rotary
International President, the International Directors, and District Governors, and
makes a final decision on any action by the Council on Legislation to which 10
percent or more of the clubs register objection.
At Rotary International conventions, clubs with fifty or fewer members, exclusive
of honorary members, are entitled to one voting representative. Clubs with more
than fifty members, exclusive of honorary members, are entitled to one additional
representative for each additional fifty members or major fraction thereof. If a
club cannot send a representative, it can send a proxy. The Rotary Club of Sparta
sends its president-elect to the convention held immediately before he or she takes
office with a portion of his or her expenses paid by the club.
All Rotarians—whether voting representatives or not—are encouraged to attend
the conventions. In addition to Rotary business, there are informative and
inspirational programs and entertainment, and conventions provide international
and cultural contacts.
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C. Rotary International Officers and Board of Directors
A 19-member Board of Directors runs Rotary International administratively. The Board
is made up of the Rotary International President, who serves one year and is chairman of
the Board, a President-Elect, and 17 directors each of whom serves a two-year term. The
President is elected two years in advance when he or she becomes the President-Elect.
The President selects the Vice-President from one of the directors serving in the second
year of his or her two-year term. The President cannot be from the same country more
than two years in succession. None of Rotary International officers or directors (other
than the General Secretary and his staff) receives pay, but they are reimbursed for
expenses. The President-Elect, the directors, and all the Governors are elected at the
international conventions.
Rotary clubs are grouped into 34 geographical zones throughout the world with
approximately equal in number of Rotarians for nomination of directors and some other
purposes. Each zone nominates a Director from the membership of clubs in its territory
every fourth year according to a schedule established by the Rotary International Board
of Directors. The nominations are made by a nominating committee of past Governors
selected by each district in the zone. To be nominated for Director, one must be a past
District Governor.
The Rotary International President-Elect also is nominated through a nominating
committee and process, the nominating committee made up of 15 past Rotary
International Directors who are elected from the various zones as specified by the Rotary
International Board of Directors. The nominee for Rotary international President-Elect
must have been a former Rotary International director. He or she automatically becomes
the Rotary International President after serving one year as President-Elect.
Local Rotary clubs propose candidates for nomination for Rotary International President,
directors, and District Governors to the respective nominating committees, but one does
not “run“ or “politic“ for office at any level in Rotary, in the club, in the District, or in
Rotary International. The Rotary International Constitution forbids campaigning or
“politicking” for office by an individual or by a club.
D. Rotary Districts and District Governors
For administrative purposes, clubs are grouped by Rotary International into geographical
districts with a District Governor over each district. As of 2006, there were 529 districts
into which the more than 32,596 Rotary clubs were grouped. Our district, with 65 clubs,
is District 6780. It extends from Gatlinburg in the east to Lebanon, Shelbyville, and
Fayetteville in the west and from Kentucky to Alabama borders except for the Upper East
Tennessee areas of Greeneville, Kingsport, Bristol, Johnson City, and Elizabethton.
These clubs are in the southwestern Virginia District 7670.
The District Governor, who is an officer of Rotary International, is nominated through a
District Nominating Committee by the annual District Conference. He or she is elected
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two years in advance of taking office at the next Rotary International Convention after
being nominated. After being elected by the International Convention and before taking
office, he or she is the District Governor-Elect and must undergo 10 days of intensive
training at a Rotary International Assembly. He or she serves a one-year term as
Governor, after being the District Governor-Elect, and receives no compensation, only
expenses. He or she must have been a club President before being nominated for
District-Governor-Elect.
During his or her year as District Governor, the District Governor must visit each club in
his or her district, counsel with each club’s President and Secretary, serve as liaison
between the clubs and Rotary International, and provide the clubs any assistance they
may need. He or she issues a monthly newsletter to club Presidents and Secretaries,
plans the annual three-day district conference, the District Leadership Academy for
officers, directors and club committee chairs, and the annual club Presidents-Elect
Training Seminar. He or she also oversees organization of new clubs and promotes and
administers Rotary International’s programs and policies within the district. Seventeen
Assistant Governors whom he or she appoints assist him or her, in our district. The
Assistant Governors aid the District Governor in many of his duties.
2. The Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is Rotary’s chief agency for International
Service. Its objective is world understanding and peace through international humanitarian,
educational, and cultural exchange programs. It emphasizes person-to-person contacts as a
means of establishing better cultural understanding. It is supported by voluntary tax-exempt
contributions, largely through Paul Harris Fellowships, Paul Harris Sustaining Fellowships,
Foundation Benefactors, and special gifts.
A. Humanitarian Programs
1. Rotary’s Health, Hunger and Humanity Program was begun in 1978 as a project for
Rotary’s 75th Anniversary which was in 1980. Its declared purpose was to improve
health, alleviate hunger, and enhance human understanding and social development as
a means of advancing international understanding, goodwill, and peace.
Dr. Webster Pendergrass, a Past President of the Rotary Club of Knoxville and a past
District 6780 Governor, set up the hunger portion of this 3-H Program. At the time,
Webster was vice-president of the University of Tennessee for Agriculture. In 20092010, the program was phased out due to a decrease in available World Funds. In its
place, The Future Vision Plan was implemented in 2009.
2. Out of the Health, Hunger and Humanity Program grew Rotary’s Polio-Plus Program,
a 20-year commitment launched in 1985 to eradicate polio from all countries of the
world by 2008. To date over 2 billion children have been immunized. Rotarian
doctors and nurses volunteer their time to give the vaccine which many
pharmaceutical companies donate. Airlines, especially Canadian Airline, fly the
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vaccine free of charge to the various countries. In countries without Rotary clubs,
Rotary works through the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other such
organizations. Rotary volunteers assist in delivery of the vaccine to and help
mobilize communities to get the children gathered for the immunizations. By 1994,
the entire Western Hemisphere had been certified polio-free and Rotary began
concentrating on the rest of the world.
3. Other Humanitarian Programs include Matching Grants to Rotary clubs and districts
for special projects such as for facilities for local medical care, water projects,
occupational training, and projects related to the handicapped, agriculture, and
environment. Typical of Rotary Matching Grants was a $20,000 grant to a Thailand
Rotary Club to provide fresh water to 40 Thai villages, the local Thai club raising
$10,000, a Taiwanese club raising $10,000 and the local villagers doing most of the
work.
4. The Rotary Foundation also funds a Community Assistance Program. This program
gives grants to Rotary volunteers who go to developing countries as advisors or
technicians, provides disaster relief in cases of earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and
other catastrophes, makes new opportunities grants in under-developed regions, and
provides money for Rotary’s World Peace Program. Under the World Peace
Program, Rotary holds peace forums in areas of conflict and gives annual awards to
the persons doing the most to promote world understanding and peace. For club-toclub assistance, Rotary International provides lists of special needs in communities in
various parts of the world so one Rotary club may provide assistance through the
Rotary club in that part of the world. A registry of projects sponsored by Rotary
clubs in developing countries that lack sufficient local resources also is maintained.
A World Community Service Committee in our club looks after such world service
projects.
B. Educational and cultural exchange programs
Rotary Foundation’s Ambassadorial Scholarships Program is the world’s largest privately
funded international scholarship program – bigger than the Fulbright Scholarships and
Rhodes Scholarships and all the others combined. Since 1947 more than 30,000 men and
women from 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Approximately 1200
scholarships a year are awarded, the recipients coming from more than 60 countries, all
studying in a country other than their own for up to a year or more.
Under the Ambassadorial Scholarships Program, scholars serve as ambassadors of
goodwill while abroad to the people of the host country. While there, they give
presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning
home, they share their experiences and knowledge learned with their homeland citizens.
Each Rotary district gets at least one scholarship award each year. A district may receive
more according to the amount of its contributions to the Rotary Foundation. District
35
6780 usually receives two and sometimes three. It is the duty of our club to seek
outstanding young men and women to apply for these scholarships.
Many former Rotary scholars now serve in important posts with their governments and in
their special fields. Among former Rotary scholars are Bill Moyers, a prominent United
States journalist; Sadako Ogata, the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees; Paul
Volcker, former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board; Carlos Alberto Da Mota
Pinto, former prime minister of Portugal; Otto Borch, Danish ambassador to the United
States and Roger Ebert, the noted film critic.
There are three types of Ambassadorial Scholarships:

Academic-Year Ambassador Scholarships for one academic year of study in
another country. This is the most common scholarship offered.

Multi-Year Ambassadorial Scholarships for either two or three years of degreeoriented study in another country.

Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarships for three or six months of intensive language
study and cultural immersion in another country.
Rotary Foundation also funds more than 200 Group Study Exchanges each year.
That is 400 teams.
Under this program small groups of business and professional young men and
women, 25-40 years of age, spend a period of time – usually four to six weeks – in a
Rotary district in a country other than their own, living in homes of Rotarians,
studying life there, and observing their business and professional counterparts at
work. Those selected must not be Rotarians or members of a Rotarian’s family, but a
Rotarian selected from the sending district leads each Group Study Exchange team.
This is a “paired” Rotary district program, under which two districts exchange teams.
Clubs within the receiving district host members of the visiting team, the team
members living in homes of Rotarians during their stay in a particular community.
Group Study Exchanges were started in District 6780 in 1972-1973. Our district has
exchanged teams with Rotary districts in Australia, Japan, Germany, Sweden, India,
Brazil, Holland, and several other countries.
The Rotary Foundation makes grants to university teachers of $10,000 to $20,000 to
allow university teachers to offer their special expertise to educational institutions
abroad that need such expertise.
Rotary volunteers work in ghetto areas, not only abroad but also in their own
countries, through the Rotary Village Corps, seeking to improve living conditions in
those communities. More than 4000 Village Corps projects are active in more than
45 countries.
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Under Rotary Foundation auspices, some 200 Rotary volunteers serve each year in
countries other than their own, using their business or professional expertise to
provide needed services. Rotary Foundation only helps subsidize their travel and
living expenses while abroad. Rotary Foundation offers youth exchanges under
which high school and college young people exchange countries and live, while
abroad, in homes of Rotarians. Recreational and vocational fellowships, to which
more than 12,000 Rotarians belong, promote international – and national – individual
friendships. These include groups interested in stamp collecting, gem collecting,
motorcycling, bicycling, canoeing, flying, traveling, hiking, history, archaeology,
computers, etc., and in various vocations.
3. Rotary International Foundation – How Funded
The Rotary Foundation is dependent entirely on voluntary contributions. Three principal
vehicles for contributing, all honoring Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, are Paul Harris
Fellowships, Paul Harris Sustaining Memberships, and Rotary Foundation Benefactors.
You will be asked to contribute voluntarily to the Rotary Foundation under one of these
vehicles.
4.

Paul Harris Fellow - Paul Harris Fellowships were created in 1957 when Rotary
International formalized contributions memorializing Paul Harris by designating
anyone who contributes $1000 at one time – or had $1000 contributed on his or her
behalf – a Paul Harris Fellow. A Paul Harris Fellow may be either a Rotarian or a
non-Rotarian. Each Paul Harris Fellow receives a commemorative certificate, a
special pin, and a medallion.

Sustaining Member - One may become a Paul Harris Sustaining Member by
contributing $100 or more a year with intention of becoming a Paul Harris Fellow
within ten years. A Paul Harris Sustaining Member also may be either a Rotarian or a
non-Rotarian.

Benefactor - A Rotary Foundation Benefactor is one who informs Rotary Foundation
in writing that he or she has made provision in his or her will or other estate plan for
at least $1000 to go to the Rotary Foundation endowment or who makes an outright
gift of $1000 or more to the endowment.

Bequest Society – A Bequest Society member has made provisions in his or her estate
planning to leave $10,000 or more to the Permanent fund of the Rotary Foundation.
Where can I get further information?
The Constitutions and By-Laws of Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Sparta.
Rotary’s Basic Library and Rotary International’s Manual of Procedure. Copies of both
are kept in the White County Library. Both may be ordered from Rotary International.
37
Rotary’s Official Directory, which lists all the Rotary clubs in the world, giving the time
and place each meets and names of the officers of each. The Directory is especially
helpful when traveling.
Attend a Club Assembly, a District Conference, District Assembly, or Rotary
International Convention.
Ask any member of a committee or our club’s Secretary.
www.rotary.org OR www.rotary6780.net OR rotary-club-of-Sparta-tennessee.org on the
internet.
5. Discussion and questions
38
APPENDIX
Rotary Milestones
1905
First Rotary club organized in Chicago, IL, USA
1908
Second club formed in San Francisco, CA, USA
1910
First Rotary convention held in Chicago
1912
First club outside US chartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
1917
Endowment fund, forerunner of The Rotary Foundation, established
1932
4-Way Test formulated by Chicago Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor
1945
Forty-nine Rotarians help draft United Nations Charter in San
Francisco
1947
Rotary founder Paul Harris dies; first 18 Rotary Foundation
scholarships granted
1962
First Interact club formed in Melbourne, Florida, USA
1965
Rotary Foundation launches Matching Grants and Group Study
Exchange programs
1978
RI’s largest convention, with 39,834 registrants, held in Tokyo
1985
Rotary announces PolioPlus program to immunize all the children of
the world against polio
1985
Council on Legislation opens Rotary to women; Rotary clubs
chartered in Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland, for first time in
almost 50 years
1990
Rotary Club of Moscow chartered first club in Soviet Union
1990-91
Preserve Planet Earth program inspires some 2,000 Rotary-sponsored
environment projects
1994
Western Hemisphere declared polio-free
1999
Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict
Resolution established
2000
Western Pacific declared polio-free
2001
30,000th Rotary Club chartered
2002
Europe declared polio-free; First class of 70 Rotary Peace Scholars
begin study
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The 4-Way Test
From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical
standards in their professional lives. One of the world’s most widely printed and quoted
statements of business ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert
J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that
was facing bankruptcy. This 24-word code of ethics for employees to follow in their business
and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with
dealers and customers. And the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy.
Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred
languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:
“Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
Rotary International Mission Statement
The mission of Rotary International is to support its member clubs in fulfilling the Object of
Rotary by:

Fostering unity among member clubs;

Strengthening and expanding Rotary around the world;

Communicating worldwide the work of Rotary; and

Providing a system of international administration
40
Past Presidents of the Sparta Rotary Club
1935 – 36
1936 – 37
1937 – 38
1938 – 39
1939 – 40
1940 – 41
1941 – 42
1942 – 43
1943 – 44
1944 – 45
1945 – 46
1946 – 47
1947 – 48
1948 – 49
1949 – 50
1950 – 51
1951 – 52
1952 – 53
1953 – 54
1954 – 55
1955 – 56
1956 – 57
1957 – 58
1958 – 59
1959 – 60
1960 – 61
1961 – 62
1962 – 63
1963 – 64
1964 – 65
1965 – 66
1966 – 67
1967 – 68
1968 – 69
1969 – 70
1970 – 71
1971 – 72
1972 – 73
1973 – 74
1974 – 75
1975 – 76
1976 – 77
H. Mason Gooch
PDG
H. Mason Gooch
PDG
William L. Little
William L. Little
Hugh Moore
Lucius H Camp
Ray Ward
James S. Cardwell
Hubbard Ray
Verdie Ellis
Gordon McMahan
Lucius H. Camp
James Wall
John K Keisling
J.B. Hunter
Charles Robinson
James S. Cardwell
Hillis Erwin
Nolen Verble
Charles A. Mitchell
George D. Mitchell
Samuel W. Agee
T. Stanton Hale
Dr. Thomas A. Clark
Dr. J. A. Clark
William H. Camp
Joe L. Finley
Charles Robinson
Robert K. Busby
William H. Jernigan
Vernon P. Eller
George W. Eble
Errol L. Palmer
Robert J. Breeding
John T. Shockley
Joe Einecker
W. Ralph Hutson
Eugene McCoy
Kelley Blakeman
Tom Ward
Jeff Ross
Gene Hutchings
1977 – 78
1978 – 79
41
Jack Mitchell
Richard Gooch