A new way to count membership and Calculate Dues

Dear club presidents, club presidents-elect, and club secretaries,
 
In response to feedback from Rotary clubs around the world, I want to let you know about an important change that may affect your annual Rotary membership number. This change will ensure that all 2016-17 membership achievements are accurately recorded and that your club’s July invoice reflects the correct membership at the beginning of the new Rotary year.
 
Previously, our policy included new members added with a 1 July effective date in the calculation of the annual 1 July membership start number, which was also used for recognizing membership achievements for the immediately previous Rotary year. This calculation method resulted in substantial confusion and frustration for clubs that expected these new members to be counted in their net membership increase for the new year rather than the previous year.
Going forward, if you have new members you want counted in your membership achievements for the current Rotary year, they must now be reported to RI on or before 30 June.
 
  • Members added with 1 July 2017 effective dates will no longer be included in your annual 1 July 2017 membership start number, but they will be billed on the 1 July 2017 club invoice and counted toward 2017-18 membership growth.
  • Members terminated with effective dates on or before 1 July 2017 will reduce your club’s 2016-17 membership achievement, reduce your 1 July 2017 membership start number, and will not be billed on the 1 July 2017 club invoice.
As a result, it is possible for your club’s July 2017 annual membership start number to be lower than your July 2017 invoice if new members were added with a 1 July 2017 effective date. Below are two examples of how the changes would affect a club’s 2017 annual membership start number and July 2017 invoice number.
 
Rotary Club A
Rotary Club B
30 June 2017: 60 members
30 June 2017: 40 members
1 July 2017: +15 members (these 1 July membership changes will not affect the 1 July 2017 annual membership start number)
1 July 2017: -12 members (these 1 July membership changes will affect the 1 July 2017 annual membership start number)
1 July 2017 annual membership start number: 60 members
1 July 2017 annual membership start number: 28 members
July 2017 invoice number: 75 members
July 2017 invoice number: 28 members
 
In summary, beginning immediately with the 2016-17 Rotary year, new members added on or before 30 June will count toward the current Rotary year, while members added with 1 July effective dates will count toward the new Rotary year. We hope this change simplifies your reporting and reflects your membership more accurately.
 
If you have any questions, you can send them to membershipdevelopment@rotary.org.
Sincerely,
Brian King
Director of Membership Development
Rotary International