D-2482 DG's Newsletter August 2017-EN

Dear Fellow Rotarians, We started the new Rotary year with a flying start - the public image seminar coincided with the official handover of the necklace. Thanks to the joint efforts of the District Secretariat and the Public Relations Committee, the two events have become an example of a successful combination between useful and enjoyable. For some clubs, July was really hot - both in a direct and a figurative sense. The visits to them reinforced my conviction that the Rotary idea has found a good ground for development in our lands. Thanks for the active service and hospitality of the 16 clubs visited (RC Blagoevgrad Center, RC Bansko-Razlog, RC Samokov, RC Dupnitsa, RC Troyan, RC Burgas, RC Burgas Primorje, RC Sozopol, RC Burgas Pirgos, RC Vidin, RC Berkovitsa, RC Yambol, RC Svilengrad, RC Harmanli, RC Plovdiv and RC Kardzhali). I’ve been assured that objectives have been formulated everywhere and new year activities are planned. But do we have sufficient human resources everywhere to achieve the chosen goals? What better time to look for an answer to this issue since the month of membership and extension? Club commissions could make sense of the August holidays by performing club needs analysis. For this purpose, occupation classifications can be looked through and the strengthening of the club with suitable candidates can be considered. But what does a \"suitable candidate\" mean? The permanent economic crisis sometimes forces us to accept as appropriate people who have enough money to pay their dues. And when we come to such a person, we are in a hurry to offer him membership. In such cases, our main thought often relates to what we can get from her and we rarely think about giving something equivalent in return. We forget that besides a friend, this person is also our client. Imagine a salesman who tries to make you buy his merchandise. You ask him a series of simple questions, \"Why should I buy from you? Why to spend my money here instead of somewhere else? What’s in it for me? \"And he replies frankly: \" I have no idea what’s in it for you, but that money will come to me very well\". You do not need to be a great prophet to predict that such an answer will not lead to a deal. Let's not repeat the mistake of the salesman. Let's not just focus on the needs of the club, but think about the candidates' expectations. Let's try to attract people by revealing to them the incredible world of Rotary and the value it can bring to their lives. Let us ask more often the key question: \"Do we develop the activities that our members, present and future, expect and want?\" Thus we will overcome the short-term focused practice of recruiting members without paying attention to their individual preferences. We will also avoid the real threat that, after a year or two of passive observation, the newly admitted member will leave the club. This orientation towards short-term results is the main reason why every year about 150 new friends join the Bulgarian Rotarians while at the same time 200 others leave the Rotarian family. It seems that the result of investing money, time and effort in Rotary has not been satisfactory enough to them. Dear Presidents, District and Club Officers, it is not too complicated. We just need to open our eyes and ears to the voice of our friends. We will be surprised how little it takes to achieve something great - just the value of Rotary membership should exceed the cost you pay to be a Rotarian. I feel now is the moment to face this challenge. Because this year in Rotary we are making a difference. Warm Rotarian regards, Emil Kotsev, Governor of District 2482 (Bulgaria)