Rye Rotary 3-year Strategic Plan for Growth and Sustainability July 18, 2017

ROTARY Club of rye

3-Year Strategic Plan

forGrowth and SustainabiliTY (2017-2020)

“Building Our Club for Our Future”

Prepared by:

Robert Manheimer, President (2017-18)

Angela Sculti, President Elect (2017-18)

Approved by the Rotary Club of Rye Board of Directors (2017-18) at Board Meeting on July 18, 2017 by:

Robert Manheimer, President

Angela Sculti, President Elect

Jason Mehler, Immediate Past President/Treasurer

Melanie Ciraco, Secretary

Pamela Dwyer, Director – Membership

Richard Martinelli, Director – Public Relations

Robert Praid, Director – Rye Rotary Foundation

Absent at Board Meeting on July 18, 2017:

Raul Bello, Vice President

Louise Bryant, Director – Service Projects

Rye Rotary3-Year Strategic Plan for Growth and Sustainability

2017-2020

On behalf of the Board of Directors, President Robert Manheimer and PE Angela Sculti are pleased to present the Rye Rotary 3-year Strategic Plan for Growth and Sustainability — Building Our Club for Our Future.

OVERVIEW: Rotary International and Rotary Club of Rye

Rotary was founded over 100 years ago on the principle of "meeting regularly to enjoy and expand one's circle of business and professional acquaintances." That principle remains true today. Whether you are new to the Rotary Club of Rye, new to a job, the community, or just looking for a way to share your passion for community service and fellowship, Rotary is your connection!

In 2017, the Rotary Club of Rye celebrates its 55th year. Beyond our weekly meetings, we participate in service projects and host a range of social to raise awareness and funds for the Rye High School needs based Scholarship Program andother community grant programs we support.

Where are we now?

Chartered in 1962, the Rotary Club of Rye is proud of its dedicated service in the community and the world. Today, we have thirty-one active and eight honorary members. Represented is a cross-section of the community's business owners, leaders, executives, managers, political leaders, and professionals, some with more than 60 years of service to the most recent inductees in May 2017.

We acknowledge and applaud our Club’s achievements and celebrate them by dedicatingour efforts for the Club’s continuedgrowth and success. To guide that process, President Bob Manheimer, and PE Angela Sculti have undertaken a strategic planning process for the next two years and going forward with Vice President Raul Bello’s review of this option for his year.

On June 8, 2017, Bob Manheimer hosted a round table discussion, to gather important member feedback for use to developthe 3-year Strategic Plan for Growth and Sustainability.Seventeen members participated; Jason Mehler, Bob Manheimer, Rita Tino, Kathy Carley-Spanier, Colby Ellingwood, Pam Dwyer, Richard Martinelli, Angela Sculti, Christine Sculti, Lora Hugelmeyer, Jane Fox, Ed Herbster, Tom Sawyer, Jim Jackson, Hal Schwartz, Greg Howells, and Julie Kattan.

The discussion was led by Julie Kattan with the assistance of Rita Tino. It focused on five basic questions:

Why did you join Rotary?

What are our club's strengths?

What are our club weaknesses?

What opportunities do we have to grow and sustain the club?

What are threats to club growth?

The conversation was candid and helped define key points to address in this plan for the Club to go forward together and enhance the Rotary experience for its members, and our community. The key points and challenges identified at the meeting are noted below:

  1. Rotarians are good people who support the community, locally and worldwide
  2. Service projects and grantshelp those in need
  3. Members enjoy fellowship and guest speakers
  4. Members are interested in having more time devoted to club discussion
  5. The community does not know what Rotary is and what we do
  6. We need community support to raise money to help fund community grants and Rye High School Scholarships
  7. We need better member and new member communication
  8. The Club meets too often, while others thought we do not meet enough.
  9. Should we attend other Rotary club meetings to share ideas and learn what they’re doing?We need to decide who we want to be, enhance public awareness, and identify what we stand forin the community
  10. How to increase member and community participation, and raise funds
  11. Identify projects the Club is passionate about
  12. Strengthen the Club through better marketing and fundraising

Clearly, data gathered on June 8th demonstrates member concerns that we addressed in the strategic planning process together withinformation and feedback collected over the year from various resources —Rotary training sessions and meetings,conversationswith Rotariansand community leaders.

What are our next steps?

Implementing the 3-Year Strategic Plan that builds upon our club’s rich history, successes, traditions, and leadership; and enables us to move forward with vision to meet the current and emerging needs of the community and be recognized as the service organization of choice in the City of Rye

What's the objective for the 3-year Strategic Plan?

The objective of the 3-year Strategic Plan for Club Growth and Sustainability is to establish club standards and initiatives to guide the next two, and future administrations. Incorporating Rotary’s Core Values and Areas of Focus are also important components of the plan.

CORE VALUES / AREAS OF FOCUS
Service / Peace and conflict prevention resolution
Fellowship / Disease prevention and treatment
Diversity / Maternal and child health
Integrity / Basic education and literacy
Leadership / Economic and community development

Do we have a Vision Statement?

Yes!

Rotary Club of Rye's vision is to encourage, foster, and implement the ideals of Rotary International to enhance quality of life, human dignity, create greater understanding among all people, and advance harmony in the City of Rye, the communitiesserve and the world. Rotary Club of Rye activities will foster the highest ethical standards that meet the 4-way test and be guided by the Rotary principle - "Service above Self."

How does the plan help us go forward?

The plan identifies four key areas for growth that are described below:

  1. Administration of Club Operations:

President Manheimer’s key objective for 2017-18 is to streamline the club’s administrative operations that areoutlined below in addition to any that may arise as the year progresses:

  • Adjust the current Club meeting schedule to encourage attendance for current and new members. The first change has been implemented. The club will meet only on Fridays, rotating every other week between breakfast and lunch; the club is meeting bi-weekly for breakfast during the summer months for fellowship and speakers are being invited; and, other meeting options will be considered, e.g. cocktail meetups, dinner meetings, etc.
  • The new schedule is posted on the website. Streamline record keeping and event check-in
  • Planning a projected Club Budget withclub expenditures, including funding commitments, and income sources (see attachment “Proposed Budget”)
  • Quicken Bookkeeping System – to manage Club finances
  • Note: It is recommended that the Foundation consider usingQuicken to providecompatible analysis of Club and Foundation fundraising activities and expenditures.
  1. Project and Fundraising Initiative:

President Manheimer’s key objective for 2017-18 is to streamline how service and funding projectsare evaluated and approved. Each project will be presented in writing to the Board by members for review. The Board will report on the status of each request to the Clubfor a voteto approve the project that will require a majorityvote with member support, financial and otherwise, ofallthe project components.

Context for this Project and Fundraising Initiative took shape after ourJune 8th session andmeetings heldwith community leaders later in June 2017. The firstwas with Melanie Ciraco, Bob Manheimer, and Angela Sculti and Mary Capaldi and Kelly Hodulik, Co-presidents of the Rye High School Parents Organization. The second was with Bob Manheimer, Angela Sculti, and Jim Boylan, Principal of Midland School.

Themeetings shed considerable light onwhat’s happening in the school community, how Rotary is perceived, what the unmet needs of students and families are, and what role is available for Rotary. Each meeting produced an agreement that there are voids and unmet needs in the schools that Rotary can help with. Some require financial support while others are service and mentoring projects.

Asimple question, “How can Rotary help”,opened the floodgatesfor dialogue.Information flowedand there was agreement that a path tofor a Rotary partnershipwith the Districtexisted.

We reviewed how to proceed and determined that past Club activities, the unmet student needs, our desire to help the communitywhile garnering more community support could be fulfilled by developing this partnership with the schools. It would benefit the students, families, and the schools, it fit with other of our on-going programs in the district, it fit with a Rotary area of focus the Rye Rotary K-12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Familieswas born!

Thebasic principal is that Rotary willbethe only resource in the District torespond to a variety of unmet student and family needs when they occur inRye City Elementary, Middle or High School

What is Rye Rotary K-12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Families?

This umbrella program incorporates existing and new service and fundraising projects to concentrate our efforts through the Rye City School District. The Program will span the students and families entire school experience, provides continuity in messaging throughout the school system, and incorporates existing Rotary projects and will also give Rotary greater recognition and support in the community. Each activity, existing and new, service or fundraising, will be evaluated for its worthiness by the Board and be presented to the membership for support. The program also provides a new marketing/fundraising initiative toraise community support through Rye Rotary K-12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Familiesdecal project that was conceived by Jon Gluck.

Below is a partial list of existing and new Club activities under this Program:

EXISTING CLUB ACTIVITIES:

  • Rye High Scholarship Program
  • Dr. Soury Good Citizenship Awards
  • Rye Girls Basketball Team support
  • Rye Harrison Sportsman’s Lunch
  • Rye City Police Buddy Program

NEW ACTIVITIES IDENTIFIED AT OUR JUNE MEETINGS:

  • Support of Midland School's after school FLEX School Program that operates from 3-4pm, 2 to 3 days per week that requires a fee be paid for students to participate. Rotary would help children whose families cannot afford the fee and those cases would be referred to Rotary for funding consideration – approximately $150 per student.
  • Funding for after school activities, e.g. participation, summer camp, arts, theatre, and "Y" programs that students cannot afford.
  • Funding for student’s that cannot afford instrument rental for band.
  • Support of Special Needs students and families working with the District’s program director to help identify what is needed
  • Support of Rye's Leadership Schools.
  • Support by providing Internship opportunities for Rye High students.
  • Support by providing Community Service opportunities for Middle School and High School students
  • Creation of an Interact Club in year one
  • Creation of an Earlyact Club in year 2

Note: An effort will be undertaken to have a Midland School 5th grader be the Rotary ambassador that will serve on the Student Youth Council at Midland School, and other school councils in the district

  1. Website Updates:
  • Rye Rotary K - 12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Families- Home page announcement with description of initiative and link to page that lists all ROTARY K thru 12 RESPONDER activities
  • SERVICE PROJECT WEBISTE PAGE – to list all project and Rotarian contact for further information. The Rotarian contact will manage the page and send out email reminders - bi-monthly or quarterly as needed.
  1. Communication / Marketing:
  • The nomenclature, Rye Rotary,not the chartered name, Rotary Club of Rye, will identify the Project and Fundraising Initiative, including its name (Rye Rotary K - 12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Families), and all related mention, logo design, publicity, marketing, media, ads, and other related references.
  • Rye Rotary K - 12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Familieswill be announced at the annual Golf Outing on October 12, 2017
  • Rye Rotary K - 12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Familieswill be celebrated withRotary tree planting events at each school with participation by students, families, faculty, and community leaders.
  • Announcements on "free" calendars in Rye Record and Rye City Review
  • Classified ad budget
  • Posting RFP Grant submission
  • Special event ad budget - e.g. Crazy Legs, Golf Outing etc.
  • Rotary business cards for officers and members

What will we do in the next 3 to 6 months?

  • Create Rye Rotary K - 12 Program — Responding to unmet needs of Rye Students and Familiesmessages on homepage and individual page with activities list
  • Create Grant RFP form and post to website with application and decision dates
  • Move forward with Midland School and meet with faculty to finalize (summer)
  • Meet with Rye Middle School faculty coordinator to establish the Interact Club and identify student leader
  • Select Rotary Interact Club to work with our club in formation process
  • Schedule speakers for club meetings
  • Coordinate 2017-18 club service and fundraising activities

How will we monitor the plan and assess our progress?

  • The Strategic Planning Committee will have oversight of activities and be responsible for to implementation and execution, including timely review of progress and reporting to the Board. Note: Committee in formation

How will the plan be disseminated and to whom?

  • Club Meeting on July 21, 2017
  • On-line and hard copy to members

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