DISCURSOS - Rotary International
DISCURSOS - Rotary International
DISCURSOS - Rotary International
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The research showed that<br />
• <strong>Rotary</strong> has the strengths necessary to succeed.<br />
• Audiences want what <strong>Rotary</strong> offers; we just need to help them understand what we do.<br />
• There is a strong desire by Rotarians for change within <strong>Rotary</strong>; 60 percent of us say the<br />
rate of change is too slow.<br />
The challenges are not simply communication issues. What we are looking for, and what we<br />
need, are clarity of purpose, a new filter for decision making, a motivator for current members<br />
and staff, and more efficient communications. For non-Rotarians, we are looking to provide recognition<br />
of what we do; differentiation from our peers; the recruitment of members, donors, and<br />
volunteers; engagement with our communities; and appeal to strategic partners.<br />
The new gold standard for an organization like ours is a clear focus, accountability, and proven<br />
impact. We can do all of this.<br />
Siegel+Gale looked at where we are positioned and realized that if we promote ourselves as a<br />
service organization, we are similar to Lions Clubs <strong>International</strong> and Kiwanis <strong>International</strong>. If we<br />
see ourselves as a humanitarian organization, we compete with what are believed to be over 2<br />
million humanitarian organizations around the world. But we are more than a service organization<br />
or a humanitarian organization.<br />
We are in a category of one.<br />
We see things differently. Because of the way we build our membership, we have a multidisciplinary<br />
perspective that allows us to see challenges and opportunities in ways that others can’t.<br />
We use our vocational skills for service to humanity.<br />
We act differently. We are responsible leaders in our businesses, professions, and communities,<br />
and this means that we apply best-in-business thinking to social issues.<br />
We have passion and perseverance. Siegel+Gale tell us that whenever they talk to Rotarians,<br />
the passion shines through, yet the way we communicate to others has meant that this passion<br />
is not seen. For an example of perseverance we need only to consider our battle against polio.<br />
We established our partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S.<br />
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1985, and we have almost achieved our goal.<br />
We remain as committed as ever to finishing the task.<br />
We make a global impact one community at a time. While we often talk about international and<br />
community service, in fact we impact communities on a global scale, and this also makes us<br />
unique.<br />
Over the past few weeks, we have tested words and phrases and concepts on non-Rotarians in<br />
order to identify what appeals. We have been working through how we organize and present ourselves<br />
so that our message is clear. We have been developing a consistent visual image that we<br />
can use, while recognizing that <strong>Rotary</strong> presents many opportunities for creativity.<br />
We have done this while recognizing that we have many cultures within <strong>Rotary</strong> and that our<br />
branding needs to respect all of these.<br />
We have talked to other not-for-profits that have been through branding programs, such as the<br />
YMCA, the American Red Cross, CARE <strong>International</strong>, and Heifer <strong>International</strong>, and they have told<br />
us that the results have been “transformative.” Heifer <strong>International</strong> told us that it has lifted itself<br />
from being almost bankrupt and with zero name recognition to being named last year as one of<br />
the top 10 most trusted charities. Heifer told us that this was not all through branding but that it<br />
could not have achieved the results without the branding initiative.<br />
<strong>International</strong> Assembly Speeches 2013 37