MENTORING GUIDE

Welcome Mentor!

Rotary is an amazing organization and our club is a fantastic place to be a Rotarian! As a mentor, you will help a new member to understand more about Rotary and to engage in our club. Thank you for your participation; a mentor is an important role in the long-term retention of a new member!

Getting a new member fully engaged in Rotary is an important job. This guide should provide you with the information you need to be a successful mentor.

Objectives of the Mentoring Committee
The primary objective is to help new members engage in the club, so they move from new member to long-term member.

You do this by:
• Sharing knowledge
• Helping them get involved • Being a resource
• Being a friend

The Mentor Committee

You were asked to be a part of the mentor committee because of your knowledge and enthusiasm for Rotary and a willingness to pass it on.
The 4 to 5 mentors on the committee work together to share the tasks associated with bringing in a new member and making them a long-term member.

Getting a new member fully engaged in Rotary is an important job. This guide should provide you with the information you need to be on the mentor committee.

The New Member Guide

All new members receive a New Member Package that outlines many Rotary and club basics. You are receiving a copy of this too for future reference. Read through it so you are familiar with the information your mentee received.

Tasks for Mentors

Here are the primary tasks for the Mentoring Committee members:

• One mentor should be present for the new member induction
• One mentor should schedule a coffee or lunch with the new member in the first three weeks of their membership
• One mentor should take them to another club
• All Mentors help the new member through the new member process and keep track of their progress

• Have coffee with three Rotarians!
  It is important that this meeting happens within the first three weeks of their membership! The goals are:
  • Review their New Member Guide and answer any questions.
  • Get to know them personally.
  • Share your Rotary story. Why did you join, and why do you stay?
  The Induction
  It is an important day when a new member is inducted into the club. It is a special occasion.

A representative from the Mentoring Committee should be present, at the front of the room, with the new member.

Club Meetings
For the first 4 to 6 weeks, the Mentoring Committee should make sure one mentor is sitting with the new member. Introduce them to a couple of new people at each meeting.

Make a point of introducing them to committee chairs and project leads.

Mentoring Process

There are several activities that we all did to become a member. New members are often unsure about these requirements (see next page for list).
Example: They know they have to do a classification talk, but they don’t know what that means. Walk them through the list and help them get everything checked off within 6 to 9 months. 

Mentoring Process

• Update your profile on our database in Clubrunner. Add a photo and more info about yourself. • Be a door greeter, twice. One time, you will deliver the invocation.
The other time, you will introduce visiting Rotarians and guests.
• Attend a board meeting.

• Attend New Member meetings. • Do a make-up at another club. • Join two committees.
• Participate in a club project.

• Give a classification talk.
• Bring a guest to a club meeting.
*Your mentor can explain each of these in more detail.

New Member Requirements
New Member requirements are in black; Mentor role is in blue.
Google the Rotary Club and save this website to your Favourites. It is recommended you set up a Rotary Folder in your Favourites as you will have a few or many websites connected to Rotary!

Club Runner- This is the database many Rotary Clubs use to manage their membership. This database is also used by our Rotary Club District and Rotary International for registration at District and International events. Your information is private and confidential and can only be seen by yourself and limited number of Club (President & Secretary) and District officers for the purposes of managing the database.
Update your profile on our database. Add a photo and more info about yourself.

The Club Secretary will enter them upon induction. Make sure they know how to access the database and that they develop their profile, including a picture, within the first three weeks. Rotary Club Facebook Page- If you’re already on Facebook, connect with the Rotary Club Facebook Page where we post pictures of our weekly meetings and current events along with important updates from Rotary International.

My Rotary- This is the intranet for Rotarians internationally. There is a wealth of information on every aspect of Rotary. One of the many important features is the “Club Central Reports” where you can see the progress on our various club goals. As mentioned above, I recommend that you work with your mentor to go online and set up your account and access to “My Rotary.”

Rotary District 7070 website Google the Rotary District 7070 or go to www.rotary7070.org and save this website to your Favourites. The District website keeps a calendar of upcoming events that are important networking, learning and fellowship activities of our Rotary year!

Rotary Zone 28- Rotary Districts are put together in zones creating the international network of Rotary. Our District 7070 is part of Zone 28 which includes most of Canada and parts of United States including Alaska. You can access the Zone 28 website by either googling Rotary Zone 28 or using the following link https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50077.

Rotary Leadership Institute- On two or three occasions per year our Rotary District puts on a workshop. You will need to watch for the upcoming events section of our District 7070 Website for dates and locations. The Rotary Leadership Institute is an excellent way to learn more about the many aspects of Rotary and enjoy the wider network of your fellow Rotarians of the other 54 Rotary Clubs of our District 7070. It is encouraged that you to attend and take advantage of a great Rotary learning and networking experience!

Rotary Direct- The Rotary Foundation is one of the largest and best run Foundations in the world. The Rotary Foundation is the financial engine of Rotary and funds our many international projects such as International Peace Scholars, International Service Projects and the End Polio Campaign. It is encouraged that you today to donate and support our important work through the Rotary Foundation.

• Be a door greeter, twice. One time, you will deliver the invocation/thought for the day. The other time, you will introduce visiting Rotarians and guests.
Connect your mentee to get them on the schedule to greet. Explain to them what an invocation or thought for the day is and how to greet visiting Rotarians and guests.

• Attend a board meeting.

Since meetings only happen periodically, try to get the board meeting on their schedule right away. If possible, attend the board meeting with them.
• Attend New Member meetings.
Contact the person in the club responsible for new member training/meetings and the new member and get them involved. Encourage them to attend each meeting as they will learn a lot about Rotary and our club. You do not need to attend these meetings (but you can).

• Do a make-up at another club.

If possible, invite them to go to another club with you. If you can’t go, be sure they know the days, times, and location where other clubs meet, so they can go.
Don’t forget to let them know about e-clubs.
• Join two committees.

When you have coffee, find out about their interests. This will help you to get them on the right committee. It is always nice if the committee chair personally invites them to join the committee. Example: If you know they are interested in international service, connect them with Director for International Service, so they can invite them to be on their committee.

• Participate in a club project.

Club projects don’t happen every day, so be sure they know what is happening.
Projects are hands-on events. See if there is a project in the works created by new members, too. • Give a classification/vocational talk.

Sometimes they will get to see someone else give a classification/vocational talk, but not always. Be sure they know it is a time for them to share a bit about their work, hobbies and family. Let them know visuals are great, but not required, humor is always good, and keep it under five minutes. Talk to the President to get them on the agenda a week or two ahead of time.

• Bring a guest to a club meeting.

Ideally, we want them to bring a guest they think might be interested in Rotary. It is okay for them to ask a friend to come “as a favor to meet their new membership requirement” if that’s what it takes to get it done.