On the final day of the month our club had 205 Active Members. All membership information is pulled from ClubRunner statistics. Attendance for August’s meetings was 29% (down 1% from last month). Average attendance at each meeting was 59 members and 7 guests. Our Engagement Ratio for the month was 48% (up 1% from last month).
August’s membership saw no new members inducted; however, there were two terminations:
- Jordan Setayesh – Business Pressures
- Robert Ause – Health
The board also approved the following two new members to join our club:
- Gertrude Waigumbulizi (Sponsor: Agnes Reading)
- Bob Harrington (Sponsors: Leo Shedden, Susan Shipman and John White)
Communications Policy. Kathy Waugh recently shared a copy of the RCAA’s External Communications Policy with Joyce as a result of some emails that had been recently sent to membership. While the policy has some helpful information, a refresh is needed. Kathy will work with Dan Romanchik to develop a revised draft for the board to review.
Executive Director Responsibilities. It was explained to the Board Directors that our ED, Cat Meyer, has been asked to provide support in areas that are not part of her job description. A small group of people (Bill McPherson, Kathy Waugh, Mark Foster) are now meeting with Cat weekly to stay on top of these requests of Cat’s time and refocus her work to fit the job description. The Directors and Committee Chairs also need to be educated about this.
Meeting venue change. Marsha Chamberlin is prepared to submit RFPs to local venues. The board discussed other recent venue reviews performed by club members. While we have yet to find a venue that offers us all the amenities that we receive at U-M, it was suggested to add this to a strategic plan to revisit every five years.
District Grants. The District Grants committee has recommended approval of our Club’s District Grant Applications as follows:
- Honduras Family Life Center: $2,500
- Hygiene kits for VA hospital patients: $600
- Kenya Free Surgical Camp: $2,500
- Rotaract Club service trip: $1,500
- Send Hunger Packing: $1,000
- Staying in Closer Touch: $2,500
- Uganda backup generator: $2,500
Final reports for all District Grants are due by May 15, 2025.
MOU with Kiwanis. The board is interested in creating Memorandum of Understanding between RCAA and Kiwanis, so we have a path forward for future collaboration.
Rotaract Fundraising. The Rotaract group is short on funds for their upcoming trip and have inquired about doing their own fundraising. While it has been allowed in the past, several board members felt it was important that fundraising should be board-approved to avoid any possible conflicts.
November 20th Offsite Meeting. The board discussed the upcoming meeting at the Roadhouse on November 20th. Approval was granted to continue with planning through the Program Committee. Rob and Kathy will work on the details and propose a plan for the timing, agenda and menu.
RCAA Newsletter. Dan Romanchik discussed the updates that he’s working on for the newsletter. Additionally, he is looking for more volunteers so the newsletter can be sent on a weekly basis (which is Monday mornings). The board discussed the importance of the newsletter for keeping all club information in one place and avoiding overload of mass emails.
