For New Members

A link to the New Members area of the RI web site.

Rotary is a vast organisation.

This is both a very good thing as it has something to offer everyone, and a problem as a new member can easily feel overwhelmed and think that they will not be able to understand how the club and the larger organisation works.

Within Rotary we tend to use a large number of acronyms. Even the organisation itself is known as RI, for Rotary International. While we are aware of this as a difficulty for new Rotarians and visitors to understand the use of acronyms is so widespread and common that it is unlikely to cease. All we can suggest is to ask each time one is used that you do not understand.

On the Rotary International (RI) website there is a section which suggests some areas that new members may wish to explore to understand more about the organisation. Headed New Members it offers ideas for new members, but even these sections will take some time to understand and explore.

Be patient. Members of long standing are often heard to remark "That is something I had not heard about". It is likely that no one person fully understands the organisation, so just ask senior members to explain matters you do not know about and realise that Rotary is a power for great good in the world and needs you to become involved to continue the work started in 1905 by Paul Harris and his three friends.