When asked what they would change most about Rotary meetings, most members reply, "Fewer presentations from nonprofits!" What to do?
Accept the fact that some nonprofit presentations are valuable - especially if the presentation comes from an organization you support. So if you do indeed ask your beneficiaries to speak at your club, give them some guidance on what to do to make sure their presentation is well-received. 
At the same time, many nonprofits simply want to tap into what they see as a vast reservoir of Rotary energy and funding. They may not be aware that your budgets are set, that you just asked your members to step up and become Paul Harris Society members and that dues statements just went out this week.
So what guidance can you give to nonprofits?
So what can you do if a nonprofit organizaton that you have not supported asks to speak to your club?
While you are at it, consider turning the table. When is the last time someone complained that they are tired of Rotary speakers at their meeting or event? We have great stories to tell. Let's get out there and share them! Find opportunities to talk about what a difference community and international service can have for your community and beyond.
As part of Blog Action Day, today's post is about Rotary's efforts to improve the environment.
Unfortunately, I do not have the time to give full accounting of the positive impact that Rotary is having on the environment. Rotary clubs around the world are involved with projects like safe drinking water, sanitation, tree planting, soil and water conservation and so much more
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If your club is involved in a project that has environmental impact, make sure people know about it. If you find that you cannot name at least 5 local or international projects that really set your club apart (not counting check-writing - I mean real, hands-on projects), consider some project focused on improving the environment. That could be something as simple as planting a tree for each guest speaker, doing litter cleanup along a busy street or highway or conducting educational programs in your local school.
Some clubs stay away from environmental projects because they are reluctant to get involved in political arguments about global warming. Don't let that stop you. Find something you can agree on. After all, clean water, breathable air, a little shade in the summertime and a little beauty are good for all of us - and our future.
Every club needs a variety of signature projects to appeal to a diverse membership base. How could the environment be part of what your club is known for?
On October 15th, 2007, bloggers around the world are being asked to write about one thing: 
the environment. The action blog! asks the question,
What would happen if every blog published posts on the same topic, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.
If we Rotarians are to give service-minded people to serve in areas they care most about, here is an opportunity that is green and growing. The environment is a hot issue right now. We Rotarians, however don't typically make as big a story about our earth-focused projects as we do our human-focused projects. Yet they are closely tied. A thriving environment is good for peace, health, stability and safety - all of which are human concerns.
So what can you and your club do?
From the Rotary Presidential Conference on Membership at South Bend, Indiana - July 27-28, 2007
Ed Futa, RI General Secretary (that means he runs Rotary HQ) reflected with great fun and humor on the conference theme, Sharing the Magic of Rotary. He began, though, with a serious question: "Share what?"
I learned that one of the things Ed Futa is passionate about is new phones. True to form, Ed displayed his new iPhone and told the audience how he demonstrates the iPhone's video player capability using a Rotary public service announcement. To Ed, new technology, and especially the latest mobile phone, is magic.
So if we follow through on this theme of "Sharing the Magic," what do you mean by magic? Unless you have some concept of the magic of Rotary, what are you going to share? What is the essential kernel of Rotary that makes it magical for you?
The core message I took away from his comments was this: Without passion, there is no magic. Without passion, what we do in Rotary is an accounting task of dollars raised and donated, rather than how much was added to human and community capacity. Without feeling, what we do is like many corporate press releases announcing new technology. They do a great job of listing the features and specifications. But they lack the emotional impact that happens when we listen to customers in the field who tell their personal stories.
Want to get membership efforts in gear? Don't start with numbers. Start with yourself: Why is Rotary magic to you? What does Rotary bring to you that you don't find in other areas of your life? Take your ideas about why you are in Rotary - then add your passion and energy to bring your ideas to life. Then share that passionate story with someone else so they, too, can connect to what they are passionate about.
PS Consider sharing your personal and club stories in new ways so technophiles like Ed Futa can find you! If you share your Rotary story on Slideshare, YouTube or elsewhere, be sure to let me know.
Take action:
The energy in any golf clubhouse, public or private, on the late afternoon of a Major is always electric. Over cold beers and iced tea, golfers talk about the shots that will keep them coming back, while watching television with increasing attention. Who is going to break out for the first time and win their first Major? Who is going to melt under the pressure? Is the course set up fairly, or is it overly penal? Which television commentator is going be first to say something really repetitive or annoying? Aside from the competition itself, few aspects of the Majors create more arguments than what is said by the announcers.
Case in point, while I believe Jimmy Roberts' segments on NBC golf coverage get a bit sappy at times, I enjoyed his story about Arnold Palmer's history at Oakmont. The story began with a picture of a steel-sided, red barn in Pennsylvania, which turns out to be Arnie's career museum. 
Roberts describes Palmer's long history at, and his love for, Oakmont, while showing memorabilia from Palmer's life and career.
In the segment, Palmer acknowledges that losing to Jack Nicklaus in the 1962 US Open was one of his biggest career disappointments.
If you watched the segment, a Rotary connection jumped out at you about half-way through. In one scene, camera panning right, you see a Paul Harris Fellow certificate bearing Arnold Palmer's name.
How terrific is it, that of all the fond memories and treasures in that barn, the memories of triumph and disappointment, that Arnold Palmer's Paul Harris Fellow certificate stands prominently in view!
In the end, it is not what people say about you that distinguishes you, it is what you yourself hold dear that matters.
Do you have more to share about Arnold Palmer's connection to Rotary and his Paul Harris Fellow recognition? Who are some other famous Paul Harris Fellows? Please share.
Rotary clubs find creative ways to make a difference and to get noticed. Here is an idea that can accomplish both objectives, for very high impact, relative to the cost and effort: Speed-Reducing Art.
The idea is to create art on city streets that has drivers react by slowing down!
Creativity consultant Roger von Oech blogged about this idea in mid-December. I have re-posted his work below.
Rotary clubs can use this approach to create huge visibility: use this as a way to:
I think park benches and centennial clocks are wonderful gifts to a community. Anything that reminds people of Rotary's impact on a regular basis is a great idea. As you think about how to maximize your "return on effort" give this question some thought:
What conversation do you want to create in your community?
Here is Roger's post:
