Presented by Kateri Clark

In May 2023, Rotary Ottawa South conducted an online survey of current members. 15 of the 28 (54 percent) current members responded to the survey. The survey was based on the Membership Satisfaction tool produced by Rotary International.

Why are you a Rotarian?

• 100 percent – service to others in my community and the world
• 80 percent – friendship and fellowship
• Having fun
• Personal and professional development

Almost 75 percent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their membership in Rotary Ottawa South. 25 percent of the respondents were neither satisfied or dissatisfied with their membership. None of the members expressed dissatisfaction.

When considering Rotary Ottawa South's culture, members, and meetings, respondents were most satisfied with these aspects:

• We care about one another.
• Meetings are a good use of time.
• Educating members about Rotary and what’s new at Rotary.

Respondents were least satisfied with these aspects:

• Doing a good job of involving new members
• Reflecting the demographic profile of our community

Most respondents were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the meeting locations (hybrid and virtual) and length of meetings. A majority of respondents really liked the Rotell and updates of meetings as well as the sharing of Rotary International and District information. One thing that might be improved is the level of professional connections and networking done in meetings.

When asked about service projects, 57 percent of respondents thought the number of service projects was just right. Although 29 percent thought there were too few service projects. Noteworthy is that 50 percent of respondents thought our club was doing just the right number of international projects but 15 percent thought there were too many international projects and 36 percent of respondents thought our club was doing too few. The respondents were fairly evenly split on whether we are doing just the right number or too few vocational or new generation service activities. The majority of respondents thought we were doing just the right amount of environmental projects. A majority of respondents also seemed satisfied with the quality of projects (impact, organization, etc.).

When asked about fundraisers, many of the members felt we had just the right number and variety of fundraisers. There was 40 percent of respondents that did not share this opinion. Most members also felt like they had enough opportunities to actively participate in fundraising. There were also mixed results when it came to rating the quality of our fundraisers, some respondents felt that we could be more effective in our fundraising efforts.

When asked about communication and responsiveness, respondents agreed that Rotary Ottawa South does a good job communicating to members but could do a better job of listening to members and acting on those ideas.

The things valued most my respondents about their membership are that:

• They feel welcomed by other club members
• They have opportunities to share and use their talents and skills
• They felt they were making a difference through Rotary

Overall, respondents felt that their membership was worth their time and money. However, there is room for improvement here and in getting members more involved and engaged.

Most respondents felt proud of the Club but were not as comfortable inviting people (family and friends) to participate in the activities of Rotary Ottawa South. One respondent commented that, “It would be nice to create more of a trusted "family" experience within the club. For example, reaching out individually to another member when aware they have a particular celebration, success, challenge, etc.”

Understanding why that is and what would make them more comfortable doing so is something that the membership committee will need to consider in its activities.

12 respondents thought the Annual fees were just right and 1 respondents thought that the fees were too high. Additionally, a majority of respondents thought that requests for donations to Rotary Ottawa South or RI Foundation were just right or too low.