MEMBERSHIP PROPOSALS
The Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Frederick
approves requirements and guidelines for membership in
the club. These requirements and guidelines reflect the
significant changes in membership rules in the revised
Rotary International Constitution adopted in 2001, and
the procedures adopted by the Board of Directors and the
Membership Development Committee of the Rotary Club of
Frederick. Please refer to Article V of the Rotary
International Constitution at www.rotary.org for
detailed discussion on membership in Rotary.
New members of the Rotary Club of Frederick are proposed
either by individual members of the club or by the
club's Membership Development Committee. Please note
that while it is appropriate to determine if a candidate
is interested in club membership, it is inappropriate to
introduce him or her as a candidate for membership.
The following requirements and guidelines established by
the club should be followed when proposing an individual
for membership in the Club.
Membership Requirements
An adult person of good character and good business and
professional reputation
a) engaged as a proprietor, partner, corporate officer,
or manager of any worthy and recognized business or
profession; or
b) holding an important position in any worthy and
recognized business or profession or any branch or
agency thereof; or
c) having retired from any position listed in (a) or (b)
above; and
d) having his or her place of business or residence
located in Frederick or the surrounding area.
Membership Guidelines
Questions are often asked as to what else the club seeks
in a new member. A few years ago, an ad hoc committee of
the club proposed the following guidelines for
recruiting quality members to the Rotary Club of
Frederick. The
prospective member should have:
a) A history of volunteering
b) A track record of leadership roles at work and in the
community. We want a mix of both "CEO type" and "up and
coming" individuals.
c) Good character
d) Suggest one year living and/or working in Frederick.
Additional Information to Collect
In addition to the above, the sponsor should be prepared
to include, among other information, the following with
the candidate’s membership application.
The candidate's employer, title and responsibilities
The candidate's educational background and military
service
The names of community organizations in which the
candidate volunteers
How (business, social, friend) and how long the sponsor
has known the candidate
How long the candidate has lived or worked in the
Frederick area
Why the sponsor thinks the candidate would make a good
Rotarian
The sponsor's willingness to be the candidate's Rotary
Mentor for the first year as a member of the Club.
How to Propose a New Member
To propose a person for membership, download the
New Member Application Form from the club web
site at
www.frederickrotaryclub.org.
Submit the completed application form
by email to the club's Secretary at mail@mcgmcg.com.
If you have questions about a membership proposal,
please do not hesitate to contact the President,
Secretary or any member of the Membership Development
Committee.
The New Member Application Process
The following process was approved by the board of
directors of the Rotary Club of Frederick on September
26, 2006. Questions about the process or an new member
application should be referred to Peter Michael, the
club's Secretary, at 301.874.0235 or mail@mcgmcg.com, or
to David Miller, chair of the Membership Development
Committee.
1. The
person you propose for club membership should have
attended at least two but no more than four club
meetings and had an opportunity to meet members of the
club. Explain to the candidate that membership is by
invitation and that there is a review process. You will
need a cosponsor, or, if you are nominating a member of
your family, two cosponsors.
2. Members
pay for lunches of prospective members. If your guest
arrives before you do, greeters and other Rotarians will
greet your guest and make him or her comfortable until
your arrival.
3.
Have your candidate complete the applicant portion of
the membership application. Then complete your sponsor
portion of the application, sign it and gather the
signature(s) of the applicant’s cosponsor(s).
Incomplete applications will be returned to you for
completion.
4. File
the completed application with the club Secretary who
will keep you informed of its progress.
5.
After filing, the Secretary sends the application to the
club’s Membership Committee for review and to the
Classification Committee for the applicant’s Rotary
classification to be assigned.
6.
After review, the Membership Committee sends its
recommendation on the applicant to the club’s board of
directors which makes the final decision on all
applications. The board meets monthly to review
applications, and may accept or over-rule the
committee’s recommendation, either positive or negative.
7.
Upon the Board’s approval of the application, the
applicant is proposed to the club membership. Members
have ten days to voice any objection. The board reviews
any objection and may either support or dismiss the
objection. The board again has the final decision on
all applications.
8. After
the ten-day waiting period, a member of the Rotary
Information Committee, usually the immediate past
president, meets with the applicant, explains the
purposes of Rotary and member obligations, invites the
applicant to become a Rotarian, and collects the
initiation fee and pro rated annual dues.
9. Once
the club Secretary has received notification of the
incoming member’s payment of dues and the initiation
fee, the Secretary contacts the President and the
sponsor to arrange for the incoming member’s induction.
The applicant is then inducted into the club at a
regular club meeting.
Revised:
September 30, 2008
