THE IDEA
Rotary Passport Clubs are a new format for Rotary Clubs. The first one chartered in Sacramento, California (D5180) on May 1, 2015 by District Governor Glenn Fong and Charter President Mike Reneiro. It had 60 members in the beginning, but grew to 90 within one year.
The concept? Remove barriers to people to want to become Rotarians by offering greater meeting flexibility and lower costs.
A Passport Rotary Club encourages members to be engaged in service in ways that fit their time, talent and finances; to fit Rotary within their family, work and life commitments. Passport Clubs differ from e-clubs in that members live within a defined geographical region, so that members can get together occasionally for face to face meetings as well as the monthly on-line meetings.
Rotary Passport Club members are full Rotary members, with the same privileges and rights as Rotarians in traditional clubs.
The concept? Remove barriers to people to want to become Rotarians by offering greater meeting flexibility and lower costs.
A Passport Rotary Club encourages members to be engaged in service in ways that fit their time, talent and finances; to fit Rotary within their family, work and life commitments. Passport Clubs differ from e-clubs in that members live within a defined geographical region, so that members can get together occasionally for face to face meetings as well as the monthly on-line meetings.
Rotary Passport Club members are full Rotary members, with the same privileges and rights as Rotarians in traditional clubs.
WHY "PASSPORT"?
Membership in a Rotary Passport Club is a passport...
- into Rotary, for people with busy lives or many other commitments
- into other Rotary Clubs, by encouraging members to visit other Rotary clubs and take part in their service projects, fundraisers, and activities
- into their community, by becoming ambassadors for Rotary in places in their communities where they already volunteer
WHO IS A GOOD FIT FOR PASSPORT CLUBS?
Just as with traditional clubs, the culture of each Passport Club will vary. However, in general, the format of Passport Clubs is intended to be of particular interest to:
- former Rotarians interested in returning
- current or past members of the Rotary family- such as Past Rotary Youth Exchange Students, Rotaractors or Alumni
- young people who are early in their careers or who have young families
- retirees who are often travelling but want to give back wherever they are
- anyone else who's looking for a flexible avenue to do good in the world
Looking for more information? https://my.rotary.org/en/ document/guide-passport-clubs