When Pete Snider bought his glass company in 1990, the firm had seven employees. Of the 24 people who work at Alco Glass now, several have been with Snider since he took over, and others have worked there five years or more. Having loyal employees, says the past governor of District 5810 (Texas, USA), helps keep his business stable, sustains morale and productivity, and benefits his bottom line.

Holding on to good people is just as important for Rotary clubs as it is for businesses. “The opposite of retention is loss in numbers, dissipation of membership in energy and focus and networks within the community, loss of an identification and mission,” says Bob Handwerk, a member of the Rotary Club of Delavan-Darien, Wis., USA, and president of the human resources and management consulting firm RLH and Associates. “If you lose those, you lose the whole concept of Service Above Self.”

To keep their members, clubs can employ some of the strategies that successful businesses use to retain employees.

Strengthen relationships

One reason Snider has been able to keep so many of his employees aboard for so long, he says, is that he gives his workers respect. “We all need to feel like we’re contributing, whether it’s work or elsewhere, and I think it’s very important to recognize that people do care about what they do,” he explains.

Indeed, business owners and managers have a huge impact on employee satisfaction, says Jennifer Ledet, of the Rotary Club of Thibodaux, La., USA, a human resources management consultant and trainer. “People don’t quit their jobs – they quit their bosses,” she notes. “If they have a terrible relationship with their boss, or if their boss doesn’t treat them as if they have value, they will quit a higher-paying job.” A good relationship with a supervisor, on the other hand, can motivate employees in lower-paying jobs to stay on.

In a Rotary club, meanwhile, the president and other officers help set the tone, but they aren’t the only ones responsible for creating an enjoyable experience. If newcomers are treated “as if they’re invisible by the members, that could be a real turnoff,” says Ledet. “It makes you feel uncomfortable and unwanted.”

Be choosy

It’s hard for companies to predict which job candidates might stick around for the long haul, and the same is true for clubs seeking long-term members. But Snider, who is also an RI membership zone coordinator for Oklahoma and parts of Louisiana and Texas, has a simple theory: “If you search out people of good character, they will become good Rotary members.

“The surest way to retain members is to bring in people who have their roots in the community – actual store owners and actual business owners, the people who are going to stay in your community,” he says.

Promote involvement

“Research shows that what happens on that first day of work is crucial to that employee’s staying power with the company,” says Ledet. “Same with new members. We need to get them in, do an orientation program, teach them about Rotary, make them feel welcome.”

Snider thinks all clubs should offer formal orientations. Educating new Rotarians early “is real important so they understand what Rotary can do and what it does do,” he notes. Handwerk suggests assigning mentors to help identify new members’ talents and interests.

Early involvement in club activities is also critical – within 90 days of joining is Handwerk’s recommendation. “If you get commitment and get them involved and develop relationships in that early stage, you have a very positive chance of that person being a valuable Rotarian,” he says. “If that person comes in like a stranger and we don’t get them involved in activities and causes and missions, they’re not empowered, they’re not committed, and they die on the vine, so to speak.”

As time goes by, employees often disengage when they don’t feel they’re making a contribution. Club members may go the same route if they don’t get personal or professional fulfillment from the time and money they invest in Rotary. “We need to see, are we providing value? Are we giving those opportunities for learning and growth and development and service and networking?” explains Ledet.

Encouraging Rotarians to serve in leadership positions also can help keep them engaged. “It creates responsibilities for members that give them the value of their membership,” Snider says. “I think Rotarians respond very well to duty and responsibility.”

Make the right changes

Ledet advises her business clients not to wait until exit interviews, when it’s too late, to request feedback from employees. Two questions she recommends employers ask personnel: What makes you want to stay here? What might lure you away? “People need to feel they have some say and they have some input,” she says.

Clubs also should keep the lines of communication open. Handwerk suggests asking these questions: Why are you a Rotarian? What are your expectations? How are those expectations being met or not met? What would you do differently? How would you suggest we change the club?

But if clubs inquire, they should be committed to making necessary adjustments. “If you ask those questions and then don’t do anything, then you have a bigger problem than if you didn’t ask the questions,” Handwerk says.

Of course, new approaches and ideas should be well thought out. “You have to make the right changes,” explains Snider. “The changes we should be making are positive changes: changes toward more meaningful service projects, better social events for the club, better programs for the club, changes in getting more members involved in meaningful jobs in the club.”

Ultimately, Handwerk says, lacking a mission and doing things the same old way will cause people to leave. And clubs should never see membership loss as inevitable. “Energy and new ideas and new commitment,” he notes, “will retain people.”