New 31 December deadline for online RI-CAS/RI-DAS

Based on feedback from clubs and districts, RI will continue to provide support to users of the standalone versions of the software until the end of the calendar year, 31 December 2008. This means that Rotarians will still be able to download the software from Rotary’s Web site, purchase it from the catalog, and discuss issues on the CAS/DAS forum on Member Access until 31 December 2008.

Other software alternatives to RI-CAS and RI-DAS
While RI cannot endorse nor recommend another product, a list will be posted of several Web sites offering club administrative software tools for Rotarians. This list is not all inclusive but can be used as a starting point to assist Rotarians in locating alternate software.

Archiving RI-CAS and RI-DAS knowledge base
All of the information in the CAS and DAS user forum soon will be converted to a PDF on Rotary’s Web site so that Rotarians can search it for information. No new questions or changes will be permitted to this file after 31 December 2008.

Other alternatives (providing source codes; selling the software to a district, not-for-profit entity, or user group; or continuing support on a fee basis)
We are still researching these options in relation to privacy concerns, trademark issues, and so forth. RI is carefully reviewing its options to ensure the best possible results for Rotarians. We expect to have final answers on these user recommendations by the first week of June.

Synchronization of Rotary club data with RI data
Rotary International would like to provide the ability to synchronize data between the club and RI, but there are a number of issues that need to be resolved first. Protecting the privacy of our members’ data is a key concern, and worldwide privacy laws are complex. Many such legal questions would need to be addressed prior to deciding to provide this type of data interchange. RI is currently reviewing these issues and will only be able to provide synchronization functionality in the future if it complies with privacy laws worldwide.

Questions?

Contact your Club and District Support representative to get your questions answered.