How would you describe Rotary Club membership in simple terms ?

Rotarians are regular people, just like you. We work for a living, we have families, we have problems and we are by no means infallible people. We have human frailties, just like everybody else, and we make mistakes every day. 

However, despite our individual shortcomings, Rotary Clubs are comprised of good people trying to collectively do good things for our local and international communities, while enjoying the pleasure of each other's company, irrespective of our diverse backgrounds.

Rotary Clubs, especially KGM, accept people from all walks of life as members. We welcome men and women of any nationality, ethnic group, financial or civil status, sexual persuasion, religion or political affiliation. In fact, the broad diversity within our club is what makes it so interesting ! Think "Melting Pot" !!

Your personal causes and beliefs are your private business, and we are most certainly not a religious or political organisation. We just want more good, civic-minded people to join our club, to us help us do good things ! Care to join us ?

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What is Rotary ?  

The official answer to this question is: "Rotary is an organization of business & professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world."

For more general information about Rotary International, check out "Rotary at  a glance".

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What is the Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile ?  

RCKGM is a member club of Rotary International which, although required to adopt the Standard Rotary Club Constitution, operates autonomously from all other Rotary clubs in the world. In other words, while our club has adopted and observes the elementary rules applicable to all Rotary clubs, the management of the RCKGM is ultimately vested in it's members, who entrust the operation and management of club affairs to the Board of Directors, of which the President is Chairman.

Note that individual Rotarians are not members of Rotary International, but members of a club which has that status.

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What are the joining fees ?  

A once-off, life membership fee of HK$2,000 (US$260). If  a member relocates to another Rotary District but subsequently returns to Hong Kong and wishes to re-join our club, a further "joining fee" is usually waived.

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Are there any recurring fees ?  

Members currently need to pay HK$1,500 (US$194) as "Semi-Annual Dues" each January and July. These fees are used to pay your dues to Rotary International (which includes your subscription to the monthly "The Rotarian" magazine), your dues to District 3450 and your share of all other general administrative overheads of the club such as printing, stationary, postage, photocopying, provision of lunch for guest speakers and so on.

Note that your Joining Fee and Semi-Annual dues are retained in the club's "General Fund", which is used to cover all club overheads.

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Are there any other financial obligations ?  

No. We are not a "cheque-book club". Obviously you need to pay for your own lunch (and for any guests which you have invited) when you attend meetings, but there are no other fees or dues which you are obliged to pay. Period.

Of course we certainly do encourage members to support our fund-raising activities, but this does not mean we expect you to keep sticking your hand into your own pocket. However we would like you to participate by helping us to sell whatever it is we are trying to sell to raise funds for our Community Service work. Over the years we've successfully used a plethora of ways to raise funds, and these have included raffle tickets, the sale of Xmas cards, movie premieres, walkathons and so on. In other words, we prefer that you stick your hands into your friend's pockets, in the nicest possible way of course !!

We also hope you will attend our monthly fellowship (social) functions and take a minimum of 2 tickets (but preferably a table of 10 !) at our Annual Ball, but once again this is not an obligation.

However fellowship functions such as these are the best way for us, and our respective partners, to get to know each other better.

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Are there any other commitments ?  

Yes, primarily Attendance. Rotary rules require that you maintain an attendance rate of 60% for each half of the Rotary year (July-December, January-June).

Let us explain this in simple terms. We meet every Wednesday and, irrespective of whether there are four or five Wednesdays in a given month, if you attend a Rotary meeting somewhere at least three times during a month, you will have fulfilled your 60% attendance obligations. However of those three meetings, at least two must be at your own club (i.e. at KGM). If you are unable to attend KGM for any reason on a given Wednesday, you can do a "make-up" at another Rotary Club anywhere in the world, whether it be at another club in District 3450 or at a Rotary Club in Russia ! Simple really.

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What is a Leave of Absence ?  

If you will be away from Hong Kong for an extended period of time, you may apply to the Board of Directors for a Leave of Absence, however this only excuses you from your obligation to attend a minimum of 2 out of 3 meetings at your own club (i.e. KGM).

It does not excuse you from attending Rotary meetings altogether ! Hence if, for argument's sake, you will be spending three months in Europe, you are still required to do "make-ups" while you are away from Hong Kong.

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What is the Community Service Fund ?  

This is our "Sacred Fund" ! By this, we mean that every single dollar we raise through our fund-raising activities is kept here until every single dollar is distributed to a worthwhile cause, as approved by the Board of Directors.

Usually funds we raise in one year are spent the following year but, irrespective of when we raise or disburse these funds, we do not deduct a single dollar for indirect overheads, which are paid entirely out of our General Fund. This is a key policy of our club, and it is one which has been honoured by every Board of Directors since the club was chartered, and it is a policy of which we are extremely proud.

Hence, when you ask your family, friends and business associates to contribute towards our fund raising activities, you can confidently assure them that every single dollar they contribute (or which you can gingerly extract from their pockets !), will return to a worthwhile cause within our local or international communities.

Note: The Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile Community Service Fund Limited is an approved charitable institution under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.

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What are the Four Avenues of Service ?  

Club, Community, Vocational & International, which cover all aspects of our work as Rotarians.

Club Service is a committee headed by a Club Director (usually a Vice-President), and this basically covers the management and operation of the club. There are six sub-committees (namely Attendance, Bulletin, Fellowship, Program, Membership and Rotary Information), and each one of these is also headed by a separate Club Director.

Community Service is a committee headed by a Club Director, which tries to identify worthwhile causes and/or vets any applications for funding received by the club. Once they have investigated each application for funding, they present their findings to the Board of Directors, who will consider each case on it's individual merits.

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Vocational Service is a committee headed by a Club Director, which undertakes two key functions. The first function is to identify, recognise and award outstanding individuals within our community who have excelled in their chosen vocation (e.g. Best Police Officer, Best Teacher etc.). The second function is to educate others about all worthwhile vocations, and this is usually done by asking members to explain their chosen vocations to the club, high school and/or college students and others through "Vocational Talks". These talks may be supplemented by "Vocational Visits", in order to give attendees an opportunity to witness a worthwhile vocation in action.

International Service is a committee headed by a Club Director and, as the name implies, covers our international activities, such as joining with our sister clubs in other countries to help the less fortunate in third countries. This committee also has one sub-committee called "Rotary Foundation", which is also headed by another Club Director, who liaises with the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

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What is the object of Rotary ?  

The Constitution of Rotary International states that "The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business and community life;

FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.".

The object of Rotary and the four (4) basic methods to achieve it are the basis of your membership, and they take precedence over all other aspects of your life as a Rotarian.

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What is the "4-Way Test ?  

This was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932, when he was asked to take charge of a Chicago based aluminium company which was facing bankruptcy. Taylor looked for a way to save the struggling company, mired in depression-related financial difficulties. He drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all employees to follow in their business and professional lives: 

The test should be applied to the things we think, say and do:

(1) Is it the truth ?
(一) 是否一切屬於真實?

(2) Is it fair to all concerned ? 
(二) 是否各方得到公平?

(3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships ?
(三) 能否促進信譽友誼?

(4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned ?
(四) 能否兼顧彼此利益?

The 4-Way Test was formally adopted by Rotary in 1943. Herb Taylor became president of Rotary International in 1954.

However before we can ask these questions of ourselves (or others) as Rotarians, we need to firstly determine whether we have observed the "object of Rotary". There is little point trying to apply the 4-Way Test if we have, for argument's sake, conducted ourselves unethically in our business dealings, contrary to the second method used to foster the object of Rotary.

For instance, if you have attempted to cheat or deceive your former business partner or employer, or you have tried to use business secrets gained from your former employment to further your own career or business prospects and/or to slur your former partner or employer, how can you criticise your former partner or employer if he elects to respond in a like manner ?

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What is the "Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions ?

The Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions was adopted by the Rotary International Council on Legislation in 1989 to provide more specific guidelines for the high ethical standards called for in the Object of Rotary:

As a Rotarian engaged in a business or profession, I am expected to:

• Consider my vocation to be another opportunity to serve;

• Be faithful to the letter and to the spirit of the ethical codes of my vocation, to the laws of my country, and to the moral standards of my community;

• Do all in my power to dignify my vocation and to promote the highest ethical standards in my chosen vocation;

• Be fair to my employer, employees, associates, competitors, customers, the public and all those with whom I have a business or professional relationship;

• Recognize the honor and respect due to all occupations which are useful to society;

• Offer my vocational talents: to provide opportunities for young people, to work for the relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of life in my community;

• Adhere to honesty in my advertising and in all representations to the public concerning my business or profession;

• Neither seek from nor grant to a fellow Rotarian a privilege or advantage not normally accorded others in a business or professional relationship.

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How do I propose a new member ?

Membership growth is an essential part of any organisation. Not only do we desire to strengthen and diversify our membership through the addition of "new blood", we also need to replace members "lost" due to natural attrition caused by business or domestic pressures, emigration and so on.

The procedure to introduce a new member to the club is a fairly straightforward process:

1) Invite the potential member to attend at least four (4) consecutive regular meetings of the club as your guest and introduce your guest to as many members as possible, but in particular to the club Membership Director. Also, during this period, try to explain as much as you can about Rotary to your guest, including Rotary attendance requirements and the associated financial commitments.

One good place to obtain more information about Rotary is at the Prospective Member Information pages at the Rotary International web site.

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2) If your guest expresses an interest in joining the club, obtain a "Membership Proposal" form from the Club Secretary, fill it out and pass it on to the Membership Director for further action.

3) The Membership Director will, at the next Board meeting, submit your Membership Proposal form to the Board for their consideration, at which time an available Membership Classification will also be proposed. If the proposal is approved by the Board, the Membership Director will contact you and ask you to invite (and accompany) your guest to a membership interview, which is normally conducted after a regular club meeting. At the interview, the Membership Committee will ask your guest a number of questions and they will offer more information about Rotary.

4) Once the interview is completed and your guest confirms his or her continuing interest in becoming a Rotarian, the Membership Director will pass the relevant information to the Bulletin Editor, who is required to publish details of the proposal in the next club bulletin, whereby other members are given seven (7) days to object to the proposal.

5) After the expiry of the seven (7) day "waiting period", provided no objections are received, your guest can be inducted as a member of KGM, as soon as he or she has paid the relevant joining fee and semi-annual dues to the club Secretary.

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What are the different types of membership ?

There are two types of Rotary Club membership:

1. Active - an active Rotarian is someone who performs at least 60% of his/her work in the specified classification, and only one person may hold active membership in any one given classification. The exceptions to this rule are in respect of religious, news media or diplomatic service classifications.

2. Honorary - a designated membership for a person who has become distinguished by meritorious service in furtherance of Rotary ideals. An Honorary member cannot hold office, does not pay dues, cannot propose new members, does not need to meet attendance requirements but can attend all meetings and enjoy all other privileges. This membership must be re-established each year by the club Board of Directors.

Previously there were two other types of Rotary Club membership, namely "Senior Active" and "Past Service" (and a "sub" membership called "Additional Active", however these types of membership were discontinued as a result of decisions taken at the Rotary International Council On Legislation convened in April 2001. However Rotarians who already have these types of membership are not affected by this decision and may continue to use them.

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What do all those acronyms mean ?

One of the first things which confuses visitors and new members about Rotary is the regular use of acronyms to address people. Although they may seem daunting to the inexperienced, they are really quite simple. Some of the most commonly used acronyms (and their meanings) are:

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What do you mean by "Sister Club" ?

A "Sister Club" is another Rotary Club, usually in another district and/or country, with whom we establish a formal bond, in order to work together on mutual projects. It is also customary for such bonds to be formed where members of each club are regular visitors to the other club, as this is an excellent means to maintain a lasting bond of sisterhood.

Our club has two Sister clubs. The first was established in 1988 with the Rotary Club of Parañaque in Manila, Philippines, and the second was established in 1993 with the Rotary Club of Hamamatsu South, Shizuoka Prefecture, in south-east Japan.

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What are the Rotary special monthly themes ?

Rotary International has designated certain months of the year to have special themes, and these are:

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What is the Rotary International "Council On Legislation" ?

The Council On Legislation ("COL") convenes every three (3) years and it comprises representatives from every Rotary District around the world, who meet to discuss proposed amendments as well as proposed new items for possible inclusion in the Rotary International "Bible", more correctly known as the "Manual of Procedure".

New and amended items affect the daily operations of Rotary International, Districts and Clubs alike, and include items such as Attendance, Membership and District Administration.

A summary of new enactments passed at the 2001 RI Council On Legislation can be viewed on-line at the COL web page on RI President Frank Devlyn's web site.

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