1. Understanding Rotary International’s New Area of Focus
The September 2020 Policy Statement was presented to clubs as a comprehensive set of aspirational goals for the new area of focus: Protecting the Environment. Each of the eight goals addresses one of three critical areas: 1) our environment, 2) climate change, or 3) justice.
Clubs considering an Action Team may want to familiarize themselves with this powerful and intentional policy statement.
2. Understanding Your Club’s Position in the Community
Every Rotary club has worked to develop a position of trust in their community, through the membership, the projects undertaken and the ties to other organizations. Rotary clubs are seen as quality partners in any situation, an organization that can be counted on to perform. This position in the community is key to optimizing the Action Team’s focus and taking powerful steps to make a difference in protecting our environment.
Some items to consider:
- An assessment of the membership to determine the breadth of reach into the community (government, non-profit, business, and Rotary district) and strengths based on years of service (skills and expertise)
- A review of the projects completed over the last few years based on magnitude of impact on, and acceptance by, the community at large
- The passion of the Action Team members from personal history and interests.
3. Developing your action team
- Building your team
- Invite interested club members to join
- Begin regular action team meetings (via Zoom if appropriate)
- Create a club “Climate Action Statement”
- Developing a Communication and Engagement Plan for the Club
There is no right way to bring the Action Team’s interests to the club’s attention, but it is critical that the process be carefully considered so that all the club members feel included and engaged in whatever the Action Team wants to pursue. This Engagement Plan might include:
- Presentation of a “Climate Action Statement” to the board
- Presentation of the statement to the whole club
- Development and maintenance of an Action Team Calendar to include guest speakers, project activities and member engagement activities
- Regular update presentations to the club membership, from the formation process to project activities
- Regular education for members through short “Climate Minute” presentations in meetings and a “Climate Corner” update in the club’s regular newsletter
- Brainstorming sessions with the entire club to foster engagement
- Regular invitation to other club members to join; use the Action Team as a membership tool
4. Determining Specific Focus that Works for your Action Team
Based on the Rotary Policy Statement and the club’s position in the community, define the:
- Priority order of the eight Policy Statements’ goals based on your team’s priorities (what do you consider the most important for the club to address)
- Priority order of the clubs position in the community based on history (relationships with government, community groups, businesses, and within Rotary)
- Priority order of the skills and expertise of the Action Team members, as well as club members (organizational, financial, leadership, project, logistical, etc.
Consider, based on the resulting list from these three areas, what is the optimal use of the Action Team, in terms of focus and potential projects.
- Seek out other resources, like Project Drawdown and their Drawdown Review, to understand more about the potential for real reductions in CO2 in the short and long term. Various key resources are available here.
- Create a list of “all” the possible projects the Action Team might undertake
- Identify the few that rise to the top of the list
- Put together a summary description of each for the Action Team’s review and selection
- Finally, do a detailed description of the selected project(s):
- Vision
- Goals
- Requirements
- Plans
- Management processes
