Is your Probus Club’s future secure?

Have your committee and membership seriously considered your club’s long-term future?

Some clubs run effectively for many years, but have you thought about how they achieve this success?

Would you consider your own club to be a successful club with a long-term future, or do you only consider its present-day success?

The following questions are worthy of consideration NOW:

1. Are your membership numbers increasing or falling?

2. Is the average age of your membership on the rise?

3. Are you a club for active seniors, or just a club for old people?

4. Are you a single gender club? If so, this may not appeal to married couples, and might restrict your club’s appeal. Consider the possibility of  becoming a combined club.

5. Do you have an active and ongoing recruitment program to attract younger active members?

6. Do you actively welcome new members to club meetings by providing welcomers?

7. Do you have a full and effective committee of management?

8. Do you manage your club finances successfully, and do you maintain a balance of funds equivalent to around one year’s operating expenses?

9. Do you have an up-to-date constitution and bylaws?

10. Do you have difficulty in filling all positions on your committee at annual elections?

11. Do you have a wide variety of activities that cater for a similar wide variety of member interests?

12. Do you have activities that cater for both the more active and less active in your membership?

13. Do you have committee or club members who actively promote and coordinate individual activities?

14. Do you promote your club in your local community through local press, street stalls, or perhaps a club website?

15. Have you thought of distributing spare copies of the Probian previously stamped with your club’s name and contact details around clubs, hotels, medical clinics, and other places where retirees might visit.

16. Do you have a comfortable and convenient meeting place for member meetings with adequate car parking and disable access?

These are all points worthy of consideration by both club committees and club members.

If your club is successful in at least 80% of these points, your club can probably look forward to a successful future.

If your club is only successful in around 50% or less of these points, then all members need to review your club’s plans and operation. Otherwise, your club might only have a short-term future of just a few years!

Not sure how to tackle this or where to start? Talk to your Association committee – they may be able to assist in an advisory capacity and without interfering in the autonomy of your club.

Another alternative to consider, which is being proposed by Probus South Pacific Ltd, is to consider ‘rebirthing’ of your club. This should be discussed with your sponsoring Rotary Club, and involves going through the process followed when forming a new club. Then your existing members become the nucleus ‘foundation’ members of the rebirthed club, but the process of advertising the intention of forming a Probus Club will very likely attract a significant number of new Probians will help expand membership and stimulate new ideas and new activities. Start by talking with your sponsoring Rotary Club.

This page is printable for the use of committees as a discussion document. Click the icon on top left of page.