Millions for HOPE – A teamwork best practice

 by Pam Russell – RRFC Zone 26 2013-2016, District 5340

When challenged to raise money for The Rotary Foundation, RRFC Pamela Russell, E/MGA Brenda Cressey, Past Trustee Steve Brown, and Major Gifts Officer Mike Dunlap worked with Rotary District 5340 as they set a goal of raising $15 million by October 2015 for their “Millions for HOPE” (Health, Overcoming Poverty, and Education) event.  Within the first six months, they had already achieved $10 million. This great achievement stemmed from leaders working together to provide training and ongoing support on donor identification and cultivation in the district.

Past Trustee Steve Brown talking with Ron Kohl and Antonio Grillo-Lopez, both significant donors in the campaign

The leaders engaged with the district governor, district governor-elect and their entire district committee to support their campaign, “Millions for HOPE”. With strong participation from the top 20 clubs in the district, the excitement was building. A key success for cultivating donors was to encourage them to specify where they wanted their donation to go. The donors chose to give to The Rotary Foundation in support of current work, Rotary’s future, a polio-free world or a specific project important to the donor.   This also allowed the district to reach their goal of $15 million in only 10 months.

On 17 October 2015, the “Millions for HOPE” Gala kicked off with a jazz performance and continued with dinner, a DJ, and dancing.  With more than 500 Rotarians in attendance– including local Rotaractors and President K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, everyone was in high spirits. After the final numbers were announced, an anonymous donor spoke with Past Trustee Steve Brown.  The word was passed to President Ravi and he announced that there would be a match bringing the total donation to The Rotary Foundation to more than $31,000,000!

“Providing millions of dollars to The Rotary Foundation means providing millions of beneficiaries with opportunity” states RRFC Pamela Russell. “Raising $15.5 million as a team was already a huge accomplishment. Then to have a donor match it! It is hard to imagine what the impact is going to be. We are so pleased for District 5340 to have such a profound legacy” she continued.

A balloon drop to celebrate the success of the campaign.

It is important to realize that working as a team, the organizers were able to support the district’s successful campaign and event, leading to a meaningful impact for the beneficiaries of Rotary service projects.  The skills you have as regional leaders can help districts with their Million Dollar campaigns and other events.

If you are interested in the training resources, contact E/MGA Brenda Cressey and RRFC Pam Russell. Check out the Facebook album of celebration photos.

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Being a change agent – Part 2

This is Part Two of a two-part post. You can view the first part here.

Written by Colette Martin-Wilde and Megan Anderson, Strategy Development & Change Partners, Rotary International, with examples from Zone 26 RRFC Pam Russell

4. Resources: Give people a clearly defined point of contact for questions, requests for information, tools, or materials.

Pam Russell: Each district approaches this in different ways.  In some districts, leadership builds a team and assigns each person to a small set of clubs.  These individuals receive additional training or already have some skills specific to  Foundation grants.  They work with clubs to develop grants, and bring clubs together to support larger grants.  In some districts, these tasks are assigned to the assistant governor, but depending on the volume of activity, it may be more effective to identify an individual dedicated to grants.

5. Action plan: The action plan details what will be done to provide needed skills, what incentives and messages will be used, what resources will be available, as well as who will provide support and information in order to realize the vision, i.e., successfully implemented change.

Pam Russell: The transition to the new funding model required careful planning and execution.  The success we had in Zone 26 can be measured by the rapid increase in global grants being implemented in the second year after the launch.  Each district took time to implement a full action plan, but the new model’s success is seen in the impact Rotarians are having with their service projects throughout the world.  Each successful grant tells a story.  Clubs and districts should use these stories and pictures as tools to strengthen clubs and share Rotary’s good work around the world.

Research shows the following, predictable consequences when any of the components outlined above are missing:

• Confusion
• Anxiety
• Gradual change
• Frustration
• False starts

The next time you see a change coming and are championing that change, remember this framework. Ensure that all of these pieces are a part of your plan and you will be on your way to being an effective change agent. You may just find that it does not really feel like change at all, but the most obvious path forward to a brighter future.

Being a change agent – Part 1

This is Part One of a two-part post about implementing a change planning framework. Part Two will post next week.

Written by Colette Martin-Wilde and Megan Anderson, Strategy Development & Change Partners, Rotary International, with examples from Zone 26 RRFC Pam Russell

We live in a rapidly changing world, and Rotary is changing along with it. Change is inevitable and can be difficult.

The role of a change agent is to articulate vision, provide information and resources, develop a plan and listen. As a regional leader, you are often called upon to serve as a change agent; but once you have decided to help guide others, where do you begin?

Using a change planning framework can help you anticipate where resistance to change may occur and provide others with the resources they need to smoothly transition.

There are five key areas to consider when introducing a new process or program.

1. Vision – What will the process or program look like, once the change is complete?

Pam Russell: Once the vision is defined by the district leadership, it should be articulated every chance you get, including presidents-elect training seminars, district  assemblies, grant management seminars, district Rotary Foundation seminars, and the district governor’s club visit.  Once your vision is understood, Rotarians can support it through global and district grants, strategies to strengthen their clubs, and service projects.

2. Skills–Will the people you’re relying on to implement the change have the skills to do it right? If not, where will they get the needed skills?

Pam Russell: Since there were so many new things to learn with the new funding model, we had the opportunity to take advantage of the skills of Rotarians throughout Zone 26.  We had multiple training sessions with the districts.  The District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair (DRFCC) from one of the pilot districts served as a Future Vision Transition Coordinator and helped improve the skills of the district leaders. 

A good continuity plan is critical to success. Even though you may train a great team, you always have to be prepared in case someone has to step away from a position.  We have had a few folks step down early.  This led to individualized training of new leaders, generally with the regional Rotary Foundation coordinator, a neighboring DRFCC and others within the district.

3. Incentives–Tangible benefits can often help people adopt change more quickly. The intangible is the “what’s in it for me” factor.

Pam Russell: Rotarians who participate in global and district grants  immediately see the benefit of working through The Rotary Foundation. It is important to communicate these advantages to other Rotarians as well.  Each year, Rotarians in District 5170 host a number of beneficiaries from their global grants. These individuals travel around the district, visiting clubs and the district conference. Their stories truly inspire the Rotarians in the district to be more engaged with the  Foundation.

Come back here next week for the final two areas of the change planning framework and conclusion.

How celebrity ambassadors help end polio

By Gabriela Simionato Klein, communications consultant at Rotary International

We are now “This Close” to achieving a polio-free world, and many public figures and celebrities have agreed to help Rotary spread the word.  More than 40 world figures including Bill Gates, Archie Panjabi, Ziggy Marley, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Jane Goodall are taking part in Rotary’s “This Close” campaign. Many organizations seek celebrity ambassadors and many notables see the benefit – professional and personal – in this kind of relationship. This is not a strategy unique to Rotary but how do those celebrities make a difference?

At the beginning of April, I accompanied our Brazilian ambassador, supermodel and mother Isabeli Fontana, on her press trip with Rotary. It was a great experience to see our organization’s impact on the country’s polio eradication process firsthand and to get a better understanding of how much our ambassadors can help.

(Right to left) Isabeli Fontana, Gabriela Klein and Monica Lages, the model’s manager.

This was not my first time working with Isabeli. The launch of her partnership with Rotary, at a party donated by a Brazilian fashion house, generated impressive press coverage in fashion and entertainment outlets, a niche in which our stories don’t usually receive space. Rotary and its battle for polio eradication graced the pages of Vogue, Rolling Stone and Harper’s Bazaar.

The event created a fundraising opportunity in partnership with the model and with fashion label TUFI DUEK.  An End Polio Now t-shirt customized by the house designer, Edu Pombal, was auctioned off for almost $90,000 in support of polio eradication efforts. To date, the communications support we have received from Isabeli and her partners has presented Rotary’s work to millions of followers, and informing new audiences of Rotary’s role.

This effect was also seen in India, where Isabeli energized health workers at a regional meeting and, during a school visit, informed kids, teachers and parents of the importance of vaccination and healthy habits for a better life. More than that, the experience made her more knowledgeable and committed. She came back looking for even more possibilities to help in an impactful way.

But Isabeli’s chosen path is not the only one. Personal preferences, different reasons for involvement and work schedules determine how each ambassador makes his or her mark. Several musician ambassadors donated their songs and performed for a special CD, with proceeds raised being donated to Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign.   Others donated their time for our organization, using their fame or leveraging their talent to promote our message when talking at high-level events or with the press.

How can you help? Research ambassadors who are relevant in your area and learn their preferences for possible supporting activities.Find ways to leverage their influence and consider their roles in your plans.  Identify potential national or international ambassadors with whom you have a personal connection, and suggest their name to the communications team or your staff liaison in Evanston. Ideal ambassadors have strong social media channels; they are popular, very active and have a positive impact in the community. They are willing to work with Rotary – not just by posing for a picture, but by truly embracing the cause as their own. With wide-ranging support, they can help Rotary raise awareness in the final push to end polio.

Being your best presenter

By Mark Kreibel, 2015 Regional Leader’s Training Institute Facilitator

In March, RPIC Shirley Downie shared best practices for tailoring your responses to the audience’s tough questions. To be a good presenter, you also need to tailor your presentation to each audience to make sure it is effective and engaging.

Many readers may feel that presenting to a group is challenging and intimidating!  Here are a dozen tips to help you get rid of your stage fright and take your presentations to the next level:

1. Talk naturally to your audience. Even though you are speaking to a large group, make the audience feel you are having a conversation with each of them individually.  Avoid reading a script.
2. Try to stand, rather than sit. Move around the stage if possible and keep your movements natural, rather than forced.  In some instances, sitting can be used to create an intimate conversation atmosphere, a technique often used by Past RI President Bill Boyd; while standing behind a podium might add a level of formality to your presentation.
3. Vary the tone, pitch and volume of your voice. Use your voice to add emphasis and maintain the audience’s interest.  Try to speak loudly and clearly while facing your audience.  Avoid talking in a monotone voice or turning your back to the audience. Remember you are telling a story, not simply relating facts and figures.
4. Make eye contact with your audience.  Gain eye contact with as many individual members of the audience as possible.  If stage lighting prevents you from actually seeing the audience, vary where you look toward them and pretend you are making eye contact.
5. Use visual aids where appropriate.  Graphs and charts, diagrams, pictures, and video can enhance any presentation, but don’t overdo it.  Visual aids should help illustrate and strengthen your points, not simply repeat or be a distraction from your spoken message. If you use lists or text on your slides, don’t read them verbatim!  Or, even better, create an effective presentation without using PowerPoint. Your voice and your movements are your best visual aid.
6. Rehearse your presentation.  A good presenter makes their speech look spontaneous and natural, but this comes from sufficient rehearsal.  Make certain to time your rehearsals to stick to the allotted time, and allow for question and answer time when appropriate.
7. Prepare and structure your presentation carefully.  Introduce the subject – tell the audience what your talk is about.  Explain the points you wish to convey.  End with a summary of your points.
8. Stay focused throughout your presentation. Avoid irrelevant and unnecessary detail. Stay on topic and don’t go down any tangents that don’t directly relate to your topic. Focus your message through a relevant personal story or anecdote.
9. Avoid nervous gestures and speech. Putting your hands in your pockets, crossing your arms, jingling change, and overusing “filler words” (aahh, err, and uh) detract from your talk.  Appropriate hand gestures can add emphasis to your presentation. When you rehearse, practice moving with purpose, and not simply pacing.
10. Answer any questions as honestly and concisely as you can.  If you don’t know the answer, then say so and offer to provide further information at a later date. If appropriate, offer to follow up with the questioner one-on-one … and then fulfill that promise.
11. Challenge the audience with a “Call to Action.”  Finish your presentation by motivating your audience to take a specific action, such as implementing one best practice you talked about or sharing a particular statistic with their club.
12. Thank the audience for their time and attention.  This simple act shows the audience you appreciate their time and attention.

By thinking critically about your presentation, you can improve your skills and confidence. Reviewing and implementing these twelve tips will set you up for presentation success!

One other tip: Arrive early and get to know your space and your tools. Walk around the stage to become familiar with it. Test your microphone if you have one. Set up anything you think you might need during your presentation, such as notes or a bottle of water. Leave yourself time just before your presentation to prepare mentally, and not worry about minor details like these.

And remember: in almost every instance, the audience is on your side and wants you to succeed. If you are feeling nervous, think of them not as an audience, but as the silent members of your team!