The "Do's and Don'ts of Rotary" (a lecture by Rotarian, Roy Gonas)

November 8th's surprise Rotary Luncheon!

Fellow Rotarians, Roy Gonas, was the "surprise" lecturer on National Election Decision day. Roy's theme, the "Do's and Don'ts of Rotary," is an extremely helpful subject for those new to Rotary. In fact, Roy has been a distinguished Rotarian, holding the title of a Distinct Governor as well as several other titles over the course of his nearly 40 years in service to Rotary. Who better than Roy to conduct this lecture?

Roy began by emphasizing proper Rotary etiquette, something he admitted himself to violating at least 82 times! The first point Roy made is that we're a club, not a chapter. We as individuals are members of this Rotary club, but not of Rotary International itself. The actual member of Rotary International is our Rotary Club of South Miami.

Business and Rotary

Did you know that while we are associated with being a business organization, there can not be any solicitation within the club itself? This practice helps us to stay on point in our shared community mission. We all have our own projects and our own goals, and then as Rotarians, we have our shared Rotary goals, such as our Art Festival and our community service projects. Solicitation confuses the issue. We're not here to simply do business, we're here to network to intellectually and sometimes physically combine our efforts.

Skip the Honorifics and Titles

As Rotarians we are all equal, and while some of us have titles, those titles only serve the function of heading up certain committees and shouldering certain responsibilities. A Rotary title after-all is more of a focal point, not a rank. So, when we introduce new visitors in hopes of them becoming Rotarians we should introduce them to our fellow Rotarians by first name only, not through title.

Club Demographics

In this club, there is what we do privately, there is what we do as a profession, and there is what we do as Rotarians. From an ethical standpoint, we should keep these varying interests separate. And yet, there can still be a significant cross over, personal ties to the projects our Rotary club sponsors , and skills built through professional experience and through hobbies better enabling us to assist our club. Ultimately, we're Rotarians because of this like-minded approach and passion, this desire to improve our community by using our specific skill sets. This is why it is a good thing and why we are encouraged to have this mix of different professions, as the more varied the proficiency, the more we can be capable of as a club.

While we can't have any solicitation, there's no harm to doing business together outside of Rotary. And, it is true and ethically correct not to have any special financial privilege through our Rotary association. Yet, there is that special personal privilege and mutual respect we build for each other through our shared experiences, where we build these better friendships enabling us, inspiring us, to build better communities.

Thanks Roy!

-by Jeff McNabb
(edited by Frankie Berti)