The club is the cornerstone of Rotary, where the most meaningful work is carried out. All effective Rotary clubs are responsible for four key elements: sustaining or increasing their membership base, participating in service projects that benefit their own community and those in other countries, supporting The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International financially and through program participation, and developing leaders capable of serving in Rotary beyond the club level.
Rotary Clubs have a Board which is elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM is usually held in November or December. Each year the president is replaced, often the other positions are retained over a period of time. The reason Rotary International replaces leaders annually is to encourage leadership opportunities and enrichment with new ideas and directions.
The Board positions are different across clubs but usually consist of:
- President
- President Elect
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Vice-President (who may take the position of president if the president can no longer function in the role or may be away for personal reasons).
- Directors
Rotary clubs:
- are autonomous
- have a Constitution and ByLaws which govern how they operate
- have meeting formats which vary widely across clubs.
Other types of clubs
Rotaractors are young people aged 18 to 30 years of age and their clubs are affiliated to a Rotary Club. There are 162,330 Rotaractors in 9807 clubs in 532 districts in 184 countries.
Interactors are usual based in high schools and sponsored by local Rotary Club. There are 563,362 members, 24,494 clubs in 498 districts in 161 countries.
Probus was formed by Rotary for retired Rotarians and it is all about friendship, fellowship and fun. Probus is sponsored by a local Rotary Club. There are over 125,000 retirees across Australia and New Zealand.