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Congratulations Rotarians!
Your club’s Providence Rotary Charities Foundation year-end appeal reached a total of $5,125 thanks to your generous donations.
Thanks again for your donations totaling $4,259 that will permit your Charities Foundation to match dollar for dollar and send $8,518 plus an additinal $10,000 to support the Haiti Relief Shelter Box Program. Total grant $18,418.
The Rotary International Foundation has approved the $6,000 matching grant your club and the Woonsocket Rotary Club are sponsoring jointly with the Rotary Club of Esperanza, Valverde, Dominican Republic to bring water purification systems to 600 homes in the Esperanza community.
Club Visioning
Comment by President-elect Cynthia Leonard
"Thank you to all who participated in the Club's Visioning earlier this month and thank you to those who participated by sending in the questionnaire and giving me your own ideas for our club. I am excited by the interest and enthusiasm of the club.
"Here's what's next: The facilitators will work some magic to combine all the data and present it to us in a clear, easy to understand way. Then we need to think strategically about all of our existing projects and the future projects to figure out what's important to us and how to move forward with the resources, both people and money, we have. This is a club-wide effort, not limited to the visioneers.
"I like the BIG ideas. If we don't think big, we won't think of grand projects that we could actually do, either by ourselves or with other clubs. Think BIG!"
Preparing for the Recovery
 Our speaker, Rich Carlson of Carlson Communications and author of the book Are You Prepared for the Recovery? noted that over the last 37 years he's seen a lot of economic cycles-and it's safe to say that the latest recession is one of the deepest, with a recovery period that will likely take longer than expected. Nonetheless, now is the time to prepare for the recovery!
He suggests a 4-step process:
- Market research: Understand your customers. Conduct research continuously. Determine your customers' motivations. Find out why they are choosing you over your competitors.
- Marketing Communications: Apply this research to your message, which should be focused. Reinforce your brand in all media, understanding that your website should be the center of your marketing efforts.
- Sales training: Continuously train your sales team so your marketing materials and message about your product are not wasted.
- Tracking and evaluation: Track your results. Analyze what's working and adjust your message and media accordingly.
As for what's called "social media" (Facebook, Twitter etc.), he believes that it's in its infancy and offers this advice: Have a strategy and don't get involved with more than you can handle.
Fellow Rotarians and friends,
This week's blog is full of positive news.
Despite these still difficult economic times, we are still operating on breakeven financials so far this year.
With a $1,000 donation from Saint Elizabeth Community (Thank you Sharon Garland), we have raised nearly $4,300 to be matched together with another $10k to be contributed by our Club Foundation to the Shelter Box effort in Haiti.
Our Club website looks great www.providencerotary.org. Check it out!
Our Past Presidents Council is very active and engaged in not only helping plan for our 2011 Centennial but also long- range club goals. Along with organizational improvements, the Street Festival, and the Clean Water Project, I am personally very gratified with the successful rekindling of this vital group, and will be happy to join when my time comes.
Our Clean Water Project District matching grant (with Woonsocket) has been formally approved by Rotary International Foundation! Thank you Barbara Harris, Tony Mendez, Kris David, et al, who I may travel with (if invited) to Esperanza, D.R. in the spring to initiate the actual project (which will also have Rotary fellowship and literacy components).
Finally, consideration of and possible planning for a Street Festival September, 2010 is beginning. Barry Fain, Maury Ryan, Suzanne Cannon, Steven Rotondo, and Cynthia Leonard will meet soon with the other usual suspects to see if and/or how things will proceed.
The ballplayers have arrived at spring training! While we are watching the Winter Olympics, think Spring!
Yours in Rotary, Richard
Jean Audette: The Haiti Shelter Box Drive has raised well over $4,000. $1,000 is from St. Elizabeth Community. She believes that 28 Rotarians have participated so far. People are encouraged to go (and tell their friends to go) to providencerotary.org to make a secure, on-line donation.
President-elect Cynthia Leonard thanked everybody who participated in the club's Visioning Session. She is still awaiting the data gathered at the meeting by the district facilitation team.
Avram Cohen reminded everyone that March 14th is Rotary Night at the Providence Bruins.
President Richard reminded everyone to get their votes in for the new board and officers. Please follow the procedures that you received in the mail.
President Richard announced that thank you notes from the girls at Sophia Academy are available to anyone who would like to see them. Rotarians are invited to visit the Academy.
Maury Ryan: For the privilege of delivering Rotary dictionaries to the French Academy on Hope Street.
Janet Feyler: For a wonderful week in Italy.
Cy Wyche: He's got a buck and he's happy.
Wendy Marcus: Happy to sit next to Cy.
Don Saracen: Happy that he's going to DC to get a tour of the White House with an old friend.
Jerry Cannon: Happy about the great visioning session, and for Maureen Brady, the late Tom Brady's wife, for her sitting with Jerry's wife while he and daughter, Suzanne, attend Rotary meetings.
President Richard: For having normal results from his colonoscopy (which everyone was delighted to hear about at lunchtime).
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