So many successes and non-successes in the world of Rotary can be traced back to Rotarians paying attention to the documents that define how Rotary functions. Those documents include the Constitution of Rotary International, By-laws of Rotary International and the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. Those documents don’t always provide the best solution, but they do provide consistent answers to challenges Rotary Clubs and Rotarians encounter all over the world.
In a few weeks a group of Rotarians from all over the world will meet in Chicago for what is called the Council on Legislation. This meeting will consider several hundred enactments and resolutions from Rotary Clubs and Districts worldwide. If you are sincerely interested in all of these proposals you can read all 394 pages on the Rotary website.
Many of proposals are of little real consequence to the average Rotarian or local Rotary club, but some make significant changes in how Rotary International, Rotary Districts and individual Rotary Clubs are organized and operate. One example of an enactment is a proposal to change the Bylaw of Rotary International as follows:
Article 17 Fiscal Matters, 17.020 – Club Reports. Each club shall certify to the board the number of its members on 1 July and on 1 January in each year. This certificate shall be signed by the club president and secretary and shall be transmitted to the general secretary. The certified club report shall be circulated to the club members.
Seems simple enough, but you have to wonder why this is important enough to even be considered. It seems that the Rotary Club of Ambarnath in India is concerned that some clubs are collecting dues from members and not reporting the member’s names or paying dues to Rotary International.
This proposal kind of makes you wonder if the idea of the Four Way Test and making high ethical standards a principle belief of Rotarians all over the world is being properly translated into all of the languages spoken by Rotary members. It would seem that implementing those ideas should make this change in the Bylaws of Rotary International unnecessary, but then following the basic principles of Rotary would make a lot of our rule making irrelevant.