By Steve Heiser, Rotary Club of Columbus, Ohio, USA, and District 6690 new club development subcommittee chair
As a member of Rotary, we have opportunities to make strong friendships, create lasting impact, and connect with others in our communities and around the world. One of our past governors used to say, the greatest gift a Rotary club can give to its community is to sponsor another Rotary club. I think the greatest gift a Rotary member can give to their club is to sponsor a new member.
I have frequently looked for ways to keep our members focused on sponsoring new members. During a meeting when we gave a member their Paul Harris Fellow pin, I reflected on the absence of similar recognition for sponsoring new members. Since then, Rotary now recognizes members who have sponsored other members with a personal acknowledgement email from the RI President, and when they sponsor 25 or more new members, they become part of the Membership Society for New Member Sponsors. But sponsoring 25 new members is a level many of us are unlikely to attain.
To remedy this, my district developed and launched a pilot program that offers district-level recognition for a lower level of new member sponsorship. Working with my sponsor, Hugo Trux, we named our “circle” after James Davidson, the Rotarian Paul Harris called “the Marco Polo of Rotary.” Davidson made trips on behalf of Rotary in the ‘20s and early ‘30s, helping create clubs in the Far East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Club membership chairs in our district can print out and award a certificate to members who achieve one of three levels in the program. There is also a recognition if the member you sponsored remains in Rotary three years. The levels include:
- Member: if you sponsor one new member in the Rotary Year
- Sapphire member: if you sponsor 2-4 members in a Rotary Year.
- Gold member: if you sponsor 5 or more new members in a Rotary Year.
- Platinum: if a member that you sponsored remains in Rotary for three years.
Clubs in our district are also recognized with certificates if they have the highest number of circle members in a Rotary year or if they create replicable contests or paths that lead to increased membership.
We decided to call our program a “circle” as we see Rotary membership as exactly that, a circle that begins with your installation as a new member, your active participation in the activities of your club, your sponsorship of a new member, and the new member’s installation.
Together, let us “Grow Rotary.”
Rotary clubs, districts, and zones are encouraged to develop recognition programs to supplement RI Awards as needed. Officers can access the New Member Sponsor report on My Rotary to identify members’ sponsorships. Recognition certificate templates are available at Rotary.org/awards for recognition at the local level. If you have questions about recognition, reach out to riawards@rotary.org.
https://blog.rotary.org/2026/06/04/recognizing-rotarians-who-sponsor-new-members/