Public Image

STRENGTHENING OUR IMAGE

For more than 100 years, Rotary has connected leaders committed to applying their expertise to better their communities and the world. However Rotary does not get the recognition it deserves. We as Rotarians need to tell the Rotary story to our families, colleagues, the community and media. We need to rethink how we tell our story so people everywhere understand what Rotary stands for, how we’re different, and why it matters.

Elevator speech: Rotary can be summed up in 9 words. Rotary improves people’s lives, locally and globally through service.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

Bringing the Rotary story to life is our next charge — and one that requires champions across every community, city, state and the world. The campaign is called People of Action. Templates are available for social media campaigns, bill boards, brochures and print ads through Rotary International website in Brand Central. It’s up to all of us to promote and deliver on the story in all our interactions. Be sure to help us protect our brand by following logo guidelines.

What does a PI Chair Do?

It is important that Rotary and Rotaract clubs tell their stories in ways that help communities understand what Rotary does and why our work matters so as to inspire others to get involved.

Why your club should have a public image chair
When a club promotes itself and its work, it is increasing Rotary’s awareness in the community. But it is also difficult for those club members who are organizing service projects to be responsible for marketing them too. A club public image chair can help with all of that. They can manage the club’s public relations, press, and marketing in a coordinated and consistent way throughout the entire Rotary year, across projects.

What a club public image chair does
The chair is responsible for things like:

Designing graphics, flyers, posters and other imagery needed by the club for its activities and events
Designing and managing club campaigns (e.g. People of Action or End Polio campaign)
Writing press releases and announcements for dissemination to the public
Updating your club website
Managing the club’s social media content and presence – to ensure adequate and up-to-date information is always present and that consistent engagement is a priority
Making sure the club logo and all club branding follows RI guidelines and are used properly and consistently

That doesn’t mean the PI chair has to do ALL of that alone. As with any role in a Rotary club, others need to pitch in and help. The PI chair keeps an eye on the tasks in the above list and coordinates the work to get them done.

What qualifications are needed
It’s helpful if a public image chair and members of a public image team for a club have some experience in marketing, journalism, copywriting, digital media, etc. or at least have worked under and with a previous chair with such experience. But it isn’t absolutely necessary. It helps to be a good storyteller! It helps to like to talk to people! It helps to be organized, to be aware of trends, to know a lot of people … But most people can’t be all of those things. So the main qualification is just being willing to spend some time helping where you can!

Here are some learning resources that may help too: