ClubRunner

Posted by Brian F. Thompson 
 

In order to address Ross Hallett's comment that our Rotary Club seems to be discouraging members from using Facebook, Twitter and other communication tools, it is important to keep in mind just what ClubRunner is, and what it is not.

ClubRunner is the following:

  • A Web-based software program for Rotary Club management which is subscribed to by most, if not all, Rotary Clubs in our District, as well as used by District 5370 as it's primary communication tool.
  • For our club, ClubRunner gives us the following tools:
    • A Club Website where we have the ability to manage the content in a user-friendly manner.  We can add or delete content and can make it accessable to the general public or can keep it private for our members only.
    • A Club E-Bulletin, which we call The Westerner and which we send out to our members weekly (except for holidays).  For those members who do not receive it by e-mail, it is printed and mailed.
    • A membership database with photos.  Members can login to the website and access the membership list, can print it out with or without photos, and can make changes to their own data.  This is on the secure portion of the website so non-members cannot access this information.  Data changes can be sent directly to RI through the membership management system.
    • An e-mail message centre.  Any member can send an e-mail message to all members or to selected members of our club.  It is easy to use, but has been little used so far.
    • An attendance management system which automatically generates the monthly report required by the District, and sends it automatically to the District Secretary for generation of the District report to RI.
    • A dues and billing system, which to date has not been used by our Club.
    • A Committee management system, which also has not been used by our Club so far.
    • A duty roster system - not being used at present.
    • A place to make club and other Rotary documents available to all members for them to download to their computers or to print out for their use.  Some documents are on the public side of the website and some are on the members only side of the website.
    • An event management system.  I have used this system to create the task lists and the duty rosters for the volunteers at our Charity Golf Tournament for several years.  It is easy to use and could be used by others to manage events or projects.
    • An advertising module.  Right now only Driving Force, Optometrist's Clinic and Ross Hallett are using this medium for advertising their companies.  If you click on their advertisement in our E-Bulletin or on our Website, you will be linked immediately to their own website.  It is a very effective advertising tool, and reasonably priced at $100 for a full 12 months.

Our use of ClubRunner does not preclude us from using other communication tools.  But none of this happens by magic.  Someone has to do the work of regularly updating the communications.  If any member wants to start up a Twitter page or a Facebook page for our Club, then he or she should put a proposal forward to the Board of Directors for their consideration.