We built on the feedback we got from Rotary in the visioning session held at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club on November 22, 2025.
We expect to continue to share this information and find direction as we make our collective Rotary experience more rewarding and effective. We have come a long way, and we expect to continue to change as we learn better ways to meet the Four Way Test and get synergy from all our members and partners!
Feedback was collected in the following categories:
- Location
- Meeting Structure and Service Alternatives
- Service Projects and Partnerships
- Membership Engagement
- Public Relations
Raw Feedback was on post-it notes (and will be available if anyone wants to see it)
Location
- Overwhelming support for a downtown or centrally located place to meet
- Both Freedom Village and Boatworks were mentioned specifically
Meeting Structure and Service Alternatives
- Strong support for replacing at least 1 lunch a month with a service project (more “votes” for at least 2 meetings a month)
- Suggestions for running the meetings more efficiently (bell should ring at 12:10 promptly)
- Suggestion for rotating meeting leadership among 2 or 3 potential future presidents
- Strong agreement that too much of the dues cost is made up of expensive meetings
Service Projects and Partnerships
- Let’s work WITH community partners
- Work on highly visible projects (and amplify the visibility of the projects we DO work on; e.g., Tulip Time, Community Action House, etc.)
Membership Engagement
- More opportunities for engagement
- More conscious engagement of new members or current members as their situations change
- More publicity
- All of these issues are related to the other categories.
Public Relations
- releases
- WHTC conversations
- Ottawa News Network
- We may need to hire someone who knows how to promote an organization in today’s media environment
- Lots more!