Signature Event

SJC Interactors cleaning up the local environment.

I've noticed something happening in many Rotary clubs. It starts innocently enough - a club puts on a successful fundraiser. The event does well, brings in good money, and gets people excited. But over time, this fundraiser becomes the club's “signature event," and that's a real warning sign.

Think about it - when someone asks "What does your Rotary club do?", the answer shouldn't be "We have a Lobsterfest” or “We have a car show.” A club’s signature project should be about service: "We build playgrounds for underserved neighborhoods" or "We run a weekly food pantry for seniors."

People join Rotary because they want to help their community directly. They want to mentor kids, feed the hungry - you know, roll up their sleeves and make a difference. But when fundraising takes over, that hands-on service starts to fade away. Instead of organizing food drives or building wheelchair ramps, members spend months planning galas or golf tournaments. The money raised often just gets distributed to other organizations. Sure, those organizations do good work, but it leaves Rotary members feeling more like bankers than volunteers.

This shift has real consequences. Members get tired of just asking for money all the time. Or being asked for money. They miss seeing the direct impact of their work - the smile on a child's face when they get their first library card, or the tears of gratitude from an elderly person who can finally leave their house thanks to a new ramp built by club members. Without these meaningful moments, some members start drifting away.

There's also a practical side to this problem. Putting all your eggs in one fundraising basket is risky. What happens if there's an economic downturn? Or a weather event? Or something like COVID? Plus, the community might start seeing your club as just another organization asking for money rather than a group of active community servants.

But here's the good news: there's a simple fix. We just need to remember why our clubs exist in the first place - to serve others. Fundraising should support that mission, not become the mission itself. The most successful clubs I've seen maintain a healthy mix. They might have their annual fundraiser, but they also run food drives, build parks and homes, send kids to RYLA, mentor students, and find other ways to serve that don't require much money at all. Most importantly, they have a signature service project that defines who they are in the community.

This balance keeps members engaged and reminded of why they joined Rotary in the first place - to make a real difference in their community through direct service.