Over last 15 years of my Rotary journey I have faced this question more than 15 times.

“How will joining Rotary help me grow my buisiness”, most of the times this question comes from people whom we invite to club meetings to introduce Rotary or new Rotarians in their first year of Rotary.
My answer to them has not changed “ No, it will not, We don’t guarantee that your business will improve if you join Rotary. Secondly, if you really look at the membership from that perspective, then you better not join us.
This may sound harsh, but I believe this is the TRUTH.
We join Rotary to give something to the world, to the society without any expectation. Then expecting it to help you grow your business is not a great idea. Yes, it is a good platform for people offering services. It helps you to grow your network. But a true Rotarian will never have this expectation on his first priority.

I believe ,What rotary gives you is -
Satisfaction- of doing something that was not possible alone.
Blessings- from hundreds and thousands for whom you as an organisation have done something wonderful that helped them to change their life positively.
Respect- from society as a respectable individual who cares for them.
This is something what you can expect.In addition to this Rotary helps you to grow as an individual, through lots of training courses, leadership programs, exercises to improve your administrative and management skills.

My experience with learning in Rotary has been amazing. During this many years the network I have created and experience I have had are amazing. Because of courtesy of a Rotary president in Canada I could visit a club in freezing temperatures of -18 degrees. We could eat on the Pokhara airport in Nepal that was closed due to bad weather. The friendship we have developed with people from different fields, their expertise, their experiences, all with us just because we are rotarians..we can count on..

So, next time you meet someone who asks this question to you.
I am sure without my experiences, your answer would be the same.

PP Uddhav Chitale
RC Talegaon Dabhade.