In an era when civic organizations often compete for volunteers and attention, four Rotary clubs in Novato have decided there is a better way: Stop competing and start collaborating.
Over the past two years, the Rotary Club of Novato, the Rotary Club of Ignacio, the Rotary Club of Novato Evening and the Rotary Club of Novato Sunrise have transformed what could have been four parallel missions into a unified effort, tackling everything from hunger relief and community beautification to educational programming and senior services. The partnership has become an example of how shared purpose can multiply a community’s impact.
“Our Rotary clubs recognized that we could accomplish far more in partnership rather than in competition with each other,” says Bruce Burtch, a member of the Rotary Club of Ignacio. “Immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Ignacio, Charley Vogt, worked with the other three Novato club presidents to increase our collaboration, emphasizing our Rotary slogan, ‘Service Above Self.’ Our four-club partnership continues to evolve, and we have proven that we are better together.”
The collaboration has already produced an impressive list of accomplishments. Together, the clubs sponsor the Novato Speaker Series, participate in Earth Day cleanups, beautify downtown Novato, organize a growing presence in the city’s Fourth of July Parade and partner on community events such as the Epic Day of Service for Older Adults.
Perhaps no project better demonstrates the power of their combined efforts than Rise Against Hunger.
“Each partnership project brings its own set of challenges and successes,” Burtch says. “An excellent example is the teamwork we developed to support Rise Against Hunger. Members from each club joined together one day to assemble a remarkable 10,000 boxes of food, ready for shipment to needy families in Southeast Asia.”
Each of the four clubs contributed $2,000 to purchase the food and shipping boxes before volunteers formed an assembly line to package boxes containing rice, vitamins, vegetables and other materials. But for Burtch, the experience extended beyond logistics.
“Outstanding, heartfelt camaraderie was developed between the members of the clubs working together on their food and packaging assembly line,” he says. “You could just feel their joy, knowing how much these packages would mean to the recipients.”
That collaborative spirit has had another welcome side effect: attracting new Rotarians.
Novato’s clubs have found that visible, hands-on service resonates with prospective members. Service projects are photographed and filmed before being showcased during weekly meetings, while public events allow residents to witness Rotarians in action.
“The success of our collaboration has attracted new members to all four Novato clubs,” Burtch says. “The community gets to see Rotarians at work and having fun doing so. Many new members have been stimulated by their personal desire for community service, and the Rotary clubs offer them an excellent vehicle to be of service.”
Just as importantly, existing members remain engaged because they help choose the projects themselves. Committee proposals are presented to the membership, who vote on which initiatives to pursue. As the partnership grows, its ambitions extend beyond Novato’s city limits.
“We strongly believe this is a model for service organizations in general to work together,” Burtch says. “The key to a successful partnership is to have a shared goal to create a greater good. In other words, not to focus on what we can individually receive through partnership but how we can build a better community and a better world through partnership. Lasting impact is our goal, and our collaboration model is yielding great results.”
For more information, visit Rotary Club of Novato at novatorotary.org, Rotary Club of Ignacio at ignaciorotary.org, Rotary Club of Novato Evening at rotarynovatoevening.com and Rotary Club of Novato Sunrise at novatosunriserotary.org.
