An Opening Word From Frank Devlyn

From page 7 - 9 of Frank Talk II

As many in the family of Rotary are aware, my first book called Frank Talk openly talked about the benefits and satisfaction of belonging to Rotary. To the surprise of everybody—especially myself—it became a Rotary best-seller. I received many favorable comments that finally somebody had come out with a book that read like a novel and was not simply a report of historical facts and milestones but, rather, a book that told the story of how to overcome the many objections people give about coming into Rotary.

In many of the conversations responding to my story in Frank Talk, the comment was made over and over again: “It’s great to see you and so many people proactively interested in bringing people into Rotary, but have you considered that if persons coming into Rotary stayed in Rotary, we would solve all of our membership problems and be ever-growing?”

Others mentioned that among the many reasons why people who join Rotary soon leave, one is because some clubs have lost their vitality and energy.

I talked with David C. Forward (my famous ghost-writer) and told him, “We have to come out with a book that’s going to deal with retention of membership and the reenergizing of a Rotary club.”

We decided that I would ask as many persons as possible in the Rotary family to share with us their comments, observations and suggestions on clubs that have been successful in retention and the reenergizing of their Rotary Clubs. We felt that if we could get the stories of these Rotarians and their clubs, these ideas could be shared with the family of Rotary in a new book, Frank Talk II.

We also felt that if former Rotarians could tell us why they dropped out, we could show how those obstacles to membership could be avoided in the future. It was also decided that it would be a good idea to use the main characters mentioned in Frank Talk to continue their story of coming into Rotary and then, in the course of belonging to a Rotary Club, how they as new members face the problems of retention in their Rotary Clubs.

Because many of my Rotary friends know that I am keen on Internet usage, my webmaster, Rtn. Harriet Schloer, suggested we open a section on my personal website at www.frankdevlyn.org where Rotarians could give us their comments. I also made it a point to end all of my personal Rotary letters with a PS message that they click on their ideas and comments on retention and reenergizing a Rotary Club. In many of my talks to Rotary Clubs I did the same. I wanted the family of Rotary to know that I was requesting ideas on practical, sucessful and innovative ways of keeping Rotarians in Rotary. This new task was much more difficult than getting ideas on how to bring persons into Rotary, the theme of my first Frank Talk book which was more successful than I, my close friends T.D. Griley, Lou Piconi, and even David Forward, ever imagined. As many are aware, David C. Forward, the co-author of Frank Talk II, is a highly successful professional writer, much-in-demand speaker, and is the author of Rotary’s centennial history book, A Century of Service. I am the ideas person, who brings people together to get things done by Creating Awareness and Taking Action, after which I do the promoting. David and I make a good team, and the family of Rotary, starting with me, has to be grateful that David shares his writing talents with Rotary.

I thank everybody who provided their comments on my website, sent letters and emails, and telephoned with their ideas and comments regarding retention and the reenergizing of their Rotary Clubs. A great number of your ideas have been incorporated into Frank Talk II.

It is my hope that the many ideas expressed in Frank Talk II will help those proactive Rotarians who are looking for ways to improve the retention of their club members and to continuously reenergize themselves.

Muchas Gracias, everybody, for helping make Frank Talk II a reality.

—Frank Devlyn
Web Design by Jim Weems,
Rotary Club of Tulsa