Dear Rotary Club Officer,
 
For nearly two years, we’ve been working to refresh and revitalize Rotary’s website and in just a few days, your new website will be unveiled to our members and the public.  We are set to launch on August 26th, and in anticipation of this exciting event, I am reaching out to the leaders of our organization and asking you to join me in being champions and advocates for this wonderful new tool.
 
Each of you plays a key leadership role in your club and with its members. We want to highlight the many positive aspects of the new website and ease any initial concerns that may arise as you and the members of your club familiarize yourselves with the new site.
 
I’ve had the opportunity to speak directly with RI President Ron D. Burton about the upcoming launch and he has expressed his enthusiasm and support for the many improvements being made. We hope to make the transition to the new online experience as smooth as possible.
 
We want to draw attention to a few key features of the new website that we think you will find most helpful as you field questions from Rotarians in the coming weeks.
 
 
Two distinct versions of the website
My Rotary (for members)
·      All members will be encouraged to register and sign in when visiting the site. Members will be able to better engage through their own customized experience based on their interests, and conduct their Rotary business more easily than ever before.
·      The new website will eliminate the need for the Member Access Portal (MAP). Those currently registered in MAP will simply be prompted to re-register when first visiting the site and will then be able to access tools previously located in MAP, such as the ability to edit club data, use Rotary Club Central, etc.
Rotary.org (for the general public)
·      The public site tells our story to external audiences in a fresh, streamlined way, encouraging people to get to know Rotary and learn about all the great work Rotarians are doing all over the world.
 
Find what you need!
·      The website has been entirely rebuilt, grouping items more logically. Testing has confirmed that user experience is cleaner and more streamlined than what is offered today. For example, tools that help you manage your Rotary business—such as running reports—are now conveniently located under a tab called “Manage.”
·      The website’s “search” engine is now powered by Google, making locating documents, articles and tools much easier.
 
Important changes
·      “Contact this Club” – Visitors to the site can submit a request online to learn more about a specific club and membership. The RI Board has requested that an email be automatically sent to the District Governor and Membership Chair to notify you of this request, they will then follow up as appropriate with the club.
·      Rotary Foundation Grants – Many of you have already visited the Rotary Grants microsite and all it has to offer. That functionality will now be merged into the new site so everything you need will be in one place.
·      Security – As part of the new launch, we are also adopting industry leading security measures to manage your IDs and passwords. To facilitate this transition, any MAP user who logged in within the last year will go through an abbreviated re-registration process.
·      Browsers – The new website uses some of the latest browser capabilities and because of that, visitors to the site will need to be on modern browsers. Whatever browser you prefer to use, we recommend you upgrade to the latest version to have the best experience possible.
 
As we head into the final days before the new website launches, I want to remind us all that with any major launch, we can anticipate a few minor issues early on as we make the transition, so I kindly ask for your patience and request that you encourage the same from those who may experience some technical setbacks in the first few days after launch. Explore the new site and provide us with your feedback on your experience.  Encourage your fellow members to do the same. The more feedback you can give us, the more we can do to ensure your online experience is a positive one. We hope you enjoy your experience on the new website and look forward to hearing your thoughts.
 
Please send your questions to website@rotary.org.  
 
Sincerely,

 

Peter Markos