Overview

 

Many of us currently subscribed to receive a copy of Rotary International's monthly magazine publication - The Rotarian. However,  for the last year or so, nearly all of us in District 7030 are experiencing either a delay in receiving our print copy each month or, in many cases, not receiving it at all! In this article, we shall explore some easy and readily available options for members regarding alternative digital solutions, including other publications available for free from RI.

 

 

According to the 2013 Rotary International Manual of Procedure, each club outside the USA and Canada should "[make] it a condition of membership that its active members become and remain, as long as they hold membership, paid subscribers to a Rotary World Magazine Press publication (either The Rotarian, the official magazine of RI..." (RIB 20.030.1).  Clubs are therefore typically billed for subscriptions to the Rotarian for their current membership as part of their respective semi-annual invoices from RI. The current charge for subscriptions to The Rotarian is US $12 per member (semi-annually) - which translates to US $24 per member per year. Whether your club is small or large, these charges can add up and become somewhat burdensome. Additionally, the fact that members may not actually be receiving their printed copies, goes to further cause each club to ask the value being derived from these subscription charges. The first step is therefore to check your last club invoice from RI and see how much your club is really being charged and spending on regular (printed version) subscriptions to The Rotarian. The average club membership for District 7030 in 2015 is about 30 persons (according to RI) - this means that an average of about US $720 is possibly being spent on subscriptions to The Rotarian annually by each club - that can definitely add up and in some cases be a bit of a strain on clubs and members.

 

So what's the alternative?

 

One quick and easy solution is to consider the option offered by RI for The Rotarian Digital Edition Subscription. Simply put, members can change from receiving the traditional print version of the magazine to an electronic version. By visiting the magazine section on Rotary.org, you can sign up for the digital edition which is delivered (on time) via email each month. RI uses the publication service offered through Zinio, so once you're subscribed, you have access to all the benefits of Zinio's service which is easy to use and advantageous. Cost-wise, subscriptions to the digital editions are half the price of the print version. At US $6 per member semi-annually, it makes sense to most Rotarians to switch over, especially if not receiving the print version (on time or at all) for which they have already paid. In the short and long run, the switch to the digital edition can save a club and members money in two ways: