A New Rotary App

I recently downloaded a new Rotary app designed by the brilliant Bobby Hughes at Aardvark Design Labs, and it has completely transformed the way I can engage with my local Rotary club. The moment I opened the app, I was greeted by a vibrant News Feed showcasing local projects and volunteer opportunities. Not just our club's projects, but also other projects it had gleaned from searching the local news and event feeds. It felt like the heartbeat of my community was right at my fingertips.

Scrolling through the News Feed, I discovered a tree-planting initiative happening just a few blocks away this weekend. With a simple tap, I was able to sign up to volunteer and even share the event with my friends via Instagram. It's incredible how the app connects me to meaningful projects so effortlessly.

One of the standout features for me is the Club-level Messaging. Our club has set up various groups for different committees and projects. I joined the project management group for our upcoming car show fundraiser. The messaging platform is intuitive, allowing us to share updates, assign tasks, and keep everyone in the loop without the clutter of endless email threads.

Feeling inspired, I decided to contribute financially as well. The app's Donation feature lets me donate directly to specific projects in my club or District or more broadly to Rotary’s causes. I chose to support our burn clinic global grant project in Chile. What’s really incredible is that the app provides automatic reports and status updates on how my donation is making an impact, both in my personal dashboard and in the News Feed. It feels good to see real-time results from my contributions and makes me want to participate in other projects.

The Search function is a powerhouse. I experimented by searching for members within a 10-mile radius who are also in the graphic design profession. To my surprise, I found several Rotarians in nearby clubs. I messaged all of them together and we’re now planning to collaborate on a club marketing effort. The ability to search by projects, clubs, professions, and even by radius opens up endless networking possibilities.

Updating my Profile was straightforward, and I appreciated the prompts to add skills and interests. There's no longer a need for ClubRunner or DaCdb as the app works directly with Rotary’s newly updated and now super-responsive system. Updates I make are automatically and seamlessly made in Rotary's system. Personalization of my interests and skills makes it easier for others to find me for projects that match my expertise.

Perhaps the most impressive feature is the AI-driven knowledge and training section. It offers advice and resources tailored to my interests and past activities. This uses an entirely new system that automatically feeds me the information I need. It uses Rotary's vast compilation of projects, training, posts, magazine articles and best practices. I spent an hour last night learning the latest methods for effective community engagement, and I already feel better-equipped for promoting our next project.

I also noticed that the app accommodates different Levels of Participation. You don’t have to be a member of Rotary to use it. It's available to everyone. Whether you're an individual, a teen, a college student, or a full Rotary member, there's a space for everyone. You can get familiar with Rotary by volunteering to work on a project and proceed to more involvement at your own pace and capability. Of course, becoming a member of Rotary opens more and more information and capabilities.

Kudos to Bobby Hughes and the team at Aardvark Design Labs for creating such a user-friendly and impactful tool. I can't wait to see how it continues to bring people together for the greater good.

(Note: this isn't yet done. But wouldn't it be cool if it was?)