Siegel+Gale’s mantra is “Simple is Smart.” Even if we don’t know what their final recommendation is or whether the RI Board will accept it, this is still an important principle to keep in mind: avoid Rotary jargon; provide a message that makes only a few points; keep graphics clean.

And always keep in mind that brand is the interface between your Rotary club and your community. Everything that happens in that interface brands your club.

If followed by business, Rotary’s core values and the four-way-test are an obvious set of values to establish trust. Paul Harris wrote:

“Rotarians do not believe that success can be measured in dollars nor that business is merely a means to an end‑dollar grabbing. They think that business should be honored for its own sake and loved for the friends it brings them; that honorable business is an elevating influence, making business men stronger, more straightforward, more sincere and purposeful, more humane and charitable than other men; making business nations more progressive, more enlightened, and less murderous than other nations; that the merchantman has done more for the world than the battleship; that nations should be too busy to fight; that reputable business is full of potentialities and should be exalted, not debased; that business rectitude makes for civic righteousness; that business is and should be one of the most engross­ing things in the life of every normal‑minded man and that if business is good enough to live by, it is good enough to live with; that busi­ness affords most men their one best chance of rendering efficient service to society and of doing their part in the world’s work.”

Public relations at all levels of Rotary is about getting Harris’ message out: Business can be a redemptive and regenerative influence in the lives of people and nations; join Rotary to share in it’s values.

What creates trust? Who is the best spokesperson for your Rotary club? Should your club be on Facebook? Do newspapers matter? The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer measures attitudes about the state of trust in business, government, NGOs and media across 25 countries. Findings include that people trust NGOs (Non Government Institutions) like Rotary more than they trust businesses, government or media. Trust in traditional media is still greater than trust in online media.

The Trust Barometer shows that in India trust in NGOs has been increasing. Wonder how that trust impacted or was impacted by the campaign to end Polio. Too bad there are no trust ratings for Afghanistan, Nigeria or Pakistan.

Available in a pdf format: TRF Area Of Focus Posters

This is one of several “Rotary Minutes”, a series of videos featuring Rotary club members from around the world discussing a variety of topics, now offered through a a free podcast subscription on iTunes.