What are my attendance requirements?
 
Attendance is a very important part of a Rotarian's membership. If you are not consistently at the meetings, it is impossible to be an active member. While the club knows that it would be almost impossible to attend every meeting, we expect a member to try to make up when possible. When circumstances require, the board of directors may approve a Leave of Absence to a member for a period of time. The requirements for attendance are spelled out in the Rotary Club of Jonesboro's Constitution as follows:
 
How Many Meetings Must I Attend To Maintain My Membership?
The Rotary Club of Jonesboro's Constitution, Article 12 indicates that the membership of any member other than an honorary member of this club may be terminated if, at the board's discretion and/or without consent of the board for good and sufficient reason, the member fails:

  1. Click here to report your make up.
    Click the form to report
    a make up.

     

     Click here to make up online at Rotary eClub One.
    Click here to make up online.

    to attend or make-up four consecutive regular meetings, or
  2. to attend or make-up at least fifty (50) percent of the regular meetings in each half of the Rotary fiscal year, or
  3. to attend or make-up at least thirty (30) percent of the regular meetings of this club in each half of the Rotary fiscal year.
When Can I Make Up A Missed Meeting?
The make-up period for a missed meeting starts fourteen days prior to the meeting missed and extends an additional fourteen days after the meeting was missed.  A make up can be counted for attending any Rotary club meeting in the world (click here to find Rotary club meetings around town and around the world), a regularly scheduled board of director's meeting, a meeting of a Rotary club committee to which you are assigned, meetings of Interact clubs, Rotaract clubs, Rotary District or Rotary International meetings, most service projects or by visiting one of several Rotary E-clubs online located around the world.
 
Example: If you are going to miss Tuesday, July 11, you can make-up that meeting beginning the night of Tuesday, June 27th, through the morning of Tuesday, July 25th.
 
What Happens When I Miss Several Meetings?
When a member misses two consecutive meetings of the Rotary Club of Jonesboro, the member is contacted by a club committee responsible for monitoring club attendance statistics, to indicate to the member that they were missed, to make sure that the member is not losing interest in Rotary and to inquire if the member has a need to request a leave of absence from the board.

What Happens if I Must Leave a Meeting Early?
For attendance at a meeting to count, you must attend at least sixty (60) percent of the meeting unless you were called away on an emergency.  Ask the club's secretary for additional information if this occurs.
 
How Does A Leave of Absence Work?
Extended Leaves-of-Absence (LOA) must be requested in writing to the club president (an email is sufficient - secretary@JonesboroRotary.org) when a situation arises that will require you to miss more than two consecutive meetings.  If the situation extends beyond a one month period, subsequent leaves may be requested on a monthly* basis.  A leave of absence does not serve as an excused absence for attendance recording purposes; it simply protects your membership in the club from automatic termination of membership.  Members on an approved LOA will receive credits for any charges for missed meals.  If make ups are possible during the leave, these will help the club's overall attendance percentage that must be reported monthly to the District Governor and Rotary International.

Temporary Attendance Requirement Exemption with LOA
In special circumstances such as an extended illness or other reason approved by the club's board of directors, usually lasting more than 2 weeks, the club president, upon receiving a written request from the member, may petition the board to grant a temporary exemption from the attendance requirement for one or more meetings during the member's Leave of Absence.
 
* In special situations, a leave of absence longer than one month may be requested.

Exemption from the Attendance Requirement
Also referred to as the Rule of 85 Membership Status - A member’s absence shall be excused if the age of the member is 65 and above and the aggregate of the member’s years of age and years of membership in one or more clubs is 85 years or more and the member has notified the club secretary in writing of the member’s desire to be excused from attendance and the board has approved. The member remains an Active, dues paying member of the Rotary Club of Jonesboro, but is excused from the Attendance Requirement.

What Are My Financial Obligations During a Leave of Absence?

During the period a member is on a board approved Leave of Absence or a Temporary Attendance Requirment Exemption Leave of Absence, members are still required to pay dues and honor other financial obligations such as $10-a-month club charges.