Attendance Policy

Every member of this club should attend its regular meetings. A member shall be counted as attending a regular meeting of this club if that person is present for at least 60% of the time devoted to the regular meeting, or makes up for his/her absence in any of the following ways:

Make-ups vs. Attendance credits.

- A make-up meeting is defined as attending another club’s regular meeting to make-up for missing a regular meeting of this club. A make-up must occur within 14 days before or after the missed meeting; unless the member is out of the country for more than 14 days. The secretary must receive an attendance card from that club in order to grant the make-up. Members receive a meal credit of $10 on their dues statement for each make-up.

- Attendance credits will be given for participating on an E-Club's website for at least 30 minutes, attending a club-sponsored community event or meeting, or a club Board or service committee meeting. Attendance credits count toward year-end club attendance awards and district statistics but not missed meals.

- E-Club attendance must take place within 14 days before or after a missed meeting; unless the Club member is outside of the country for more than 14 days. There will be 3 E-Club attendance credits allowed each half of the Rotary Year. If a donation is made to the Rotary Foundation via the E-Club's website, a make-up credit will be granted. 

- There is no limitation on length of time between a missed regular meeting and attendance credit for service projects or Board/service committee meetings, except that attendance credits must be earned and applied in the same Rotary year (July 1 – June 30).

Lists of members at Club functions should be supplied to the secretary by the committee chairman or project leader, or taken from the Board meeting attendance roster. E-Club attendance should be verified by the website and submitted to the Club Secretary. Club members are encouraged to produce evidence of make-ups as soon as possible when appropriate.

Exemptions from Club meeting attendance.

A member’s absence shall be excused for (a) protracted ill health or other medical reasons; (b) absence in a country in which there are no Rotary clubs; (c) member's aggregate of the age and years of membership in one or more clubs is 85 years; (d) The absence complies with the conditions and under circumstances approved by the Board. The Board may excuse a member’s absence for reasons that it considers to be good and sufficient. Exemptions are to be requested, in writing, and submitted to the Board. The member is excused from minimum attendance requirements and is not charged for missed meals, although the member must continue to pay dues. Exempt members will not be eligible for 100% attendance awards.

Leave of Absence.

Upon written application to the Board, setting forth good and sufficient cause, leave of absence may be granted excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club for a specified length of time. Leaves are to be requested, in writing, and submitted to the Board. This written request does not have to be done before the absence begins, as that is not always feasible. The approved member is excused from minimum attendance requirements and is not charged for missed meals, although they must continue to pay dues and assessments.

Unexcused Absences and Termination of Membership.

Each member, other than an honorary member or a member whose aggregate of the age and years of membership in one or more clubs is 85 years, must

-Attend at least 50 percent of the club meetings in each half of the Rotary year (includes make-ups and attendance credits). 

-Attend at least 25 percent of the local club’s regular lunch meetings in each half of the Rotary year. 

If a member fails to attend as required, the member’s membership shall be subject to termination unless the board consents to such nonattendance for good cause.

It is the role of the Club Secretary to monitor membership attendance and of the Membership Chairperson to encourage and facilitate attendance. When the absence of a member exceeds the limit prescribed above, the Secretary shall send the member mailed notices as described below, unless:

  • The member begins attending regularly

  • The member responds and the reasons for absence are reasonable and are temporary in nature.

  • The member responds and by mutual agreement a formal recommendation is made for (a) termination of membership (b) a leave of absence (c) change in status such as to honorary member or excused absences as described above (d) some other special action is taken by the board.

Consecutive absences:

  • First reminder notice is sent via email or regular mail

  • Second reminder notice is sent via email or regular mail

  • Third reminder letter is sent via regular mail

  • The attendance chairperson, or the Club President and President Elect AND where possible the member’s sponsor will be notified, and either the President or President Elect or Membership Chair will personally contact the member to discuss attendance. It is preferable that the Membership Chair accomplish this whenever possible.

  • Fourth absence letter is sent via regular mail

  • If there has been no satisfactory response as described above, the member’s name will be presented for termination by the Membership Chairperson at the next board meeting. If the next board meeting will be more than 2 weeks away, a special board meeting will be called for this purpose.

  • The member will be terminated, and will receive a termination letter.

  • In the event there is not an active Membership Chairperson for the Club, all duties described therein will revert to the Club Secretary.

Less than 50% attendance at the semi-annual period of the Rotary Year:

  • An attendance-warning letter will be sent at the end of the semi annual period.

  • If attendance has not improved to 50% by the end of the next 60 day period, The Membership Chairperson, or the Club President and President Elect AND where possible the member’s sponsor will be notified, and either the President or President Elect or Membership Chair will personally contact the member to discuss attendance. An additional attendance-warning letter will also be issued at this time.

  • If attendance has not improved to 50% at the end of the next 30 days, the member’s name will be presented to the board by the Membership Chairperson for termination. If the next board meeting will be more than 2 weeks away, a special board meeting will be called for this purpose.

  • The member will be terminated, and will receive a termination letter.

  • In the event there is not an active Membership Chairperson for the Club, all duties described therein will revert to the Club Secretary.

Less than 25% attendance during a semi annual period of the Rotary Year at the regular meetings of this club.

  • This will be acted upon on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Board.

  • Suggested procedures are to follow those steps as outlined for less than 50% attendance.

The following article has been excerpted from the MOP Club Constitution.

Article 9 - Attendance

Section 1 - General Provisions. Each member should attend this club's regular meetings. A member shall be counted as attending a regular meeting if the member is present for at least 60 percent of the meeting, or is present and is called away unexpectedly and subsequently produces evidence to the satisfaction of the board that such action was reasonable, or makes up for an absence in any of the following ways:

(a) 14 Days Before or After the Meeting. If, within fourteen (14) days before or after the regular time for that meeting, the member

(1) attends at least 60 percent of the regular meeting of another club or of a provisional club; or

(2) attends a regular meeting of a Rotaract or Interact club, Rotary Community Corps, or Rotary Fellowship or of a provisional Rotaract or Interact club, Rotary Community Corps, or Rotary Fellowship; or

(3) attends a convention of RI, a council on legislation, an international assembly, a Rotary institute for past and present officers of RI, a Rotary institute for past, present, and incoming officers of RI, or any other meeting convened with the approval of the board of directors of RI or the president of RI acting on behalf of the board of directors of RI, a Rotary multi-zone conference, a meeting of a committee of RI, a Rotary district conference, a Rotary district assembly, any district meeting held by direction of the board of directors of RI, any district committee meeting held by direction of the district governor, or a regularly announced intercity meeting of Rotary clubs; or

(4) is present at the usual time and place of a regular meeting of another club for the purpose of attending such meeting, but that club is not meeting at that time or place; or

(5) attends and participates in a club service project or a club-sponsored community event or meeting authorized by the board; or

(6) attends a board meeting or, if authorized by the board, a meeting of a service committee to which the member is assigned; or

(7) participates through a club web site in an interactive activity requiring an average of 30 minutes of participation. When a member is outside the member's country of residence for more than fourteen (14) days, the time restriction shall not be imposed so that the member may attend meetings in another country at any time during the travel period, and each such attendance shall count as a valid make-up for any regular meeting missed during the member's time abroad.

(b) At the Time of the Meeting. If, at the time of the meeting, the member is

(1) traveling with reasonable directness to or from one of the meetings specified in sub-subsection (a) (3) of this section; or

(2) serving as an officer or member of a committee of RI, or a trustee of The Rotary Foundation; or

(3) serving as the special representative of the district governor in the formation of a new club; or

(4) on Rotary business in the employ of RI; or

(5) directly and actively engaged in a district-sponsored or RI- or Rotary Foundation-sponsored service project in a remote area where making up attendance is impossible; or

(6) engaged in Rotary business duly authorized by the board which precludes attendance at the meeting.

Section 2 - Extended Absence on Out-posted Assignment. If a member will be working on

an out-posted assignment for an extended period of time, attendance at the meetings of a designated club at the site of the assignment will replace attendance at the regular meetings of the member’s club, provided there is a mutual agreement between the two clubs.

Section 3 - Excused Absences. A member's absence shall be excused if

(a) the absence complies with the conditions and under circumstances approved by the board. The board may excuse a member's absence for reasons which it considers to be good and sufficient.

(b) 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.

Section 4 - RI Officers' Absences. A member's absence shall be excused if the member is a current officer of RI.

Section 5 - Attendance Records. Any member whose absences are excused under the provisions of subsection 3(b) or section 4 of this article shall not be included in the membership figure used to compute this club's attendance.

1.       Interpretation of Article 9, Section 1 (a) (3)

District 5730 Events

  • Attendance at the following are eligible: District Assembly, District Conference, PETS training, pre-PETS training, meetings of a District Committee, sub-committee, working group or task force, District seminars and workshops, District fundraisers and publicity events.

2.      Interpretation of Article 9, Section 1 (a) (5)

Activities at which Club members provide service in a group or public setting at or for Rotary shall be counted towards their attendance. Such activities include but are not limited to:

Community Service Activities

  • Salvation Army bell ringing

  • Participation with Camp RYLA

  • Participation in delivering personalized books to elementary schools

  • Participation in High Plains Food Bank sorting

  • Participation in Habitat for Humanity Project

  • Participation in Amarillo Independent School District Tree Planting Project

  • Delivering items to the Rainbow Room

  • Delivering or shipping for items for Thanksgiving Baskets

  • Delivering or shopping for items for Christmas Baskets

  • Attending Diabetic Camp

  • Other community service activities as may be engaged in by the Club

  • Volunteer work crew for an inter-Club projects

Fundraiser Service Activities

  • Golf Tournament: setup, staffing clubhouse and course

  • Fundraising Committee meetings

Club Service Activities

  • Hosting overnight, entertaining or transporting to or from District or Club out-of –town events: Exchange students, Interactors, Rotaractors, Group Study Exchange participants, Ambassadorial Scholars, Peace Fellows, participants in Rotary Adventure programs.

Club Fellowship Activities

  • Christmas Dinner

  • Annual Spring Family Outing

Formal Representation of the Club

  • Formal representation of the Club at public events

    • meetings and ceremonies of external organizations

    • extraordinary meetings of other Rotary Clubs

  • Appearances for Rotary on radio, TV and interviews by media

3.      Interpretation of Article 9, Section 1 (a) (6)

Club and Inter-club Committee Meetings

  • Attendance at meetings of the Club’s Board of Directors, Club and Inter-club Committees, and their subcommittees, task forces and working groups.

4.      Interpretation of Article 9, Section 1 (a) (7)

Club website

  • Rotary E-Clubs

5.      Implementation

  • As it pertains to visiting E-Clubs; Club members shall be limited to no more than 3 attendance credits in each half of a Rotary year (July 1 – June 30).

  • Requests for make-ups falling within the scope of the above interpretations shall be submitted for approval to and administered by the Club Secretary and Membership Chair.

  • Requests for make-ups falling outside the scope of the above interpretations shall be submitted for approval to the Board of Directors and administered by the Club Secretary and Membership Chair.