How District 1010 is managed
District management, support and compliance
District 1010 - an introduction
Club Rotarians are the most important people in Rotary. There wouldn’t be Rotary without the individual Rotarians in thousands of clubs across the world, all contributing to the fellowship and service of our great organisations.
As with any large organisation, there is a strong support structure to ensure that you enjoy your Rotary. At the very heart of Rotary International there is a paid staff, but at District level, all the support comes from volunteers; ordinary Rotarians like you, but who have decided to give something back to Rotary. There is always space in the District structure for more volunteers.
The District 1010 club support team
is headed by the District Governor (DG), together with a District Secretary and District Treasurer. Because of the area covered by our District, from Shetland in the north, to Alloa in the south; from Dundee in the east to Stornoway in the west, there are eight Assistant Governors (AG), each responsible for supporting the 10-15 clubs in their local Area.
The Assistant Governors are in post for three years, but the District Governor is elected by Clubs on an annual basis. The management of the District falls to the District Executive Committee, which in 1010 we call the District Support Team (DST). Membership of the DST comprises the DG, AGs, Secretary and Treasurer, the Immediate Past District Governor, the next District Governor (District Governor Elect – DGE), and the one after that - the District Governor Nominee or DGN.
These are the voting members of the DST, but, because District supports many club activities, and has volunteers in post to organise these activities, the volunteer team leaders of the different activities are invited to attend DST meetings. Currently these are: Membership, Community and Vocational Service, International Service, Youth Service, Public Image, Foundation, Fellowship and the Learning and Development teams. Individual Rotarians can be invited to a DST meeting for a specific purpose.
Other District volunteers are responsible for organising the Annual Conference, for Health and Safety, Protection, and Equality and Diversity. A full list of District volunteers is at the front of the current District Handbook, an electronic copy of which is on this website. There is a separate web page for each of these activities and these pages can be accessed by clicking on the following links:
Community Service, Fellowship, Foundation, International Service, Public Image,
The District Support Team meets four times a year, in person, at different venues around the District, and copies of the agendas for, and minutes of, these meetings are on the website and can be accessed HERE. In addition, as an experiment, the DST is trialling remote Zoom meetings to supplement these ‘in person’ meetings to discuss urgent business which should not wait until the next regular meeting. If you, as a club Rotarian, would like to raise an issue and have it debated by the DST, contact your AG, or the District Secretary, with your request.
The DST actively encourages the involvement of club Rotarians in District activities and events, and it is particularly important that incoming Club officers – Presidents elect, Secretaries and Treasurers, and Committee chairs or team leaders – attend some of the events.
District Council meetings are where the District Team meets as many Club Rotarians as possible, and where matters affecting the whole District can be discussed. It is also where Rotarians can hear from experienced external speakers on topics of interest. Meetings are held twice a year, in September and march. The meetings offer a forum for members to receive and discuss business reports from the DST, including approving budgets, electing future officers and the consideration of topical items from the wider organisation.
The District Assembly is held in late April or early May. It is the meeting for all incoming club officers and is where the Incoming District Governor outlines his plans for the District for the Rotary year from the beginning of July to the end of June in the following calendar year. It is a ‘cascade’ meeting. Every year, at the end of January, Rotary International, which is based in Evanston, Illinois, arranges an International Assembly for all District Governors from the worldwide family of Rotary. This Assembly takes place in the USA in a convention centre somewhere like San Diego. This is a working week where the President of Rotary International tells the delegates RI’s plans for the year, and the message s/he would like them to take back to their Districts. It is at our District Assembly that the incoming District Governor sets out her/his stall. In addition, at District Assembly there are breakout sessions for Club Secretaries and Treasurers, and other committee chairs, led by the District officers, and the Assistant Governors hold sessions for the Presidents and other officers of the clubs they are going to support in the forthcoming Rotary year.
District Conference is a celebration of a year in Rotary in District 1010. It is usually held in October, and at different venues around the District. It varies in length and is currently held as a one-day event, both morning and afternoon. Other options have included a whole weekend, with a social element, and a Saturday afternoon/Sunday morning event. Some business is discussed, but it is primarily a social event, with rotary and other speakers, including RotaKids and Interact speakers, and some external speakers, often from charities and organisations that District and clubs support.
District also support a number of more technical and specific development and learning meetings for Rotarians and club officers, the most important of which are the Club Leadership Seminars. These are training and development sessions, primarily for incoming Club Presidents, and their content and role is expanded on the Learning and Development web pages, which can be accessed HERE.
Contact Alistair Farquhar about this page: