Philip Dyer

PUBLIC IMAGE Team Lead

This Rotary year marked the commencement of a new perspective for Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland, representing the first full year of operationalising the redefined Rotary International Coordinator Positions into Specialist Adviser Teams (SAT) across the three core disciplines: Foundation, Membership, and Public Image.

Additionally, two existing teams have been integrated into the Rotary Senior Leadership Team, namely the Humanitarian Service and Learning Development and Training Teams. These changes underscore the ongoing transformations initiated after the successful implementation of the Rotary GB&I Board and the Pilot Programme.

The Public Image Specialist Adviser Team persists and is persistent in empowering members with practical support to their clubs, and districts, and collaboratively engaging with the recently formed clusters (discussed elsewhere in this document).

The team addresses an array of subjects, encompassing marketing, podcasting, social media, press releases, copyright, branding, and the strategic and correct use of the Rotary logo.

Furthermore, the team actively contributes to maximising the impact of the Rotary brand while supporting pivotal national events such as the Young Citizen Awards and Champions Awards, as well as numerous learning webinars held during the year. The team also advocates for Rotary’s major campaigns, End Polio Now and other partnerships.

Throughout the Rotary year 2022/23, Jennifer Jones, the Rotary International President and unofficial Chief Storyteller, encouraged us to ‘Imagine Rotary’ with her thought provoking and focused theme for the year she encouraged us all to share our Rotary stories.

She urged us to narrate the work we undertake in our communities, whether local or international, emphasising the significance of broadcasting the impact of our endeavours.

The key, she highlighted, lies not only in recounting the details of a project but in emphasising the actual real and tangible impact, such as providing a wheelchair for a small child, organising a day out for young people, offering medical equipment to Ukraine and other war-affected areas of the world, or digging a well in Africa for clean drinking water.

In this Rotary Year, both of Rotary International’s two critical Public Image resources have witnessed substantial improvements. The Rotary Brand Centre is now easily accessible, with the barriers of previously being required to log in via a My Rotary account now eliminated.

This ensures the correct utilisation of branding, colours, and typography.

Additionally, the Rotary Learning Centre, a premier learning resource covering various Rotary matters, offers added value elements on topics such as leadership, conflict resolution, management, and of course Public Image.

Remember, storytelling is the tool to showcase the impact we make on the world.

We are pleased to announce the continued involvement of Dave King, the Rotary Magazine Editor, in our extended Public Image Team. His expertise, especially in copyright matters, proves invaluable to our clubs. Looking ahead to 2023/24, plans include transforming Rotary Magazine into a quarterly publication with enhanced content. In the interim months, a new digital magazine will be introduced, featuring news from the clusters and insights from Specialist Adviser Teams. Furthermore, a Rotary GB&I podcast is in the pipeline.

Our print-on-demand service continues to prove to be popular, featuring new customisable resources to align with community initiatives. In 2024, additional products are slated for development, and updates will be cascaded through to your District Public Image Team.

A heartfelt thank you is extended to our District Public Image Team leads, the Public Image Specialist Adviser Team, and the Communications Department at the Rotary Support Centre in Alcester for their dedicated efforts and accomplishments over the past 12 months.