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Definitions:
rhi·no (ri-no)\.
pl. rhinoceros or rhi·noc·er·os·es Any of several large, thick-skinned,
herbivorous mammals of the family Rhinocerotidae, , having one or two upright
horns on the snout
RI·NO (ri-no)\ Rotarian
In Name Only Any of various sized, thick skinned Rotary Club members who come for the meal, talk to a few
people, and leave without becoming truly involved in the work of Rotary, they usually
do not have horns on the snout
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Rhinos in
the wild produce a loud high pitched grunting sound, while RINOs in a meeting are
noted for producing a long rumbling low pitched groaning sound when someone
mentions “Service Project” at a Rotary Club Meeting.
While an
adult Rhino weighing over 2 tons can run as fast as 30 to 40 miles an hour when
charging a perceived threat, there have been many RINOs clocked at twice that
speed while heading towards the door to avoid being assigned to a Club
committee.
There
basically five species of Rhinos usually differentiated by the area of the
world they live in., the White Rhino of Southern Africa, the Black Rhino of
South Central Africa, the Indian Rhino of Nepal and East India, the Java Rhino
of Indonesia and Vietnam, and the Sumatran Rhino of Borneo and Sumatra. While
all RINOs are of the same species worldwide, there is a variety of RINO
subspecies; The RINO
who likes the name Rotary on his/her resume, which is sometime confused with
the RINO who thinks he is fulfilling his companies requirement for community
involvement by occasionally attending a meeting. The check writing RINO, who
truly believes that writing a check is all that is necessary to have an
effective Rotary club, the eat and run RINO whose only involvement in the
rotary is to eat and socialize at the meeting. And of course the RINO who has not
been at a meeting in so long that the Club President introduces them as a
guest. One commonality to all RINOs is that Rotary’s strong belief in ‘Service
above Self’ is qualified by “as long as it is not inconvenient.”
A Rhino in the wild can be extremely dangerous to an
individual. Imagine a 5000 lb animal with a sharp 18 inch horn charging you at
40 miles an hour with the intent to maim or kill when motivated to attack. The RINO
is not physically dangerous but can be as equally devastating to a Rotary Club
if not kept in check. Curiously the RINO condition seems to be infectious and
can take over a club causing it to be ineffective. Whether it is viral or just
an effect of bad example, if allowed to spread it can make retaining members in
our clubs difficult. Considering what busy lives we all live these days, some
members come for the meal, talk to a few people, and leave without becoming
truly involved in the work of Rotary. In most Rotary clubs, there are at least
some RINOS (Rotarians In Name Only) Even In the early days of Rotary Paul
Harris recognized that there were selfish reasons to join Rotary, such as
making business contacts. Some people joined Rotary for that reason and that
reason alone. We all know people who join Rotary today for that reason; most
don’t stay long, or if they do stay, they gradually change their focus.
All rhinos are endangered and very
close to extinction. They are in trouble due to the loss of their habitat
to deforestation and agriculture. They are also in trouble due to other human
activity such as
poaching, causing the devastation of the herd. On the otherhand, there is an
overabundance of RINOs that in some cases, are actually threatening the
existence of some Rotary Clubs. One symptom that club has had a proliferation
of RINOs is the inability to attract and keep new Rotarians, especially younger
members. Another is a lack effective service projects.
Just as
the baby rhino comes into the herd and the mother Rhino must teach her what to
do to eat, and defend itself to keep the herd healthy, The Rotary Club must help
its new RINOs become Rotarians by throwing its full weight into attacking a
challenge. Some Clubs have instituted the the “Not a
RINO” program. Special pins are awarded to each Rotarian who fulfills all the
requirements of the program. (The pins show a Rhinoceros with a line drawn
through it.) Rotarians check off the requirements on their individual cards,
which are housed in a wooden box on the registration table with a large
"Rhino" on the front. The 4 requirements of the program are: 70%
attendance, serving as a greeter, serving on a committee, and participating in
a club project. Each member must also complete 5 other activities from a list
of 21 options. A few of the options are: bringing a family member to a meeting,
proposing a new member, attending a meeting of another Rotary club, reading
Rotary Basics, becoming a Sustaining Member of The Rotary Foundation, hosting an exchange student, GSE or other Rotary Exchange groups to an activity, etc. Attendance at District and
International Rotary meetings are also options. In an effort to keep everyone
involved, members start the process over again at the beginning of each Rotary
year.
Remember:
"RINOs are not effective. RINOs
are not involved. RINOs don’t contribute. They come to lunch
(occasionally) and think they are Rotarians. But they are Rotarians in
Name Only. DON’T BE A RINO."
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Rotary Club of Hibbing
