{"id":443767,"date":"2026-01-28T21:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T21:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/443767\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T21:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T21:41:13","slug":"volunteer-clubs-relax-commitments-in-attempt-to-arrest-declining-membership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/443767\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer clubs relax commitments in attempt to arrest declining membership"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few items bear the proud hallmarks of grassroots fundraising like the humble barbecue.<\/p>\n

The smell of caramelising onions and the pop of sausages has helped Myrtleford’s Rotary Club raise thousands of dollars from the well-worn plate of a barbecue it inherited from the local Apex Club, which folded more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n

But the time has come for that workhorse barbecue to change hands again.<\/p>\n

Myrtleford Rotary Club has made the tough decision to close after age ruthlessly stripped its membership down to just eight.<\/p>\n

\"Four<\/p>\n

Myrtleford Rotary Club members have farewelled their trusty barbecue. (ABC News: Erin Somerville)<\/p>\n

After 72 years of operation, the group’s members have faced the emotional but inevitable end.<\/p>\n

“I don’t have the answer, but I do really think we need to look at how we operate, how Rotary operates, and how all service clubs operate,” former member Gail Roberston said.<\/p>\n

“If the family dynamics have changed, we have to change too.”\"A<\/p>\n

Relics from Myrtleford’s folded Apex Club. (ABC News: Erin Somerville)<\/p>\n

It is not clear how other clubs \u2014 many of which have served the community for decades \u2014 will continue in the changing space of volunteerism.<\/p>\n

Some members blame the advancement of technology and social media.<\/p>\n

“Our connectivity now has just changed so dramatically \u2014 it’s all in your pocket,” former member Alma Adams said.<\/p>\n

“That issue of going to meet people over a dinner \u2026 it just doesn’t happen anymore.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Alma Adams joins members at the Myrtleford Rotary Club shed. (ABC News: Erin Somerville)<\/p>\n

Recruitment struggles<\/p>\n

The keys to the Myrtleford Rotary Club shed have been handed over to Myrtleford’s Lions Club.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Myrtleford Rotary Club has given its shed and assets to the neighbouring Lions Club. (ABC News: Erin Somerville)<\/p>\n

It boasts 33 members, a relatively healthy number compared to other clubs.<\/p>\n

But recruiting remains a challenge.<\/p>\n

“We are an aging services club \u2026 we have to find those things that we do well,” said Chris Buono, Myrtleford Lions Club secretary.<\/p>\n

Tim Cossor’s key role in the club is to recruit new members, and he finds a gentle approach works best for the younger generation, including losing traditional meeting obligations.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Chris Buono and Tim Cossor are often considering ways to recruit more members. (ABC News: Erin Somerville)<\/p>\n

“They think it’s a huge commitment,” Mr Cossor said.<\/p>\n

“We just want you to do what you can do.”<\/p>\n

Staple clubs trial change<\/p>\n

It is not a new phenomenon, with volunteer clubs across Australia struggling to recruit members in a decline accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Myrtleford Lions Club is enjoying relatively healthy membership. (ABC News: Erin Somerville)<\/p>\n

Ninety-two Rotary clubs closed between 2020 and 2025, with average membership sitting at 22, about 10 below the global average.<\/p>\n

Lions Australia has also seen membership fall over the past 15 years.<\/p>\n

Both organisations say the shift reflects changing attitudes to volunteering, with people increasingly seeking flexible, interest-based involvement.<\/p>\n

“This gives people in the community a place to meet like-minded people and make a difference in meaningful ways,” Lions Australia executive officer Rob Oerlemans said.<\/p>\n

\"two<\/p>\n

Lions Club volunteers raised money for Foodbank at the Grosvenor Hotel as part of the ABC’s Giveathon. (ABC News: Kathryn Jensen)<\/p>\n

Rotary has moved into new territory, establishing 21 clubs since 2020.<\/p>\n

“Many smaller clubs have seen their members age out or, sadly, pass away, but in recent years, the development of new-style clubs are attracting younger members,” said Liz McDougall, Rotary South Pacific public image chair.<\/p>\n

Improving the ‘volunteer experience’<\/p>\n

The national peak body for volunteering, Volunteering Australia, said volunteering remained central to many Australian communities, but the way people volunteered had changed.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Mark Pearce says volunteers want flexibility. (ABC News: Michael Lloyd)<\/p>\n

“People are just grabbing the opportunity, grabbing some friends and going and doing things that they are either interested in or need to be done without going through organisations,” Volunteering Australia chief executive Mark Pearce said.<\/p>\n

He said organised charities and clubs remained central to identifying and meeting community needs.<\/p>\n

“In order for volunteering to survive and thrive into the future, we need to engage with volunteers in a way that makes sense to them,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We need to look really closely at improving the volunteer experience.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few items bear the proud hallmarks of grassroots fundraising like the humble barbecue. The smell of caramelising onions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443768,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99,230414,230410,10167,230411,230412,230413,230415,30893,114331],"class_list":["post-443767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-decline-in-volunteering","tag-decrease","tag-demand","tag-lions-club","tag-myrtleford","tag-rotary-club","tag-service-clubs-membership-dropping","tag-volunteer","tag-volunteering"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}