Honorary Membership of Rotary
According to Articles 4.010 and 4.050 of the 2016 Manual of Procedure, a club is permitted to grant Honorary membership solely to a Guest Rotarian from a different club or to an individual who is not a Rotarian.
NOTE
This means that an Active Members cannot hold Honorary Membership in their own club!
Many members of Rotary are unaware of this guideline. Nevertheless, we lack the authority to alter it. Our only option is to direct these individuals to the Manual of Procedure.
In various countries, clubs adopt a distinct approach and also offer honorary membership to their active members. To facilitate this, Polaris differentiates between these situations:
RI Honorary membership awarded to Rotarians who are not club members (in accordance with RI regulations)
RI Honorary membership awarded to individuals who are not Rotarians (in accordance with RI regulations)
Local honorary membership awarded to Rotarians within their own club (as per local regulations)
1. Awarding RI Honorary Membership to a Rotarian
This is achievable solely for Rotarians from other clubs (not from their own club). Two scenarios may occur:
The club of the Rotarian to whom the honor is bestowed uses Polaris and is in the same instance (country) as the club that is granting the honorary membership.
In this case, invite the Rotarian as a Guest Member in your club and then change his/her relationship status. You can then grant him/her RI honorary membership.The club of the Rotarian is either not using Polaris or is not located in the same instance (country) as the club granting the honorary membership.
In this situation, you must first invite the Rotarian belonging to Rotary International to join your club as a Guest member and grant him/her RI honorary membership.
Rotarians may be Honorary Members in various clubs, but not of their own club. Each honorary membership is documented with RI.
When a Rotarian resigns from his/her club or passes away, his/her honorary membership with RI is automatically terminated. In addition, his/her guest status is also automatically terminated.
2. Awarding RI Honorary Membership to an individual who is not a Rotarian
This is only possible for Other Contacts within your club. Two scenarios may occur:
The individual is an RI Honorary member exclusively within your club.
In this case, add the individual as Other Contact and award him RI honorary membership.The individual has RI honorary member status in multiple clubs, all of which use Polaris and are part of the same instance (country)
In this situation, first invite the person from Polaris to your club as a guest member and grant him RI honorary membership.
Similarly, a non-Rotarian (Other Contact) can hold honorary membership in multiple clubs within RI. Each honorary membership is documented with RI.
When an individual is no longer part of the club, either his/her record is removed or his/her guest status is terminated. In either case, honorary membership with RI is automatically terminated.
3. Awarding Local Honorary Membership to a Rotarian within his/her own club
This is only available to the club's Active Members.
When you grant local honorary membership to one of your own members, this honorary status is only visible within Polaris. He/she cannot be registered as an honorary member with RI due to a violation of Rotary International policy.
He/she is part of your club’s membership, and Rotary International includes him/her in the calculation of your club’s annual membership fees.