Fresno Rotary brings together its membership of over 300 members of the Fresno and San Joaquin area’s leading business, professional, and community leaders each Monday for lunch, to listen and learn about key issues affecting our community. Our speakers address the most current and important issues and its impact on the local, statewide, national and global level, that engage motivate, inspire, and interest our members. Great speakers should fulfill our members yet leave our members with more questions and wanting more.
Fresno Rotary meets Mondays at noon at the Cornerstone Banquet and Conference Center located at 1525 Fulton Street in downtown Fresno, CA 93721. Free Parking is available behind the Conference Center. Fresno Rotary is open to Rotarians, their guests, and members of the media.
Great speakers inform, educate, and entertain. Fresno Rotary has hosted a diverse and distinctive array of landmark speakers including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oklahoma Senator Rick Brinkley, California State Controller John Chiang, Congressmen: Devin Nunes, Jim Costa, and George Radanovich, Fresno Mayors: Alan Autry and Ashley Swearingen, and many others.
We suggest that you understand the Fresno Rotary audience and review the information below before submitting your proposal.
Who is the Fresno Rotary audience?
Fresno Rotarians Join Leaders
Fresno Rotary offers the chance to network and make lasting friendships with some of Fresno business, professional and community leaders. In addition, there is 1,222,000 Rotarians in the world that are welcome at any of the 34,500 clubs around the world to enjoy the camaraderie of an international organization. Fresno Rotary is one of the 50th largest clubs in the world that formed in 1916.
Fresno Rotarians Exchange Ideas
Fresno Rotarians gathers each week to hear from top business, civic and political leaders, sports and entertainment figures and scientists on timely topics. Rotarians learn about international affairs, current events, public policy and have the chance to witness live debates.
Fresno Rotarians Take Action
Fresno Rotary are committed to improving our community and our world. Rotarians work together to find solutions for local and international issues of poverty, illiteracy, clean water, environmental improvement, hunger, disease and many more.
Fresno Rotary is a professional business service culture based on cultivating relationships and not looking for business. This means that Rotarians are not at a meeting to be “pitched” or sold to. Solicitation for donations and votes by our speakers is prohibited. Please do not urge Rotarians to contact their legislators regarding your issue. The purpose of the presentation is to provide information so that each Rotarian can be better informed or can make a personal decision about the causes or candidates he or she wishes to support.
Fresno Rotary allows speakers to distribute materials on the tables at a meeting or function provided it is pertinent to his/her subject. Speakers are not allowed to distribute materials on the luncheon tables at any of its meetings or functions offering services or goods for sale, or allow any political or religious handouts. A speaker is discouraged from promoting their goods or services during their presentation. If requested in advance, a table in the lobby is available for these purposes. The speaker may point this out during their presentation. The remaining items should be retrieved by the speaker immediately after the meeting.
Fresno Rotary encourages speakers to have a press conference and submit media releases. Visit Fresno Rotary’s website banner to join our social media links and share your upcoming presentation. The media, specifically the Fresno Bee, is informed of upcoming speakers as well as local network television affiliates. Members and guests are expected to follow the Rotary’s Four Way Test and Object of Rotary (www.rotary.org). The Fresno Rotary is a nonprofit organization and does not monetarily support speakers.
What should I expect at a Rotary Meeting?
Rotarians arrive by noon on Mondays for lunch. We would appreciate you arriving before that time for lunch as our guest. If you wish to bring a guest, we would be pleased to host an additional person for lunch as well.
Immediately following lunch, Club business is conducted at or before 12:30 p.m. followed the introduction of the speaker. Speakers are allotted 25 minutes. We recommend that you plan to speak for no more than 20 minutes, leaving five minutes for questions and answers, if you choose to do so. You may offer to stay after the meeting ends to continue answering questions. Our members place great value on the Q & A –and you will find that it is a great way to connect you and your message to the audience. We have made a commitment to our members to end each Rotary promptly and the president will then close the meeting.
How to Make Your Rotary Presentation a Hit (or how to make the most of your 25 minutes)
PowerPoint? Video? PowerPoints are best if kept to less than 20 slides and all type visible from the back of the meeting room. The Cornerstone Conference Center supplies an audio & video assistant to assist you with your program needs. The conference room has two large projectors, two large screens and a computer system for media presentations. Cornerstone Conference Center does not have live internet feed available. Please have your presentation in a DVD-R or PowerPoint format on a USB. Short DVDs PowerPoints, video or any other audio visual format should be emailed to the Rotary Office (office@ fresnorotary.org) at least three days in advance so it may be tested by the audio visual staff and have it ready when you arrive. It is advisable to arrive early to check out the equipment. If you have a PowerPoint of your proposal or a DVD of a previous speaking engagement for the committee to review, please email it to office@fresnorotary.org along with your proposal.