ROTARY INFORMATION

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ROTARY PROTOCOL

R. I. PROTOCOL

The following order of protocol is recommended for introducing, presenting, and seating all current, past, and future officers of RI and its Foundation, committee members, and their spouses at all RI meetings, functions, and receiving lines, and for listing in all RI publications:

  • President (or President’s Representative)
  • Past Presidents (in order of seniority)
  • President-Elect
  • President-Nominee
  • Vice-President
  • Treasurer
  • Director Executive Committee Chair
  • Other Directors
  • Trustee Chair
  • Trustee Chair-Elect
  • Trustee Vice-Chair
  • Other Trustees
  • General Secretary
  • Past Directors (in order of seniority)
  • Directors-Elect Past Trustees (in order of seniority)
  • Incoming Trustees
  • Directors-Nominee
  • Past general Secretaries (in order of seniority)
  • President, Immediate Past President, Vice-President, and Honorary Treasurer of RIBI
  • District Governors
  • Past District Governors (in order of seniority)
  • Rotary Coordinators, Rotary Public Image Coordinators, regional Rotary Foundation Coordinators and Endowment/Major gift advisers
  • District Governors-Elect
  • District governors-Nominee

At Rotary functions, officers should be addressed according to protocol only once with spouses included at the time of introduction. Individuals holding more than one office or past office, shall be ranked by the highest current or past office held. After the recommended order of protocol above, the following additional order of protocol is recommended and should be modified to fit local customs and practice:

  • Regional and Zone-level Committees Members
  • Assistant Governors
  • District Secretaries/Treasurers
  • District Committee Members
  • Club Presidents
  • Club Presidents-Elect
  • Club Vice-Presidents
  • Club Secretaries
  • Club Treasurers
  • Club Sergeants-At-Arms
  • Other Club Board Members
  • Club Committee Chairs
  • Past assistant Governors
  • Rotarians
  • Rotary Alumni
  • Rotarians’ Families

At district meetings, Rotarians visiting from a foreign country may be placed before local Rotarians of the same rank, as a courtesy. High-ranking non-Rotarians may be given precedence in ranking according to local custom. Clubs and districts are encouraged to advise guests if protocol places Rotarians before non-Rotarians.
(October 2014 Mtg., Bd. Dec. 38)