The Rotary Communication Services (RCS) association, founded in 2006, is the centrepiece of Rotary communication in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. Since the best message is worthless if it does not get through, and the annual changing of the guard in Rotary brings dynamism but not exactly sustainability, it was necessary to create a new body: an organisation made up of experts who are dedicated to Rotarian communication in the long term and in a professional manner.
The primary goal of the RCS is to disseminate the ideas and goals of Rotary International in both countries – both internally and externally.
However, the RCS is much more than just a manager of information. It provides state-of-the-art tools, uses the relevant communication channels and offers help with administrative issues. The main areas in which the RCS is active are as follows:
Polaris
For 16 years, the Rotary Club Management System (RCMS) provided good service. In January 2021, it was replaced and sent into well-deserved retirement. Since then, Polaris has been helping clubs maintain their websites, plan events, and send bulletins. The system's capabilities also include maintaining club calendars, registering for events, document management and recording attendance using QR codes. In short, Polaris is a tool that makes day-to-day work significantly easier for the clubs. Developed in Switzerland, it has become a real export hit: today, more than 70,000 Rotarians in ten countries use this platform.
SEMDA
Rotary organizations are part of the worldwide organization Rotary International (RI) and thus the RI IT system is the root and master of all club and member data. Clubs must either manage their member data in the RI system (MyRotary) or somehow synchronize the data between their local system and RI in order to keep both systems current.
The effort of manual data maintenance in two places is enormous. Also many errors result from such approach. Therefore an automated synchronization service SEMDA has been developed. SEMDA utilizes the RI application programming interface (RI-API) and allows data synchronization between several local systems and the RI. Read technical information about SEMDA here.
Rotary Service Center
The Rotary Service Center, located in Winterthur since March 2023, is the reliable point of contact for all administrative questions from the clubs. Often, simply pointing out the right point of contact is enough to solve problems.
What many Rotarians don't know is that the Rotary Service Centre has nothing to do with the Zurich office of Rotary International. While everything related to Switzerland and Liechtenstein is handled in Winterthur, the Zurich office is responsible for Europe and Africa.
Magazine
The RCS sees itself as the voice of the Rotarian world in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. With the monthly publication of the official member magazine ‘Rotary Suisse Liechtenstein’, it ensures that current topics, projects and successes of the clubs are made visible, and that, on the other hand, the messages from Evanston reach our clubs. External communication and media relations are also part of the RCS's remit.
Behind the success of the RCS is a dedicated team of experienced Rotarians. The volunteer board of directors steers the strategic direction of the association, covering a wide range of skills from communications and IT to publishing and finance. Together, the team ensures that clubs receive the support they need to thrive.
