General RLI Questions

Districts 5730, 5790, 5810, 5840, 5870, 5890, 5910, and 5930 representing Rotary clubs in Texas are the current active districts.

RLI offers Rotary knowledge courses in three sessions (Parts I, II, and III.) Those completing each course are eligible for the next. There are Graduate courses available to those who have completed the three-part RLI curriculum.  The courses are designed to provide leadership skills while advancing Rotary knowledge and understanding.

• PART I – “THE ROTARIAN” Your introduction to the RLI experience. Begin your day by meeting fellow Rotarians and your Rotarian Discussion Leaders. Emphasis is placed on providing an overview of Rotary programs and helping develop ideas that participants can take back to their Rotary Clubs. Courses include:
  • My Leadership In Rotary
  • My Rotary World
  • Ethics & Vocational Service
  • Foundation I: Our Foundation
  • Engaging Members
  • Creating Service Projects
• PART II – “ THE CLUB” The RLI journey continues, the depth of subject matter increases and focus is placed on fostering the qualities of a knowledgeable Rotarian by building on the basics learned in Part I.  Courses include:
  • Rotary Opportunities
  • Effective Leadership: Coalition Building
  • Attracting Members
  • Club Communication
  • Team Building
  • Foundation II: Targeted Service
• PART III – “My ROTARY JOURNEY” The final phase of RLI, courses become more in-depth and detailed. Learn about opportunities available to you and your club through RI and how to best utilize them. Understand what it means to be a Rotarian and how you can use your RLI knowledge to better serve your club. Courses include:
  • Planning for Success (Strategic Planning)
  • Foundation III: International Service
  • Public Image
  • Building a Stronger Club
  • Making a Difference

RLI Graduate Courses

For those who become RLI Graduates following successful completion of the three-part curriculum series of RLI Graduate Courses focused on one Rotary subject for the session and are comprehensive and detailed. Current Graduate Courses include:

• Membership
• The Rotary Foundation
• Working with Volunteers

Discussion Leader Training

RLI Graduates, by invitation only, may also take Discussion Leader Training as a precursor to being accepted as a RLI Discussion Leader assisting other Rotarians in their RLI journey. 

RLI believes strongly in the facilitation of discussion method of learning. It has been proven that facilitation of discussion is the most effective way to educate adult learners.  RLI also believes strongly in small class sizes, between 8 and 20 maximum.   15 is ideal. This leads to more effective participation by all attendees.  Our trainers are called facilitators or Discussion Leaders.  Techniques used by our Discussion Leaders include discussion groups, role-playing, problem solving workshops, creating projects, and audiovisual presentations. Everyone participates during the sessions. A participant guide workbook, containing the course material is provided to each attendee.

The Institute offers a leadership development program in three full day sessions where each course requires approximately seven hours to complete. Courses must be taken in sequence – Part I, Part II and then Part III. Once you have taken Part III, you are considered a RLI graduate and entitled to register for the more advanced graduate courses. Our Discussion Leader Training courses are by invitation only. The courses are designed to provide Rotary knowledge and to develop leadership skills for voluntary organizations beyond Rotary.

RLI has considerable preparation involved for each class including: text materials, certificates of completion, and meals must be pre-ordered, and Discussion Leader assignments must be coordinated. Because of these reasons, RLI operates on a pre-registration/pre-payment policy. Walk-in’s are not permitted and Transfers and substitutions are not permitted except under emergency situations. All registrations MUST be received by the Registrar including payment no later than ten (10) days prior to the course date. If this Board Policy is not followed, your registration may not be accepted or may be CANCELLED. We suggest you register early and submit payment with registration. Class walk-in’s are not permitted. Everyone must pre-register and pre-pay. To cancel a registration, contact either the Site Registrar or Lone Star Division Registrar.  All cancellations are processed in accordance with RLI Policies.

RLI may at times cancel a course if there are not enough pre-registrations or Discussion Leaders available, or other extenuating circumstances. If this should happen, everyone will be notified in time to re-schedule the course. In the event a student should cancel a course, you must do so at least ten days prior to the class you had requested to be entitled to a refund. Refunds within the 10-day period before a class will be considered on a case-by-case basis due to materials and meals already being purchased.

Registration for each course is determined on an event basis. This fee includes food, course materials, and lots of Rotary fellowship (meals only provided for onsite courses); making this a good investment in your personal and professional leadership development, Rotary or elsewhere. We recommend RLI for President Nominee, club directors, committee chairs, active Rotarians/Rotaractors, and new Rotarians/Rotaractors.

RLI is a multi-Rotary District, grassroots leadership development program of member districts organized into regional divisions in various parts of the world. It is not an official program of Rotary International and is not under its control. The RLI seeks to have Rotary/Rotaract Clubs in member districts identify those Rotarians and Rotaractors who seem to have the POTENTIAL for future club leadership (not necessarily as club presidents) and provide those so identified with a quality education in Rotary knowledge and leadership skills for voluntary organizations.

Unless otherwise noted on the calendar or registration page for the event, REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 8:00 A.M. AND TRAINING SESSIONS START AT 8:30 A.M. LUNCH IS INCLUDED AS PART OF YOUR REGISTRATION FEE (meals only provided for onsite courses). SESSIONS END AT 4:00 P.M.

Click on the FIND AN EVENT menu item.