If you have been elected as your Rotary club's incoming president, PETS is one of the most important events on your pre-service calendar. The Presidents-Elect Training Seminar is where you receive the knowledge, tools, relationships, and inspiration you will need to lead your club effectively during the coming Rotary year. This guide explains exactly what PETS is, why it matters, what a typical PETS program covers, how to prepare, and what you should walk away knowing.
Whether you are a veteran Rotarian taking on the presidency for the first time or a relative newcomer who has moved quickly through club roles, PETS is designed to meet you where you are and give you what you need for the year ahead.
PETS is the annual training event organized by the District Governor Elect for all incoming club presidents in the district. It typically takes place in the spring, most often between February and April, before the new Rotary year begins on July 1.
The fundamental purpose of PETS is to ensure that every person who will serve as a club president in the coming year arrives at their first day in the role prepared. This matters enormously because the quality of club leadership is the single most important determinant of whether a Rotary club thrives or struggles. A well-prepared president who knows how to run effective meetings, engage members, manage club finances, and connect the club to district and RI resources is far more effective than one who is learning on the job.
PETS also serves a second function: it connects incoming presidents with each other and with the district leadership team. The relationships built at PETS, with the incoming DG, with the district committee chairs, and with fellow presidents-elect, become a support network that presidents draw on throughout the year.
Every incoming club president in the district is expected to attend PETS. In most districts this means the event brings together 50 to 100 presidents-elect, depending on district size. Some districts hold their PETS in isolation; others collaborate with one or more neighboring districts to create a multi-district PETS with a larger attendance, more resources, and a broader peer network.
In addition to presidents-elect, PETS typically includes the District Governor Elect (who leads the event), the sitting DG (often present for portions of the program), district committee chairs who facilitate sessions in their specialty areas, and PDGs who contribute as speakers or table facilitators.
Should spouses or partners attend? Many districts welcome spouses and partners to at least portions of PETS, particularly the social events. Given that the president's year will demand significant time and travel, having a partner who understands the commitment and connects with the district community is genuinely valuable.
PETS format and length vary by district. Many are weekend events (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon) held at a hotel or conference center. Others are compressed into a single full day. The following is a representative agenda structure for a two-day PETS.
The better prepared you are when you arrive at PETS, the more you will get out of it. Here is what you should do before attending:
Before PETS, review your club's current membership count, recent net membership trend (growing, shrinking, or stable), current meeting attendance percentage, and Foundation giving per capita for the current year. PETS sessions on membership and Foundation will be more actionable if you know your starting point.
What are your club's ongoing or signature service projects? What projects were started but not completed? Are there community needs your club has been discussing but not yet acted on? Knowing this going into PETS helps you apply the service project content to your club's actual situation.
If you are not already familiar with Rotary's member management and reporting systems, spend some time before PETS exploring them. Club Central, My Rotary, and the Foundation's grant application platform will be referenced throughout PETS, and basic familiarity removes a significant cognitive barrier.
PETS is one of the best opportunities you will have to ask experienced Rotarians about the real challenges of club leadership, membership decline, difficult members, under-engaged officers, service project logistics. Come with specific questions based on challenges you anticipate in your club, not just general curiosity.
Many PETS programs include a goal-setting workshop. Having a rough draft of your club goals, even if tentative, will make that workshop session far more productive. What do you want to accomplish in membership? In service? In Foundation giving? In public image?
Effective club governance is the operational foundation of a successful president year. PETS covers parliamentary procedure basics (how to run a meeting that is efficient without being stifling), how to work with the club's board of directors, how to manage the relationship between club officers (who are elected peers, not employees of the president), and how to handle constitutional and bylaw questions.
The membership development session is typically one of the most substantive at PETS, and for good reason, membership growth and retention is the lifeblood of every Rotary club. Topics covered include understanding why members leave (the data consistently points to poor meeting experience and lack of meaningful engagement as the leading causes), effective new member orientation, classification diversity and how to recruit across the full range of the community, and the relationship between strong service programming and membership retention.
The Foundation session covers how Rotary International's humanitarian programs are funded, how the grant system works (District Simplified Grants and Global Grants), how clubs can access grant funding, and how to promote member giving. Incoming presidents often arrive at PETS uncertain about how to talk about Foundation giving without seeming like they are just asking for money. The best PETS programs give presidents a genuine understanding of what the Foundation does with those donations, and that understanding transforms how they communicate about giving.
The service projects session helps incoming presidents connect club service to RI's six Areas of Focus: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies. Clubs whose projects connect to these areas can access Foundation grants and tell a more compelling story about their impact.
Many clubs are doing significant service work that nobody outside the club knows about. The public image session focuses on how to change that, developing a club communication strategy, maintaining a current and compelling club website, using social media effectively, pitching stories to local media, and using Rotary's brand resources appropriately.
The formal curriculum at PETS is valuable. The informal networking may be equally so. Arriving at July 1 with personal relationships with presidents from across the district, people you can call when you face a challenge they have navigated, or when you want to collaborate on a joint service project, is a competitive advantage that is hard to quantify but easy to feel.
Effective PETS events are designed to encourage this networking. Seating assignments that mix presidents from different clubs and geographic areas, table discussions and group exercises that build relationships while processing content, and social events that create space for informal conversation all contribute to the quality of the peer network that incoming presidents form at PETS.
Many districts participate in multi-district PETS events, combining resources with one to three neighboring districts to offer a richer program than any single district could deliver independently.
| Factor | Single-District PETS | Multi-District PETS |
|---|---|---|
| Peer network size | Smaller, all from your district | Larger, broader regional connections |
| DGE access | High, your DGE leads throughout | More diffuse, multiple DGEs present |
| District-specific content | Easily tailored to your district | Requires balance of generic and district-specific |
| Budget/resources | Smaller pool, higher per-capita cost | Larger pool, may allow higher-quality speakers |
| Travel requirements | Often local or short drive | May require overnight travel |
PETS knowledge has a short shelf life if you do not act on it quickly. After PETS, the most effective incoming presidents take three immediate steps:
PETS completion certificates: Issuing a formal digital certificate to every president-elect who completes PETS is a simple way to acknowledge participation and create a tangible record of the training. IssueBadge.com lets districts design custom PETS completion certificates that can be issued in bulk, emailed directly to recipients, and shared on LinkedIn and other platforms, a professional finish to a meaningful event.
What does PETS stand for in Rotary?
PETS stands for Presidents-Elect Training Seminar. It is the annual training event organized by the District Governor Elect for all incoming club presidents in the district. PETS prepares incoming presidents for their service year before it begins on July 1.
When is Rotary PETS held?
Rotary PETS is typically held in the spring, most commonly between February and April, before the new Rotary year begins on July 1. Many districts collaborate with neighboring districts to hold a combined multi-district PETS event.
Is PETS attendance mandatory for incoming Rotary club presidents?
Rotary International strongly encourages all incoming club presidents to attend PETS, and many districts require it. Presidents who miss PETS are expected to attend a make-up session or complete equivalent training. The District Governor Elect typically makes this expectation clear when communicating with incoming presidents.
What do incoming presidents learn at PETS?
At PETS, incoming presidents learn about club governance and management, the incoming RI President's theme and priorities, membership development strategies, Rotary Foundation giving and grant programs, service project planning, public image and communications, and how to use Rotary's digital tools and reporting systems.
Who pays for PETS attendance?
Costs and reimbursement policies vary by district. Many districts subsidize part of the PETS registration fee from the district budget. Some districts require incoming presidents to pay their own travel expenses; others reimburse. The incoming president should check with their club treasurer and the DGE's office about what is covered.