New resource aids club-building process

Need help building a new Kiwanis club but have no idea where to begin? You aren’t alone. To answer your questions, Kiwanis International has created a new resource for prospective members and those building new clubs. The “Quick-Start Guide: Opening a New Kiwanis club” reference material will now be included in all New Club Building Kits.

“We believe this new, concise guide will increase the ease to open more Kiwanis opportunities,” says Jim Courtright, director of club development for Kiwanis International, North America.

TAG (Together Achieving Growth) teams and new-club building chairpersons will also use the guide during their efforts to build the organization.

“The Quick-Start Guide provides detailed steps in forming a new club,” says Roy Talley, chairman of new-club building and leader of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District TAG team. “Too many times, a lieutenant governor wants to open a new club but has no idea how to go about it. They will go straight into recruiting without any idea of what the community needs and the potential of the location. The guide provides the early planning and analysis steps to make recruiting go smoother.”

The steps included in the guide have proven successful for the California-Nevada-Hawaii District so far. By following the steps, Jim Hagen, past lieutenant governor from Division 5, and Vern Dillion, past-president of the East Fresno Kiwanis club, were able to open six new clubs in 18 months.

“By following steps one, two, and three prior to jumping to step four, they were able to reduce the recruiting to weeks instead of months, and had potential service projects ready for the new members to select and get involved with from the start,” Roy says.