President's Message

Is your club great?

By Don Canaday, President, Kiwanis International

Is your club friendly to all its members? When people join Kiwanis, they expect to make a lot of new friends. Remind your current membership that a friendly club is a must if you want to attract and retain new members.

Is your club fun? Fun doesn’t just happen; you need to plan fun meetings and events.

Does your club have really good fellowship? One shared trait among all great clubs is good fellowship. Kiwanians care about one another.

Does your club have consistently strong programs at its regular meetings? Engaging presentations enhance attendance and retention. And when members get in the habit of regularly attending, you have a much greater opportunity to get them involved in your club’s service and fundraising projects. Remember: Member involvement equals member retention.

Does your club enhance networking opportunities? There’s nothing wrong with making sure everyone knows what each of your members does for a living. Does your club provide new-member orientation? Does your club have a plan for new-member involvement? New members need to feel the warm fuzzies, to be proud of their club and their membership. Does your Kiwanis club provide all the benefits your members are entitled to?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, congratulations! You belong to a great club.

If you answered no to some of these questions, sit down with your club board and come up with a plan to correct what needs correcting. Send representatives to other clubs to observe how they inject fun into their meetings. Use icebreakers to extend friendships beyond your club’s usual groups. Assign a committee to schedule speakers. Use “happy dollars” or two-minute interviews to allow members to talk about their careers. Find orientation materials and advice at www.KiwanisOne.org. Click the “Grow” button.

Then you’ll be ready to take your club from good to great!