If your club’s service showcase is losing members’ interest, try these three ACE tools.
By Tony Knoderer
From playgrounds and parks to festivals and fundraisers, signature projects are what Kiwanis clubs are known for in their communities. In fact, Kiwanis International recognizes the best of them each year with the Signature Project Contest.
But even the best signature projects can lose their impact. Maybe it’s just a matter of routine — a need to refresh what’s become too familiar for members. Or maybe it’s something more difficult to identify.
Your club’s signature project is its showcase to the community — so it’s important to make sure members care enough to make it impactful. If the project needs to regain member interest, some of Kiwanis International’s Achieving Club Excellence (ACE) tools can help:
- Evaluate your impact. Start with an accurate sense of the difference you’re making. With this tool, your club can make an honest and thorough assessment.
- Member survey. Sometimes you need to address a core issue: What makes the club experience valuable for members? Specific questions that explore their perceptions of the club’s impact — and what they’d like to start doing — provide insights that can be applied to your club’s most important project.
- Club vision. You can also take a look at the big picture: What does your club do, and why does it exist? This tool helps your club create a vision that guides leaders and members alike. And it includes instructions on conducting a group exercise, so everyone has a part in the process.
Don’t forget: All these resources can be found on the ACE tools webpage, which includes other common concerns clubs face — and pairs them with the tools that help address those issues.