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The structure of Kiwanis

Club level

It all starts with members in a club. Every club has a few things in common. For example, clubs have a president, vice president(s), secretary and treasurer. Clubs may also have other leadership positions, such as committee chairs.

Division level

Each club is clustered together with clubs in the area to form a division. Divisions are overseen by a lieutenant governor, who is a representative of the district board (see “District level” below). The number of divisions and lieutenant governors varies by district.

District level

A district is made up of several divisions. There are currently 49 districts and provisional districts within Kiwanis International. Some include only one state (example: Kansas District) or country (example: Malaysia District), while others are made up of multiple states (example: Minnesota-Dakotas District) or countries (example: Switzerland-Liechtenstein District). The rest are made up of geographical regions (example: Pacific Northwest District).

Each district is led by a governor who is elected with the rest of the executive board at the district’s annual convention. The district’s executive board includes a governor, secretary and treasurer (or combined secretary-treasurer). Other board positions include the lieutenant governors and district chairs.

International level

All 49 districts and provisional districts, as well as Kiwanis nations that don’t fit into any district, make up Kiwanis International. Currently, there are Kiwanis clubs in approximately 80 countries and geographic territories.

Each year, delegates at the Kiwanis International convention elect members and officers of the Kiwanis International Board, which includes a president, president-elect, vice president, past president and 15 trustees. The trustees work with the districts, similar to how lieutenant governors work with divisions.

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