How to host a speaker at your Kiwanis club

How to host a speaker at your Kiwanis club

Jun 23, 2026 | General interest | 0 comments

Four steps to a productive exploration of new projects and partnerships.

By Julie Saetre

Inviting a speaker to visit your Kiwanis club is more than just an agenda item for a meeting. It helps your members learn about potential service projects or partnerships, and it introduces Kiwanis to community leaders. But to ensure that the experience is productive and positive for the speaker and your members, it’s important to properly prepare. These four tips can help.  

Establish clear guidelines. Give the speaker as much information as possible so they can make the most effective presentation: 

  • Confirm the meeting date, place and time. 
  • Make sure you and the speaker agree on the presentation’s content. 
  • Request a resume and the spelling and pronunciation of the speaker’s name to help you or another club member make a proper introduction before the speech. 
  • Let the speaker know the meeting’s agenda, the time allotted for the speech (and a Q&A session if appropriate) and the approximate time of the meeting adjournment. 
  • Share the expected number of members who will attend. 
  • Detail any available equipment the speaker can use (screen, lectern/podium, audiovisual equipment, computer, etc.). 
  • Explain the club dress code, if any. 

Make the speaker feel welcome. Make sure your guest feels comfortable from the moment they walk in the door: 

  • Ask an officer or member to greet the speaker upon arrival and introduce them to other members in attendance.  
  • Provide a guest or speaker’s badge and seat them at the head table (if applicable).  
  • Have water available within easy reach of the speaker during the presentation.  
  • Designate an officer or member to officially introduce the speaker and provide pertinent background information before the presentation. 

Invite local media. If the speaker agrees, a news story can promote both Kiwanis and the project or organization your speaker represents.  

End on a positive note. When the speaker’s presentation is over, don’t just move quickly to the next agenda item. Take a moment to show your gratitude: 

  • At the speech’s conclusion, thank the speaker and offer an inexpensive token of appreciation. Check out Kiwanis-branded merchandise for inspiration.  
  • Consider donating on the speaker’s behalf to a cause that reflects your club’s focus on service and community.  

Your interaction with the speaker can even extend beyond the meeting itself. A day or two after the presentation, send the speaker a note of appreciation on behalf of the club. And don’t forget to invite them to join! 

Five steps to a larger local impact

Five steps to a larger local impact

Jun 18, 2026 | General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

Our community survey ACE tool helps your club learn more about kids’ needs.

By Tony Knoderer

Your club’s passion for service is crucial to the impact you make in your community. But a desire to help is one thing; knowing who and how to help is another. How much do you and your fellow members know about the kids and the community you hope to benefit?

If you need to start that conversation in your club, here’s a suggestion: Conduct a community survey!

One of our Achieving Club Excellence (ACE) tools is a handy guide through the survey process. Here’s a quick overview of the five steps we recommend for making it work:

  1. Create contact lists. Brainstorm with your club to identify community members who could provide the most useful information.
  2. Identify team members. After you’ve identified community members to approach, discuss which Kiwanian has the contacts to make those conversations productive.
  3. Schedule and conduct interviews. Determine the time frame in which interviews should be completed.
  4. Debrief and reflect. During a club meeting (or a membership committee meeting), talk about potential projects, partnerships, sponsorships and fundraisers.
  5. Move forward. Use the needs you’ve identified and the ideas you’ve created to increase your club’s impact! 

There’s a lot more detail in the community survey tool to guide your club. For example, you’ll find tips and ideas for creating the contact list, conducting conversations and more. There’s even a script you can use for interviews!  

When should you do a community survey?
Some clubs do it every year! We strongly recommend it any time your club has seen significant changes in membership, service interests or community needs. 

You can always find the link to our community survey — and other ACE tools, tips and more — at kiwanis.org/acetools. Bookmark it now!

Strengthen your club with ACE tools

Strengthen your club with ACE tools

Jun 15, 2026 | Club building, Fundraising, General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

Learn about each resource and how to find and use them.

By Tony Knoderer 

From specific concerns to the big picture, it’s important for Kiwanis club members and leaders to work together. After all, even the strongest clubs have at least one issue or challenge to address.  

Achieving Club Excellence (ACE) tools provide a framework for those discussions — and guidance for the actions that follow. Each one includes exercises that lead to productive dialogue, insightful questions and a larger perspective. They’re also designed for flexibility, so your club can work through the tools successively or use just the ones you need at a particular time. 

We offer a few ways to find and use the tools. At our ACE tools webpage, for example, we’ve compiled a list of common club concerns and the tools we recommend for addressing each one.

With the ACE Tools Workbook, we’ve put them all together — and organized them into categories, so it’s especially helpful if your club wants to use them all and even go through them in order. 

An overview of the tools
If you’re looking for a quick description of what each ACE tool does in the meantime, check it out: 

  • Club vision. Define your club’s purpose and values — what it is and what it does — to guide decisions and boost member enthusiasm. 
  • Club excellence plan. Set goals and milestones for each year and create a plan to reach those goals.  
  • Community survey. Gather data about community needs to expand your service impact, partnership opportunities and more. 
  • Member survey. Take the first step to a more positive club experience — which ultimately influences membership growth, service impact and more. 
  • Evaluate your impact. Look objectively at service projects and fundraising activities — both current and potential — to determine the best use of your resources. 
  • Develop partnerships. Develop a process for finding local relationships that increase the club’s impact, reduce costs and create a more cohesive community. 
  • Club scorecard. Determine whether it’s time to make changes, track key indicators, focus on desired results and more. 
  • Host potential members. Showing people what your club does is essential — these five steps help you determine your readiness for guests. 
  • Celebrate success. What gets recognized gets repeated, so plan how and where to acknowledge great service, recruiting success and more.  

Remember, a link to each tool — as well as a link to the ACE Tools Workbook — is available on the ACE tools webpage. From service and fundraising to member satisfaction, boost your club’s excellence with ACE tools!