If posting feels like screaming into a void, try these ways of reaching a wider audience. 

By Erin Chandler

Social media is an excellent tool to spread the word about the ways Kiwanis serves communities. A strong social media presence can boost awareness, membership and event attendance for your club. Below are five tips for using your club’s social media accounts effectively — and getting your message out to the widest possible audience. 

• Create a post — with pictures! — to celebrate every successful club project. What better way to advertise Kiwanis to your community than by showing your club in action? Whether you’re collecting and distributing donations, making school supply kits, cleaning up a park or hosting a pancake breakfast, celebrating your service in a social media post demonstrates that your club is active, fun and having a real impact. If the local media covers your project, you can also share the link to the news story. The more you post, the more people are likely to see your club’s service! 

• Include key information about the project in the text of your post. If a potential new member or community partner stumbles across your post without prior knowledge of your club, what would you want them to know? In the text of your social media post, be sure to include your club’s name, a description of the project and the key message you want readers to know about it. You can also tag or link to partners you worked with. 

• Use engaging photos. Instead of a picture of all your club members standing in a row, or of one person handing a check (even a giant check) to another, take photos that show your club and community members in action — smiling, interacting and taking part in the project. Give potential new members an idea of what being a Kiwanian is actually like. And make sure any Kiwanis logos on display are up to date! For more photo tips, see our PR tips and tools. 

• Encourage club and community members to engage with your posts. The more people like, comment on and especially share your posts, the more people will see them. Lots of comments from members show the camaraderie in your club. Tag club members, your club’s official page and community partners in your post and/or photos, and encourage them to share the post on their own pages.  

• Share your posts on the official Kiwanis Facebook group. You probably know about the official Kiwanis Facebook page. But do you know that we also have a group page where members can share their club’s news with Kiwanians around the world? Once you’re a member of the group, you can hit the “share” button at the bottom of a post on your personal or club page, then select “Group” and “Kiwanis International.” Sometimes we choose posts from the group page to share on official Kiwanis social media! (But remember: It’s a private group, so we can’t share posts directly from the group page — only posts you share from your club’s public page.)  

Bonus tip: Make sure the contact information on your social media page is up-to-date and check your messages often! Once your posts start drawing attention, potential new members and partners will contact you via the information on your page. 

For more resources and tips on how to publicize your club in all kinds of media, check out the Branding and Marketing page of our website.  We have social media graphics you can use, a guide to PR tips and tools and more!   

From service to testimonial videos, one U.S. Kiwanis club is increasing membership in multiple ways.

By Tony Knoderer

In addition to service that makes a difference, there are several ways for a Kiwanis club to thrive — from fellowship among members to communication beyond the club. 

The strongest clubs excel at all of them. For example, the Kiwanis Club of Carolina Forest, South Carolina, U.S., started in November 2023 — and already has over 30 members. Loren Korn, the club’s membership committee chair, shares how they did it, with some possible points of inspiration for your club. 

Spread the word!
“We share our meetings, service projects and birthday celebrations on Facebook and Instagram — along with Testimonial Tuesday videos, where members say why they joined or love Kiwanis Carolina Forest. We’ve also had success with word of mouth. We ask members to bring one friend to a meeting, and that’s also been helpful.” 

Build a culture of fellowship
“Kiwanis Carolina Forest is unique because of our diverse ages and backgrounds. Our second monthly meeting is a happy hour where we get to know each other and form friendships. It’s our favorite meeting by far! It also garners a lot of attention on social media — that’s how we got a few new members.” 

Have a signature project
“Our main project is called the Kiwanis Kloset, where we provide new clothing and toiletries to schools to help students in need. We also serve a monthly dinner to the kids at an emergency shelter called Sea Haven.” 

Stay active in service and fundraising
“We just partnered with Freedom Readers to build free mini-libraries, and a couple of us volunteer to read with the kids once a week. We do several fundraisers, including golf tournaments, trivia nights and bowling. We’re also working on a Kids Business Expo that will be held in April.”   

To see more of the Kiwanis Forest Club’s online presence, check out its Facebook page — which includes a video series of Tuesday Testimonials from members. 

A Kiwanis club in Ontario, Canada, has grown by giving young professionals a fun networking opportunity.

By Erin Chandler 

When Kiwanis International was founded in 1915, it was an organization to help businessmen make a positive impact in their communities. According to Jarrod Goldsmith, president of the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, “growing their business and networking” is still one of the top reasons people join Kiwanis.  

With that in mind, Goldsmith proposed a new recruitment program for his club in 2023: Kiwanis Socials. From 5-8 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month, the Ottawa club hosts a social networking event at different locations around the city. The events are open to non-Kiwanians as well as members of Kiwanis clubs throughout the area.  

“These are not Kiwanis Club of Ottawa Socials,” he says. “These are Kiwanis socials.” 

The only stipulation? The locations must be fun and engaging: a bar, a restaurant, an activity center, etc. Goldsmith encourages clubs to eschew the traditional church basements and find alternative places willing to host an event free of charge.  

The goal of Kiwanis Socials is to attract younger members who will keep Kiwanis serving communities well into the future. 

“Adapt the organization to where you think the prospective members would be,” Goldsmith advises. 

How does it work?
Goldsmith, who has professional experience organizing and hosting events, designed Kiwanis Socials to showcase the fun, vibrant side of Kiwanis — a complement to its ability to form connections and help communities. 

The events are free of charge and open to anyone who would like to attend. The typical social draws 30-50 attendees, about half of whom are non-Kiwanis members. There is always food, either provided by the venue or donated by a third-party sponsor. 

Goldsmith takes no more than the first 10 minutes to thank the venue and sponsor — giving them a chance to advertise their services — and to talk about the mandate and values of Kiwanis.  

“I don’t believe in sales pitches,” he says. “Kiwanis is such an easy sell.” 

Goldsmith makes sure to recognize all clubs in attendance. Each club gets a turn at the mic to let everyone know about upcoming events and to ask for extra help if needed. This lets nonmembers see the real work Kiwanis does. Recently, Goldsmith has even spoken to local Rotary clubs about taking part. Other clubs and service organizations aren’t the competition, he says. 

“We should be working together to promote the community.” 

The rest of the event is for having fun and allowing attendees to network, although there is always the opportunity to bring the conversation back to why Kiwanis matters and the impact it has. 

“Networking is what I do,” Goldsmith says. “I like connecting the ecosystem, the community, together.” 

Tips for success
For clubs looking to host their own Kiwanis Socials, Goldsmith has some additional advice: 

• To organize and lead your socials, look for an active club member who already attends networking events and might have existing relationships in the business community. They can draw on these connections for sponsorships and attendance. 

• Plan your events six months in advance and be consistent with dates and times. 

• Encourage attendees to engage on social media — take pictures, tag the people and clubs who are there, and use a designated hashtag. This will help increase your club’s social media presence. 

• Give door prizes donated by community organizations. Everyone loves a prize — and if you give out tickets for door prizes at the beginning of the night, but award the prizes at the end, it provides an incentive to stay. 

• Set up an online RSVP system so that you know approximately how many attendees you will have. If someone shows up without an RSVP, no big deal — just provide forms for them to fill out their contact information. 

Think outside the box
When Goldsmith first pitched the idea of Kiwanis Socials, he says some members were skeptical of trying something new, especially an idea from a younger person. But he persisted. 

“’We’ve always done it this way’ is the kiss of death [for a club],” he says. “This is thinking differently. And it’s working.” 

The Kiwanis Club of Ottawa has gained approximately 25 new members since it began hosting Kiwanis Socials.  

“The city of Ottawa is once again talking about Kiwanis, and these Kiwanis Socials are a big reason why our membership is growing,” Goldsmith says. “People are joining our membership because of these events. Because they see the value of intergenerational synergies.” 

Above all, Goldsmith encourages Kiwanians to be open to new ideas and perspectives from younger members. 

“Let them run with it,” he says. “What have you got to lose? It’s their time on the line. Probably won’t cost anything at all. It doesn’t cost us anything for these Socials. So why not? The worst that can happen is you’ll have a new project.”