Ways to deepen club connection

Ways to deepen club connection

Increase club value for members by enriching the connection with them and their families. These tips can help.

By Tony Knoderer

If anything can deepen the satisfaction that comes from serving kids, it’s the fellowship you feel with the people who volunteer alongside you. Don’t be shy about that part of club value — recommend a few ways for your club to boost the feeling of belonging.

Want some ideas? Here a few small but popular things that other Kiwanis clubs do to deepen individuals’ sense of connection:

  • Have a member or two (perhaps retirees) volunteer to call fellow members on their respective birthdays. 
  • Set aside a day or two each year to contact former members — or those who haven’t been to a meeting or service project for a while. Let them know that they’re not forgotten — and you’d love to see them again. When appropriate or relevant, tell them they shouldn’t feel guilty about life challenges that have prevented them from being active. 
  • Design an e-card to send Kiwanis anniversary greetings to members to celebrate the day they joined the organization. 
  • Consider recording the names of your members’ children. Where age-appropriate, send them a thank-you card in appreciation of “loaning” their parents to participate in Kiwanis activities. 
  • Design a meeting agenda that appeals to members’ children — and invite them to attend a club meeting, where you can thank them for “sharing” their parents’ time and show them how all members help other kids in the community. 
  • Show your appreciation for nonmember spouses and partners as well. Establish a special meeting — or use a regularly scheduled one — and invite them to learn more about Kiwanis. Members can share testimonials about what the club means to them and to the kids and community they serve. 

Don’t forget: Kiwanis International offers resources to help keep club members engaged. Check out our Achieving Club Excellence tools —including the member survey, which you can download to evaluate how well the club is meeting member expectations. 

Engage your “missing” members

Engage your “missing” members

Instead of accepting losses, consider these steps to bringing people back — and learning what makes them happy. 

By Tony Knoderer

Kiwanis clubs often lose people who don’t feel engaged in club activities. But the strongest clubs try to find out why — and to re-engage them. Here are a few steps your club can take: 

  1. Review the club roster to identify members who have become inactive.  
  2. Assign club members to contact “missing” members.  
  3. Contact missing members by phone or with a personal visit to tell them what’s happening and invite them to the next meeting.  
  4. Conduct a meeting that’s designed to showcase and celebrate the club’s members and their accomplishments.   

Even among members who continue to attend meetings and service projects, it’s good to keep track of engagement and enthusiasm. Kiwanis International can help club leaders take the initiative. Our Achieving Club Excellence tools include a member survey, which comes with a guide on how to use it and evaluate the results. It’s a handy way to give members a voice — and to give club leaders the information they need to make meaningful change. 

Scott Sims receives Marc H. Litwack Legacy of Leadership Award

Scott Sims receives Marc H. Litwack Legacy of Leadership Award

The Alabama Kiwanian was honored as a former Key Club member who has extraordinary leadership qualities.

By Julie Saetre

Scott Sims recently received the Marc H. Litwack Legacy of Leadership Award for 2024. A member of the Kiwanis Club of Homewood-Mountain Brook in Alabama, U.S., Sims received the honor in July during the 2024 Key Club International Convention, after being elected to a three-year term as a Kiwanis International trustee earlier that month. 

The Marc H. Litwack Legacy of Leadership Award recognizes a former Key Club member who exemplifies extraordinary leadership qualities and has made significant contributions to their profession and community.

Sims joined Key Club in 1980 as a high school freshman. He was appointed to his first district leadership position, K-Relations chair, as a sophomore — and would go on to serve as his Key Club’s vice president (1981-82) and president (1982-84). Sims also was elected as a Key Club lieutenant governor (1982-83) and governor (1983-84).

In 1983, Sims received both the Yetta G. Samford Outstanding Lt. Governor Award from the Alabama District and the Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lt. Governor Award from Kiwanis International. Sims also received the George Price Service to Youth Award from the Key Club Alabama District (2018-19) and the Governor’s Award from the Key Club Alabama District governor (2016-17).

A Kiwanian since 2002, Sims has continued his involvement with Key Club as a Kiwanian, including service as an advisor for the Homewood Key Club. He has mentored and encouraged many Key Club members at all levels. 

Rip Livingston, a former Key Club International trustee (2014-15) and president (2015-16), was one of two individuals to nominate Sims for the Marc H. Litwack Legacy of Leadership Award.

“I’ve had the great pleasure of knowing many adults committed to the betterment of youth,” Livingston wrote in his nomination. “Of these, few have shown such a steadfast commitment as Scott Sims. His unwavering enthusiastic and heartfelt dedication to Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs and their youth members has positively impacted dozens — myself included.”

Sims met his wife, Andi, through Key Club and proposed to her at the 1990 Key Club District Convention. They have been married for 32 years. The couple have four children, one of whom served as Key Club district secretary and another who served as Key Club International president.