If your club struggles to fill leadership positions, these ACE tools can help.

By Tony Knoderer

Strong Kiwanis clubs have effective leaders. The strongest clubs have a history of effective leadership — the result of a structure that makes leadership positions appealing to capable people over time.  

How does a club consistently find good leaders? Three of our Achieving Club Excellence (ACE) tools can help create a culture that engages members — and potential members — who fill roles that keep the club moving forward: 

• Member survey. Start by getting to know your members and their expectations. By conducting our member survey annually, current leaders can stay aware of what people want from the club and what can be improved over time. After all, members who find value in the club experience are more likely to get more deeply involved — and eventually take leadership positions. 

• Community survey. The same is true of people who aren’t yet members. This step-by-step tool helps gather data about community needs from people in the know. Conducted annually, it keeps your club in step with the community — including people who are more likely to join and eventually become club leaders because they see the value in your service. 

• Host potential members. Potential recruits — and the potential club leaders among them — are more likely to join if they learn from current members what your club is all about. Are you ready to show them? This guide gives you the steps for evaluating your club’s readiness for guests and new members. As with the other ACE tools, annual usage can keep your club sharp for any opportunity to make a good impression.

Don’t forget: These resources can be found on the ACE tools webpage, which includes other common concerns clubs face — and pairs them with tools that help address those issues. 

Here’s why people become members, from personal impact to benefits and support.

By Tony Knoderer

Kiwanis membership is a way to serve kids and improve communities — which makes every Kiwanis club a chance to change children’s lives. But it’s also a place to change your own.  

Whether you’re looking for reasons to join or you’re a current member who wants to share Kiwanis with someone else, here are some factors that make being a Kiwanian a rewarding experience:   

• Meaningful impact. Kiwanis empowers you to make a tangible difference in your community.   

• Personal growth. Membership is a way to enhance your skills and self-confidence — with opportunities for leadership development, public speaking and project management.  

• Global connection. The Kiwanis family is a worldwide network of like-minded individuals. Membership fosters friendships, collaborations and cross-cultural experiences.  

• A sense of belonging. Through shared service, Kiwanis clubs offer a sense of camaraderie to their members. In fact, the Kiwanis experience often leads to lifelong friendships. 

In addition to the rewards of volunteer service, Kiwanis membership also results in specific benefits and opportunities:  

• Partnerships and discounts. Thanks to Kiwanis International’s partnerships with various companies and organizations, members get benefits. For example, our member-discount portal makes great deals available on everything from travel to electronics — and more. 

• Kiwanis Amplify. This optional online course helps you amplify your skills in ways that resonate even beyond your club. With specific topics and expert speakers both inside and outside the organization, participants work through the material at their own pace and interact with each other in online discussions. 

• Blog posts and podcasts. Kiwanis International’s blog page is a handy place to find the latest news, success stories and more — including video podcasts featuring Kiwanis members and staff. Our podcast episodes are also available in audio. 

• Support and training. Kiwanis International provides resources, learning opportunities and more. For example, Kiwanis Engage is a member-exclusive online platform that makes it easier for Kiwanians to connect and collaborate. We also offer clubs a free, easy-to-use service to set up a website. And our teams in Member Services and Information Technology are available to answer questions, provide training and other helpful services. 

Of course, there’s also the information and support we provide all around this website. Whether you’re a member or thinking about becoming one, kiwanis.org is an excellent guide to Kiwanis International — who we are, what we do and more. 

In Iceland, a longtime Kiwanian worked with his daughters to open a club.

By Guðlaugur “Gulli” Kristjánsson

The 2024-25 governor of the Iceland-Faroes District, Guðlaugur “Gulli” Kristjánsson (pictured above, right) joined Kiwanis in 1982. Over the next decade, his family grew with the births of three daughters — who are now the leaders of the Kiwanis Club of Hera in Iceland. We asked Kristjánsson, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Eldey, in Kopavogur, Iceland, to share his experience working to open a club with family members. 

Our district, like many Kiwanis districts, had drifted away from renewing our clubs by bringing in new members. The average age here had become way too high. My goal (as governor) was, among other things, to start a club with young members. When preparations began in December 2023, my daughters saw me looking at the various options, and they sat down with me one evening.  

They have all grown up in the Kiwanis spirit. They were involved with helping in local projects in one way or another, and in the fundraising campaign against maternal and neonatal tetanus. 

The eldest, Hildur, asked me whether she could be president of this new club if it became a reality, while Thorunn, my middle daughter, was prepared to be president-elect. Our youngest daughter, Hulda, was 17 at the time and had attended the Young Kiwanis Summit organized that year by Kiwanis International Europe.  

The task became much simpler with them by my side. All three of them have a lot of organizational ability, are very imaginative and really fun to work with. Soon, all three were immersed in the preparatory work — and by the fall, the group had grown to 15 enthusiastic young women. 

There were 19 members of the Kiwanis Club of Hera by the time of the introductory meeting on November 30, 2024. The average age was 37. Since then, four more have been added. And one person in this group is the mother of someone who was already in the club! 

In this club, there are pilots, flight attendants, kindergarten teachers, bankers and more — a wide range and a fun, cohesive group.  

I recommend talking to people who have been raised in a family of Kiwanis members about opening a Kiwanis club. It all starts by asking.