See how this U.S. Kiwanis club has grown its roster from five to more than 40. 

By Tony Knoderer

The Kiwanis Club of Corbin, Kentucky, U.S., was founded in 1921 — but this year has already been one of its most remarkable. Since January alone, the club has grown from five members to over 40.  

The club’s membership success has been the result of several factors, including demographic targeting, the inclusion of corporate members and more. But the most important influence, says Kyle Perkins, the club’s president, has been the willingness to go beyond a simple focus on expanding the roster. 

“It’s not just about increasing numbers,” he says. “We’re targeting people. We’re looking for the right members — the members who will bring something to the club. We’re finding that’s not too difficult, once you sit down and talk with folks about the mission and about what our goals are.” 

Among the club’s advantages, Perkins says, are its leaders — including current fellow officers Amanda Ellis, secretary; Jeff Campbell, vice president; and Barbara Logan, treasurer (with Perkins, second from right, in the photo above) — and their knowledge of the community and the area around them. Measured in miles, the town of Corbin is about equidistant between Lexington, Kentucky, and Knoxville, Tennessee (“90 to the north, 90 to the south,” as Perkins puts it) on U.S. Interstate 75. In an area where the towns, like Corbin, have small- to medium-sized populations, a solid business presence makes it a logical place to recruit members from the corporate community. 

“We don’t have IBM or Georgia Power, that kind of thing,” Perkins says. “Pepsi-Cola is one of our biggest employers, but what we have a lot of is entrepreneurs and the trades — HVAC companies, electrical contractors, a large railroad presence.”  

A flash of inspiration
Early in the year, that demographic opportunity came with a flash of inspiration. Perkins had been invited by a client to attend U.S. college football’s national championship game in Atlanta on January 9.  

“There on the big LED board in the stadium, during the announcements [of groups in attendance], was Kiwanis,” he says. “And I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, maybe we can get there someday.’ So I came back from that event with the question of how they do that.” 

The answer, Perkins realized, is corporate involvement — and prominent promotion and display of that involvement. For example, the club has crafted an approach for recruiting corporate members by building bonds through sponsorships.  

“We’re working on our Facebook page to put our corporate sponsors on there in a block with all their logos,” he says, “and then we run them across our banner on our website.” 

Those sponsors also get an opportunity to become corporate members of the club for US$500 per year.  

“Once we’re starting to do events out in the community beyond bake sales and chili suppers and things like that,” Perkins says, “I think we’ll have an even greater opportunity to generate additional funds through corporate memberships.” 

Consider your connections
Corporate interest doesn’t just happen. It requires the efforts of individual members who can reach out to others in local businesses and organizations. Even when membership in the Corbin club was at its lowest, recognizing the connections they did have was crucial.  

Perkins himself is an example: “I’m a longtime resident here, so I know a lot of people and companies. We’re working on really reaching out through my client base — just recognizing who the folks are that would make effective Kiwanis members.” 

For many clubs, that kind of knowledge may not be readily available. So Kiwanis International offers resources such as the roster analysis worksheet, which offers an extensive list of professions — and the related skills and experiences — that can enrich a club’s impact.  

Of course, knowledge itself doesn’t change anything without the will to act on it. In the Corbin club, Perkins and his small core of fellow members made a specific commitment at the start of the year to increase membership. Their existing connections were important — but the energy that came from their dedication also has been a significant part of their success.    

“What happened, really, was a little bit surreal,” Perkins says. “Several of my close friends and colleagues started to see my involvement and my interest. And they literally asked me, ‘Do you mind if we join you for lunch?’ Once we started with that, things started to kind of snowball. And one thing led to another — and another and another.  

“So we got to the point where we could literally begin to have committees and start that foundational development again.”

Thinking big
As the Corbin club grows and its committees take shape, the ambitions for service and fundraising are growing. The club is exploring sponsorship of clubs in Kiwanis Service Leadership programs, Perkins says, and its scholarship committee is preparing recommendations.  

In addition to traditional service projects such as chili suppers, clothing drives and participation in a fundraiser at a local department store, plans for club events also are growing. 

“Our projects and events folks are talking about a golf tournament,” Perkins says. “This would be the first time we’ve ever had a golf tournament in our 105 years.  

“We have a group of people who think big. And when you have people like that, they tend to say, ‘Okay, how do we make this happen?’” 

One factor that has helped make things happen: the attention the club’s growth has been getting in the Kentucky-Tennessee District. One example is a potential joint project with the Kiwanis club in Somerset, Kentucky. 

“They had a fundraiser last year that raised money for the victims of a tornado in London, Kentucky,” Perkins says. “They reached out to our district governor (Larry Dobson) and he said, ‘Well, listen, things are going on in Corbin. Reach out to them.’”  

As a result, Perkins and Norman Martin, the Somerset club’s president, were among a group that met to discuss a process that could culminate in a presentation regarding a joint project. In addition, Thomas and the Somerset club treasurer, Connie Martin, presented the Corbin club with a US$3,000 check to be used for assistance to London’s tornado victims.  

Meaningful posts
A Somerset newspaper, the “News Journal,” covered the check presentation with a story and a photo — because of a news release the club sent prior to the meeting. Meanwhile, the club continues to use Facebook to demonstrate its renewed energy.  

“We’ll have two or three posts a week, and they’re meaningful posts,” Perkins says. “Several folks have reached out to me and said, ‘We noticed there’s something going on because our friends over at the Rotary Club, they’ve started posting almost in competition with you.’ So it’s actually beennoticeable.”  

In fact, membership growth itself is one of the subjects the club emphasizes in its posts — which helps bolster its local reputation as the place to be.  

“The biggest thing we do is, if we have three members join in a particular week, we won’t post that all in the same week,” Perkins says. “So it continually reinforces our club growth by spreading that news over a period of time.” 

Even with the modern advantages of online communication, he adds, the appeal of Kiwanis membership seems to have a classic appeal for new members.  

“It’s more the physical participation as opposed to an online or social media interaction,” Perkins says. “I think folks are searching for something in today’s world to be a part of.” 

Remember our resources
The ways that the Kiwanis Club of Corbin has reached out to its community are available to your club as well. In fact, Kiwanis International has resources that make it easier: 

• Roster analysis worksheet. When recruiting, make sure to consider all the professions in your community that may offer the talents and connections your club needs.  

• Corporate membership marketing. A local company or organization can be a member of a Kiwanis club, designating an employee to attend meetings and events. We have a free brochure insert that can help you explain and promote this opportunity.  

• Marketing and public relations. Explore how your club can use social media, particularly Facebook, to share information with the media and the general public. 

• Social media assets. Download our ready-made images and illustrations to use immediately on your club’s social media accounts. 

You can find these and many other resources in our online club toolbox. Explore it — and use it to build a club culture of growth and retention!