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! 

Here are some ways to spruce up your space when you have a showcase at community events.

By Julie Saetre

Is your club scheduled to host an event in the community — or attend one? Make the most of your presence with a showcase exhibit. Whether you’re staffing a booth, conducting a service project or hosting a club open house, a display is an opportunity to put your club’s story in one spot. From the joy of service to the fun of fellowship, here are some ideas to make it all memorable:  

• Picture the possibilities. Select 10 to 15 photos (depending on the size of your space and the expected crowd level). Include shots of service projects, fundraising events and fellowship activities. Enlarge the photos for more impact — and consider adding captions or brief descriptions. Choose your images carefully: Focus on children being helped or having fun (and make sure you have photo releases signed by parents or guardians), members working together and other action shots. Find more tips for getting great shots on page 7 of the Kiwanis Tips & Tools guide. 

• Show and tell. Include items from past and present projects, gatherings and accomplishments. Examples: a T-shirt from a recent walk-a-thon or race your club sponsored, an invitation to an upcoming fundraiser, a letter of appreciation from a local official or a beneficiary of a service project. 

• Power up. Prepare a PowerPoint or similar presentation of your club’s greatest hits. Keep each slide simple and easy to read, with one key highlight or statistic per slide. Intersperse your text slides with colorful photos (similar to the ones suggested in the first bullet point) and contact information for your club. Be sure to include slides that invite new members to join your club! 

Get the conversation started in your club! Suggest taking time at an upcoming meeting to brainstorm how a showcase exhibit can appeal to potential members.