Tips to help guest speakers

Tips to help guest speakers

Oct 22, 2025 | Club building, General interest, News | 0 comments

Their success depends a lot on club preparation.

By Julie Saetre

An interesting guest speaker is a valuable addition to any Kiwanis club meeting. For members, a guest’s presentation can be a way to learn about potential service projects, partnerships and more. And guest speakers can learn the same things from visiting your club. In some cases, presenting at a meeting can even be an effective introduction to Kiwanis.  

But the success of a presentation isn’t just the guest’s responsibility. To ensure that the experience is productive and positive for both parties, it’s important to prepare. These tips can help: 

  • Offer key information. Establishing guidelines and expectations can make the presentation go smoothly and give the speaker confidence. For example: 
    • Confirm the meeting date, place and time. 
    • Make sure you and the speaker agree on the presentation’s content. 
    • Let the speaker know the meeting’s agenda, the time allocated for the speech (and for the Q&A session, if you offer one) and the approximate time the meeting will end. 
    • Provide the number of members expected to attend. 
    • Detail any available equipment the speaker can use (e.g., screen, lectern, audiovisual equipment, computer, etc.). 
    • Explain the club dress code, if any. 
  • Make your guest feel welcome. Speakers do better when they feel relaxed — and when the club seems prepared for them. Some tips: 
    • Arrange for a club member to greet the speaker upon arrival and introduce them personally to other members.  
    • Provide a guest or speaker’s badge and seat them at the head table (if applicable).  
    • Have water available within the speaker’s reach during the presentation.  
    • Designate an officer or member to introduce the speaker and provide their credentials. (Request the spelling and pronunciation of the speaker’s name ahead of time, along with a résumé or other details. 
  • Promote Kiwanis. If the speaker agrees, invite local media to attend the meeting and presentation. Kiwanis International has tips and tools to help. And don’t forget to add a properly branded Kiwanis logo to your podium or lectern for photo opportunities. 
  • End on a positive note. When the presentation concludes, thank the speaker and offer a show of appreciation. Consider a small donation on the speaker’s behalf to a cause that reflects your club’s focus on service and community.  
  • Follow up. A day or two after the presentation, send the speaker a note of appreciation on behalf of the club. And don’t forget to invite them to join! 
Grants help CKI take on new projects

Grants help CKI take on new projects

Oct 21, 2025 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service Leadership Programs | 0 comments

Eight Circle K International projects receive Tomorrow Fund grants.

By Erin Chandler

Circle K International members are the next generation of servant leaders — and they’re already making a difference in college and university communities around the world. The Kiwanis Children’s Fund established the Tomorrow Fund to help these clubs implement more creative solutions to problems and make the greatest possible positive impact. 

This July, the Children’s Fund awarded eight Tomorrow Fund grants — all to help launch brand-new projects with five CKI clubs and three districts. 

Happy Halloween Project
Circle K International of Baldwin Wallace University, Ohio, U.S.
Halloween is a Kiwanis family holiday for Baldwin Wallace University CKI. The club teams up with the Kiwanis Club of Middleburg Heights, the Berea-Midpark High School Key Club and the Berea-Midpark Middle School Builders Club to fill over 900 bags with candy and healthy treats. The Kiwanis club distributes 800 of the bags to local food pantries, while the CKI club takes 100 bags to the elderly residents of Generation Living Center. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help purchase the healthy Halloween treats for the bags and refreshments for volunteers. 

Six-Cycle K Program: Read. Lead. Succeed.
Circle K International of Maryhill College, Quezon Province, Philippines
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help Maryhill College CKI establish and equip a reading hub — an accessible learning space where children can practice reading, borrow books and engage in literacy-enriching classes and activities. The hub is part of the club’s larger literacy initiative, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for education and literacy.  

Care Without Conditions
Circle K International of Northern Arizona University, Arizona, U.S.
Members of Northern Arizona University CKI aim to help the unhoused population in their community — including fellow students — by assembling and distributing care packages containing hygiene products, nonperishable snacks, socks, bottled water and more. Each package also will include a handmade card and a guide to local resources like shelters, food banks and healthcare services. Club members hope the care packages will bridge the gap between people experiencing homelessness and the larger university community. 

Birthday in a Box
Circle K International of Stockton University, New Jersey, U.S.
Stockton University CKI wants to give everyone in the community a chance to celebrate their birthday. A Tomorrow Fund grant will help club members assemble at least 50 birthday kits containing cake mix, frosting, a disposable cake pan, balloons, ribbons, stickers and a handmade birthday card, all of which they will deliver to local food pantries. The project will ensure that those facing food insecurity do not have to choose between purchasing meals for the week and making a loved one’s birthday special. 

Mama & Me Literacy Lounge
Circle K International of the University of Technology, Jamaica
University of Technology CKI is establishing a reading nook for mothers and babies at Mary’s Child, a home for teenage moms in crisis. This “literacy lounge” will give approximately 25 teens and 25 children each year access to parenting and special needs resources, as well as books that will boost early childhood literacy and maternal mental health. The club also will support regular reading sessions and workshops to foster bonds between mothers and children. 

Governor’s Project
Circle K International Caribbean District
A Tomorrow Fund grant will help the Caribbean District of CKI set up a community library and computer resource center inside a school or community center in an underserved area of Jamaica. The district hopes that access to books and computers will promote and support lifelong learning for everyone from young children gaining basic literacy skills to adults seeking employment. If successful, the project will expand to more locations across the Caribbean. 

What’s In My Meal?
Circle K International Florida District
During the Florida District’s 2025 Leadership Training Conference, CKI and Kiwanis club members will come together to assemble 120 “healthy food kits.” A Tomorrow Fund grant will help fill the kits with toy foods, games, aprons, printed placemats and information sheets to help kids and families learn how to create balanced, healthy meals — even on a tight budget. Clubs will take the kits back to their communities to be distributed through schools to kids in low-income households. 

One Family
Circle K International New England District
Members of the CKI New England District connect with their communities by visiting the residents of local senior centers. At this year’s district convention, they will join Kiwanis club members in making care packages with items like tissues, lip balm and hand lotion — along with hand-written notes that they will take to seniors in their hometowns. A Tomorrow Fund grant will double the number of care packages that convention-goers can make from 1,200 to 2,400. 

How to get involved
Does your Circle K International group have a project idea that could benefit from a Tomorrow Fund grant? Learn more about the grant and how to apply. If your Kiwanis club does not yet sponsor a CKI club, learn about the advantages of chartering one.    

Where to find Kiwanis logos

Where to find Kiwanis logos

Oct 17, 2025 | Club building, General interest, News | 0 comments

To add branding to club materials and communications, get what you need on our website.

By Tony Knoderer

Kiwanis International’s logo is the face of the organization. That’s why we make it available for download — so your club can benefit from Kiwanis branding and share the Kiwanis name with your community. 

Of course, logos can be used in different places and in different ways. That’s why we offer a couple different resources on the Kiwanis International website: 

  • The Kiwanis logos page. This is where you can find downloadable files for the Kiwanis seal and the Kiwanis logo (with examples of each on the page, so you can see which is which). You’ll also find tips on usage and details on which formats to download, depending on how and where you’re using them. 
  • Kiwanis custom logos. We also can create a custom logo for your club at no cost. Go to our custom-logo webpage for details and a link to the customization order form. 

The logo is a key part of Kiwanis branding. But it’s just one part. Our branding and marketing webpage has links to all of our resources — such as social media assets (including new assets for the Kiwanis Voices pilot program), tools to promote club anniversaries, our free service for club websites and much more.