10 tips for effective presentations

10 tips for effective presentations

Jul 17, 2025 | General interest, Leadership | 0 comments

These best practices can help make everyone feel included.

By Tony Knoderer

One of the best things about a Kiwanis club is the unifying purpose it gives to members — no matter how disparate they may be otherwise. Everyone is there to make a difference in kids’ lives.

But it’s also important to remember the group’s diversity when someone is addressing them all. For presentations to your club — or from your club to a group in the community — there are ways to make sure everyone feels included. 

To account for a range of factors, from cultural backgrounds to audiovisual needs and more, use these 10 tips: 

  • Use font sizes 18-24 points or larger on slides.  
  • Choose common, easy-to-read fonts such as Arial and Georgia.  
  • Keep text on slides to a minimum (six to eight lines per slide and no more than 30 words).  
  • Write in sentence fragments, using keywords and bulleted lists.  
  • Stay away from harsh colors and busy backgrounds.  
  • Stick with simple animations or don’t use them at all. Audience members with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, could have trouble reading words that move.  
  • Use inclusive language that shows respect for all people and cultures.  
  • Avoid sexist language and gender-biased comments.  
  • Know your audience — avoid acronyms when possible, and make sure any anecdotes or humor are appropriate for everyone.  
  • If you’re using software, turn on auto captions, if available. 

Of course, one way to avoid communication mishaps is to let at least one other member preview the presentation materials, such as a script and slide deck, and provide feedback. Similarly, ask a guest speaker to create those materials ahead of time for review. (You might even consider having the speaker sign a basic agreement that outlines expectations.) 

We offer more guidance — including the tips above — in our downloadable information sheet, “How to Host an Inclusive Presentation.” Download a copy and share it (or the webpage link) with fellow members! 

5 community connections for any club 

5 community connections for any club 

Jul 15, 2025 | Club building, Fundraising, General interest, Service projects | 0 comments

Whether your club is large, small or in between, these ideas can revitalize service and community engagement.

By Destiny Cherry

Finding service projects can seem daunting for a new Kiwanis club — or when members of an established club run out of ideas. One way to revitalize your club’s service is to connect with organizations in the community. These five community connections can help a club of any size find projects to strengthen local engagement and uplift children and families: 

  1. Connect with a local food bank, pantry or soup kitchen. These organizations give your Kiwanis club two major opportunities: donating time and donating resources. Depending on the availability of club members, a service project can involve donating your time: sorting and storing donations, preparing and serving food to those in need or helping to ration and distribute food. It can also involve donating resources: organizing a can drive within your club and the community and donating proceeds. However your club decides to get involved, this is typically an easy, accessible way to make a large, lasting impact. 
  2. Build connections with a local recreational facility. A nearby recreational facility or community center — such as a YMCA location — might offer a variety of opportunities to get involved. This could include members of your club coaching or serving as an assistant with young sports teams, assisting in childcare centers, lifeguarding at a pool or helping to set up, tear down or supervise the facility’s sponsored events. Each service project is both an opportunity to empower kids through movement and a fun way for members of your club to get involved. 
  3. Partner with schools in your community. Connecting with a local school can result in a lasting partnership and a lasting impact. Some ways to get involved include reading books to younger children, holding a book drive, chaperoning school-sponsored events, tutoring kids in afterschool programs and mentoring.  
  4. Support a local children’s hospital. Get your club and the community involved with a toy drive, write kind notes to patients during the holidays or do activities with the patients and their siblings. Your club could also host a “dance marathon” for adults — challenging them to stay standing or “dance” for an extended period, during which people are encouraged to participate or donate money. This initiative encourages people to “stand” for children who can’t.  
  5. “Build up” the community at construction sites. With the right research, your club can assist with building homes, community and wellness centers, school extensions or playgrounds — all spaces that nurture the growth, learning and safety of children. Site managers can help ensure that all activities are safe and age-appropriate, with the necessary safety equipment provided on-site. Club members would only need to bring closed-toe shoes, comfortable clothing (preferably something they don’t mind getting dirty) and a desire to do some work. Possible tasks include hammering nails, moving smaller debris prebuild, drilling or screwing in nails, painting or minor site cleanup. Tasks can be tailored to each member’s comfort level, and site managers can offer guidance and answer questions along the way.

Connecting through fundraising
Fundraising projects and events can make connecting with your community much easier. Once a connection is made, your new partners can make finding service projects a lot easier. If you’re not sure where to start and want to see what has worked for other clubs, visit the fundraising page on our website. And check out our blog post with other tips for your fundraiser. 

 Don’t forget Kiwanis International’s new partner, Givergy, which provides a platform for fundraising events and projects, with no upfront costs. Learn more!  

Grants support therapeutic care for kids

Grants support therapeutic care for kids

Jul 14, 2025 | General interest, Kiwanis Children's Fund, Service projects | 0 comments

Kiwanis Children’s Fund grants for pediatric medicine will help two clubs aid hospital renovations.

By Erin Chandler 

This year, the Kiwanis Children’s Fund awarded pediatric medicine support grants to two Kiwanis clubs that are helping local hospitals better serve their communities’ children. The support these grants provide allows Kiwanis clubs and medical centers to unite in making sure all kids get the best possible care for their physical, mental and emotional health. 

Harrison Kiwanis Pediatric Therapy Sensory Gym
Kiwanis Club of Harrison, Arkansas, U.S.
The Kiwanis Club of Harrison will use its pediatric medicine support grant to create a pediatric therapy sensory gym that will allow thousands of kids across five counties to develop physical and emotional resilience in a safe environment. North Arkansas Regional Medical Center’s current pediatric therapy service area is a former employee gym with only flimsy, makeshift barriers to divide the room and large exterior-facing windows that compromise privacy. It is also too small to accommodate the growing need for its vital therapeutic services. The club will equip a new sensory gym with swings, climbing structures, balance beams, trampolines, tactile stations, sensory play areas and padded flooring. The whole gym will be accessible to kids of all abilities. The equipment is designed to help children who have sensory processing disorders, autism, ADHD and developmental disorders hone their coordination and motor skills, regulate stress, foster independence and communicate with others — and, of course, have fun. 

Broomfield Pediatric Mental Health Project
Kiwanis Club of Anthem Ranch, Colorado, U.S.
The Kiwanis Club of Anthem Ranch may be based in a community built for those 55 and older, but club members’ focus is on improving mental healthcare for children and teens. The club consulted with staff at Children’s Hospital Colorado North Campus in Broomfield to determine how they could help efforts already underway to move past a dated model of mental healthcare — one that can increase patients’ fear and stress — to a more humane, individualized and effective one. A pediatric medicine support grant will help to create a positive, therapeutic environment in the renovated mental health unit, with murals, rocking bouncy chairs, weighted blankets, stuffed animals and sensory toys, and “psych safe” handles, windows, ceilings and other fixtures designed to prevent self-harm. In the past 10 years, 80% of Colorado’s mental health facilities have closed, but the redesigned Children’s Hospital will accommodate hundreds more children. And they’ll be helped by volunteers from the Anthem Ranch Kiwanis Club, who are dedicated to serving this worthy cause in any way they can. 

How do I apply for a pediatric medicine support grant? 
The Pediatric Medicine Support Grant Program offers onetime grants for clubs to fund projects that specifically support local children’s medical centers. Grant money can be used to purchase products or supplies for patients’ hospital stays or to support a capital improvement project.  

You can learn more and apply for a Pediatric Medicine Support Grant on the Kiwanis website. For more information about the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, visit kiwanis.org/childrensfund.