Membership

We are doing well to achieve our goal of 1,000 new members. We are more than 500 new members strong to date towards our 1,000 new members goal. I am grateful for the commitment and job well done so far by our Kiwanis Family.

However, in order to reach our goal we must keep the momentum going. So this is a call for every one of our 7,000 plus members to do their part, including our leaders. All it takes is for each of us to make a concerted effort to bring in just one new member. We would have our 500 additional new members in short notice. The following are a few suggestions.

Corporate Membership: This is a great way to recruit new members into your club.  It allows your club to designate an individual membership spot to an employee of a specific company or organization.  As an employee changes jobs or is transferred to a new location (such as a bank or other financial institution for example) the company can designate a new employee to take the place of the previous member without being charged a new member fee by the organization. Better yet, a company can actually send different employees to attend the meetings each week.  However only the designated employee is able to hold office or vote on club business.  This way a Bank, Restaurant or other type of business with changing personnel can continue to support their local community through your Kiwanis Club and your club gains the extra “hands” it needs to do those special new projects each year.The Key to Membership Growth is in the Follow Up: Don't forget to follow up on potential membership leads or ask the potential member why they chose not to join. There might be a reason for which you can suggest an alternative. For instance, if the reason given is because the club meets in the afternoon, the suggestion would be to find them a club that meets in the morning or evening.

Some suggestions for recruiting members:

Offer an informal invitation for a breakfast, lunch or dinner meeting as an introduction to the Kiwanis Organization for the purpose of educating guests about it.

Select a guest who:
•may have a business in the community which your club supports
• is part of an organization that the club has supported with donations or other assistance
• is an active individual in the community with goals that are in line with the club's so that the membership becomes mutually beneficial
• is a parent of a member of a K Kids Club, Builder's Club, Key Club, or Circle K Club
• is a parent of a scholarship recipient
• is a former member who may return
• is a Corporate Member

And don't forget, the Bring a Guest Contest which we launched last month. Bring as many guests as you can to your meetings. Send me a group photo. For each guest coming to a meeting, the club gets a chance to win a $75 Gift Card. And, for each guest who becomes a member, the club gets a chance to win an Apple iPad.

You still have time to do your guest round up. The deadline is May 1. The more guests who attend meetings or join the more chances to win. Find more details on the District Web Site, http://www.kiwanis-ny.org.

At the Invite a Guest meeting be sure to have on hand: Applications, Club Brochures, A picture board depicting all the wonderful things that your club does.

Remember: The key to membership growth is in the follow up. Ask a potential member, "why not?" Eliminate their reason. Win them over. Follow up on your membership leads to discover the "key!"
 

Column Posted on Web Site April 20, 2014