Harnessing the Power of AT LEAST ONE to ensure your legacy
By Matt Wise, District Membership Coordinator
I just returned from celebrating 100 years of service of the Bellefonte Kiwanis Club. The event, which was well attended, focused on the legacy of service to Bellefonte and surrounding communities. Their club president shared some highlights of the community impact of the club over the last century, sharing some really phenomenal accomplishments. They have done everything from rising $100,000 for the local hospital during the heigh of the influenza outbreak in 1924 (that’s the equivalent of $1.7 million today) to being an impetus to starting a library to sponsoring several Key Clubs to selling roses and blueberries….you get the idea. They have done a LOT in 100 years. As have each and every one of our Kiwanis Clubs worldwide.
For this week’s blog, I was going to share with you all the ideas shared by past NY district Governor, Jim Mancuso, during a district-wide call earlier in the week, but on the way home from the Bellefonte celebration, I knew I had to bring them both together. But, how?
Well, here it is: What do you want your legacy to be in 10, 20, 50, and 100 years? Or even 5? What if a dedicated group of community servants in 1924 never came together as a Kiwanis Club: Would the hospital have survived the outbreak? Would there be a Library? Would there be a Key Club? How many kids learned to read in that library? How many leaders were developed because of the Key Club? Where are they now?
You can very easily remove the year, the town, and the projects and replace them with your club’s information. It’s asking yourself the question that gets me every time – What if Kiwanis didn’t exist?
Our actual impact, whether we know it or not, is further reaching than we can even imagine! It is also something that many of us tend to forget about because we are so dedicated to doing the service in the present. My suggestion to you is to have a discussion with your club about what your legacy will be…do you like the answer? Is there room for improvement? How are you going to ensure it will happen?
One way to do so is to harness the power of AT LEAST ONE. For the rest of this Kiwanis Year (and on a repeating basis), follow these simple steps within your club to engage your members to spread our Kiwanis service even further. The idea behind this is to have club Presidents specifically ask members to perform at least one of the following membership activities and report it back to the Lt. Governor within 21 days. The program is intended to be easy. And remember, members only have to do at least one. [Note: the following is an excerpt from a presentation by Past New York District Governor, Jim Mancuso, and we are thankful to him for allowing us to share this with you.]
Have at least one member contact a local Chamber of Commerce to introduce themselves and to see if a club officer can present to their membership. Cross pollination with chambers is a great idea!
Ask at least one member to host a virtual or in-person membership round-up (or information session on Kiwanis).
Have at least onemember reach out to local houses of worship to introduce themselves, asking if they can present to members of the congregation. Seek out the like-minded charitable individuals and expand your reach through partnerships.
Have at least one member reach out to at least one other non-profit organization and ask to present to their club. Follow-up with them about having memberships in each others’ organization.
Have at least one member in your club ask every member to pledge to tell at least one non-Kiwanian about membership and invite them to a meeting or upcoming event/project.
Have at least one member post on Facebook, X, LinkedIn or Instagram about a recent club event/success and ask their contacts if they want to learn more by contacting them if interested. Remember to specifically make the ASK.
Ask at least one member to establish or leverage a membership committee and have them perform at least one membership driven activity of their choice. An activity can be as simple as making sure brochures are updated for the next event.
Have at least one member reach out to at least one other member who they haven’t seen in a while – just to see how they’re doing and that they care. It is much easier to retain a member than to find a new one.
There you have it. It is relatively simple and straightforward AND it will work to ensure that your club will be around to continue serving the children and families of your communities for years and decades to come!
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May 20, 2024 – Membership Update
Harnessing the Power of AT LEAST ONE to ensure your legacy
By Matt Wise, District Membership Coordinator
I just returned from celebrating 100 years of service of the Bellefonte Kiwanis Club. The event, which was well attended, focused on the legacy of service to Bellefonte and surrounding communities. Their club president shared some highlights of the community impact of the club over the last century, sharing some really phenomenal accomplishments. They have done everything from rising $100,000 for the local hospital during the heigh of the influenza outbreak in 1924 (that’s the equivalent of $1.7 million today) to being an impetus to starting a library to sponsoring several Key Clubs to selling roses and blueberries….you get the idea. They have done a LOT in 100 years. As have each and every one of our Kiwanis Clubs worldwide.
For this week’s blog, I was going to share with you all the ideas shared by past NY district Governor, Jim Mancuso, during a district-wide call earlier in the week, but on the way home from the Bellefonte celebration, I knew I had to bring them both together. But, how?
Well, here it is: What do you want your legacy to be in 10, 20, 50, and 100 years? Or even 5? What if a dedicated group of community servants in 1924 never came together as a Kiwanis Club: Would the hospital have survived the outbreak? Would there be a Library? Would there be a Key Club? How many kids learned to read in that library? How many leaders were developed because of the Key Club? Where are they now?
You can very easily remove the year, the town, and the projects and replace them with your club’s information. It’s asking yourself the question that gets me every time – What if Kiwanis didn’t exist?
Our actual impact, whether we know it or not, is further reaching than we can even imagine! It is also something that many of us tend to forget about because we are so dedicated to doing the service in the present. My suggestion to you is to have a discussion with your club about what your legacy will be…do you like the answer? Is there room for improvement? How are you going to ensure it will happen?
One way to do so is to harness the power of AT LEAST ONE. For the rest of this Kiwanis Year (and on a repeating basis), follow these simple steps within your club to engage your members to spread our Kiwanis service even further. The idea behind this is to have club Presidents specifically ask members to perform at least one of the following membership activities and report it back to the Lt. Governor within 21 days. The program is intended to be easy. And remember, members only have to do at least one. [Note: the following is an excerpt from a presentation by Past New York District Governor, Jim Mancuso, and we are thankful to him for allowing us to share this with you.]
There you have it. It is relatively simple and straightforward AND it will work to ensure that your club will be around to continue serving the children and families of your communities for years and decades to come!
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