Please contact your Lt. Governor for a quick update on your area's status on hospital coverage. We need your help to ensure children in your area get activity kits/baskets. If your club has decided not to join our efforts, I will see that the children in all areas have some type of activity during April 2, for Kiwanis One Day. Some clubs may have not gotten the message or the underlying goals. The first goal is to improve our relationship and communication levels to our service leadership programs (SLP's) --Circle K, Key Club, Builders Club, K-Kids, and Aktion Club are Kiwanis programs that need the support of their Kiwanis Club. Goal two is to recruit a new member that would be associated with the health of our local children so that future events and service opportunities could occur. Time is of the essence. Guidelines for activity baskets have been sent to your Lt. Governor. If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you for your help.

Teamwork within the district will help build an identity, brand "Kiwanis", and most importantly strengthen our relationship with our SLP's. Part of our name recognition issue is that our district as a multi-city organization doesn't have consistency in the brand as we go from city to city. This is due to our local cultures and how we do things, but we should have SOMETHING that shows consistency from city to city. Frankly, we need something to "hang our hat on". McDonalds may not make the best burger in America, but you can count on their menu being consistent in every way, meaning, you know what you are going to get. In Kiwanis, every club in every location is different. Some clubs do branded programs like Terrific Kids or Key Club; others don't but sponsor the local hospital or camp instead. That is where the Kiwanis One Day project comes into play. But more importantly, having a program like Key club or Terrific Kids helps to recruit new members, increase service visibility, and helps to answer the question, "What is Kiwanis?"

Our goal for club President and Secretary training is 100%. Our early bird club leadership orientation, or CLO, held at MidYear starts us out at 10% of the clubs fulfilling their training obligation. The District has planned CLO meetings for May. Any club officer can go to www.kiwanisone.org, watch the webinar and sit through the training at home, anytime.  

Growth - Sometimes it is doing the simple stuff like always having an application with you. Make sure every member has one. Always ask your speaker to join. They may live somewhere else, but we need Kiwanians everywhere.

Service - If your club needs ten members to reach charter strength, take on a new service project involving children. Ask others to get involved and invite someone from that event to a Kiwanis meeting. For example, the director or VP of Pediatrics for the activity baskets might be a great new member.

Membership retention is critical. Are new members asked to join in? What is their new idea? Club History and Kiwanis organizational structure should be explained. Discuss available Kiwanis branded service projects that can be started in your community. Recruit new members to help serve in that program or event.

Best Practices - Retention

Get new members involved. How is your club's committee structure working?

Support new ideas of service and fundraising. Does everyone have a say?

Leadership should involve everyone in the club so they feel relevant and needed.

Have fun at meetings, no business.

Plan family type events and special social events.

Our Key Clubs are starting their new year. Please communicate with your Key Club to meet new officers and plan for summer and new membership recruitment for beginning school. Assist with international convention attendance if you have anyone interested.

Circle K has started their new year as well and you can help by sending them to International convention. It is in Virginia this year so travel will not be as bad. Help us have a strong presence at convention.

Thank you for all you do for the children in your community.  Your service and effort is critical to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

In Kiwanis Service,

Todd