If you could change one thing?

If I could change one thing at the Kiwanis Club of Casper, Wyoming, I would try to build a Miracle League Field for the challenged children of our community.  We need something "big" to get our club out of a rut of the same old programs, althought those programs are great, we need something that would excite our members.

My club needs a change in attitude...we are stuck in a rut doing the same things and not expanding on the projects that we do.  We are having a hard time getting the board to see that we need to do different projects in order to grow as a club.  We need to make our meetings more fun so that it will help us attract new members and these new members with their new ideas need to be accepted and not told "we tried that before and it didn't work" because times are different now and maybe it will work this time.

We also need our Division and others to understand that finding members to take officer positions can be difficult.  We could not find one individual to be President this year (yes, on paper there is one person) so we have a consortium of 6 past presidents who are working together to keep the club running as successfully as we are.  Each is taking 2 months leading meetings and the like but they are all working together.  The likelihood is that for next year, we are going to have to have some sort of consortium as well.  It is no fun going to a divisional meeting and getting yelled at for telling folks that this is what we are doing.  We are thinking outside the box and doing what works for our club.

The one thing I would like to change about Kiwanis is the 'mission' statement.  I feel it would be a lot more positive and descriptive if we would subsitute the word 'improving' for 'changing'.  

Do any other Kiwanians share my concern?

I agree with Glenn Knight about inserting in the Mission Statement he word improving, instead of changing.  It makes more sense that we can improve. There are a lot of things that we can improve on, but changing is a little bit of out in left field.

Our club needs inspiration.  Most of us are "Senior Citizens," and we are having difficulty attracting young, energetic people to our club.  We don't seem to know how to do that.  I should like to see emphasis, and a high priority, placed on revitalization by our entire organization, at all levels.  

If I would change one thing - I would change KI's emphasis upon MEMBERSHIP - to an emphasis upon SERVICE.  Yes, we are a service club.  Yet all we hear from KI is "MEMBER - MEMBER - MEMBER".  One Million Members.  New clubs. Bigger clubs.  Many of my club members are older - and on fixed income.  The minimum dues of $100.00 does NOT stay in our community - it goes away.  As a consultant in church growth, I understand that the demographics of young adults is that they are NOT "joiners".  Yet we insist they pony up 100 bucks to join PLUS an additional 50 bucks "initiation".  I understand that KI needs those dollars.  I also understand it is a self-defeating idea.

I am the newsletter Editor of our northridge kiwanis club and I love this forum. It gets to the point of why we are not growing as a universal entity of service clubs. We are not uniform enough to get things done. I proposed to our district a notion of advertising  in the local newspaper on what we do and how we do it. When we do it, and how people that want to make a difference can join our organization. Most young folks out there are on a budget and might want to join but really can't afford the fees and the expense of fine sessions and the expense's of dues and other parts of which are all part of our infrastructure?  One thing that we are working on is to make a pamphlet to let people know how much it will cost to join and what it is expected of them. What we do need is to address more and bigger projects to get our clubs moving.

Yours in Kiwanis service

Jay Shultz

Our club's revitalization is underway, but we're having problems with getting members who have been in the club a few years to play a role in organizing, suggesting and attending activities.  There is a small group of people that do everything and an even smaller that suggest and organize.  Our club is 28 members strong.  We've inducted 6 new members since the beginning of the year who have been great additions to the club by participating and helping to organize activities.  Through a member survey, we've discovered that many members are overcommitted and view spending time with family and friends as separate events from Kiwanis.

I would like to see more of our members recommit to making Kiwanis a priority in their lives and incorporate family and friends into Kiwanis events.

There are so many great things about our club, but as with most clubs, we have some challenges.  I agree with others that have posted which indicate that the dues amount and time commitment associated with traditional weekly meetings can put off younger members.  However, I believe these things can be overcome if meetings and activities are inspiring and focused on improving the lives of children.  The one thing that we need as a club is a big project that will make a big difference to children and our community.  We need a local project that will draw members together to achieve a common goal.  Kiwanis International also needs a high profile international project that addresses children's issues...hunger, disease, education...there are so many needs...pick one and do something!

The other thing that I would change about Kiwanis, in general, is the lack of unity/cooperation/work between and among clubs.  There are 4 Kiwanis Clubs in my city and none of the clubs work together on any projects...together we could achieve more, make a bigger impact and truly improve the lives of children in our community.

I have been a Kiwanian for years , built 3 clubs presided over two etc tc. The one thing that needs to be changed is having to pay registration fees for a spouse who  is a Kiwanian.  For several years I  registered my KIWANIAN spouse just as a spouse as the reguistration was $50 or $100 if I registered her as a Kiwanian and nothing if I registered her as a spuse.  For the past two years she has been vice president and now president elect of our club so I feel I must register her as a Kiwanian at our conventions even though it costs me much more.  There are many others of us in this situation.  If we really want to increase membership we must stop charging extra   for events if our spouse is a Kiwanian and not charging if he/she is not.  Acrually it should be just the other way arrund.

Most people join a service club because they want to help maker their community a better place to live and work. When Kiwanis International asks for dues, orientation fees, requests local clubs to send money to the foundation or to buy Hixon awards etc., and when our district assesses yet more dues and requires us to pay to send reps to convention whether they show up or not, we see our dollars flying away from our community and we lose some of the valuable feelings that drove us to join in the first place. Every year at dues time I am asked by various members whether they can opt out of the magazine fee. They don't have time to read it (and since most are more concerned about their own community it is not of much value to them) and they resent having to pay for it. If I had my way our local club would drop out of Kiwanis and re-build itself as a local community service organization. After all, that's what I mistakenly thought I was joining.

If I could change one thing about Kiwanis...

It would be a heck of a lot cheaper to join.

I enjoy service, and it cost me nothing to go to a shelter and help out.

If this is what I truely care about, then why would I need the stamp "Kiwanis" to validate that I care about my community and the world?

The answer is: I like the name Kiwanis because it connects me with like minded individuals, however... I can't get young people to join, it's too expensive

There are several comments about the "cost" of Kiwanis, especially concerning "younger" prospects for membership and members.  I am unsure that this is the real problem or just a smoke screen.  Let me explain.  I was talking to a young man about his car.  He was showing me the new rims he had just bought.  They were beautiful ...and I asked how much were they...he replied $200, which I thought was OK until he said, "each"!   An older member in our club was complaining about the dues at Kiwanis (in our District the International and District dues are $85 per year), so I asked him about his membership into a local Country Club ...dues there are $300 yearly plus $25 per month ... his response ..."that's different."   What I am saying is that we all prioritize and what "they" are saying is I don't see the value for membership fees.  They have the money.  They just want to spend it on other things.  We (Kiwanis) must challenge them and open their eyes to the value they will receive in personal growth.  You cannot share with others without growing yourself.  Who has the greater joy in life ... the child receiving the gift at their birthday or the father giving it?  Kiwanis is NOT for everyone.  It is for those who love, care, and wish to give to others.  What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness and sharing.  Kiwanis gives us an opportunity to pool resources and do greater and better things for children.

PS.  If the magazine is not seen as valuable we should evaluate the content as to why?  Could not the magazine could be sent electronically?

I would like to see where my fellow Kiwanians are from...? I have never heard of a District charging for Conventions wether you come or not. Some Divisions ask for money to help with expenses that the Lt Gov may incur. My club also is having a problem getting members to join due to costs. And we charge for Lunch wether you come or not. We have still managed to gain members and are at 40+. My wife and I are both Past Distinguished Lt Gov's of Div 38. We are very active in our Div. and have seen many clubs go up and down in the past 10 years. I am also a CLE trainer for the District and have traveled all over Southern Calif. We have heard the same problems everywhere we go. If you have 30-40 members only about 12 do all the work... I do not understand why the Magazine can not pay for itself through ads? The quality of the Magazine seems to have gone down over the years. And my collection starts in 1918...

I am like the Sue Kurth, I joined to seve my Community not the World. When I sell fund raiser tickets I tell people it is to help the community. But I am also a Diamond level Hixon and a Silver Dunlap. Because I also beieve in helping others outside my community.

One thing that I noticed at the International Convention in Orlando is that You have dropped the Kiwanis logo form all the literature and even the Convention pins! Who voted for that? And when?

Thank you.

Wil Morgan Sec. Victorville Club, Division 38, Region 5, CalNevHa District

Mr. Morgan:  In response to your comment on the Kiwanis logo, you may notice the Kiwanis graphic appearing more often than the Kiwanis oval logo. The reason is to bring more visibility and focus to the word Kiwanis which is difficult to read in the Kiwanis oval logo.

In addition, it communicates more clearly the name Kiwanis and who we are, especially when used with images/photography that represent the orgainzation. The oval logo has not been eliminated and is still used as appropriate, however marketing with the Kiwanis graphic strengthens the brand – thus securing the future of Kiwanis.

I'd like to comment about George Cannon's statement that if he could change one thing in Casper WY, he would build a Miracle League Field.  He wants a big project that all could embrace and work on.

Des Moines Kiwanis (Iowa) came to that very same conclusion 2-3 years ago.  Through our strategic planning, we identified the need for something "big"--and the Miracle League Field was it!  We started our planning in May 2007--pulled together a steering committee, developed a budget, presented to members...and we were off to the races!  Initially, we projected a total cost of about $500K.  Would you believe that this project is going to cost about $1.2 Million?  But the cost is minimal in relationship to the visibility that we have gained in the community,the cohesiveness that this has brought to our club, and, most importantly, the thrill that this will provide to LOTS of kids in our community who could only dream about playing baseball.

One of our "partners" is the Iowa Cubs (Triple A Chicago Cubs team)--they donated part of their land so our Field is adjacent to their park--right downtown in Des Moines.  The Greater Des Moines Leaddership Institute Class became another partner--this DOUBLED the size of our club and quite frankly, we wouldn't be where we are today without their help.  

Club membership?  We started the year at 55 members--we're now at 67 and growing.  And we will "play ball" in another month or so, especially with so many hands working on this great project.

And the really good thing?  People in the community now say, "Oh, Kiwanis, yes, you're the folks that are building that Miracle League field downtown.  That's really cool!"

Feel free to contact me if you want to know more!  And if you know how to cajole Mother Nature into giving us a few dry days, we could make it happen even faster!

jan burch, president

Des Moines (Iowa) Kiwanis

    I would add more personal stories.  One day, when our speaker didn't show up we tried something we call, "Top This"  

    Telling the story of our first home - sunken bedroom that became a pond when it rained, heating with the gas stove-just open oven door and hope the cracks in the walls would vent, and the fact that it was condemned by the time we returned from student teaching and we had to break in to retrieve our furniture, set the tone.  

    Oh, what stories our members had to tell.  That was the first of what I hope is many stories that we will share.  Life is a series of stories, sharing yours brings laughter and understanding between members.

    What is your story - can you top mine?

Bonne Scott

You can add the Kiwanis Club of Eldorado, in Altoona, PA, as another club to build a Miracle League field. We started playing baseball in 2007 with 24 kids. In 2008 we had 75 kids and expect more in 2009. We serve the entire central Pennsylvania region.

A grant from the Kiwanis International Foundation in our "early years" kicked the project off and lent credibility to our efforts as far as securing grants from other organizations.

We have been able to add members because of the Miracle League.

www.pamiracleleague.com

Dues--Why in the world ae dues so high?  With the use of computers, dues should be lower as the paper work is taken away.

Convenmtion Charges--I can't understand why we should pay $90-$110  to register for a convention.  Most of the workers are volunteers and what is needed for so high a registration.  Kiwanis has shifted to a person paying registration to join and then high registrations to go to conventions.  No wonder we can't get members.