“Organizations that choose to bemoan
societal changes are often left behind by new ventures that are proactive and
responsive. While it is not easy to be nimble when you are 94 years old,
Kiwanis can take steps to position itself for the future.” (Kiwanis Insider-January 26, 2009)
In the last issue of the Kiwanis Insider we identified some
of the changes in society that our organization must respond to if we are to
become attractive and magnetic to a next generation of Kiwanis members. The most significant of those issues
relates to the advances in technology that have revolutionized how people
communicate with each other. Our
first International President George Hixson (1916-1918) could not possibly have
imagined a world where each of his Kiwanis members carried an electronic device
that would allow them to talk to one another no matter where they were on the
planet. I imagine George would
have thought you had taken leave of your senses if you told him that one day the
International President would be able to send a message to 250,000 Kiwanis
members in 70 countries in less than five seconds and without a single piece of
paper changing hands.
Early Kiwanis clubs were formed at a time when cars were not
reliable enough to drive long distances, when long-distance phone calls were an
expensive luxury, and where travel from Europe or Asia to North America most
likely involved a very long boat ride.
In most families men were the financial providers, women kept the home and
raised the children, and everyone lived in the same community where they
worked.
While the world has changed dramatically over the last
ninety years, the structure of Kiwanis remains almost unchanged since the mid
1920’s. Numerous attempts to
suggest structural changes over the years have been met with fierce opposition and
have spawned pages of rules primarily designed to protect the status quo. While everyone understands that not all
change is for the better, our Kiwanis history reflects a much stronger
commitment to rules and tradition than to flexibility and adaptation. This is what makes the approval of the
“flexible membership initiatives” at the 2006 San Antonio Convention so
historic and important. Through
this initiative the delegates have given the leaders of Kiwanis permission to
pilot new programs and initiatives that conflict with our current bylaws and
policies, but may help us grow.
Several of the initiatives currently being piloted were ones that died
on the floor of the House of Delegates in the past.
As a Kiwanis leader I want to thank you for your willingness
to try new ideas to help Kiwanis grow. I also want to ask for your help in advocating for
even more change so that we can reach the next generation of Kiwanis members. It will not be possible without you.
So, here is my question. What are some of the things that you think need to be changed about Kiwanis to make us more attractive to both the current and future generations of Kiwanis members?
Posted
Feb 17 2009, 08:51 PM
by
Rob Parker