New "TAG - You're It" Newsletter on KI website

Want some new ideas about Membership Growth for your clubs? Make sure you bookmark the Kiwanis Int'l website - www.kiwanisone.org - and visit it often for new materials and presentations.

In this month's newsletter, there are explanations of new types of club membership for your info.

Check it out today!!

http://community.kiwanisone.org/media/p/8804.aspx

GROWTH POWERS SERVICE!!!

Warm Welcome for Potential Members

Potential members get a warm welcome on the Kiwanis.org web site

(reprinted from the KI website)

Previously, anyone interested in joining Kiwanis was immediately thrown into the club locator search function – not a very warm welcome and somewhat confusing. A new page on the public site, http://www.kiwanis.org/, under the link “How to Join,” provides a more friendly welcome and guides prospective Kiwanians in the process. The new process includes using the club locator as a starting point (with instructions on what to do next), tips for contacting Kiwanis clubs, information to learn about Kiwanis, and a link to Kiwanis stories to showcase what we do and why we do it.

Additionally, a facelift and function improvements for the club locator is on the radar for the Kiwanis International IT team in the first half of 2009. This will include quicker addition of new and updated club Web site addresses into the system and mapping tweaks.

TAG - Together Achieving Growth Newsletters at KI Website

A new TAG newsletter is posted at the Kiwanis One website portal - www.kiwanisone.org . Please check out this newsletter for resources for club growth!

If you do not receive this newsletter via email now, and would like to receive this newsletter - please send an email to Dave Schmitt - dms53@pacbell.net - with your Name, Division, Club, and Email - and we will be sure to add your name to the distribution list.

You can also find this newsletter at this page on the KI website direct by clicking HERE. . .

Elevator speeches for Kiwanis Family on KI website!!

As part of the monthly INCITER, KI has given us a number of great examples of elevator speeches - including speeches for the SLP clubs!!

In addition, there are several KEY Kiwanis Messages shown as examples . . .

Check out this article at the link below and be ready always to tell folks about KIWANIS!!!

http://www.kiwanisone.org/Pages/Resources/default.aspx?PageID=2

7 Marketing "Smarts" for Kiwanis Clubs

Each month, KIWANIS Int'l publishes the INCITER newsletter. This month's edition features some great tips for our clubs to be more "marketable" in our communities.

KEY Points . . .

1. Climb the corporate ladder . . .ie: contact the business owner or manage first.
2. Recruit an Ambassador . . . ie: find a great community minded person with a reputation that folks trust
3. Treat your members like GOLD . . .like a most valuable commodity!
4. Create community partnerships . . . .partner with those orgs we support!
5. Create Kiwanis Partnerships . . . .collaborate with other local clubs - - with SLP clubs . . for greater success!
6. Make your meetings memorable . . . .recruit the BEST speakers, make guests feel welcome
7. Tell your story in a club brochure . . . .The center of of promotion should be a great club brochure!


Please click on the link below and view the entire article.


http://www.kiwanisone.org/Pages/Resources/default.aspx?PageID=2

All NEW KI Growth Tools Available

The NEW Kiwanis Growth Tools introduced at the KI Int'l Convention in Orlando have all been posted on the Kiwanis One website - http://www.kiwanisone.org/ for all clubs to use.

Check out the new Community Analysis question sheet, the Club Excellence Tool for doing a club check-up, the Planning Your Club's Success Tool for use in growth planning, and all of the new Kiwanis Membership materials.

All of the Kiwanis Public Service Announcements are available for download - as well as other Kiwanis videos for your club's use.

In addition, the Club Brochure template and the New Member Orientation Powerpoint Presentation are also available.

All of these materials include the new Kiwanis graphics which present a great message to our prospective members.

IT IS ALWAYS TIME TO GROW!!!

NOW IS THE TIME FOR CLUB REVITALIZATION AND GROWTH!!


Membership is always a concern with many of our clubs. We must grow our clubs in order to survive and in order to find new projects and ideas for serving our communities. GROWTH powers service! Clubs that complete the Club Analysis or Assessment and the Community Analysis each year, AND hold a least one Special Guest Day each year will continue to grow and find new members. New members will result in more people to help with projects and many new ideas. It is a vicious circle but a reality within the Kiwanis world.

The first step is to perform a Club Analysis – checking on the “health” of your club and seeing if it is a group that someone would join. If our clubs are healthy, they will grow; but we need to evaluate our performance each year to see how we are doing. A detailed Assessment form is available in the Kiwanis Membership Development Manual – online at http://www.kiwanisone.org/ .

Then clubs should perform a Community Analysis – getting the pulse of the needs in your community. Kiwanis clubs are great for filling the “gaps” in governmental agencies; but we will not know the needs; or the “gaps” needing filling; if we do not poll the community leaders each year. The Community Analysis is a great tool for membership too. Often we find a group needing help and we can get a new members from the group we assist. This information is found in Chapter 4 of the Membership Development Manual.

The final step is to conduct a Membership Roundup or Special Guest Day. Details of how to conduct a Special Guest Day are included in the Membership Development Manual – available from Kiwanis; as well as in information found on the Kiwanis International website. The detailed procedures – if followed – are proven to bring new members to those clubs who hold this special day.

And . . the proven methods of a Special Guest Day are also located at www.cnhkiwanis.org; the CNH website. This eight-week process has been proven time and time again.

Consider now when your club could schedule a Special Guest Day. Allow at least 6-8 weeks for planning and executing this event properly. Let other clubs know of your date, and ask them to bring an interclub.

As clubs schedule dates, please share them with other clubs in your division – so they can plan to interclub on these dates.

If we think GROWTH . . . it WILL happen!!

Time to "dust" off the Tools!

As the new calendar year starts, we as Kiwanians need to realize that we already have the necessary tools for membership growth . . . we just need to dust them off and USE them! We have sat in seminars at conventions . . we have brought home the membership materials . . we have ordered brochures from KI. We have the tools . . but they are left locked up in our toolbox. It's time to take them out and use them.

Many of the Growth Tools are listed on this blog in the Resource section below - with links to the KI website for all of us to use. Check out http://www.kiwanisone.org/ for many, many membership downloads.

So . . . make a New Year's resolution to help your club grow . . and to introduce Service through Kiwanis to someone you know.

Reach in your Kiwanis toolbox . . clean off the tools . . . and begin to use them in your clubs and divisions. Focus on Membership in 2008. It will take some work . . but the results will allow your club to serve the needs of children in your area.

Celebrate Service . . . share the Kiwanis experience with someone today!

Is your club ready to CHANGE?

Our clubs need to change in order to grow - - adapting to new needs in the community and to attract new members. We have added a new link to the presentation given by Past-President Steve Siemens at a recent Int'l Convention.

This is excellent material to challenge your club and affect change that is needed.

Click on the link below and download the document from the old Kiwanis website.

Eight keys to a healthy Kiwanis club

UC Berkeley's 2007 study on volunteerism in America cited these eight characteristics of a healthy, active, volunteer membership organization:

1. A mission and purpose(s) that are clearly defined and supported by the Board and membership.
2. Members who understand the benefits and responsibilities of membership in the organization.
3. The work of the organization is effectively shared through an active Board or committee.
4. Strong, rotating leadership.
5. Timely and clear communication at all levels of the organization.
6. Planned, effective outreach and integration (orientation) of new members.
7. Programs and activities that meet the needs of the membership and are well planned and attended.
8. Effective utilization and appreciation of the rich mix of resources that individual members bring to the group.

--UC Berkeley

Who’s volunteering in America

Two recent studies from U.C. Berkeley and from the University of Chicago reveal volunteer trends that can help you recruit new Kiwanis members.

“Volunteering in America: State Trends and Rankings” is the first study to give a detailed breakdown of America’s volunteering habits and patterns by state and region.

Here’s a glance:
--Nationwide, volunteerism is on the rise, as 65.4 million (or 28.8 percent) of American adults volunteered in 2005, an increase of 6 million volunteers since 2002.
--Volunteers spend a median of 50 hours a year volunteering.
--Women volunteer at significantly higher rates than males nationwide.
--Working women (36.1 percent) volunteer more than non-working women (27.2 percent).
--Women with young children volunteer at a higher rate (39.9%) than do women without young children (29%).
--61.2 million Americans volunteered in 2006 to help others by mentoring students, restoring homes after disasters, assisting children.
--The major volunteer groups in 2006 were late teens, Baby Boomers and those older than 65.
--A significant number of teens are turning into volunteers because of school-based service programs (like Key Club).

For Kiwanis clubs, this means pay more attention to your teen members (Key Club, etc.), grow your teens into Kiwanians, and look to working women (and more so, working moms), Baby Boomers and retirees as your target groups for new membership.

The full survey, including profiles of volunteering in each region and state, is available at http://www.nationalservice.org/

Two clubs thinking "outside the box"

Two clubs within Division 37, taking the cue from Past International President Steve Siemans to "get out of your comfort zone," are embarking on "out-of-the-box" strategies to recruit new members.
The Rancho Bernardo club is conducting a month-long membership drive where new members will receive a 50-percent discount in initial dues and 50 percent off on breakfast meeting meals during the first year.
Meanwhile, the Poway club will be offering "service-only" memberships during the next year for new members who want to participate in service and fundraising projects, but for whom regular meeting attendance is an obstacle. Service-only members will be pay district and international dues and will be required to perform 36 hours of service each year. The program is modeled after one being successfully used by the San Jose noon club.
Are there other new membership ideas out there?

NEW CLUB BUILDING TRAINING OFFERED AT RENO CONVENTION

A complete two-hour New Club Builder Certification training session is being offered at the District Convention next month in Reno. Presenters include Jim Courtright from KIWANIS Int'l and Roy Talley, CNH New Club Building Chair.

It is important that each division in CNH have a New Club Builder - a member of the division TAG Team and Membership Growth Team. This seminar provides the tools necessary to effectively open a new club in your division.

Plan on attending this seminar now . . . . For more info, please contact Roy Talley at retalley@pacbell.net .

And . . . please leave a comment on this post if you are planning to attend.

KIWANIS ROLLS OUT GREAT NEW WEBSITE!!!!

CHECK OUT THE NEW KIWANIS WEBSITE TODAY!

Kiwanis has just rolled out the new website which includes a new look and feel as well as much more info for the members regarding growth.

Click on "Member Resources" and then go to the Member Community where you can register and participate in Blogs and Forums. This info is actually on a new website link - http://www.kiwanisone.org/

CHECK IT OUT TODAY!! . . . AND ROPE IN SOME NEW MEMBERS YOU'ALL!

NOTE - If you know where things are in the old website . . . you can link to it from the new one.

Membership blog a great idea!

Checking out the blog for the first time. I think you guys are on to a good thing. I'm involved in the opening of a new club in Division 37 (4S Ranch) where most of the prospective members are busy young parents. Getting them together in a room twice a month is a challenge; maybe communicating through a blog like this will be the way to go.

Need a Club Brochure . . . .?????

Today . . . . I have a DEAL for you!

Kiwanis has developed a club brochure template and will even print 50 copies for you!!!

Go to this link . . . .

http://classic.kiwanis.org/theone/cbrochure.html

OR

Click on the link below . . . .

New Tool for Clubs - Are You the One Campaign

CNH Tag Teams -

A new program designed to assist clubs with promoting memebership has been added to the Kiwanis International website - - "ARE YOU THE ONE?'

Select the link below and check out the new materials . . . .

Keep growing . .

Dave Schmitt

MEMBERSHIP GROWTH MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN SAN ANTONIO!

See you all in San Antonio!

Be sure to stop by the Membership Booth in the Exhibit Hall and see all of the new membership materials available for membership growth!

Growth in Kiwanis CAN be FUN - and not just a roller coaster ride! 

Welcome to the CNH TAG Blog

Thank you for being a Kiwanian!

Can you imagine our district with a membership of 90,000? Can you imagine the service that could be given to children and families? This can happen and we as Kiwanians can continue to be "dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time".

Each of you has ideas that have worked for your club or division and hopefully this blog can share some of them with the rest of the district.

In addition, the CNH TAG Team (TAG = Together Achieving Growth) will post some ideas in Membership - Revitalization, Retention, New Member Orientation, Inductions, PR, Marketing, and New Club Building. Also, we will provide links to new tools from Kiwanis International that are available to clubs to use in growth and membership.

So . . . it is now up to you CNH!

Let's hear from you and work together for growth in our great district of Kiwanis!

Dave Schmitt
CNH TAG Leader