Members conjur meeting magic

Quite often, a Kiwanis club is known as much for its meetings as it is for its service activities. And the entertainment value of these regular Kiwanis gatherings can have a direct impact on membership retention.

•  Al Rotaru, Olds, Alberta, Kiwanis club—“Make some noise and have fun, but respect the agenda and process. Everyone counts.”

•  Brandi B. Graham, Bath, New York, Kiwanis club—“Periodically having members speak about themselves is a great way to find out interesting facts you may not have known.”

•  Jeff Murdoch, Chesaning, Michigan, Kiwanis club—“Each week, we recognize a middle school student for excellence and leadership. We invite the student and teacher to our meeting and present the student with a certificate and a Kiwanis pencil. We give the teacher an opportunity TO share about the student and then recognize the teacher’s support of our students and present him/her with a Kiwanis ink pen and an invitation to join the club.”

•  B.J. Harmon, Traverse City, Michigan, Kiwanis club—“An interesting program makes the Kiwanis meeting perfect.”

•  William G. Koonce, League City, Texas, Kiwanis club—“Humorous skits, reports on service and fundraising projects, mystery members. …”

•  Innocent Akioya, Iyekiya, Benin City, Nigeria, Kiwanis club—“Encourage members to act as unofficial assistants to club officers so the club can make progress. An African adage says, “Load that is lifted by so many hands will not be so heavy.’”

•  Hans de Leeuw, Kelowna, British Columbia, Kiwanis club—“All members get the chance to relate their life experiences in a 15-minute presentation, which promotes knowing each other and draws on one another for information or guidance during certain times of harrowing episodes in their lives.”

•  Dorothy J. Knollman, Escanaba, Michigan, Kiwanis club—“A club leader should not talk at great length, rephrasing other offerings and urging their own interests.”

•  Don McCarthy, Dobson Ranch, Arizona, Kiwanis club—“Every meeting must have an agenda, and it should be followed.”

•  Donna Phelps, Superstitions Mesa, Arizona, Kiwanis club—“Move around. Talk with one another. When a club does an inter-club, don’t sit together. Move around. You just might learn something new.”

•  Carlos A. Nazario, Topsail Island Area, North Carolina, Kiwanis club—“We have wonderful weekly speakers. We go through the rituals of singing, saying the pledge, and praying. We have a drawing, and we have a sheriff who fines members for one silly thing or another. And we collect ‘happy dollars.’ All of this—plus our formal induction of new members once a month—makes our weekly meeting fun to attend and exciting for potential new members.”

•  Ida Bradish, Foreman, Arkansas, Kiwanis club—“A birthday person puts a dollar in the kitty and names someone to sing Happy Birthday . If that person does not want to sing, he or she adds another dollar to the kitty and names another singer. This keeps going until someone sings.”

•  Edward Cobb, Newark, Ohio, Kiwanis club—“Fellowship with lots of humor. Clubs need to ‘loosen up’ and have fun.”

•  Hal Jackson, Greater Pomona, California, Kiwanis club—“An advance calendar of speakers signals to the membership that the club is interested in presenting programs that are informative to all.”

•  Gordon Harris, Huntington, New York, Kiwanis club—“Ask each member to introduce the person sitting to his/her right. Such activities gets people interested in learning a little more about others in the club.”

•  Paul W. Herring, Dallas, Texas, Kiwanis club:

•  “Location, location, location: Convenient to members, easy in and out, comfortable atmosphere.
•  “Well-organized agenda: Start and finish on time, limit in-depth club business discussion to separate ‘business meetings.’
•  “Emphasize ‘community involvement’: Every meeting should have an exciting, positive update on at least one community project.
•  “Family: Encourage members’ families to be involved in projects and at meetings.

Kiwanis would gain greater ‘age’ diversity and grow more if members’ families were more included in activities. For example, create ‘family memberships’ with minimal added dues for spouse and kids 18 and under so spouses and kids are actually considered to be participating ‘members.’”

•  Jim Ratchford, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Kiwanis club—“What makes a perfect Kiwanis meeting? It’s the people. Former strangers who have become friends through sharing songs, laughter, leadership, caring, and support for each other, while we each shift our view from ourselves toward helping others. It’s a combination that warms the heart.”

•  John Goss, Pulaski Heights, Little Rock, Arkansas, Kiwanis club—“The best meetings contain humor, club activities and announcements, songs, and inspiration. The meeting should be controlled by the president at all times!”

•  Melinda Sue Frazer, Hermitage, Pennsylvania, Kiwanis club—“As a new member, I was made to feel right at home by my club. It was as if they had known me for years. They listen to any suggestions I offer—usable or not.”

•  Sue Petrisin, East Lansing, Michigan, Kiwanis club—“We have a program to ‘reintroduce’ our members. It’s called ‘Whom Am I?’ Each member is asked to give us two or three tidbits of information about themselves that others probably don’t know. During the meeting, the presidents reads these items, and members try to guess who the member is. If the membership gets stuck, we have a few “known” items about the member as additional clues. It’s a lot of fun for us to reconnect with each other.”

•  Donna Sue Stuckey, Pittsburg, Kansas, Kiwanis club—“Our president is very good about acknowledging acts and works of other members and verbally thanking them. Those acts that benefit the club always get an applause.”

•  Sara Cowley, Winamac, Indiana, Kiwanis club—“We have a ‘crying towel,’ which is awarded each week by the person who received it the week before. It is given to someone whose favorite team had a bad week.”

•  Steve Osgood, Franklin, Pennsylvania, Kiwanis club—“We have a progressive 50/50 cash drawing. You buy a ticket for a chance to win. When your ticket is drawn, you get a chance to draw the joker from a deck of cards. If you draw the joker, you win the money. If you don’t draw the joker, the money stays, the card is torn up, and everyone has another chance to win at the next meeting. Presently, our pot is at $1,217 with only 11 cards left.”