Growing members in the verse way

Talk to Ken Keller and Dave Weibel about the importance of retaining members, and you’re preaching to the choir.

And its songwriters.

Ken and Dave—membership committee co-chairmen for the Kiwanis Club of Columbus, Ohio, during the 2004-05 administrative year—wanted to make belonging to the club fun and memorable, says past president Christy Clark. So they began writing Kiwanis-related lyrics to familiar songs, singing a different song each month, “no matter how bad they were,” she says. The result: membership was stable during the year, and the performances even helped in recruiting new members.

“The special lyrics proved to be an interesting and fun way to grab the attention of our members,” Christy says. “Each month, the club looked forward to a new tune, which made our meetings.

“Retaining members is important, and recruiting members is necessary to keep a club going strong.”

The songwriting duo took a break during the current Kiwanis year, but planning begins anew in 2006-07, when Ken becomes club president.

A sample of some of their lyrics (to the tune of When Irish Eyes are Smiling):

So in this month of springtime

As the world gets dressed in green.

Make yourself this vital promise

That you’ll call some fair colleen.

Or maybe just some fellow

With a love for all mankind.

And we invite them to Kiwanis

Where there stars can start to shine.