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Once the backbone of community life in America, service clubs (e.g., Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Shriners) are in significant decline. It is not that our clubs have changed. America has changed.
To make retention a high priority, consider:
- People seek to connect with one another. Create opportunities where members feel comfortable, invite us into their lives and introduce us to their friends.
- Half of charitable giving is not driven by what people care about, but by what their friends and family care about. Consider the charity walk or bike ride. Most involved have little passion for the issue at hand, but join a team organized by a friend or family member. The service clubs that thrive in this new era are the ones who build on this focus on this sense of community.
- For families with children, time is highly prized. They’re attracted to how we add to the quality of their lives. How can we make ourselves more welcoming and valuable?
- Attracting two-income couples requires permitting and engaging their children as well. Does our club offer a family-friendly environment?
- People gravitate to settings that challenge them to think and encourage openness to inspiring ideas and alternatives. If your club can’t book high-level speakers, how about facilitated discussions around a pressing societal issue?
- Emerging generations desire to have an impact now. Don’t make new members wait years to see their ideas in action. They’ll walk away.
Service clubs are an American innovation. It is imperative we reinvent -- passing the torch and allowing an emerging generation of leaders to recreate our clubs according to their needs.