eBuilder - The Online Newsletter of the Capital District of Kiwanis International

October 2009

David Maloney, Editor

October '09 eBuilder Front Page

Governor's Message

by Gov. Don Dudey

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Governor Tom Ganse and his "Top Guns" team in having an outstanding year. They got off to a slow start but really finished strong by building 5 new clubs. Even though we are below the number of members we started with on October 1, 2008, we have eliminated the downward trend and our membership is going up for the first time is six years. In addition, Governor Tom's team met their goal of increasing the number of Service Leaders Clubs this year by 12% for a total of 369 SLP clubs within the Capital District

As my year begins on October 1, 2009, I want to keep that momentum going and perhaps increase it. As you know Governor Ganse introduced the District Wide Strategic Plan, which the membership approved at the 2008 District Convention. The implementation of this Strategic Plan is taking time for every club to embrace its concepts and use. I hope to improve the results this year in getting a large majority of clubs to complete and implement this Strategic Plan.

The goals that I want to strive to complete this year follow the Strategic Plan's concepts ideas:

My first goal is to increase our service project hours this year by 12%. Isn't this what Kiwanis is all about, service to our communities? There are so many opportunities in every one of our communities that are not being fulfilled, especially in today's economic times. Conduct a Community Analysis and see what is needed in your community. You might be surprised what you find. Can your club add one or two new service projects or increase the number of hours from your existing service projects to meet this goal?

Second, increase the amount of monies we raise each year by 15% and at the same time, increase the amount of monies we spend on these service projects or to our Service Leadership Programs by 15%. The more monies we spend the more service we can provide our communities. Can we argue against this goal?

Third, increase the number of Service Leadership Program sponsorships - CKI, Key Clubs, Builders, Kiwanis Kids and Aktion Clubs-- by 12%. This is where Kiwanis shines over any other service organization. Kiwanis has been a proponent in helping children ever since we began. This is our "bread and butter" in our communities everywhere. There are many schools in almost every community that could benefit from our sponsorship of one or more of these clubs. Remember 1 high school = 4 middle schools which =12 elementary schools so take the number of high schools in your community and do the math.

As of 9/23/09, we have the following number of clubs:

13   Aktion clubs Inactive       1      Members          335
38   K-Kids          Inactive       14      Members          250
58   Builders clubs Inactive     30      Members          294
233 Key Club       Inactive       38      Members     14,197
27 CKI clubs       Inactive         7      Members          853

We need to build more SLP clubs. Can your club sponsor a new Service Leadership club this year? Contact your LTG on how this can be accomplished.

Fourth. I hear the complaints. How can we do more, we are a small club or our age is getting too old to do additional projects. How can we accomplish increases of service hours or projects, raise more money to spend and then begin or add more Service Leadership programs? I will tell you how. Recruit new members from your communities to conducts these activities. If we need more hands to do the work, then we must find those hands and put them to work. We can all help by getting our own clubs involved in this endeavor.

Currently, we only have 4 Divisions out of 21 who have a positive growth as of Sept 23, 2009. Our District membership is 81 below what we were on Oct 1, 2008. Ladies and Gentleman, we have to close our 'back door" and build up our existing club membership. 54% of our clubs are below what they were on Oct 1. We need to learn from the 46% of the clubs who are growing their clubs today. We have 5 or 6 District Support Committees waiting to help each and every club grow - Take advantage of this offer now. Remember, Service projects get the public interested in who you are and they just might be interested in getting involved with you. I would love to see a 12% growth overall in all of our clubs this next year. We can do it, if we put are mind to it.

The District Growth Committee with the help of 5-6 Kiwanis Clubs this year have added 5 new clubs and have 3-4 more in the beginning stages. That 30 members time 4 equals 120 new members. This sure increases the District membership in a hurry. There are many, many fine communities in and around our communities, perhaps yours is one that either has had a Kiwanis Club or are now ready to have a new Kiwanis Club built in the community. A new club near your club should not take away from your club if worked properly. Many times the new club helps build the older club in membership and for sure service in the community.

I have committed to our incoming International President - Paul Palazzolo that I would build one new club in each of our 8 regions this next year. Our District Growth Committee has identified a dozen or more locations throughout our District where a new Kiwanis Club could or should be built. To make this work, existing Kiwanis Clubs need to step forward and help our Growth Committee accomplish this process. I may be coming to your club this year and asking whether or not your club will step up and help expand the Kiwanis story in a community near you. I hope you and your club will be willing to do so, because without this process being successful, Kiwanis may just shrivel up and die. No one wants this to happen.

Now my Fifth goal - I am going to make the District Club Support Committee program be an effective and helpful resource that every club in this district can take advantage of. There are 16 District Club Support Committees:

Administration & Club Operations
Aktion Clubs
Builders Clubs
Club Growth
Communications & Public Relations
CKI
Community Service
Inclusion Enhancement
Kiwanis Kids
International Understanding
Key Club
Key Leaders
Leadership Development
Meetings
New Club Building
YCPO

In order for these committees to work properly, we have to have willing and able Kiwanians to become an active and knowledgeable member. Each region has one member on each of these committees meaning each committee has 8 members including a committee chair. I have 16 very qualified, energetic and knowledgeable committee chairs but we do not have every committee fully staffed. Would you be interested in working on one of these committees?

The purpose of each committee is to provide assistance to any club that is in need of assistance in any one of these 16 areas. Key Leaders for instance - we have one Key Leaders Weekend scheduled in Anne Arundel County, MD in April 2010 and a second one in the Hampden Roads area in Oct/Nov 2010. This committee will be promoting both of these weekends by having Kiwanis Clubs sponsor one or more high school deserving students - not necessarily a Key Clubber. Do you want to help us? If so, contact myself or any Committee Chair regarding working on these committees.

My last goal in doing all of these activities is we must have fun while doing them. I love doing a service project with other Kiwanians and/or Key Club/CKI's. It really allows me time to get to know each of them, talk, tell jokes or stories and really have a lot of fun doing a service project or fund raiser. Every club must make sure that HAVING FUN while doing a service project or fund raiser is just as important as the event itself.

So, my six goals again are: