Communications
by Rosemary Cummings, Chair, Communications, Public Relations and Marketing (CPR-M) Committee

The recent Regional Conferences had great sessions on Communications - Producing Newsletters, Developing Your Website, Writing Articles about Club Events, Communications 101. All were very interesting and well attended sessions, however, these topics are only the How of Communications. As Kiwanians, we listen with interest to the How, but do not want to hear about the critical elements for good Communications - Who should we communicate with, Why do we communicate, and What is our message. Failing to affirm the Who, Why and What can keep our Clubs, our District, and Kiwanis from growing and serving productively.

Who? One CPR-M committee member said what we need is, Outreach to our communities. Very simply this means members discussing Kiwanis with our family, friends, neighbors, and business people, and then Asking them to join us in Service. Do we keep our service with Kiwanis a secret? We know our Club needs more hands to assist us in the work we do with our kids programs, so why not share your excitement and commitment and Ask someone you know to help in your Club's Service project. Once someone feels the exhilaration and accomplishment after working just one or two hours with our kids, Ask them if they would like to become a member in this organization called Kiwanis.

Inreach - Who? Another CPR-M member said we need to convince our longtime members Kiwanis has evolved into a caring, compassionate, community service, not just a weekly meal outing. Kiwanis is valuable because each member is valuable to the Kiwanis service mission. As a member's attendance at meetings drops or a member does not show up for service or fundraising events, Club leaders must reach inside the Club to rekindle member enthusiasm. Often, once large and active Clubs are looking across the table asking themselves, where did everyone go? Every member, especially those with a "been there, done that attitude", is responsible to keep the Club from growing complacent. Each member must work to keep the Club growing with members and in service. This is the Kiwanis expectation.

Why Communicate? Kiwanis International assessed the organization very seriously as it approaches its 100th anniversary. During this renewal process, a team of outside consultants questioned many people - who is Kiwanis, and what does Kiwanis do? Respondents had very different ideas or no ideas about the Kiwanis mission. We may hear the same thing when we approach someone to speak or serve. Kiwanis then reaffirmed what was happening for more than 90 years, the Kiwanis mission, Serving the Children of the World. Now we Kiwanians must Communicate this mission, first to Club members and then to the communities we serve. We each have a story to tell.

What is our Kiwanis message? The Kiwanis Brand is, Volunteers Dedicated to Changing the World, One Child, and One Community At A Time. Now, some who only read about the next fundraiser in their Newsletter or Website may not realize the evolution of this new Brand. Yes, we still Build, however we can only Build and Change the World for our Children if we have willing, committed, volunteer members to perform our many Service challenges.