Grundy Kiwanis Grows 40% In One Evening (Almost)
by Jack White

How many Kiwanis Clubs do you know that have increased their membership by 40 percent in one evening?

The Grundy Kiwanis Club in Southwest Virginia did just that, growing on April 8, from 27 to 38 members. OK, the last two of the new members actually joined a couple of days later. But it was all because of a wildly successful program conceived by Past President Jon Rife, who recently completed two years at Lt. Governor of Division 8. (Pictured seated are new members Mike Cox, Krisit Wagner, Cristen Stiltner, Wesley Stiltner and P. J. Justus. Helping them with their new member documents is Past Grundy President Jon Rife. Rife, who headed the club's hugely successful membership drive, is the Immediate Past LTG of Division 8.)

Rife, his club's current Membership Committee Chair, has long been an advocate of cleaning out deadwood, that is, club members who may pay dues but seldom if ever attend meetings or work on projects.

According to long-time Grundy Secretary and Past President Bill Parish, his club dropped from its 33 members at the beginning of this Kiwanis year to 27, all because of pruning, That is when Rife decided they needed to grow again. As President, Rife had earlier rebuilt the club from a much lower level to a comfortable perch in the 30's.

Rife said most of the ideas for his recent membership program came from the Kiwanis International Membership manual. Many clubs have called these events Roundups, but Rife decided his should be a Membership Night.

District Trustee Jack White of the Southwest Virginia Region was a guest speaker for the Membership Night and privately complimented Rife for his choice of name. White, who also serves as Capital District Growth Team Chair, personally dislikes the term Roundup. He says it sounds like herding cattle and would not like the think that he had been invited such an event.

How did it all this happen? Under guidance of Grundy President Ryan Mullins, the club was divided into three teams, each with a captain and co-captain. Their job was to scour the small Grundy community for people who would make good Kiwanians. The teams did their jobs well, with one team led by a female member concentrating on female prospects and the other two searching the community generally.

Among them, the teams submitted more than 50 names to the Grundy Board of Directors, most of whom were approved for membership invitations. About 50 letters then were sent to those prospects, each with a brochure about the club.

Membership Night was April 8, at the regular club meeting time of 6:00 p.m. Because of the expected crowd, the meeting was moved to the Fellowship Hall of the local Presbyterian Church. About 50 were present, about half club members, a few with spouses (one of whom joined), plus White, Lt. Governor Brian Wills and an Inter-Club group of nearby Haysi Kiwanians. The rest were invited prospects, about 20 of them.

The dinner was cooked by club members, chili with a variety of toppings, salad, bread and beverages. Rife opened the program by welcoming the guests, followed by Parish who gave a short history of the club and its accomplishments. Wills then told about Division 8, and White talked about the larger Kiwanis organization.

Each prospect when they arrived was given a packet of information that the club produced. Included was a membership application form, When the program ended, nine of the prospects handed in completed applications. Each added a $50 check for first year dues, except for two new members whose employers had agreed to pay.

That was an outstanding result for one evening. But, at the Regional Conference in Roanoke the next weekend, Rife reported that two more of the invitees had joined, making a total of 11 new members. The Grundy Kiwanis membership had grown to 38.

Parish, talking after the event, said the club did something similar two years ago, with less success. He said the key to this year's effort was the number of members who were involved - leading the teams, scouring for new members, helping plan the Membership Night and doing the work that it required.

But the work has not ended. Each new member has been assigned a sponsor or mentor, who will help guide them through three sessions of membership training. And, following the Kiwanis manual, each new member will be given a specific job in the club.

White applauded this Grundy effort, not just for the number of new members it produced, but the quality of the pre-screened prospects and because the club will follow up properly - with extended training, mentors, and jobs for all the new members.

"These are keys to successful growth efforts," White said. "We talk about them and the manual lays it all out, step by step. But too many clubs try short cuts, or just do not finish the job. This Grundy growth appears to be solid and should be lasting, both for the club and the new people who have joined."

White said the Growth Team is producing a CD with information about the Grundy Membership Night, including the processes followed, the forms used, and short videos of the evening itself. The CDs will be distributed to the District Board and Growth Team members. Others may request copies by sending an email with their name, club or other Kiwanis position, postal address and phone number to jackwhite@whitelawoffice.com. There will be no charge for the CDs.