Ready to Recruit?
Capital District of Key Club International: Communications Committee
One of the biggest issues that Key Club officers face is recruiting and retaining members throughout the year. There is no secret formula for adding members to your roster. Growing your club takes hard work, enthusiasm, creativity, and a plan.
It is crucial to promote your club non-stop throughout the school year - even in the summer. The easiest and most effective way to recruit members is to advertise in any way possible. You can hang posters in the hallways and other places where students congregate most often. A great place is on the back of bathroom stalls! You can talk about club meetings and events on your school’s announcements and post pictures and information on social media. At school events, like orientation, you can have displays and hand out flyers about what Key Club is and how to join. You can hold informational meetings for possible members, and spread the word to everyone you know.
Another great way to display Key Club to students is to set up a table or booth during lunch periods. You can have music, activities, raffles, or a wheel that students can spin to win prizes like candy. Make sure to have some informational flyers printed and ready to hand out to everyone who comes to your booth. Hang posters around, or make a tri-fold board for students to check out and learn what Key Club is. Draw attention to your booth with decorations and make it as entertaining as possible!
Now is the best time to seek new recruits! The school year has just begun and there are lots of freshmen and new students to introduce to Key Club.
After you recruit members, you have to make them want to stay! Inform them about the structure of Key Club (Inverted Pyramid!) and of events like Fall Rally and DCON (District Convention), which are just some of the amazing opportunities that Key Club offers! As officers, you must have passion for leadership and your club. Spread your passion and others will follow.
You should also work on making your meetings fun! If members have a good time, they’ll tell their friends, and word will spread. Ice breakers either before or after meetings are a great way for members to bond and enjoy themselves. The closer the club feels, the more likely members are to continue to participate. You can invite guest speakers from other Kiwanis branches, or from Key Club co-sponsors, like Rustic Pathways, to inform members of opportunities they likely didn’t know existed. Another way to motivate members or possible members to attend meetings is to serve food. It’s a simple way to guarantee a large turnout. You can order pizza if you have a smaller club, or have cookies or candy for a larger club.
It’s also crucial to have a variety of projects to sign up for, based on the different interests of your club. Make sure projects are fully planned and organized before sending information out to your members so that there is no confusion or changed dates or times. The more organized and successful your club, the more your membership will grow.
Establishing performance standards for your club will assure that members stay active, and they can help prospective members realize the emphasis Key Club puts on participation. Set goals for your club, whether they be monetary or timely goals. Many clubs operate on a point system, rewarding members who do more and motivating others to increase their participation. Award members a certain amount of points based on how many service hours they perform and how many meetings they attend. Set certain levels (like bronze, silver, and gold) based on points, and give rewards based on ranking. You can also set a minimum number of points required to stay in the club the following year. Some clubs give out an award to the Key Clubber of the month, which could be a member that completed the most service hours that month, or did an outstanding job on a project they were involved with. Highlighting the successes and hard work of members shows them how much their participation means. Make every member feel important, because it is the members that make Key Club as amazing as it is.
If you’re still struggling to keep your club active and successful, talk to your members. Hold a meeting just to discuss the weaknesses of your club and get advice or suggestions from the members. Make a survey and find out what they want out of the club. As officers, your job is to serve your members and your community, so listen to what they have to say. Figure out the best time, date, and location for your meetings. Ask what types of projects they would like to see offered or what type of people they want to work with (old, young, sick, etc.). Learn what works for your club. Every club has the potential to be incredibly successful. It will take time and dedication, but you can do it! Set goals, follow a plan, and be the club you know you can be. Take advantage of this year, and go change lives!
Capital District of Key Club International: Communications Committee
One of the biggest issues that Key Club officers face is recruiting and retaining members throughout the year. There is no secret formula for adding members to your roster. Growing your club takes hard work, enthusiasm, creativity, and a plan.
It is crucial to promote your club non-stop throughout the school year - even in the summer. The easiest and most effective way to recruit members is to advertise in any way possible. You can hang posters in the hallways and other places where students congregate most often. A great place is on the back of bathroom stalls! You can talk about club meetings and events on your school’s announcements and post pictures and information on social media. At school events, like orientation, you can have displays and hand out flyers about what Key Club is and how to join. You can hold informational meetings for possible members, and spread the word to everyone you know.
Another great way to display Key Club to students is to set up a table or booth during lunch periods. You can have music, activities, raffles, or a wheel that students can spin to win prizes like candy. Make sure to have some informational flyers printed and ready to hand out to everyone who comes to your booth. Hang posters around, or make a tri-fold board for students to check out and learn what Key Club is. Draw attention to your booth with decorations and make it as entertaining as possible!
Now is the best time to seek new recruits! The school year has just begun and there are lots of freshmen and new students to introduce to Key Club.
After you recruit members, you have to make them want to stay! Inform them about the structure of Key Club (Inverted Pyramid!) and of events like Fall Rally and DCON (District Convention), which are just some of the amazing opportunities that Key Club offers! As officers, you must have passion for leadership and your club. Spread your passion and others will follow.
You should also work on making your meetings fun! If members have a good time, they’ll tell their friends, and word will spread. Ice breakers either before or after meetings are a great way for members to bond and enjoy themselves. The closer the club feels, the more likely members are to continue to participate. You can invite guest speakers from other Kiwanis branches, or from Key Club co-sponsors, like Rustic Pathways, to inform members of opportunities they likely didn’t know existed. Another way to motivate members or possible members to attend meetings is to serve food. It’s a simple way to guarantee a large turnout. You can order pizza if you have a smaller club, or have cookies or candy for a larger club.
It’s also crucial to have a variety of projects to sign up for, based on the different interests of your club. Make sure projects are fully planned and organized before sending information out to your members so that there is no confusion or changed dates or times. The more organized and successful your club, the more your membership will grow.
Establishing performance standards for your club will assure that members stay active, and they can help prospective members realize the emphasis Key Club puts on participation. Set goals for your club, whether they be monetary or timely goals. Many clubs operate on a point system, rewarding members who do more and motivating others to increase their participation. Award members a certain amount of points based on how many service hours they perform and how many meetings they attend. Set certain levels (like bronze, silver, and gold) based on points, and give rewards based on ranking. You can also set a minimum number of points required to stay in the club the following year. Some clubs give out an award to the Key Clubber of the month, which could be a member that completed the most service hours that month, or did an outstanding job on a project they were involved with. Highlighting the successes and hard work of members shows them how much their participation means. Make every member feel important, because it is the members that make Key Club as amazing as it is.
If you’re still struggling to keep your club active and successful, talk to your members. Hold a meeting just to discuss the weaknesses of your club and get advice or suggestions from the members. Make a survey and find out what they want out of the club. As officers, your job is to serve your members and your community, so listen to what they have to say. Figure out the best time, date, and location for your meetings. Ask what types of projects they would like to see offered or what type of people they want to work with (old, young, sick, etc.). Learn what works for your club. Every club has the potential to be incredibly successful. It will take time and dedication, but you can do it! Set goals, follow a plan, and be the club you know you can be. Take advantage of this year, and go change lives!