Membership Recruitment
• The Goal:
To Learn How To Ask Others To Join
Your Club

Agenda
• Culture of Growth
• Prospecting For New Members
• Making Recruiting Personal
• How to Follow Up

Culture of Growth
• As much an expectation as service
• Growth = more service
• Mention it 3 times during every meeting

Prospecting
• Make a list
• Manage the list
• Follow up

Make A List
• Personal/Social
– Family-Spouse, Adult Children, Parents, Cousins,
Neighbors/Friends, Church
• Business/Professional
– Co-Workers, Guest Speakers, Agencies Your Club
Supports, Lawyer, CPA, Real Estate Agent, Banker,
MD, Insurance Agent
– City/County Officials Elected & Non-Elected
• Cold calling

Manage Your List
• Should have at least 20 names.
• Select 10 names. Commit to speaking in
person to all 10.
• Invite them to
– (1) Meeting &
– (2) A Service Project.

Cold Calling
• Go To A Main Street/ Strip Mall And Go
Door To Door.
• Set Up An Informational Table At A Local
Event
• Contact Visitors Who Didn’t Join
• Contact Former Members
ASK! ASK! ASK! ASK!

Recruiting
• Presentation format
• What to say
• Storytelling
• Overcoming objections

Presentation Format
• Preparation: Wear appropriate Kiwanis apparel
and Kiwanis pin. Be on time.
• Introduction: Get the prospect talking about
themselves.
– State your name & your clubs name.
– Proceed with something personal about the prospect
(congratulations on your promotion, I see your
daughter received a scholarship, etc.)
– Ask about his business.
• Make you presentation short ( 5 min.) and
personal.

What to say
• Share three things your Club does that touches
lives in a positive way.
• Let them know that in order to maintain your
clubs level of service you must have new
members.
• Tell them how your life has been impacted by
Kiwanis (“Kiwanis moment”)
• Remember the Goal is to have them attend a
meeting as your guest
– DON’T ask them to join, ask them to visit and find out
more

Spreading The Word
“Storytelling is the
most powerful way
to put ideas into the
world today.”
-Robert McAfee Brown

“A Kiwanis Moment”
• Identify a “Kiwanis moment”, something that
touched you in a special way. In your own words
place in on paper. Say it out loud several times.
• When you speak with a prospective member
share the moment.
• Let the prospect know that you need new
members to provide more service to youth in
his/her community

Overcoming Objections
• NO, often means not now or maybe.
NEVER take no as a final answer the first time
you hear it.
• Every time you are told no you are that much
closer to a yes!
• You should NEVER take no personally. YOU are
not being rejected, your invitation is.

Overcoming Objections
• “I don’t have the time”
– I understand, I am busy myself. All
we ever ask anyone to do is give what
you can, when you can. Few of us
have the time to do all we are asked to
do but all of us can find the time to do
what we want to do.

Overcoming Objections
• “I can’t make every meeting”
– Kiwanis has no minimum attendance
requirement. We understand that your family
and your business comes first. As long as
you try to attend when you can and help us
with our efforts to improve the community,
you will be a valuable asset.

Overcoming Objections
• “I already work with kids at________”
– That’s great! Thank you for your
commitment to our youth. Your passion for
children can easily be transferred to Kiwanis.
In fact I bet our Club could give you some
support with ______.

Overcoming Objections
• “[Time] meetings are just not good for
me””
– What is a good time for you ? We have 15
other Clubs in the area that meet at various
days and times.

Follow Up
• The Day after they visit call them to say
thanks.
• Have Club President call also
• Have Club Secretary send a thank you
note.
• Follow up! Follow up! Follow up!

Follow Ups
• Non-commits
• Meeting invitation
• Club meeting
• Club administration and Sponsor
• 2nd
meeting

Follow Up: Non-commits
• Have membership committee call every
two weeks for three months and invite to
another meeting
• Have sponsor invite to a service project
• Invite to the Clubs Special Guest Meeting
• Send an electronic Club Bulletin if possible
Every guest will not join when first asked

Follow Up: Invitation Meeting
• If there is enough time, send a thank you
note.
• Give prospect a reminder call the day
before their visit.

Follow Up: Club Meeting
• Pre-arrange with club President to have
you introduce your guest.
• Let guest have 2-3 min to tell Club about
themselves.
• Pre-arrange to have members thank
prospect for attending.

Follow Up: Meeting
• Invite prospect to next meeting
• President or Secretary send a thank you
note.
• Sponsor call within 48 hours and invite to
next meeting

Follow Up: 2nd
Meeting
• Ask prospect to join.
• Present with application and ask for $75.00.
• When you have application and money ask new
member ( conditional on Board approval) for the
names of two people they think might be
interested in visiting a Kiwanis meeting.
• Give new member a hand out of standing
committees and ask that he/she pick one they
might be interested in. After Board approval
assign to committee.

Signing Up Your Prospect
• Sit down with prospect and review the basics
(Kiwanis mission, Club expectations, attendance
policy, opportunities to serve, etc. and cost.) Ask
if the prospect has any questions and answer
them
• Then ASK.
– “ I am convinced you are going to make a wonderful
addition to our Club (assumption close) please check
to see that this information is correct ( sponsor would
have application filled out ) and sign here. When you
have signed let me have the application so I can sign
the back. It is an honor to be your sponsor.”
You must ask! You must ask! You must ask!

Don’t be afraid to try something different!