Strategic Priorities

What It Is: Kiwanis Family Days are regional gatherings designed to bring together Kiwanians and their families for a day of fellowship, fun, and hands-on service. Each division will host one event, featuring interclub social activities, a family-inclusive service project, and opportunities to celebrate the community impact of Kiwanis together.

Why It Matters:

• Strengthens club culture by engaging not just members, but their loved ones

• Reinforces Kiwanis as a welcoming space that values a life-balance and connection

• Creates opportunities for recruitment by inviting guests into a low-pressure, high-energy space

• Builds community pride and visibility through service and celebration

Reflection Question:

• How would it feel for your family to experience the heart of Kiwanis, together, in action and in community?

What It Is: Encourage and educate around alternative membership formats and service options, such as:

• • Hybrid/virtual meetings

  • Service-only or project-based memberships

  • Pop-up meetings or events for alumni, parents, or corporate partners

Why It Matters:

• Removes barriers for younger and working members

• Helps retain members during life transitions

Question for The Reader:

• What keeps you from engaging more regularly? What kind of flexibility would help?

What It Is: A friendly competition between divisions that tracks engagement success such as:

• % of clubs gaining new members

• Guest attendance at meetings

• Social media visibility

• Interclub projects

Why It Matters:

• Boosts energy and pride

• Creates accountability and innovation at the division level

Question for The Reader:

• What if every member brought just one guest this year? Who would you invite?

What It Is: This initiative aims to revitalize and expand the Kiwanis Club Coach Program by recruiting and re-engaging past club presidents, lieutenant governors, and district leaders to serve as trained coaches for existing clubs. Coaches will provide tailored support to clubs in areas like membership growth, leadership development, meeting facilitation, and community engagement, based on the Kiwanis Club Coach model outlined in the official Club Coach Guide for Existing Clubs.

This is not a one-size-fits-all role. Coaches will be carefully matched with clubs that align with their strengths and interests, and they will receive training and resources to support a positive, partnership-based approach. Trained coaches may also be assigned to or choose to support their home club.

Why It Matters:

• Many clubs need sustainable support, not just advice, especially as membership needs shift post-pandemic.

• Past leaders hold a wealth of knowledge that often goes untapped after their formal terms end. This program helps reconnect them with meaningful, flexible service.

• Coaching supports retention and revitalization, helping clubs overcome stagnation, plan ahead, and create a more engaging experience for current and future members.

• Unlike new club building, this focuses on strengthening the clubs we already have - preserving legacy while planning for growth.

Question for The Reader:

• Who supported your growth as a Kiwanis leader, and how might you now do the same for another club that needs a steady hand and a fresh perspective?

What It Is: A Kiwanis Sponsor-based onboarding and mentoring program designed to strengthen the relationship between a new member and their sponsoring Kiwanian. The program outlines a optional 90-day engagement plan that helps sponsors guide new members through their early journey with purpose, support, and connection.

Each sponsoring member will receive a Connection Toolkit with resources such as:

• A suggested 30/60/90-day check-in schedule

• Templates for introducing the new member to the club and leadership

• Ideas for attending service projects or events together

• A guide for explaining club traditions, bylaws, and the mission of Kiwanis

• Prompts to help deepen conversations and highlight service opportunities

The goal is to make sponsorship more than a handshake, it's a meaningful mentorship experience that helps new members feel welcomed, informed, and inspired to serve.

Why It Matters:

• Empowers sponsors to play an active, ongoing role in a new member’s success

• Strengthens retention by fostering early confidence, connection, and engagement

• Builds a culture of belonging and accountability from the moment someone joins

• Reinforces Kiwanis values by making mentorship and support central to membership

• Makes it easier for new members to understand our mission and take action early on

Question for The Reader:

• When you first joined Kiwanis, who helped you feel at home, and how might you pay that experience forward to someone just getting started?

What It Is: This initiative establishes optional biannual virtual meetings for club leaders to connect directly with their district counterparts:

• Club Secretaries with the District Secretary

• Club Treasurers with the District Treasurer

• Club Presidents with the District Governor

These optional gatherings that would happen twice a year on zoom would create space to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and build peer support based on officer role. Each session includes open dialogue, spotlighted success stories, and opportunities for Q&A.

Why It Matters:

• Creates a direct, supportive link between district and club leaders

• Encourages knowledge-sharing and innovation across the district

• Helps new officers gain confidence by hearing what works in other clubs

• Reduces isolation and builds a stronger, more collaborative leadership culture

Question for The Reader:

• Who do you turn to when you have questions about your club role, and what if those answers came directly from others doing the same work?

What It Is: The Community Impact Challenge invites every club in the district to launch one new project focused on a key issue affecting youth: mental health, literacy, or food security. Clubs choose the issue most relevant to their local community and design a signature project that creates measurable, visible impact.

Why It Matters:

• Encourages clubs to engage with urgent, youth-centered needs

• Provides a fresh opportunity for visibility, partnership, and member engagement

• Sparks creativity and innovation in service planning

• Reinforces Kiwanis’ mission to improve the world, one child and one community at a time

Reflection Question:

• If your club could make a difference in just one issue facing youth today - what would it be, and how would you start?

What It Is: This initiative encourages Kiwanis clubs to partner with local cultural organizations and community leaders to co-create service projects that reflect the diverse identities and needs of the communities we serve. These collaborations can include joint events, service-learning initiatives, or culturally responsive programs. This work would be in partnership with District Social Change & Equity Committee.

Why It Matters:

• Promotes inclusivity and representation in our service efforts

• Builds deeper trust and relationships with underserved or underrepresented communities

• Strengthens Kiwanis’ role as a responsive and culturally aware partner

• Expands service reach and impact by working alongside those closest to the issues

Reflection Question:

• Who’s missing from the table when your club plans a service project, and how might inviting them in change the outcome?

What It Is: Every club will be encouraged to:

• Invite SLP (Service Leadership Program) members to attend and plan joint service projects

• Present youth testimonials in grant or media materials

Why It Matters:

• Models inclusive leadership

• Makes projects more relevant and responsive

• Keeps SLPs engaged beyond meetings

Question for The Reader:

• When’s the last time you asked a student what they wanted from a service project?

What Is It: A taskforce made up of the five individuals appointed by the district board to sit on the foundation board annually and our district Children's Fund chair focused on:

• Supporting and connecting local club foundations

• Promoting giving to the Kiwanis Foundation of New England (KFNE)

• Developing shared grant writing tools and storytelling templates

Why It Matters:

• Strengthens all levels of giving

• Helps clubs become more sustainable

Question for The Reader:

• How could your club’s foundation be more visible or effective?

What It is: A campaign to raise $10,000+ to support:

• CKI student grants (tuition, travel, dues) and CKI District Operations through silent auctions, pin sales, and other localized means.

Why It Matters:

• Helps our youth programs thrive

• Keeps young leaders connected long-term

Question for The Reader:

• What would you say to a student who has to choose between buying books or attending a leadership conference?

What It Is: A digital guide to help clubs build partnerships, featuring:

• Sample emails and meeting scripts

• Local sponsor/funder outreach tips

• Best practices from successful collaborations

Why It Matters:

• Helps clubs grow capacity

• Sparks new service ideas

• Brings Kiwanis into the community spotlight

Question for The Reader:

• What local organization would be stronger if they teamed up with your club?

What It Is: The District Communications Toolkit will be a ready-to-use resource package that includes updated templates, branding guides, social media graphics, press release samples, Canva layouts, and newsletter blurbs. Designed to support clubs of all sizes, the toolkit will help streamline communication, boost visibility, and ensure consistency across the district.

Why It Matters:

• Saves time and builds confidence for club leaders managing outreach

• Helps clubs present a professional, unified image of Kiwanis to their communities

• Increases engagement and recognition on digital platforms

• Supports recruitment, event promotion, and storytelling at the local level

Question for The Reader:

• What could your club accomplish if you had the right tools to tell your story more clearly, and more often?

What It Is: This initiative will train local ambassadors or interns per state to support clubs with social media, storytelling, and public-facing communications. Ambassadors will receive training in branding, digital tools (like Canva and Mailchimp), and strategies to boost visibility. They'll serve as regional resources to help clubs enhance their online presence and promote their impact effectively.

Why It Matters:

• Many clubs struggle with promotion despite doing meaningful work; this initiative helps bridge that gap

• Builds long-term digital skills within the district to support visibility, recruitment, and retention

• Creates a collaborative network of communicators who can share success stories and amplify events

• Ensures clubs have access to up-to-date tools and support to thrive in an increasingly digital world

Question for The Reader:

• If your club's impact could be seen and heard by the whole community, what story would you want to tell?

What It Is: The Virtual Listening Tour is a district-wide engagement effort, featuring at least 8 virtual forums across clubs and divisions. Each session will focus on key themes such as youth voice, club sustainability, and leadership development, inviting honest dialogue and idea-sharing. Insights gathered will directly inform a 4-year strategic plan.

Why It Matters:

• Ensures that district priorities are shaped by the real needs and hopes of our members

• Creates space for inclusive conversations across geography, generation, and club size

• Builds trust and transparency between district leadership and local clubs

• Encourages collaboration and co-creation, not top-down decision-making

Question for The Reader:

• When was the last time your club was asked, not just to listen, but to be heard?

What It Is: This initiative centers on the creation of a 4-year strategic plan, informed by district-wide input gathered through the Virtual Listening Tour and developed in partnership with the District Bylaws & Policy Committee. Once drafted, the plan will be formally presented to both the Past District Governors Committee and the Past Lieutenant Governors Committee to gather feedback, ensure alignment, and honor the legacy of district leadership. As Immediate Past Governor, I will serve as an active, contributing member of both committees, supporting strategic continuity while also recognizing and respecting the leadership and priorities of the incoming Governor and their team.

Why It Matters:

• Honors and integrates the experience of past district leaders while centering member-driven ideas

• Strengthens governance alignment between current and former leadership

• Helps ensure the plan is realistic, sustainable, and rooted in both innovation and institutional wisdom

• Sets up future Governors and Lt. Governors to lead with clarity, continuity, and confidence

Question for The Reader:

• What could we achieve as a district if every past, present, and future leader had a shared vision to guide our collective work and planning?