Developing a Membership Orientation Program Building a New Generation for Service John Hathcock Roswell Lions Club

Who Am I? Lions Lion for 12 years Past Club President, Secretary and Zone Chair Presented Training in Georgia (MD-18) and Alabama (MD-34) Currently 18-A Membership Orientation Chair Education BS Mechanical Engineering – Auburn University MBA – University of Georgia (2012)

What are these things?

WHY IS ORIENTATION IMPORTANT? The Big Picture:

The Big Picture: Why Situational awareness Know how it fits into everything else Maintain focus on the goal

The Big Picture: Do Lions produce a product or provide a service? “We Serve” motto – providing a service A successful Lions club serves. A successful service firm also serves. Can we use concepts from service firms in the operations of a Lions Club?

The Big Picture: When to given an orientation Before? Or after? You are selling Lionism. Selling comes from Marketing Key components of marketing: Segmenting Targeting Positioning

The Big Picture: Does your club have an identity crisis? Is this what your community says about Lions? Do others know about the good work your club performs? Can all of your members answer the question: WHAT DO LIONS CLUBS DO?

The Big Picture: Membership is a Continuous Process Recruitment and induction are the first steps in development Training begins with the first conversation Prospective/New Members should have a plan for growth and development The Membership Process is continuous Mentoring is an excellent approach Kaizen continuous improvement

The Big Picture: Putting it all together Cog in the wheel Ongoing process Part of the club’s culture Business paralells The Circle of Life in Lions Reinforcing momentum

WHAT IS AN ORIENTATION Establishing Goals:

It helps to know where you are going…

Preparation is Important Would you want these people working on your house if they weren’t trained? Do you think these people believe in preparation?

Think back…why did you join? Boils down to two main reasons 1. Friend or family connection 2. Affinity for core values or projects Everything else can be summarized into these two categories Remember this when orientating and recruiting

What are our goals? Inform Involve Empower A Lion who is informed about their club, will be empowered to be involved and poised for success. SUCCESS IS OUR GOAL!

PLANNING YOUR ORIENTATION How do we do it?

What is a proper orientation? Must be a regular part of the membership process – make it a habit! Relevant to your clubs activities Relevant to new members Topics Fundamental principles of Lionism Facts about LCI, Multiple District/District Facts about your club Don’t just distribute facts – sell them on your club.

Inform: What to cover Include basics of club operations: Officers and duties Club finances Membership categories/responsibilities Service and social program/calendar Your clubs orientation sessions should be Regularly scheduled Part of the Membership Process A habit Convenient for your target audience Fun

Involve: Finding Their Thumbscrew What do your new members like? What are they interested in? Use activities to find each person’s thumbscrew. Involved Lions are easier to retain Involve from the first conversation – look for the match

Resources for Orientation Program New Member Orientation Guide (Publication ME-13) Gather facts from: LCI Website: MD 18 Website: District 18-A Website: Club: Activities, members, your club’s website Remember: It’s not just information!

Blueprint for Membership Development: Mentoring Use Mentoring Program Guide Basic Mentoring Guide - MTR 11 Advanced Mentoring Guide - MTR 12 Forms long term mentoring relationships: increase new member buy-in and commitment provide a one on one development path creates a natural, responsive feedback loop – address problems when they start

Designing your orientation (10 min) Use handout to outline your orientation program – that you will propose to your club when you get home Questions to ask Single session or multi session? Which topics? Local Club Info and activities District/State/International Info Lions History Club operations and member responsibilities Frequency? Regularly scheduled or at induction? Venue? Presenters?

Thank You We Serve