1. Membership Breakout Meeting Matthew St. John & Tom Perretta
Mark McMullen
SVP – Membership & Fraternal Mission
KofC Supreme Council
Jose Jimenez
VP Fraternal Programs
Matthew St. John & Tom Perretta
Online Membership

2. Agenda Membership Recruiting Best Practices and Messaging
Recruiting More Hispanic Members
Recruiting More Young Adults
Online Membership Update

3. Membership Overview Q1 Membership down Order-wide
July – slightly below YAGO
August – above YAGO – one of the best
September – very low vs. YAGO
October – on par vs YAGO
Per SK, it is unacceptable to have councils that are not recruiting
Focus on Recruiting Best Practices and Messaging

4. Membership Recruitment Best Practices
Recruiting is everyone’s responsibility
Create a “culture of recruiting” in each council
Every event is a recruiting opportunity
Leverage the strengths of every team member in working events
Maximize visibility at Masses
Wear name badges, logo shirts, Mass greeters, bulletin announcements, pulpit announcements

5. Membership Recruitment Best Practices
Utilize your priests and pastors to aid your recruiting efforts
Train council members on getting the “talk track” right on “why join KofC?”
Find out what men are looking for in joining – then give them every opportunity to achieve it
Stress our many programs
Emphasize the spiritual benefits of membership

6. Membership Recruitment Best Practices
Key Message
In an increasingly fractured and divisive world with a high level of social unrest, KofC offers men a spiritual “center” – tools and programs for helping them grow in their faith and fellowship – and helping them be better men, better Catholics, better husbands and fathers

7. Membership Recruitment Best Practices
What do we do?
We help people
We change lives and
We save lives
How do we do it?
Through our many programs!
What’s In It For Me?
Fraternal and spiritual enrichment
Opportunity to give back – help people and support your parish
Opportunity to change my life!

8. You Can Do It! Make membership a “team effort”!
Remember - it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish that really counts!

9. Ethnic Development How to Recruit Hispanics
Get to know them – Build Relationships
Open the channel of communication – Show Interest
Get them on the same page - Training
Build trust and support in the Order – Fraternity
Make it easy to attract others – Visibility by Action
Keep members involved – Enjoying Activities
Show that the Order cares – Fraternal Benefits
The Hispanic Catholics represent around 71% of the United States Catholic growth and is currently estimated that over 30 million people in the United States identify themselves as Hispanic Catholics. Perhaps you have seen some of this growth within your jurisdictions and parishes. We currently have 282 Spanish speaking councils in the US and 7 in Canada.
We must build a relationship of trust among the ethnic group before asking them to fill out a form 100.
Show interest in them personally and their parish. Support their parish activities and be visible.
Training is very important as many of these members may never have been involved with any type of organization and not understand the structure of conducting a meeting. The district deputy or state chairman will have to mentor the council for several months.
Assure that they build trust in the Order by explaining where the Order serves in different countries. How these members build fraternity in the council, district state and at the supreme level.
Assure that they become active in programs and activities that are visible to the parish and will attract others to join. Assure that the families are bonding among themselves and also building fraternity.
Keep all the members involved and allow them to suggest programs that they see as a need in their community.
Explain the larger picture of the organization that they are a part of and the fraternal benefits that all members have.

10. Ethnic Development How to Recruit Hispanics
Identify locations & ethnicity: Parish, City, Diocese
Advise the State Hispanic Coordinator
Notify the State Deputy and NCD/RT Chairman
Team meet with the pastor: Discuss the opportunity
Schedule recruitment informational meetings
Plan Spanish First Degrees at the parish
Continue the process until complete
Train the council officers – continue recruitment
The location of a Spanish Mass or parish can vary by ethnicity. Although identified as Spanish could vary by country, such as: Cuban’s associate with Our Lady of Charity, Puerto Rican’s associate with Our Lady of Divine Providence and Blessed Carlos Rodriguez, >>>>>> Mexican’s and other identify to Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Appoint a State Hispanic or Ethnic Coordinator and assure that he is involved. He can be the point of contact for the SHDC and supreme office staff.
Assure that you as state deputy are notified and support this opportunity as well as the new council director or Round Table chairman.
Schedule a meeting with the pastor of the parish and/or the shepherd of this ethnic group. Discuss the possibility of establishing a council or Round Table and explain the process as well as the benefits.
Schedule a recruitment drive and informational meeting, use the Spanish video “Experience of a Lifetime. Assure that the entire family is invited and attends. If appropriate, be prepared to have a first degree immediately after and explain that it is an initiation for the members only. If necessary provide a video of “The Life and Legacy of Fr. Michael J. McGivney” for the wives and children to see while the degree is taking place.
Continue this recruitment process with the support of the pastor until complete.
Once the council is formed, provide training to assure that they clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. Explain in detail the meeting organizational process.

11. Ethnic Development Support: Spanish, Vietnamese, Polish, Korean
Identify Bilingual members in the jurisdiction
Spanish: kits for NCD and RTs, First Degree DVD, scripts for all degrees.
Vietnamese/Polish/Korean: Limited literature, script for First Degree
Headsets up to 38 candidates for major degrees
The Supreme Office provides a variety of different levels of support for ethnic development. We have supreme contracted staff who support Spanish, Vietnamese, Polish and Korean recruitment.
In addition we know of members who can provide limited support for Portuguese, Chinese, Syrian, …………….
Most all literature, degrees and council communications are available in Spanish. Material in other languages is limited.
We have up to 38 headsets that the supreme office can loan for major degree work at no cost that can be used simultaneously with an English degree. Need one member who can read the degree in the language needed to the candidates using the headsets.

12. Appealing to Younger Members
Why recruit & integrate younger members?
Increase retention efforts
Encouragement from Order’s leadership
Build a foundation for future members
Be welcoming at the council and activities
Continue the legacy
Future Membership: Effort spent today will return tomorrow’s dividends. Establishing a foundation of younger members today ensures that the Order will thrive in the future, when other men in today’s younger generations will be ready to join.
Reduce membership losses: Implementing programs that are friendly to younger members and families will reduce the risk that younger members will withdraw their membership or that councils will have to suspend them for inactivity. The objective is to make our councils places that young men want to join and stay.
Councils more representative: self-explanatory.
Continuing legacy: The importance of continuing Father McGivney’s legacy to protect Catholic families and develop Catholic men into better husbands and fathers is important enough. But in addition, many of our councils have deep histories forged by the efforts of its predecessors. Many of our fathers and grandfathers built the foundations for the councils that we ourselves inherited. Don’t we owe it to our sons and grandsons to pass down the gift of faith and fraternity from which we have benefitted? For those of you who joined the Knights of Columbus later in life: think what would have happened if you had the opportunity to join the Knights of Columbus earlier. How might you have benefitted from that opportunity? How might your life be different?

13. Appealing to Younger Members
Who are these people?
Highly influenced by latest technology
Tend to be strong achievers & career-focused
Are both extroverted and introverted
Desire to make a difference
First, review graph. Then, review bullets.
These two generations represent 50% of the population! If 50% of your council doesn’t include these age groups, then you’re not alone. But understand, this is a major untapped resource that is waiting for us!
Chart source: CNN.com

14. Appealing to Younger Members
All right, now how do we do it?
Family-focused social events
Lectures, seminars, athletic events
Welcome new ideas
Emphasize interactive charity
Create a young adult committee,
roundtable, or form a “Young Adult Chapter”
Consider adjusting meeting and event times
Meeting/event times:
Typical meeting times are M-F from 6-8pm. Families with infants and toddlers: 6-9pm is bath time. Families with school age children: 5-9pm is homework, school plays, performances and sports practices. These also happen on weekends. Now more than ever, both parents work. And this can include odd hours/shift work. We just need to be aware of this when we schedule certain programs.
Family events: Have a membership night. But also include the wife and kids! Hold a nearby event for them, as well. If his wife sees his time with Knights events as making him a better husband/father, then it’s easier for him to commit the time.
Lectures, etc. If you have kids in college, try asking them for a copy of their school’s events calendar.
New Ideas: Self-explanatory
Interactive charity: Young adults are interested in actively participating in charitable events where they engage directly with the recipient of the charity.
Young Adult Chapter: Link in Resource Widget

15. Appealing to Younger Members
And when should we do this?
Implement programming changes first. Then recruit.
Recruit the wife… and the kids!
Offer leadership positions to young members who demonstrate interest & ability
Appoint young members to recruitment committee
Engage priests involved in young adult ministry
kofc.org/youngadult •
Aline your programs so that they will attract young members and their families
At informational meetings invite the wife and children, allow them to hear and understand the organization that their husband/father will be involved with
Allow new young members to take new leadership roles, assure that our seasoned members encourage this and step aside but provide assistance and mentoring
Assign younger members as your council’s Family Director and recruitment committee. The hope is that they will recruit their friends and peers and provide encouragement.
Engage the priest involvement with the parishes young adult ministries. The pastor can provide a list of members who would make good candidates. He can also suggest other ministries where to seek candidates.

16. Online Membership
2017 Mid-Year Update

17. Current Pilot States Update
3+ months
August 10th – Alberta, Maryland, New Mexico
1 month
October 16th – Arizona and Connecticut
October 18th – D.C. and Florida
Statistical Review of Membership Growth
Online Membership Pilot

18. Online Membership Pilot
What We’re Learning
Best practices for online recruitment
Targeting a Catholic audience through online media
Key messages that resonate with our audience
Needs and wants of our members
More effective communication with members
Online Membership Pilot

19. Online Membership Pilot
“Our goal is to introduce substantial numbers of younger men into the activities of our Order in a way that will strengthen the benefits of our local councils.
Our goal is to recruit large numbers of young men who will form a large membership pool in each state that can be linked with local councils.
To do this we have concluded it is necessary to recruit younger members through the communication channels that they use and rely upon.”
- Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight
This quote from our supreme knight, Carl Anderson speaks to our faith and mission.
Online Membership Pilot

20. Online Membership Pilot
Why Online Membership?
New channels for membership recruitment
Eligible men who otherwise have not been invited to join
A continuous offer of membership
Modern communications and messaging
Streamlined process for prospects and councils
Online Membership Pilot

21. What is Online Membership?
A new way to join the Knights of Columbus online
A new and predominately digital membership experience
A Fraternal Program
in Alberta, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Mexico and Washington D.C.
Online Membership Pilot

22. What Online Membership does not do
Does not change the requirements for membership.
Does not create a new class or type of member.
Does not eliminate degrees.
Does not eliminate councils.
Does not eliminate dues.
Online Membership Pilot

23. Online Membership Pilot
Who is an Online Member?
A practical Catholic male above the age of 18.
A dues-paying member of a division of the state council.
Eligible for fraternal insurance benefits
Receives Columbia magazine
Access to Online membership portal – Knights.net
May attend select local council and state council events
Eligible to purchase insurance.
Recipient of the accidental death benefit (age restrictions apply).
Eligible for our family fraternal benefit program.
Recipient of Columbia magazine.
Owner of a distinct Knights of Columbus membership card.
Entitled to attend select local council and state council events
Online Membership Pilot

24. Online Membership and Councils
Online members belong to state divisions
Under the jurisdiction of the state council
Online members can convert to local council membership
Councils (and jurisdictions) receive membership credit when an online member converts to a local council.
Dues Adjustments will be processed by Council Accounts
States and councils are notified through reports and when a member expresses interest in joining locally.
Online Membership Pilot

25. What’s Next For Online Membership?
New states to be added in early 2018
New enhancements for registration and council transfer process – through Officers Online!
Trainings for State Councils, Officers and Agents
Full rollout – timing being studied and considered
Online Membership Pilot