Join Together

Existing Community Organizations &

Lions Clubs International

Be a member of the Lions Clubs family

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Introductions

(Insert your picture) • A little about me and why I’m a Lion

• Introductions – tell us about yourself

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The Story of a String – Join Together

A single string can break easily

Many strings together are stronger

Together, we can serve our communities

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Two Roads Lead to Lions Clubs International

Option 1Existing groups of 15 or more people can form a new,self-standing Lions Club

Option 2Existing groups of 5 or more people can form a club branch of an existing Lions Club

OR

Join Together

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Background

• Join Together, a special 2-year pilot program, allows existing nonprofit community service groups to apply to for (1) a new Lions Club; or (2) a Club Branch of an existing Lions Club under greatly reduced fees and special provisions.

• The Join Together Pilot Program will operate in the USA, Canada, Sweden, the British Isles, Ireland and Australia.

• The expenses for a Lions Club charter are reduced to a flat-rate of US$300 (compared to $650+), and the number of members reduced from 20 to 15.

• For Club Branches (Option 2), the new member fee is waived.

There’s no better time to join the family.

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Overall Benefits to Joining the Lions family

Community service groups are faced with three hurdles

Expanding Programs/Services:

The Well Has Run Dry

Complying with Reporting:

A Growing Headache

Liability Insurance:

An Expensive Proposition

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What Nonprofits Can Form a Lions Club?

Community Service Orgs.

Volunteer Fire Depts. & Military

Bases

Social Welfare Orgs.

Youth Sports Associations

Parent/Teacher

Groups

Community Heritage Alliances

Environmental Groups

Where’s there’s a need, there is a need for a Lions Club

Join Together!

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How do We Get Started?

Option 1 – A new Lions Club

• A Charter Application Form must be completed

• The organization must be a non-profit in good standing

• Is over 3 years-old and has people willing to be club officers for the 1st term

• Has 15 or more members over legal age

Option 2 – A Club Branch

• A Club Branch (CB-1A) notification form

• The organization must be a non-profit in good standing

• Has 3 people willing to be Branch President, Secretary and Treasurer

• Has 5 or more members over legal age

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Which Option is Best for Us?

Option 1 – A new Lions Club

• Is best for a larger group that has a volunteer ‘pool’ of people to serve as club officers

• Seeks to be as self-sufficient as possible

• Has a more direct say on Lions District matters and leadership elections, since it’s an independent Lions Club

• Is directly eligible for any recognition and awards offered to regular Lions Clubs

Option 2 – A Club Branch

• Is ideal for smaller groups or ones that address very unique community needs

• Seeks to be part of a ‘parent’ Lions Club for guidance

• Has its own club officers and gathers at its own preferred time and place

• Branch President is automatically a member of the Board of Directors of the ‘parent’ club.

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How Does It Really Work?

• Like most things in life, this is a two-way street.

• My advice is to ensure you’re helping existing Lions Clubs meet humanitarian needs, so they’ll help your organization when needed.

• It doesn’t need to involve monetary support, as most of us have an ongoing need for volunteers and hands-on support.

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Join Together – Two Options Summarized

Option 1 -- form a stand-alone Lions Club of 15 or more members

Option 2 – form a Club Branch, or multiple Club Branches, of 5 or more members per branch, tied to an existing Lions Club.

An Overview of Today’s Lions Clubs

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Lions’ MissionTo empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs,

encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubs.

VisionTo be the global leader in community and humanitarian service.

Purposes• To Organize, charter and supervise service clubs to be known as Lions clubs. • To Coordinate the activities and standardize the administration of Lions clubs. • To Create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world. • To Promote the principles of good government and good citizenship. • To Take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the

community. • To Unite the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual

understanding. • To Provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided,

however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members.

• To Encourage service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavors.

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Our Core Values

• “You don’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else.” -- Melvin Jones, Founder of LCI.

• When people get together, problems get smaller and communities better.

• Clubs decide how best to serve their community – flexibility.

Led to our motto ‘We Serve’

We feel problems are best solved by a group

Clubs are autonomous

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Core Values (Continued)

• We believe service should be fun, and offer friendship

• We give opportunities for personal growth and leadership

• We’re led by our peers, giving everyone a chance to lead

Fun & fellowship are important

We grow

We lead when called upon

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Key Dates

Founded in 1917 in Chicago 1920 – Goes international with first clubs in Canada. 1925 – Helen Keller challenges Lions to become the “knights of the

blind” at the international convention; adopt sight as a signature cause. 1945 – LCI is invited to assist in the drafting of United Nations Charter. 1957 – LCI establishes the Leo Program to provide youth an

opportunity for personal development through service. 1968 – LCI establishes Lions Clubs International Foundation. 1990 – SightFirst, a global fundraising initiative by LCIF, is launched. 2008 – SightFirst II campaign completed, mobilizing $204 million more

to fight preventable blindness and improve vision worldwide. 2010 – Join the fight against measles, a leading cause of preventable

mortality in children, blindness, deafness, and disability. 2013 – Launched major measles partnership with GAVI & Gates Fdn. 2017 Centennial Celebration – 100th Anniversary

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Our Structure in a Nutshell

International

President

Administrative Staff @ HQs

District Governors

(750 districts)

Region Chairpersons

(optional)

Zone Chairpersons

Lions Club Lions Club Lions Club

Delegates to International Convention

Board of Directors34 International Directors, 6 board

appointees, 4 Executive Officers

Approximately 300 staff at HQ

750 Lions Districts worldwide

46,000+ Lions Clubs

209 countries & territories

Current Int’l dues (Presently $43/year)

Add. Field Support Structures:• Global Membership Team• Global Leadership Team• LCIF Steering Cmte &

Coordinators

46,000+Lions ClubsWorldwide

1.35 million Lions, the world’s largest volunteer organization

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Communication Channels to Clubs and Members

LION Magazine• 10 issues per year• English and Spanish from HQ• 399,000 circulation• 31 other editions around the world

Mass email• Managed from PR Division• Most communication based on

member title

Social media• Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog• English posts, with engagement in

many languages

Communicating 24/7 and in new platforms with the communications revolution

An Overview of Lions Clubs’ Service – “We Serve”

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Lions’ Scope of Service Today

• The elimination of preventable blindness, vision health, & aiding the blind is our historic commitment, dating back to Helen Keller’s1925 speech to Lions.

• Now operate the world’s largest program fighting needless blindness globally – SightFirst – restoring sight to 9 million, preventing blindness in 30 million, and constructing 600 eye wards -- all for an average of $6 per person.

• Life-changing work: 7 out of 10 cases -- out of 40 million cases of blindness -- are completely needless and can be easily prevented.

• Operate a dozen programs – from guide dog schools, vision screening, to world’s majority of eye banks – to prevent needless sight loss and disability in communities like yours.

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Lions’ Scope of Service Today -- Continued

• Lions’ Service has grown significantly into 3 more areas: youth development, hunger, and the environment.

• Clubs can address any humanitarian need in your community.

• Lions Clubs raise on average $750 million yearly for local projects, decided by the club.

• Disaster relief, a major commitment by Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), supporting Lions relief efforts.

• LCI operates 4 special global service action campaigns that serve 8 million people worldwide yearly through the 46,000+ Lions Clubs.

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Best To Hear It From Lions!

Hear what our members say about the joy and impact of

Lions’ Service

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luf--LSUfFY

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The Work of Lions Clubs International Foundation

Our global foundation – LCIF.

See for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flQYF5dKtzA

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What are the Needs in Our Community?

• Let’s take 10 minutes to talk about the unmet needs in this community.

• If you come from an existing community non-profit, tell us a little bit about its mission, and some of the challenges you may see on the horizon.

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Recap

• We’re the world’s largest volunteer service club organization, with 1.35 million members in 209 countries/territories.

The only one that has grown consistently over the last 7 years.

• LCI has been around for nearly a century (and preparing for another one).

• Offers a wide-range of services and programs for all clubs – from club websites, to world-class community service programs, to leadership training and more.

• Become part of the Lions Club family today! Join Together.

Thank You