Serving the children of the world

MiniBuilder the newsletter of the Capital District

April-May 2009 Dave Maloney, Editor

Your Vector by Governor Tom Ganse

Military aviators use the term "vector" to describe an order to proceed along a specific course for a specified distance to reach the target; in other words, directions to get from where we are to where we want to go to achieve success.
But just what is "success"? Winning the interclub, best website or newsletter contest? Eighty percent attendance at meetings? Twelve percent membership growth? If you read my article "What is a Kiwanian?", you probably won't be surprised to learn that my definition of success is providing meaningful service to your community and the children of the world. Better yet, a true measure of Kiwanis success is how well you expand service. Everything else is a distraction form our main mission.
Here in the Capital District, we have a "vector". Last August, your club delegates ratified a plan that provided us with a "vector to the target". That target is to have 20,000 Capital District Kiwanians providing 350,000 service hours, re-investing over 4.4 million dollars in their communities, and sponsoring over 860 Service Leadership Programs throughout Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
To accomplish this measure of success, we received additional vectors, each of which is directly related to increasing service to our communities. Consider the first three:
1. Increase the number of service hours provided by twelve percent per year 2. Increase the amount of funds raised and distributed by fifteen percent per year 3. Increase the number of Service Leadership Programs sponsored by twelve percent per year
Clearly, each of these goals are measures of success; true service success. Nowhere in there do we see the relevance of consuming chicken dinners or achieving decades of "perfect attendance". Arguably, those are bad vectors that will not lead you to your target.
Our fourth vector, is to increase our membership by twelve percent per year. Clearly, if we are going to increase our service in goals one through three, we will need more members, and that's what goal number four is about.
Our final vector is to improve our operating environment. That means improving our communications, connecting with and becoming relevant to modern society and our evolving communities, and changing the way we do business such that people take part because it is enjoyable, not because they feel an obligation.
As I said, this plan was approved by your delegates last August. We are now halfway through our first year, so I thought it would be worth letting you know how we are progressing toward our goals, and urging you to consider altering your "vector" if you are off course.
Goal 5: We are experiencing much success as we introduced a modern website, took advantage of web-based communications such as group mailing lists, YouTube, Blogs (Web Logs), electronic access to club records, a new user-friendly District Directory, teleconferencing, and so much more. Clearly, we are moving rapidly in the right direction, but we are not "there" yet. Much needs to happen before we are once again in step with society.
I realize that many of these changes are very uncomfortable or even incomprehensible to many of our older members, but I must ask (with all due respect), "Is it more important to preserve the ways of a declining membership population that will be with us for 10-20 years at best, or to adjust to the ways of a membership pool that is three times larger and who will be with us for the next 40-70 years?"
Goal 4: We are seeing many examples of sustained membership growth and reversals of long-standing declines. It becomes clearer to me each day that Kiwanis does not have a membership problem, it has an attitude problem and a leadership problem. Here in Capital, a third of our clubs are experiencing net growth. Another third of our clubs are stable. Unfortunately, the remaining third is so far out of step that their losses overcome the other two thirds. Despite some phenomenal success stories, such as Division 12 and Division 13's growth this year after more than a decade of steady decline, we are still down approximately 200 members since October 1st. Much of that loss results from "roster purges" related to billing cycles, but all three of those are now behind us. We must pick up the pace immediately to make up for the net loss and to prepare for the inevitable roster purge we will see in September. Otherwise, we will have fewer hands and our goal of providing more service cannot be met.
Goal 3: Like Goal 5, we are experiencing great success in this area and I thank each of you for your efforts. We have 3 of 5 new Aktion clubs built, 5 of 12 K-Kids clubs built with several others in work, 6 of 12 Builders clubs organized with every expectation of exceeding that goal, 7 of 12 Key clubs organized and 3 of 3 CKI clubs chartered. That's 24 of the targeted 42, and that is AWESOME! Great job!
Goals 1 and 2 and driven largely by our ability to put more hands to work. As such, our increased number of SLP students has helped mitigate the loss of our adult Kiwanians. But clearly, we will fall short if we do not connect with the adult population. There is much work to be done here, and the biggest thing we need to overcome is the defeatist attitude that says "membership growth is impossible." Tell that to all the dozens of clubs that are increasing their membership by the dozens. The difference between those who succeed and those who fail is that those who succeed want to.
So what's the bottom line? I know success is possible because I see it happening all over the District every day. If your club is not growing, or sponsoring growth within your community, please contact your Lieutenant Governor and the District Growth Team. They will work with you to develop a collaborative plan for growth and help you execute it.
I thank you all for the life-changing accomplishments you are providing to your communities and stand ready to help you achieve greater sustained success in the months and years to come. Congratulations to those of you who have risen to the challenge and are leading Kiwanis into its second century.
To the rest of you, I challenge you with a simple axiom that has contributed to many a military victory: Lead, follow, or step aside.
With a Kiwanis Servant's Heart, Tom Ganse tganse@earthlink.net

Here in the capital district we have a vector: 20K Kiwanians, 350K service hours, 4.4M service hours, 860 SLP’s.

(cont’d on page 2)

Capital District Kiwanis Hosts Kiwanis Annual Go-To-Church-Day

When: Sunday, May 17, 2009 Where: The United States Naval Academy Chapel, Annapolis, Maryland
This will be a special service in recognition of the 2009 Baccalaureate graduation and the Featured Speaker will be Protestant Chaplain John Owen. Kiwanians are encouraged to arrive at the Chapel no later then 9:30 A.M. for a group photograph and be seated in the chapel no later than 10:30 A.M. The chapel is currently under some renovation which reduces seating capacity and late arrivals may have to be seated in an overflow building across the street. It is therefore strongly recommended that Kiwanians be on time in order to sit with the group in the chapel.
A fellowship luncheon with Governor Tom Ganse will be held after the service. It will be held at the Loews Hotel, 126 West Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401 and will start at 12:30 P.M. The cost of the luncheon will be $27. Cash payment can be made at the door, however to guarantee your brunch reservation you must RSVP Marie Quick, mariequick@strategies-thatwork.com no later than the close of business Monday, May 11 if you plan to attend. For further information please refer to the Capital District Kiwanis Web Site or email PLG Wayne Quick, wayne@strategies-thatwork.com.
*As a result of post 9/11/01 security parking is not allowed on the Naval Academy base unless you have the proper military credentials and special permits. However street parking is available at the gates. You will need a photo identification at the gate to come on the USNA grounds.
There are two entrance gates located on King George Avenue, the major thoroughfare. Gate three is the closest to the chapel which is located directly behind the gate. Guests using Gate one can expect a walk of approximately two blocks to the chapel.

(cont’d on page 5)

Your Vector (cont’d from page 1)

Is it more important to preserve the ways of a declining membership population that will be with us for 10-20 years at best, or to adjust to the ways of a membership pool that is three times larger and who will be with us for the next 40-70 years?

The MiniBuilder is published six times a year in February, April, June, August, October, December by the Capital District of Kiwanis International
Dave Maloney, Editor dave@maloney.com P.O. Box 2049 Frederick, MD 21702 301-228-2279
Deadline email submissions to dave@maloney.com last day of the month preceding publication
Capital District Kiwanis International
Organized August 23, 1918
Governor Tom Ganse P. O. Box 1074 Lusby, MD 20657 410-326-5117
tganse@earthlink.net
Secretary-Treasurer Ellis H. Stroup 7307 Coventry Drive P.O. Box 855 Middletown, MD 21769-0855 301-371-4650 ehstroup@comcast.net
Governor-Elect Don Dudey
1110 Kingsbury Rd.
Owings Mills, MD 21117
h-410-356-5707 c-443-794-1112 cell
ddudey@verizon.net
Immediate Past Governor
Arthur Riley 250 Uniontown Road Westminster, MD 21157 c-443-398-6148 h-410-857-0656
RxArthur@aol.com
Capital District Foundation
Executive Secretary Charles P. Adams 1601 Charrington Drive Midlothian, VA 23113 804-794-1019 govadams@aol.com

(cont’d on page 3)

Your Vector (cont’d from page 2)

Pump It Up for Africa!
by Raga Elim, Ph.D., Chair, Capital District Committee on International Understanding
I'm very pleased to report that as of the end of March, we're almost half way to our goal of $30,000 for our campaign -"Pump It Up for Africa"- to support the Initiative on Africa.
Two clubs-Arlington and Rockville- plus our Capital District Governor, Tom Ganse, and our former Governor Art Riley are all stepping forward to kick off the "Pump it Up" campaign. Each is giving $500 or more to the Initiative for Africa.
Make checks payable to: Capital District Kiwanis Foundation. On the memo line, write: Initiative for Africa. Send your contributions to: Capital District Kiwanis Foundation 1601 Charrington Drive Midlothian, VA 23113

Kiwanis grew during the Great depression. It can, should, and must grow now.

Gov.-Elect Don’s 2009-2010 Goals by Gov-Elect Don Dudey

"The moral test of a society is how that society treats those who are in the dawn of life - the children; those who are in the twilight of life - the elderly; and those who are in the shadow of life - the sick, the needy and the handicapped." - HHH

I am proud to be Governor-elect of the Capital District for 2009-2010 and I would like to outline my four major goals for this coming year. I believe my goals are consistent with the goals and objectives that Governor Tom Ganse's has established this year and past years. There will be more details of these goals described in coming months, but for now I have outlined the major objective for each.
Service to Others
Hubert Humphrey once said "The moral test of a society is how that society treats those who are in the dawn of life - the children; those who are in the twilight of life - the elderly; and those who are in the shadow of life - the sick, the needy and the handicapped."
What better way to describe what Kiwanis Clubs do in their communities, working with children, the elderly, those in need and the handicapped?
Our Kiwanis Clubs can make a difference in our communities and the world by the service projects we conduct. No matter how many service projects your club is doing today, there are many unfilled projects just waiting to be completed.
This is really what we need to strive for in our clubs - evaluate what projects your club is conducting and is it really meeting the needs of your community. Have they lost their intended effect or, does a project need additional assets to really make it outstanding for the recipient? And, can your club add one or two new projects this year that will benefit your community?
Remember, Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.
Service Leadership Programs
"Serving the Children of the World" is our Kiwanis motto. We place a great deal of emphasis in working with children. Marian Wright Edelman stated "Children must have at least one person who believes in them. It could be a counselor, a teacher, a preacher, a friend. it could be you. You never know when a little love, a little support, will plant a small seed of hope."
Kiwanis is the only service organization that has the Service Leadership Programs like CKI, Key Club, Builders Clubs, K-Kids and Aktion clubs. Many clubs sponsor one or more of these types of clubs, but there are many clubs who do not. There are so many colleges, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools that are without such wonderful programs, your club needs to reexamine its goals to see if it can sponsor such wonderful clubs.
These outstanding students compliment many Kiwanis Club's activities - fund raisers, service projects, club meetings, etc. Yes, they do have so much energy that they sometimes run circles around us. But, we need to harness that energy into ways that will benefit these youth as they grow up to be the next Kiwanians.
Club Growth
You know the numbers, 255,000 Kiwanians worldwide, 6,865 Kiwanians in the Capital District, and 15 to 235 Kiwanians in our individual clubs. Is this number growing, stable or decreasing? Well, unfortunately the numbers are decreasing in many communities. If we want to accomplish all of those service projects your club has planned and supporting all those Service Leadership Program clubs your have committed to, you need to increase your membership numbers. Is your club welcoming to visitors, so they would want to return? Is your club active in the community and does the community know it? Do you have a diversity of members in age, sex, race, religion or origin? Is the most important part of your club activities geared toward your service projects or is it to have a meeting, eat a meal, have a program and go home?
These are all questions we as Kiwanians need to evaluate today. How is the public looking as us in regards to what we are, what we do, and would they like to join such an organization? Time is a major issue to the public today. Between working 40-60 hours per week, raising a family that requires various amounts of time, involvement in other activities like church or other organizations, there is only so much time in a given day or week. We have to look at ourselves and say, would someone want to join us? What do we have to offer a prospective member?
Kiwanis International has developed some new ideas about what the structure of a club is and how its members participate in that club. Some of these new ideas are family membership, corporate membership, past Service Leadership Programs memberships, Company-based clubs, club satellites, affiliates clubs and family clubs. All of these are ones which Kiwanis International, your Capital District and your LTG's are exploring on how they can be implemented in our division and community. For more information on these you can contact your LTG.
Club Support
Accomplishing increased service hours or projects and growth in membership in SLP and Kiwanis Clubs all requires ideas, resources and leadership. Your individual club has all of these from your experienced membership. But, if your club needs new ideas and additional support to accomplish these tasks, then the District leadership and its Club Support Committees are here to help.
The District Club Support Committees are continually being populated with experienced Kiwanians who have the expertise to assist your club. These committees work with your LTG to provide assistance and support needed by your club. It is my commitment this next year to make this support system a knowledgeable, useful and useable program. It will be one that your club can access to accomplish your club goals that have been set for this next year.
As I stated in my campaign, I am always open for ideas or suggestions from the great Kiwanians in the Capital District. I am looking forward in working with all of you now and when I am elected Governor of the Capital District.

(cont’d on page 6)

Myth Busters by Gov. Tom Ganse

from Jack White's audio interview with guest, Governor Tom Ganse. Jack White kicks this interview off by saying there has been a lot of good communications of late that raise legitimate perceptions of dissatisfaction. Many of these complaints seem to be based on outdated information and oral traditions. Governor Tom wants to use this time, as he says, to set the record straight.
Myth #1: The push for membership is a KI conspiracy to pad their international coffers.
Fact: Membership is down 40% and the decline has continued unchecked. The membership emphasis is to increase our service - and so Kiwanis can survive as an organization
Myth #2: Clubs under 25 don't need to grow.
Fact: Clubs under 25 don't carry their fair share of fixed expenses; their members burn out; they have a high club mortality rate; and they leave so many community needs unmet.
Myth #3: Kiwanis Dues are too high.
Fact: International and District dues are less than $8 a month. Anything above that is a matter for your club to manage. Most pay-as-you-go clubs charge an additional $2-4 per month.
Myth #4: There are too many meetings.
Fact: International only requires one Board meeting a month, and one meeting a month for general members, and that can be a project. All others are club matters. If you don't like the way the club is run, talk to your Board, or better yet, become a director and get it changed.
Myth #5: Kiwanis doesn't communicate enough info to the members.
Fact: Here in the capital District, we have a monthly electronic newsletter, a bi-monthly printable paper newsletter, a Website with news links and a BLOG, group email reflectors at all levels of leadership, projects hosted on FaceBook, training materials on YouTube and any number of mailings. All of this information is provided to club leaders of record and are available to the general membership.
Myth #6: Kiwanis wants more members to get more money from mandatory contributions to the International and District Foundations.
Fact: All contributions to the Foundations are voluntary. What are known as "annual club gifts" can be made from Service Accounts and cost the individual Kiwanian nothing. A 50-member club may be asked to give $5/member, or $250 to the International Foundation. If its service budget averages $5,000 (well below average for clubs that size), that is only 5% of the budget. If you want, the other 95% can be used right in your home community. In fact, KIF funds can come back to your community in far greater quantities than you contribute - via grant applications.

Percept ions of disatisfaction often based on outdated information and oral traditions

Church (cont’d from page 1)

(cont’d on page 6)

Goals (cont’d from page 4)

The need to save lives in Sub-Saharan Africa is extreme.

Church (cont’d from page 5)
page 1)

In Memoriam

March 2009 Robert Emmons, Richmond, Va. M. Hunt Cunningham, Jr., Towson-Timonium, Md.
February 2009 Maurice B. K. Edmead, Northwest Washington, D.C. James Perkinson, Danville, Va. Wesley Schaefer, Seaford, De. Richard Lucas, Winchester, Va

Capital District Convention Aug. 21-23, 2009 Dover, DE

The DelMarVa region is now accepting registrations for the Capital District Kiwanis 2009 Convention at Dover Delaware. We will be staying at the Sheraton Hotel. Please call early for reservation at 1-888-755-1450 or on-line at sheratondover.com. The reservation code is "Capital District Kiwanis Convention". Make payment to “Capital District Kiwanis” and send to Capital District Kiwanis 2009 Convention, Mary Anderson, Kiwanis Club of Greater Millsboro, P.O. Box 285, Millsboro, Delaware 19966.

MiniBuilder the newsletter of the Capital District

David Maloney, Editor P.O. Box 2049 Frederick, MD 21702
Phone: 301-228-2279
dave@maloney.com

We’re on the Web!
capitaldistrictkiwanis.org

Kiwanis International Convention Goes To Nashville June 25th - June 28th, 2009 by Nancy Cressy

Have you made your reservations yet for Nashville? Please consider joining fellow Capital District Kiwanians at the Kiwanis International Convention in NASHVILLE Music City USA"!
Your District Board has approved a Capital District Official Dinner at the famous Wildhorse Saloon! That will be Thursday night, June 25th, the night reserved by KI for Districts to have our dinners. The cost will be $50 each for a Nashville BBQ dinner and entertainment. We can kick it up even more later at "Stampede Night at the Wildhorse"! It will be by tickets sold through Ellis Stroup, District Secretary-Treasurer very soon.
It's that time of year again! Enjoy Nashville! It's full of FUN things to see and do! Be with your Capital District team and fellow delegates from our 179 Clubs. Meet new Kiwanis friends from around the world. Exchange ideas! Attend workshops and seminars. Be at the planned Kiwanis entertainment featuring the Grand Ole Opry and see Nashville's many city sites. Remember, it called "MUSIC CITY"!
Do Kiwanis' business by attending the delegate session and voting for Past-Governor Jerry Peuler, who is running for International Trustee. Four candidates are running for the three vacant positions on the Kiwanis International Board and Jerry needs full support from the Capital District to get elected. Every club must have two (2) delegates at caucus and voting at the Business Session. Suggested delegates are the current President and President Elect. Remember: A Past-Lieutenant Governor from your Division can be a delegate for your club if necessary. Let's have a full turn out!!
The beautiful Loews Vanderbilt Hotel has been designated as the official hotel for the Capital District. Save $55! Registration for the Convention is $195 before May 1st, after May 1st price goes up to $250, so register early.
Registration forms for the Convention and Events, plus the Hotel accommodation forms are now available. Go to www.kiwanis.org then click on "Convention 2009 Nashville."

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Gov. Tom Ganse

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Gov. Elect Don Dudey