Getting Back to Basics

by Sec./Treas. Tom Varner

At the recently-held K-Family weekend at  Front Royal, VA 4-H Center, I heard many comments that kept leading me back to one phrase -"Back to the Basics." This week I, along with all of the President Neal's Class of Governors, received a very disheartened email discussing the serious loss in members that Kiwanis International experienced in September - over 5% of the membership. Going into the first week in September 2011, Kiwanis was at a plus. And the Capital District was at a plus 7 members for the year. Then we lost over 320 members in the District on September 30 and another 120 on October 1. This loss also leads me, once again, back to the phrase - "Back to the Basics."

What do I mean by "Back to the Basics?" It is really quite simple: we are losing our Kiwanis roots. Newly-elected Kiwanis Officers at all levels either are "already experts" or they cannot "take the time to learn how to do their jobs properly." Today, many people today embrace the electronic future. But, that is only a tool. If we do not learn "how" to do and "why" to do, no amount of fancy gadgets or online wizardry will save us.

One of the most-asked questions after the 2010 District Convention in Lynchburg was, "Why did you not attend the "Kiwanis 101" session? " We are inducting Kiwanians who do not know and are not taught what the purpose of Kiwanis. They do not understand the basic organization of Kiwanis and the many tools that Kiwanis provides - hands-on as well as electronic - that exist to help all members, but especially club officers.

Yes, I am an educator and a trainer and have been for most of my life. Yes, I do believe in life-long education for everyone. Yes, I believe that no one is too old to learn. We may slow down but we can still learn. Until a person knows everything there is to know in this world, they have a challenge in front of them, and that is to keep learning either through formal classes, reading, or holding intelligent conversations with people who have valid knowledge.

For years, I have said that Kiwanis needs to stop worrying about gaining a million members and, instead, work on getting a lesser number of people who are or can be true, committed Kiwanians-members who recognize that there is work to be done in our communities: work that can be done more efficiently and effectively performed by a group of folks working together. They are people who realize the value of developing strong and vital youth organizations like Kiwanis Kids, Builders Clubs, Key Clubs, and CKI clubs. They are Kiwanians who will prepare our young people to be the adult leaders of tomorrow and beyond. They are leaders who help develop a new generation of leaders through programs such as Key Leader. Finally, they are compassionate people who want to develop the skills of the challenged members of our society by building, developing and advising the Aktion Clubs.

This year let us all make a vow to make Kiwanis stronger through dedicating ourselves to learning and growing. Let us make our total organization stronger by working with and developing our Service Leadership Programs. Let's go BACK-TO-THE-BASICS.

Tom Varner
Secretary/Treasurer