3. 3
History of Women & Family in Lions
• 1917: Lions Clubs International was founded.
• 1975: The Lioness Program began.
• 1987: Women were approved for Lions membership.
LCI was the first service club organization to admit
women.
• 2003: The women’s initiative began.
Women made up 14% of members and 9% of DGs.
Worldwide Women’s Workshop took place; results:
o Adopted gender neutral language.
o Developed the symposium program.
o Introduced the women’s membership
development and participation chairperson
position.
4. 4
History of Women & Family in Lions
• 2006: LCI added a family focus on family involvement to
the women’s chairperson position (renamed family and
women’s chairperson).
• 2007: The Family Membership Program dues rate began.
• 2010: Lions Family Cub Program was
developed to encourage families to
volunteer together.
The Cub Program gives children the
opportunity build a lifelong dedication to
helping those in need.
Cubs are divided into three age categories:
○ Level I: Under age 3
○ Level II: Age 4-7
○ Level III: Age 8-12
5. 5
History of Women & Family in Lions
• 2010-11: Regional Women’s Workshops took place to
gain regional ideas for growing women, family and
young adult membership in Lions
Europe: May 2010
Japan: November 2010
Latin America: January 2011
Australia: September 2011
• 2011-12: Past International President Tam developed the
Women’s & Family Membership Development Task
Force.
• 2012-13: International President Madden continued the
Task Force.
11. 11
International Initiative Recommendations
1. Service:
• Promote service initiatives that interest women
1. Membership
• Share membership statistics (“the facts”) and success stories.
• Commission areas to hold a women/family symposium
• Require DG’s to set women’s membership goals
• Develop messaging to encourage Lionesses conversion
• Encourage GMT to appoint women’s specialists and
reintroduce as a position tracked by LCI.
1. Communicate to area leaders the importance of women’s
participation and encourage mentoring women and younger
members and giving them a voice.
• Communicate to the GMT/GLT to start new clubs if existing
clubs are reluctant to accept women
12. 12
Progress
Service:
Revising the I Am a Lion brochure to focus on service projects
that interest women
Membership:
Developing a History of Women in Lions
Held women’s/family seminars at all area forums
At a record high of Family & Women’s Symposiums held the last
two fiscal years
Developed the Regional Women’s Workshop Program
Developed the Family & Women’s Specialist Guide
Focusing on reaching GMT/GLT leaders about the importance of
women and family involvement
16. 16
Bringing Lionesses into the Family Guide
• Inside:
Understanding Lionesses
Tips:
○ Know your LCI history
○ Become familiar with the Lioness
Bridge Program
○ Understand your local community
○ Promote change as needed
Messaging
○ We need you!
○ Being a Lion opens new opportunities
○ Your commitment is fully recognized
○ There are membership options to fit your needs
18. 18
GMT Structure
GMT
Constitutional
Area Leader
(7 + Africa)
GMT Area
Leader
(43)
Multiple District
GMT
Coordinator
(133)
District GMT
Coordinator
(753)
District
Membership &
New Club
Growth Team
District
Campus
Specialist
District Family
& Women’s
Specialist
District CEP
Specialist
District Club
Success Team
District
Community
Service
Specialist
District
Member
Satisfaction
Specialist
District
Rebuilding
Specialist
MD Club
Success Team
MD Specialist
MD Specialist
MD Specialist
MD
Membership &
New Club
Growth Team
MD Family &
Women’s
Specialist
MD Specialist
19. 19
Family & Women’s Specialist Responsibilities
• Oversee the recruitment of women and family members
• Establish goals & action plans
• Take direction & guidance from the district GMT coordinator and
DG
• Assist clubs in establishing goals
• Develop service projects of interest to
women and families
• Plan & conduct a symposium or family
involvement event
• Work with GLT to promote leadership
training programs
*Check out the Family & Women’s Specialist Guide (GMT-701)
23. 2322
• They possess the
soft skills required
to lead in todays
world.
Why Women Leaders
24. 2422
• They advocate
women’s and
family needs and
interests.
Women are most
moved by
programs aimed at
improving the lot of
women and
children
Why Women Leaders
30. 30
Family & Women Symposium Program
Symposium purposes:
1.Identify new projects
2.Identify new members
3.Promote Lions clubs
4.Charter a new club
Funding:
• Up to US$2,000 per symposium
Typically approved for US$500-US$1,000
1.An area may not receive funding two consecutive years
1.Up to US$4,000 per constitutional area per fiscal year
31. 31
Regional Women’s Workshop Grant Program
Workshop Purposes:
1.Explore factors surrounding recruitment and
retention
2.Devise local strategies
3.Create action plans
Funding:
• Up to US$2,000 per symposium
Typically approved for US$500-US$1,000
An area may not receive funding two consecutive years
• Up to US$4,000 per constitutional area per fiscal year
33. 33
How can we attract women to join
Lions?
1. PR for MD, District and
Club
2. Networking – Social
Media
Germany’s 5.000 Women
34. 34
„More women to Lions!“
Workshop for MD, Districts and Clubs
• Who are they?
• Where do we find them?
• How can we attract them?
• What support is needed?
• Do we have to change?
Germany’s 5.000 Women
Introduction Why women and family members: Let’s start with women: Women make up the fastest growing demographic within Lions Clubs International. In 2003, women made up just 13.7 percent of Lions. Today, women make up 25 percent, and the number is rising. If we didn’t have women joining the association, Lions Clubs International would not have seen five consecutive years of membership growth. If women, who are 51 percent of the world’s population, should they not constitute a similar percentage of Lions worldwide membership? Based on a survey recently conducted by LCI, women over men are interested in volunteering. Women add new perspective to club activities and community needs Women are known to increase hands-on projects for clubs Women instill a dedication to volunteerism in the family Family Members Studies show that families want to volunteer together. Lions clubs provide a way to give back while spending time together. Family volunteering is of interest to non-Lions. The same Lions survey mentioned previously also found that non-Lions want to volunteer together as a family. Of course, the overarching reason we want to involve members in Lions is to provide more service. Women and family members are a great way to help us serve better, and serve more.
In 2011-12, Past International President Wing-Kun Tam developed the Women’s and Family Membership Development Task Force to gain a new understanding of the opportunities and challenges with women and family membership in order to develop recommendations to further engage these key groups. This fiscal year, International President Wayne Madden continued the Women’s and Family Membership Development Task Force this fiscal year to continue collecting, in addition to reporting on the results and recommendations of last year’s Task Force, at various workshops, forum events and symposiums. The 2012-13 Task Force is comprised of the current five female international directors, including myself, and ID Sangeeta Jatia and Sheryl Jensen who are here with us today, two male international directors and a female board appointee. Shortly, I will be providing the international recommendations of the 2011-12 Task Force.
May numbers (will update with June numbers if available in time)
As of February 28, 2013, there are 333,706 women in Lions (25%).
A total of 236,726 (17%) of Lions are currently part of a family unit.
The main reason the Task Force was developed is illustrated in this chart. Worldwide, women only make up 25% of Lions (as represented by the black line). By constitutional area, FOLAC has the highest percentage of women in their area and ISAAME has the highest percentage of family members. Europe and OSEAL have both the lowest percentage of women and family members.
The 2011-12 Women’s & Family Membership Development Task Force concluded that it is a strategic imperative that Lions Clubs International continue to grow the number of women members and become more inclusive in club and district involvement and leadership over the next five years. The listening tours by the member of this Task Force has confirmed that the need for and desire for balance in gender involvement is strong among the grassroots Lions. What the Task Force heard confirms the results of the Project Refresh global membership research study. Clubs and districts are encouraged to develop specific action plans to more equally involve both men and women and to allow more women to serve in leadership roles. Areas are also encouraged to continue symposiums and workshops. The Task Force also recommended the Task Force continue in 2012-13, which it has, and it has also been approved by the Executive Board for fiscal year 2013-14.
Service Promote service initiatives that interest women and are relevant to community needs. Membership Share membership statistics (“the facts”) and success stories. Commission areas to hold a women/family symposium or seminar in conjunction with or during area forums. Require district governors to set women’s membership goals with annual district goals. Develop messaging and a guide/talking points to encourage the conversion of Lionesses to Lions. (Besides membership, what is in it for them?) A competing format is counterproductive. Encourage the GMT to consider a women’s specialist an integral part of the team all the way down to the district level. Consider reintroducing a position tracked by LCI. Communicate to DGE’s, VDG’s and zone chairpersons the importance of knowing the percentage of female members in their area, mentoring women and younger members and giving women a voice. Communicate the following to the GMT/ GLT: If existing clubs are reluctant to accept females as members, start a new club in that location to give women an opportunity to be Lions.
The Regional Women’s Workshop Planning Guide is a direct result of the recommendations formed at the LCI facilitated constitutional area women’s workshops held in Europe, Latin America, Japan and Australia (ID Sheryl was part of). Beginning next fiscal year, areas may request grant funding to hold Regional Women’s Workshops to: Explore factors surrounding the recruitment and retention of women in their specific part of the world. Devise strategies for increasing the number of women in Lions clubs. Create action plans to be implemented by district and multiple districts in their region. Also stemming from the Australia Women’s Workshop was the suggestion to develop a guide to talking to Lionesses and approaching the topic with sensitivity. A copy is provided for your reference. What can you do locally to implement these ideas?
One of the recommendations that came out of the Women’s & Family Task Force is the idea to target Lionesses for membership. In ANZI, Latin America, the US and parts of Europe, dozens of Lioness clubs remain, and some are still being chartered.
Great new members have experience, commitment and a reputation for setting goals and accomplishing them. A great new member embraces community service, teamwork, hard work and the value of putting others before oneself. Does this not describe Lionesses? While conversion for some Lionesses was a natural response to the new opportunity for women in 1987, many Lionesses chose a different path: they either continued serving under the guardianship of a parent Lions club, or they relinquished their affiliation with Lions. Both of the latter groups expressed feelings of abandonment and disregard; for some, it was enough to call it quits. That is why it is important to learn from the past and approach the topic with sensitivity.
Therefore, Lions Clubs International put together a resource called Bringing Lionesses into the Family: A Guide to Lioness Invitation. The guide walks through tips for talking to Lions leaders and Lionesses about Lioness invitation and offers ways of communicating are meaningful and mobilizes action. If you are interested in obtaining a guide, you can provide your name and email on a sign up sheet in the back, and LCI will send you a link to the guide.
District Global Membership Team coordinators are responsible for membership development through new members, new clubs and encouraging club success to improve retention in their areas. Because district and multiple district coordinators can’t do it all, they have the ability to appoint different types of specialists to oversee the growth and participation of various target groups. One of the types of specialists LCI recommends appointing is a family and women’s specialist at the district and multiple district level.
For those of you that may not be familiar with the GMT structure, here is the structure beginning at the constitutional area level. At the multiple district and district level, GMT coordinators develop a membership and new club success team and club success team, and specialists are assigned to each of the teams. Family & women’s specialists can be added to the membership and new club growth team at the multiple district and district level.
Family & women’s specialists serve three-year terms to oversee the growth and participation of women and family members throughout the district or multiple district. Because families and women have great potential for Lions growth, this position is critically important to the overall health and vitality of the association. Responsibilities: Oversee the recruitment of women and family members throughout a three-year term. Establish goals, including specific timelines, for the recruitment of women and family members and develop action plans to attain those goals. A copy of these goals should be sent to the GMT district coordinator and district governor. Take direction and guidance from the GMT district coordinator, district governor and LCI. Assist clubs with establishing their goals to invite families and women to become new members. Develop new service projects geared to interest women and family members based on the needs of the communities served. Plan and conduct a symposium or family involvement event(s) to address the needs of the communities served. Communicate regularly with clubs and the GMT District and DG Teams. Serve as a resource for all Lions in the district who are actively involved in recruitment and extension. Know the available resources to assist Lions and recommend as appropriate. Work with the GLT Team to promote leadership training programs available to Lions in the district. More information about the family and women’s specialists, their responsibilities, resources and materials available, check out the Family & Women’s Specialist Guide in the GMT section of the LCI website.
*Women in leadership are more likely to be concerned and focused on women and family issues *As more women are embraced as leaders, other female Lions will be inspired to strive for leadership positions. Therefore, encourage your women Lions, and enable women to take part in Leadership Institutes.
*Women in leadership are more likely to be concerned and focused on women and family issues *As more women are embraced as leaders, other female Lions will be inspired to strive for leadership positions. Therefore, encourage your women Lions, and enable women to take part in Leadership Institutes.
*Women in leadership are more likely to be concerned and focused on women and family issues *As more women are embraced as leaders, other female Lions will be inspired to strive for leadership positions. Therefore, encourage your women Lions, and enable women to take part in Leadership Institutes.
*Women in leadership are more likely to be concerned and focused on women and family issues *As more women are embraced as leaders, other female Lions will be inspired to strive for leadership positions. Therefore, encourage your women Lions, and enable women to take part in Leadership Institutes.
*Women in leadership are more likely to be concerned and focused on women and family issues *As more women are embraced as leaders, other female Lions will be inspired to strive for leadership positions. Therefore, encourage your women Lions, and enable women to take part in Leadership Institutes.
*Women in leadership are more likely to be concerned and focused on women and family issues *As more women are embraced as leaders, other female Lions will be inspired to strive for leadership positions. Therefore, encourage your women Lions, and enable women to take part in Leadership Institutes.
*Women in leadership are more likely to be concerned and focused on women and family issues *As more women are embraced as leaders, other female Lions will be inspired to strive for leadership positions. Therefore, encourage your women Lions, and enable women to take part in Leadership Institutes.
Family and women symposiums are an excellent way to address a topic relevant to this group and to the community while promoting membership in Lions. The purpose of family and women’s symposiums are to: Identify new community projects that are of interest to women and families. Identify potential members. Promote Lions clubs within the community. Charter a new club/club branch to develop the new community project that has been identified. Lions Clubs International offers grant funding of up to US$2,000 per symposium and up to US$4,000 per constitutional area per fiscal year. Most events receive funding of between US$500 and US$1,000 to spread available funding over several events. Due to limited funding, areas are not eligible to receive funding two consecutive years.
Additionally, beginning this 2013-14 fiscal year, you have the opportunity to take part in the Regional Women’s Workshop Grant Program. This program is in response to constitutional area workshops conducted by LCI in Australia, Europe, Japan and Latin America in 2010 and 2011. Each workshop recommended that LCI develop a grant program and guide so Lions can replicate the workshop locally. The purpose of the workshops are to: Explore factors surrounding the recruitment and retention of women in their specific part of the world. Devise local strategies for increasing the number of women in Lions clubs. Create action plans to be implemented by districts and multiple districts in their region. About the Workshops Workshop should include eight to fourteen participants drawn from all levels of Lions leadership and membership. The workshop should not be viewed as a “leadership” meeting or a “prestige” event. The viewpoints and ideas of new and young Lions are also valuable and invitees could include Lions known to you personally. Workshops should take place over a one or two day period at a convenient location within the region.3 Topics to discuss at the workshop may include the kinds of service projects the area should implement to attract and serve women, how can the area be more attractive to families with children and what do we need to start, stop and continue to further invite and involve women and family members. Funding for Regional Women’s Workshop mirrors the symposium program. The symposium guide is available online, and the Regional Women’s Workshop Planning Guide will be available in the coming months. If you would like to be sent the link to the guide, please sign up with your email address in the back.
4. a. - Germany’s goal and successes – 5 minutes Christiane Lafeld: The MD 111 goal is set: “5.000 women in five years” First steps in 2011 and the countdown has started in 2012. Goals were set together with the incoming District Governors for each district. Every year 2 female members for each club or one female club So far we have gained in 2012/2013 up to 750 new female members . Eleonore Kuhlmann Short introduction about the concept of her female club for its foundation Foundation in 2004 under the assistance of enthusiastic and kind male support Concept to be developed by the club members themselves using also “female view” Consequently basic club development and female club concept to be elaborated at the same time PR activities to focus male clubs: message “female clubs are as serious as male clubs”
4.b. – Provide ideas for inviting women through PR and networking – 5 minutes Main question: How can we attract women to join Lions? Christiane: PR is the key for success Concept for PR is needed on MD, District and club level - presentation of some examples and ideas Eleonore: Examples for networking to gain women as new members – how did we work and which strategies were successful Co-operation in activities with male clubs for 2 reasons: familiarisation female with male clubs in activities: learn from each other attracting “wifes” of male club members to become a “real” lion Collecting suggestions from members out of their personal network (2 per year and member) Keeping a club task force for the first meeting - together with the actual president Developing a club taylor made concept not only to win them but also to keep them
4.c. – Share ideas for growing women‘s membership – 5 minutes Christiane Short presentation of the workshop „More women to Lions!“ First results of this workshop held on MD and District level Who are they? Career women: own company or good management position Women with special skills (not only professional) Women with a modern view regarding their own life (self-definition) Women with modern partners providing personal acknowledgement (not only v.v.) Women with a positive background regarding volunteering Where do we find them? Personal network Business Network with other organizations (Lions, Rotary, Cultural, Social, etc.) How can we attract them? Good 1st handbook : print material – especially made for female potentials Guideline – “club personalized” Meetings in non business atmosphere Invitations/trials: share club meetings / activities / private meetings What support is needed? A personal “godmother” – starting with the first steps Good advises (obstacles of personal nature) Opportunity for longer periods of passive membership (children, grandchildren, parents, e.g.) Assistance to partner conversations Do we have to change? Only in our mind
4.c. – Share ideas for growing women‘s membership – 5 minutes Christiane Formula for success – women motivate women. Women support women Support mixed clubs and women clubs. Assist male clubs when they want to change into mixed clubs Leos should become Lions Make sure women clubs are also mixing generations. Encourage the very special potential women clubs We can learn from each other! Let‘s share our ecperiences and ideas!
