Beryl - Meetup Organizer of the Week - 5.12.08

Join us in Northern Virginia to check in with The Meetup Organizer of the Week, Beryl and her group,The Dulles Area Kiwanis(DAK)

This week, we're honored to have the opportunity to chat with an Organizer who utilizes Meetup.com to bolster the visability and membership of her chapter of an international humanitarian organization.

Community building is what we're all about. Your Meetup group can offer the perfect compliment for a larger community organization such as Beryl's Kiwanis Club.
Starting her Meetup group breathed new life into her club and provided a whole new spectrum of potential members to her fledgling group!

Thanks, Beryl.

To start off, please share with us a bit of background on the Kiwanis organization

Kiwanis is actually an International Organization with clubs all over the globe. Here are some interesting facts about the organization as a whole:

* Founded in 1915
* Over 600,000 members
* Nearly 15,000 clubs
* Clubs in more than 90 nations
* The Organization’s motto is "Serving the Children of the World"
* Kiwanis means "We make noise" or "We trade"
* The Kiwanis Family includes clubs for all ages: K-kids(elementary
school), Builders (middle school), Key Club (high school), CKI
(college), Kiwanis (adults), Aktion (adults with disabilities)

Mission Statement: Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers
dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

* Only 16% of all Kiwanians are under 35.
* Approximately 68% of all Kiwanians are male and 32% are female.
* The average Kiwanian has been a member for 9.5 years.

When and why did you decide to join?

I joined the Kiwanis family during my freshman year of college by joining the CKI club at the College of William and Mary. I spent all 4 of my college years in CKI and got to serve my local community while also gaining phenomenal leadership training. I made many lasting friendships during my time in CKI as well.

After graduating I took a few years to establish myself in my career and then decided I really missed the Kiwanis family of clubs. My joining Kiwanis was a extension of what I had already known and done during my college years. It's nice to be back in touch with many of the Kiwanis contacts I had 8 years ago during my time in CKI while also forming new friendships and bonds in my current community.

What prompted you to start a chapter in the Dulles area?

The idea for a club in the Dulles Area has been in the works since about 2005. The official movement to form the club began in the fall of 2006 with Heather Talbert, Kate Richards, and myself holding a planning session in Heather's living room.

The three of us worked together in the CKI organization and we saw a need to expand Kiwanis to the Dulles Area since there were no local Kiwanis clubs that fit our needs. Our vision is one of a more family-friendly younger chapter than is traditionally found in the International organization.

Some interesting facts about our club:

* Sunday afternoon meeting time (this is also pretty unique for
Kiwanis as well. Most Kiwanis clubs hold weekday
breakfast,lunch,or dinner meetings)
* 7 married couples
* 10 members with school age children or grandchildren
* All age inclusive
* 43% of our membership is female
* 35% of our membership is under age 35

Why did you decide to use Meetup.com to enhance your chapter

Our Kiwanis chapter began its formation around November of 2006. In order to be a fully functional and recognized club by the Kiwanis International office we needed 25 members to officially charter. We were able to bring about 15 into the club from word of mouth and friendships but then our membership recruitment plan really began to stall.

We were looking for non-traditional ways to recruit our last 10 members in order to reach charter strength. Based on a friend's recommendation I checked out the Meetup.com site, we signed up our club the next day.

Why is community building important to you?

There are so many reasons I enjoy community building. I enjoy the feeling I get from doing something beneficial for someone else. I have also chosen teaching as my career field. Kiwanis focus is on children and I feel like being a part of Kiwanis is almost an extension of my career which I love.

Our Dulles Area chapter sponsors High School Key Clubs in the community where I work and grew up. We help them with their community projects and financially support them in their community and leadership development. Kiwanis give me the opportunity to meet so many different people through our work!

Do you have a special Meetup story to share with us?

We have gained some of our most dedicated and active members through Meetup.com! It was an exciting day when our 25th member was from the Meetup site. It allowed us to officially charter and move forward with our goals and plans.

What are your plans for the future of your chapter?

The club's future vision is to expand to a membership of 50 or 60 and encourage families of all ages to join. In the future, DAK would also like to provide free child-care to members with young children so that everyone has the opportunity to participate. We want to continue building our community and establish a few 'signature' projects that make us even more recognizable in the community.

Be sure to share your congrats with Beryl on the Organizer Forum!