Elio Garozzo

EXPERIENCE VALUE 

In this section I’d like to  present what I have learned over many years of life in Kiwanis. Through some key words I’ll try to explain my thoughts on what we could do to improve our organization 

 MY VISION FOR KIWANIS :

a global network of friends and volunteers joined in the SERVICE!

KEY WORDS

Optimism with determination, concreteness, resilience,

innovation which respects tradition.

Yes to Evolution, no to Revolution!

SERVICE

 The priority is not only carrying out worldwide service activity programs,

but also taking care of our communities !

It’s very important to promote LOCAL SERVICE activities to have an impact in OUR COMMUNITIES, to become more recognized as a real point of reference,
and to emphasize our specificity.

START UP but above all FOLLOW UP

Too often, an Officer in charge is interested in starting a service program but cannot follow it up after his/her term is over.  The new Officer isn’t interested in following that program up, because he/she doesn’t consider it his/hers: in reality that program belongs to the entire club! Continuity is a value.

Do you remember the service you have done in the past?

Exhibitions should show, at all Conventions, pictures of services carried out by clubs, to remember what we have done for children and our communities!

It makes us proud to be kiwanians and makes you want to do it too.

UNKNOWN SLP !

Sponsored Leadership Programs ATTRACT AND TRAIN young future KIWANIS LEADERS, but they are also useful TO PROMOTE LOCALLY each KC sponsoring them.

It would become a fantastic way to encourage young people to carry out voluntary activities and to inspire love for their communities.

No bullies, but rather volunteers!

In the SUMMER, CAMPS for our young SLP members HAVE TO BE ORGANIZED, bringing together young kiwanians from all the world.

WAYS TO INFORM

in our district magazine we should only publish OUR SERVICE GOALS

as well as on our websites and social networks.

 CONTINUOUS EDUCATION THROUGH 2 LEVELS OF TRAINING

1 – inside the clubs for all members

2 – for the division officers and chairmen

HOW TO TRAIN (beyond traditional methods) :

LEARNING BY DOING and ON LINE TRAINING

If they don’t participate in the training, they can’t become Leaders and cannot take on duties as they won’t know what they are doing!

The DISTRICT, the EUROPEAN FEDERATION, KIWANIS has to be a service center

and not a center of power!

Pay attention to: Strategic investments – Spending review

Cost/ benefit rate – Actions/Goals-Results

Transparent management: spending check three times a year.

RESPECT for THE RULES

AND ATTENTION TO SYMBOLS:

BANNERS AND COLLARS seem to be just a formality, but they should emphasize the authority and respect for the Officers (and make them recognizable).

CLASS SELECTION –  DUTIES and MERITOCRACY/ competenze e meritocrazia

We would like to acknowledge merits through a coefficient evaluation system to establish officers’ efficiency and usefulness in order to be able to choose well-prepared candidates for higher offices.

 TASK FORCE FOR PROBLEM SOLVING

especially for maintenance, rejuvenation and growth, in particular for young professionals (see EUROPEAN VALUE).

Kiwanis has not grown very much for a long time. Not only have we stopped growing, but we are even losing members (see GRAPH).

Therefore, we need a good strategy to attract new members and young professionals in our clubs, to strengthen current clubs and to create new ones.

We should also deal with the accelerated turn over and decrease resistance to innovation and change.

LET’S NOT WASTE THE CONVENTION:

It must be an opportunity to meet each other at least once a year

and to exchange our experiences.

Not only an election campaign… but these could also become an opportunity to create exhibitions of our local services carried out throughout the year, to increase team spirit and to make every member proud to be part of our organization

 ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Do we remember the CENTENNIAL YEAR 1915-2015,

our 100 years of Kiwanis?

Let’s not forget our 100 years, because it’s an important strategy in our communication and a marketing opportunity.

  In order to make a brand stronger, we have to give it continuity.

Speaking of continuity, the most important thing to do is find a method of giving continuity to all the good that was done the year before. I have all too often seen presidents and governors breaking up this continuity merely out of personal interest (“since I didn’t do it I want it forgotten”)

MY DREAM: to make KIWANIS IMPRESSIVE

 I don’t really believe I have a magic wand but I believe I have ideas, concreteness, enthusiasm and passion: make the difference!