Re-Member Texas is a brilliant campaign to increase membership in MD2.  Wish I could say the FVDG’s came up with this, but we didn’t.  We decided it was a worthy enough idea to continue it for another year.  But!  This campaign will only work if you, the Club Members, will use it. This is for everyone!  And if everyone brought in just one new member, wow!  Think about it!  Doubled in membership.  How hard can it be to ask a friend, a neighbor, a business associate, a family member?  Wear your Just Ask pin in public.  I have been stopped by total strangers and asked “What do I ask”?  Then you tell them about Lions and hand them your card, even if you are in another district.  You let them know if they are interested you will get in touch with a contact Lion in that area.  Then, follow through.

Now.  After you have a new Lion, please don’t leave them to “fend for themselves”.  Invite them to sit at your table, introduce them to the other members. Talk to them.  And don’t ask them to be a Club Officer until they are comfortable being a Lion. You just might scare them away.   But do get them involved in the Club’s projects immediately.  Ask them if they have a particular type of project they would like to do with the Club and what type of Community projects are they interested in that the Club has not been doing.  Guess what?  New Lion, New Ideas!  Keep that new member involved.  It does no good to sign up a new member and then ignore him/her.   You have all heard of the three most important words in Real Estate?

Location, Location, Location.  Well, the three most important words in Lions Membership are Retention, Retention, Retention.  You can sign up a hundred members, but if you don’t get them involved, they will not stay.

Now, let’s talk about New Clubs.  There are some areas that really do not need any more Clubs. But they do need more members.  Just saying.  When a new Club is formed, again, I must emphasize, do not ignore that new Club.  Make sure your Guiding Lions are at the meetings.  I know, things come up and maybe the Guiding Lion can’t be there.  Then the second GL should be there.  If there is no Lion able to attend one of their meetings, call the New President and let them know and ask them to email, text or whatever if they have any questions or concerns that cannot wait until the next meeting. Have them write them down so as not to forget those questions or concerns.  Make sure your GL’s know what to do.  They do not run the meetings, they listen and wait to be asked a question or give advice if they are asked for it.  Your GL’s are the New Clubs “Silent Partner”.  Kind of like a small child, “Speak when you are spoken to”.