DOES YOUR CLUB HAVE SMART MEMBERSHIP GOALS? BY CAREN SCHUMACHER, CAPITAL DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR
If your club has membership goals, they are likely part of a Strategic Plan, or an I-Plan. A few years back, Kiwanis International (KI) promoted the development of an I-Plan, a fiveyear action plan for club growth and success. Membership and Engagement were addressed in the Inspiration section of the document. KI’s membership goal, to build, retain and support a growing Kiwanis membership network, was adopted into the I-plan of many clubs. Subsequently, individual clubs added their own specific membership retention and recruitment goals. While your club may have defined goals for membership, are they SMART goals? SMART (all caps) goals are focused and help define exactly what the intended result looks like and how it will be measured. SMART goals turn desired achievements into an action plan for success. SMART goals are defined as:
S – SPECIFIC Who, what, when, where and why! Who is involved? What do you want to accomplish? Where will this be done? Why are you doing it? Is the goal concise and descriptive? Is it linked to one activity, thought or idea?
M – MEASURABLE A goal should be something you can track and measure progress forward. How will success be measured? Are there metrics you can apply?
A – ATTAINABLE Is the goal reasonable enough to be accomplished and how? There should be clear tasks or actions you can take to make progress towards a goal. Make sure the goal is not out of reach or below standard performance.
R – RESULTS-ORIENTED/RELEVANT Is the goal worthwhile and does it meet your needs? Is each goal consistent with other goals you have established and fits with your immediate and long-term plans? Does the goal move the organization forward?
T – TIME-BASED Your objective should include a time limit. “I will complete this by month/day/year.” Setting a time limit establishes a sense of urgency and will help you to have better time management in reaching your goal.
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The Capital Kiwanian
