Knights of
Columbus - Kentucky State Council
Member Retention Program
As every Grand Knight of Past Grand Knight will tell you, getting
new members is a challenge. So keeping existing members is vital!
Every member has something to offer the council. The council must find out
how each member can participate and get them involved before boredom results in
departure.
Retention is one aspect of the Knights of Columbus
which does not get the attention that it should. It starts the moment
that the applicant signs the Form 100. Quick response is necessary.
The sponsor member who signed up the candidate should get the applicant form
#100 to the membership chairman as soon as possible so it can be read at the
next council meeting.
The Grand Knight has the responsibility to make
sure that the candidate is afforded an opportunity to take the First Degree as
soon as possible. Meanwhile the council must find out what the new
candidate is interested in as a member knight. If not brought out by the
sponsor during the initial contact, make sure he is asked what he likes to do.
Discuss the various things he has done and the many activities the council does.
Get your members involved in something as soon as they take the First Degree.
Typically, a member who has lost interest will stop
paying his dues...and the Financial Secretary is the first person who knows.
As the Financial Secretary sends out notices before he is suspended he should
alert the Grand Knight of all those who have not paid dues. When the
second notice is sent the Financial Secretary should alert the Retention
Committee. (The Retention Committee is the Grand Knight and the 3
Trustees.) One of the Retention Committee members must contact the member
to see what the root of the problem is regarding his dues payment. The
member may be having financial difficulties due to job loss or family medical
problems.
NO MEMBER SHOULD EVER BE SUSPENDED WITHOUT A PERSONAL CONTACT BY THE RETENTION COMMITTEE!
The State's membership retention chairman will also contact each member before he is suspended. To do this, the Financial Secretary must forward a copy of the Notice to Suspend form . If we do our jobs, we won't lose nearly as many members as we bring in the Order each year. And if we all work together, we will have a banner year in membership increases.
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