Madison Central Lions Club

President's Message

Shortly after assuming the office of club president in July of 2008, Lion JODI BURMESTER made an address to the club at the noon luncheon. Here are excerpts from that address:

Change is in the air.
It is the beginning of a new Lionistic year. As with any New Year it is a time for reflection on the year just ending and for New Year's resolutions.

As we look back, I would like to recognize and thank IPP Don, the board members and each of you for your service and leadership. It was a year of challenges and triumphs and you all helped to lay the foundation for the future.

As we look ahead, there is much work to be done. It is my hope that the load will be lightened by friendship, fun, camaraderie and our common goal to make our community and the world a better place for all.

During my 16 years of membership a once thriving club has slipped into a slow and steady decline. I can't really point to a specific time or instance that triggered this decline, instead it seems we just lost our focus and with it a great deal of the life blood of the Madison Central Lions Club.

What used to be the work of the many is now shouldered by all too few. And we've become more a knife and fork club, serving community needs through funding instead of through hands-on projects. This transition has had far reaching effects…
• On our ability to recruit and retain members.
• On our ability to operate functional committees.
• And on our ability to meet the needs of our community.
All this adds up to a club in decline. The good news is we're not dead yet. We can renew, revitalize and rebuild the Madison Central Lions into a healthy club that serves its members' and community's needs.

Renew.
By renewing your commitment to service. Since a club is only as strong as its members, we will start with our most precious resource - you. Each of us joined Lions for a reason and each of us has our own vision of what it means to serve. For those of us who've been around for a while this vision has probably changed with time. For some of our newer members their vision may not yet have been realized. No matter your length of service or individual vision of service, I am asking that we recommit as individuals and as a group to truly exemplify our motto - We Serve

Opportunities to serve abound - from chairing a project, to working a shift at the football stand or greeting members and guests at a meeting. Whatever your interests and abilities, there should be a corresponding committee assignment available. If you haven't already completed a committee sign-up form, do it now! I have hard copies with me or you can do it online. Once everyone's commitments are in, committee chairs will contact you with committee meeting specifics. It is the expectation that all committees will meet regularly and report back to the general membership on their progress and success. Involvement doesn't end with committees. There are a multitude of opportunities to take part in sporting events from golf to bowling and curling; along with ongoing opportunities to meet and learn from other Lions at zone meetings, conventions and trainings. Just like everything in life you will get out of it what you put into it. So take a chance, try something new and have some fun doing it.

Revitalize.
By revitalizing our club - projects, structure and meetings. For more than a year now, our club leadership has been working on revising and revamping our club projects, fundraisers and committee structure to ensure that all are aligned with member and community needs.

On the service side, we will continue with all of our current projects including cornea transport, eye glass recycling and diabetes awareness;
We will also add two major projects…
This fall will be our first ever Sight Night to collect used eyeglasses and hearing aids through partnerships with the Madison Metropolitan School District and US Postal Service. And next spring we will have our first annual Walk for Sight & Health Fair at East Towne Mall - where we will team up with numerous community partners to raise awareness of sight related health issues.

On the fundraising side, we will continue to staff UW football and basketball concession stands, and sell flowers in the spring. But this year will mark the beginning of our transition from sales-based fundraising to event-based fundraising with the addition of the Walk for Sight, a poker tournament. With so much activity and only two club meetings a month we need to make sure we have the structure in place to support the committees and projects.

Therefore starting in August we will define the purpose of each meeting as follows:
• The 1st Tuesday of the month will be a program meeting, just like we currently have with TT antics, announcements and a speaker;
• The 3rd Tuesday of the month will be a business meeting with committee reports, announcements and other club business being conducted. And of course don't forget TT antics.
• The Board will meet at noon on the 4th Tuesday of the month here at the Edgewater.
It is the hope of the Board that this new meeting format, committee structure and projects/fundraisers will allow all of our members to be involved and feel more connected to the club and all of its activities.

Rebuild.
By rebuilding our image and our membership.
Our image as an organization and club in Madison is almost non-existent, especially in the younger demographics.
• Madison's estimated population is 223,300.
• Of these 223,000 people only 143 belong to one of the 4 Madison Lions clubs.
• this translates to less than 1% of the total Madison population.
When you combine these numbers with a lack of high profile community projects and an inconsistent public relations program it adds up to Lionism being one of Madison's best kept secrets. So we have a fantastic opportunity to create an image for our club that reflects a vibrant organization whose members have fun while giving back to the community. The first step in our image building campaign we already touched on… new event-based projects and fund raisers that will engage the general public and raise awareness of the Lions organization and our mission. The second is to create a number of media partnerships that will help promote our events while again raising awareness. Third, is to recognize that each of us is a spokesperson with a story to tell and potential to further our mission of service. We will learn how to create our own elevator speeches and other marketing tools to help realize this potential.

Now on to membership…
Since 2004, our membership has dropped 27%.
There are a variety of reasons for this membership loss including deaths and transfers. As our membership has aged and is no longer in the workforce, their contacts and potential to recruit new members has dropped accordingly. All of this while the nation's largest Rotary club meets 3 blocks away.

All of these market factors are outside of our control…
But the largest reason members leave is within our control… members leave because we aren't meeting their needs. We bring new members in to the fold promising them the opportunity to give back to the community, when in reality we have offered very few opportunities to give back. People 25-40 are volunteering at near record rates, we can tap into this trend. We need to introduce them to Lionism and give them the opportunity to network and give back all while having fun. Craig Butler has taken on the vital role of Membership Chair. He and his committee will be responsible for planning, organizing and implementing a comprehensive membership and retention program which you will hear much more about as time goes on.

As we look ahead, the year ahead offers much promise and opportunity.
We are blessed with a board of directors made up of seasoned professionals from a variety of backgrounds and lengths of Lions service. Whom I would like to thank for taking on the challenge to lead our club into the future. As for me, this is technically my 2nd time around as President of the Madison Central Lions Club. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as President of this amazing group of Lions. I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure that when I leave this office next June Madison Central will be a stronger, healthier club that lives up to the Lions motto - We Serve.

Jodi Burmester
President, Madison Central Lions Club