Kin Blog

When members are sitting at the round table figuring out the game plan for the types of projects, events and fundraisers to do over the next year(s), it's best to conduct a community needs assessment as a starting point. (Kin members can find how to conduct a community needs assessment in the Resource Library under Club Resources).

Here, as a team, you can assess what is the most important cause to support or service to perform to best meet your objective: serving the community’s greatest need. Assessing your community will let you know how to best serve your community. This is how you define the product of your club.

Here are some tips to help you get from what is important to your club to what projects can you produce to make an impact on your community:

1. Conduct a Community Needs Assessment - Evaluate to ensure what you're doing is still relevant. If not, no one will come knocking on your door. Keeping on top of the trends in your community is one of the best ways to attracting new bodies!
2. Google the demographics of your community - Search online to find out what people in your community do, their family types, age, education, income and gender. This will give you an overall picture of your target market!
3. Conduct a SWOT analysis - See what internal strengths and weaknesses you have, and what external opportunities and threats there are. Once you find the holes you can start to patch it up.
4. Check out your competition - Look up what they’ve been doing and consider both their successes and failures.

Now, gather up all your intel and see if there’s anything missing in your club’s plan. If you see a similar product, event or fundraiser are held by others, doing something similar or the same obviously won’t allow you to stand out.

You wouldn’t have a lemonade stand if you know there are 10 stands just down the street, unless you’ve done something different to set yourself apart. Perhaps adding 'sugar free' to your lemonade menu or being as drastic as the sole lemon distributor and sell to those 10 lemonade stand owners would do the trick.

Taking this same approach to your club projects through understanding your community and those that affect it will help you set your club apart, and possibly spark some media attention. (Not to mention buzz from your fellow citizens!)

Make a bigger impact on your community - take some time to look at your club and community.