06/05/2019

What Associations Can Learn From Social Clubs

How they are recruiting new generations of members

Social and civic-oriented clubs are not a new phenomenon. Many old-school clubs have faded, but as Fast Company’s Elizabeth Segran pointed out last week, several new 21st-century clubs are on the rise because of venture capital funding.

You might recognize the names: The Wing (a women’s club with flexible coworking space), WeWork (another coworking space making moves into education) and SoHo House (a social club that gives professionals access to hotels and meeting spaces around the world). They have key differences with associations and more traditional social and civic-oriented clubs that have existed for decades, but they’re worth exploring because of their rapid growth.

One person keeping an eye on the trend is Leigh Zeitz, a past president of the Kiwanis Rough Risers in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and webmaster for the club’s blog. He recognizes the competition the new organizations represent. While Kiwanis continues to do important fundraising and service work supporting youth initiatives, he says it’s harder to recruit new generations of members.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.