Club-within-a-Club Model Helps Bolster Optimist Membership

by Jim Boyd Director of New Club Building for Optimist International

Optimist International consistently creates new programs aimed at increasing membership and improving the health of its Clubs. The “Save the Charter” program created by Optimists in the East Missouri District last year is the latest example. It allows a Club near collapse to continue serving its community while the District works to strengthen it. This program saved the Optimist Club of Los Angeles in 2022, allowing the 105-year-old club to continue its service to the area.

While this program is still available, another one created in 2016 allows Clubs to intervene on their own behalf without having to rely on others. Nearly six dozen Clubs have used the Club-within-a-Club model to bolster their membership roster, often with younger members. These new Optimists can meet at a separate time from the regular Club meeting, work on their own projects and conduct their own fundraising. They channel their finances through the existing Club and can occasionally help with the existing Club’s projects. This helps the original Club with manpower for projects while revitalizing the membership base and creating a mentoring structure for the Club within a Club. Learn more about it from a recent webinar on the topic, or request the Frequently Asked Questions document from the New Club Department.

“I think it is a great idea to get folks to join that are not interested in the traditional meetings,” said Ron Merson, of the Santa Paula Optimist Club in California. “They can be involved in Optimistic activities without having to attend normal business meetings.”

It is critical to maintain regular communication with the new group, and Merson admits the Santa Paula Club failed in that regard. “Regular members in our Club did not keep the outside group involved and informed of our activities…and eventually they lost interest and moved away,” he said.

The Optimist Club of Carrollton, Georgia, provides a similar scenario, aiming to increase its membership with younger people to help with existing Club projects. It found success in making the Club younger by recruiting college students whose energy helped invigorate the existing members and provided more manpower for projects.

President Gerald Johnson, however, believes they fell short by not recruiting non-student Members from the University of West Georgia. “We had too many upper classmen in the group, and members started leaving as they graduated and moved to other communities,” Johnson said.” I still think it was a very positive move for our club and the remaining members of the Club-within-a-Club have moved into the regular membership.”

It is critical to mentor a new member or a group of new members so they feel a part of the broader organization. A school of thought for maintaining connectivity involves three letters, E.A.R. Engagement plus Activation equals Retention.

Optimists who conduct a Club-within-a-Club initiative must engage these new Optimists to activate their membership. This provides a feeling of belonging for the new members, making it more likely they will be retained as members in the future.

This idea was demonstrated by the Old Harbour Optimist Club in Jamaica. While encountering the same challenges as the Carrollton and Santa Paula Optimist Clubs, Builder of Excellence Blondette Wright said Old Harbour benefitted greatly from the Club-within-a-Club program.

“It allowed us to have better representation at Zone and District meetings,” Wright said. “But most importantly, it allowed us to reach more children with more projects.”

Contact Optimist International’s New Club Department at NewClub@optimist.org for more information about the Club-within-a-Club program.