TOPICS ADDRESSED

1. Conduct a Club Check-Up
2. Determine Club and Community Needs
3. Establish Realistic Club Goals
4. Evaluate Club Effectiveness

1. Determine club members interests & expectations

2. Survey club strengths and weaknesses

3. Chart club members participation

4. Determine core members and potential leadership

5. Examine club annual budget

6. Membership application survey
- redo annually

7. Club Developed Survey
- redo every 3 to 4 years
- share results with members

8. Review budgets for previous years
- increasing or decreasing

9. Club membership trends
- increasing or decreasing

10. Club developed survey
- ask how members feel about belonging
- share results with club

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1. Regular meetings

2. Youth activities

3. Fund raisers

4. Social functions

5. Use OSCAR or locally developed software to automate the  record keeping.

1. List current members in three groups:
(a) those you can list from memory
(b) review membership list and identify regular activity    participants
(c) remaining members not on lists l or 2

2. The members on each list require a different approach for  motivation:
(a) these members are active participants (hold an activity    and they will come)
(b) not as active as list 1, but with the proper motivation they    will participate (old timers that are getting choosy or new    members that need to be invited
(c) occasional meeting attendees (they have a pin but need to  be turned on to Optimism)

1. Identify funds available to support activities in last year's  budget.

2. Review club fund raising projects  &  identify potential sources.

3 List planned and potential projects with expected profits (be  realistic).

1. List  community programs that meet a need or enjoy popular  participation:
(a)` Special Olympics  (e) Little League
(b) Youth  Soccer  (f) Auto Rodeo
(c) Girl/Boy Scouts  (g) Bike Safety
(d) Explorer Posts  (h)` Swim Program

2. Identify local service clubs and their programs:
(a) Chamber of Commerce (d) JC's
(b) Lions    (e) Kiwanis
(c) Fraternal Groups  (f) Other
** Determine level of Optimist participation

3. How is your club involved in the local schools?
(A) Focus on one school (elementary, middle or high)
(b) Importance of school contact person
(c) OI Programs:
  - Essay Contest  Oratorical & CCDHH
  - Youth Clubs  Proms and parties
         
4. Determining community demographics.
(A) Who lives in your community
(b) Type of community
(c) Community interests
  - Professional sports teams
  - The Arts
(d) Demographic sources:
  - Chamber of  Commerce
  - Library
  - Internet

5. What has been successful for your Club?
(A) Activities
(b) Fund raisers

What has been less successful for your club?
** Do you know why?

1. Identify past and traditional club goals.

2. Categorize goals into long term (months to years) and short term  weeks to months).  Who is responsible for monitoring -- progress?

3.` Considering club resources (or how to set goals when    community needs are larger than club resources).

4. The art of matching resources to needs - large or small.

5. Why realistic and reasonable make sense.

- are written    - are specific
- demand plans  - are believable
- present a challenge  - allow for change
- present alternatives

1. Honour/Distinguished club

2. Membership (Quantity & Quality)

3. Special activity or program

4. What goals have your club used?

Short Term Goals (weeks to months):
(a) most Optimist International Programs (pre-planned &    ready)
(b) limited resources needed & available
(c) Short time period to organize and conduct

Long Term Goals:
(a) special community programs
(b) resources needed are beyond current club capabilities
(c) preparation of performance period is long term
(d) special arrangements needed for monitoring progress (or    how to set goals when community needs are larger than    club resources)
- normally associated with long term goals
- need to expand membership
- consider larger or more fund raising activities
- conduct joint ventures with other local service clubs
- invite community (non-club members) to participate (club    members manage project and provide leadership)--    great opportunity for gaining new members

1. Start with what your club does best--nothing succeeds like  success.

2.` Use Optimism International Programs as your foundation.

3. Try to add or expand one new program per year (some  programs may require several years preparation before they can  be conducted successfully).

4. Don't try to do too much--a major failure can be disastrous.

1. Goals must be believable.

2. A real goal can be easily understood by club members as worthy  to be achieved.

3. A reasonable goal can be achieved.

1. Track member participation.

2. Project notebooks (or a CPA by any other name).

3. Community input is as important as member input.

4. When is the best time to evaluate?