Membership Recruitment Training

1. B. Dan O’Hara, IPSD Supreme Membership and Program Coordinator Membership Recruitment Training

2. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner Membership Recruitment Training How do we Recruit? Region 2

3. Every Knight has a responsibility… …to promote growth of the Order, as well as ensuring valuable and effective programming is being conducted within the church and the community. So… …WHY DID FR. McGIVNEY CREATE THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS in the first place?

4. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner Ask any non-member of the Order from your parish about who the Knights of Columbus are and they will most likely say one of two things:

5. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner 1. You give away a lot of money to Charity; and

6. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner 2. You have pancake breakfasts! PANCAKES!

7. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner Is that it? PANCAKES?? Is that all we are known for? Don’t get me wrong, but shouldn’t we be known for a whole lot more??

8. Membership Recruitment Training And what is it that we do? Does it not appear odd that even though we may have been in a Parish for 30 or more years, the first question people ask us when invited to come into the Order is: “What do you do???”

9. Membership Recruitment Training • Because we haven’t properly trained our Recruitment Team on how to conduct and be prepared for a Blitz we really don’t have a meaningful answer to the “What do you do” question.

10. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner So we proceed to add… …and card nights…umm… …and we help the Church… …and we march in parades… …and we raise money…uh …and oh yeah, sell tickets… …B-I-N-G-O…….

11. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner And the prospect’s wife says: “ All you are doing is taking my kid’s dad away from them. What is in it for us?”

12. Membership Recruitment Training Well – what is in it for her family? • Do you know how to answer her? • Do you know what the Knights of Columbus will do for her and her family? • Do you know how her husband belonging to the Order will help her family? • Do you know about many of the other things we should be known for? Let’s take a look!

13. Membership Recruitment Training Did you know to tell her: • The Order offers free, accidental death benefits for the member and his wife? • The Order insures “uninsurable” children? • At no cost, the Field Agent will assist the widow of a deceased member with all paperwork following his death? • We promote Faith, Family and Community?

14. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner FAITH: As Knights, our faith is our foundation. Dedicated to the Catholic Church’s growth and her good works, we support religious outreach, promote vocations, and provide financial support for seminarians and postulants.

15. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner COMMUNITY: As committed as we are to the Catholic Church, so are we to our communities. By actively and financially supporting Special Olympics, by leading the charge in pro-life, by safeguarding the environment or working with the Wheelchair Foundation in providing wheelchairs to those in need, Knights of Columbus members all over the world have helped countless communities prosper.

16. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner FAMILY: As fathers and husbands, serving our families is not only part of what we do, it’s part of who we are. To that end, Knights of Columbus councils offer programs that strengthen family and marital bonds by holding numerous family focused events.

17. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner LET’S NOT FORGET ABOUT OUR INSURANCE PROGRAMS!

18. Membership Recruitment Training Membership Recruitment Activity Planner WHAT ELSE DO WE OFFER THE FAMILY? First and foremost, the Knights of Columbus are committed to family. • We assist our members to become better fathers and Catholic husbands. • We provide faith based, family programs. • We promote fun events for the entire family. • We encourage family prayer. • We Offer School bursaries/scholarships • Fathers for Good! • Squires program for young men. • We BELIEVE in your family!

19. Membership Recruitment Training BUT WHO ARE WE??? WHERE DID WE COME FROM??

20. Membership Recruitment Training • In 1882, a young parish priest named Father Michael J. McGivney brought together a small group of Catholic men and formed the Knights of Columbus. That’s great, but why?

21. Membership Recruitment Training As Catholics in the 1800’s, life was tough. If you admitted to being Catholic it impacted the quality and pay for the jobs you might get. It impacted where you could live and what involvement in your community you might be able to have. We where a minority, a despised minority.

22. Membership Recruitment Training There was no Charter of Rights and Freedoms, that did not come until later, so being Catholic had its challenges. Father McGivney had pride in his faith, he became a priest to help others to build their faith and stay strong in spite of the challenges they were sure to face because of the being Catholic.

23. Membership Recruitment Training Another challenge that was facing us was the extreme growth of secret societies, societies that promised strength in numbers and prosperity for its members – but little else. The concern was that these organizations had no basis in faith and many of these societies in fact went against the teachings of the Catholic Church and our values.

24. Membership Recruitment Training Another challenge for Catholics were the road blocks in the world of finance. One of the strongest financial products available - life insurance, was unavailable to Catholics even if you could afford it!

25. Membership Recruitment Training Quite simply, if you were Catholic you where automatically disqualified, you could not protect your family, even if you wanted to. Father McGivney understood this too, that’s why the Order’s Insurance program is the foundation of the Order’s financial strength.

26. Membership Recruitment Training Father McGivney needed to provide an option to his parishioners. The Order of the Knights of Columbus was his answer.

27. Membership Recruitment Training To Succeed in membership growth you must: • Learn about your product, the Knights of Columbus… • …use your resources and ask questions if you’re not sure about something. Learn about the free accidental death benefit available to members and their wives. • Learn about the Knights being world leaders in the battle for the protection of life. Learn about insurance coverage for the uninsured children of our family members. Learn about the more than $1.3 Billion our Order has donated to charities in the last 10 years alone.

28. Membership Recruitment Training • Learn about the $73 billion of insurance our Order has in force to protect it’s members. • Learn that during this recession, the Knights of Columbus did not lose one penny. • Learn that in the US the Knights of Columbus are now one of only 3 insurance companies that have maintained the top rating given by Standard & Poors and AM BEST. And in Canada only ONE company holds that designation – the • KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

29. Membership Recruitment Training Ways in which the Prospect’s family may already have been touched by the Knights of Columbus: • Attending a KofC parish event or activity • Supporting Special Olympics • Supporting Habitat for Humanity • Support of Catholic schools • Many councils sponsor Seniors residences • Vatican broadcast of special Masses • Altar server appreciation • Food bank/soup kitchens and Blood donors • Family Rosary/Hour of Prayer Marian Devotion • Local Memorials to the Unborn

30. Membership Recruitment Training • Researching a cure for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) • Fought Roe V Wade for the past 40 years • Non-government Organization (NGO) at the UN • Inserted and won the right to maintain “under God” in the US pledge of allegiance • Rebuilt the façade of the Vatican • Local “coats for Kids” and “food for families” programs • Kid’s substance abuse poster and essay contests • Support Big Sisters, Big Brothers, Boy Scouts • Keep Christ in Christmas and Christmas Hampers • Light up for Christ • 9-11 Hero’s Fund

31. Membership Recruitment Training And most IMPORTANTLY when speaking to a prospect and his wife… • Speak from your heart! Tell them what the Knights of Columbus means to YOU. • Tell them what inspired YOU to belong to the Order. • Tell them how membership in the Order has benefitted YOU and YOUR family. • Tell them why YOU believe you want THEM to belong with you to the BEST, CATHOLIC LAY ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD!!

32. Membership Recruitment Training • IF you believe in who we are, IF you love the Order and IF you have the knowledge you need, then getting a family to belong to our family is easy. • But be honest about what the Order is. We will not be for everyone, because we will not change who we are to match what someone else wants…

33. Membership Recruitment Training • …But then, the Church isn’t going to change either and that has proven to be the right decision. The Order is based on our faith, be honest about that, don’t cloud that aspect looking to be politically correct or sensitive to those who would have us change our organization to match the flavour of the day.

34. Membership Recruitment Training • The order is made up of 100’s of thousands of men, just like you and me. It’s been said that some have a natural talent for things in life, and others have a great work ethic. Personally, I would take a great work ethic over talent any day. Stay focused, stay challenged and talk to a lot of men about the order. • That is what will grow the Order, all of us who believe, working and bound together like the threads of a cable we are strong, and together we will bring the Order to every Parish and Catholic family. But don’t fall for the “quality vs. quantity” trap.

35. Membership Recruitment Training Just remember: - Belief with Passion, - Knowledge with Confidence, and a - Winning, positive attitude – WORKS.

36. Membership Recruitment Training These are only SOME of the things you should know about the Knights of Columbus so that you can talk with a prospect and their family with confidence. Prepare Yourselves and you will succeed! Make our new member and his family feel welcomed! Treat him like he really is…your BROTHER!

37. THOUGHTS OF A NEW MEMBER “I see you at the meetings, but you never say Hello. You’re busy all the time you’re there, with those you really know. I come to the meetings, but I’m a lonely guy. The new ones feel as strange as I, as the old ones pass us by. Darn it! You folks urged us to join and you talked of fellowship. You could just cross the room, you know, But you never make the trip. Can’t you just wave, or nod, or stop and shake a hand; And then, go back, and sit among your friends? Now that, I’d understand! I’m going to be at the next meeting. And I hope that you will spend, the time to introduce yourself … Because, I joined to be your friend!” Author: unknown

38. Membership Recruitment Training SHOOT FOR THE MOON! Even if you miss, you will land in the STARS!

39. EXERCISE TIME!! • With the program we have just reviewed, let’s look at an unsuccessful approach and then a successful one. • List some of the challenges we encounter as recruiters. • As a group, let’s come up with some better ways to handle these challenges. • What works for you as a recruiter? • With what you have just learned, how many members can you recruit this year?