1. Grand Knight Retention Sustaining the Council
Maryland State Council
Leadership Seminar
June 24, 2017
Grand Knight Retention Sustaining the Council

2. No one joined the Order to attend meetings!
What does retention
mean to you?
No one joined the Order to attend meetings!

3. Why was our Order founded?
Retention Message
Why was our Order founded?

4. Knights of Columbus

5. Retention Message
Retention is an opportunity to align ourselves, and our Brother Knights, to living our Catholic Faith each day.
Our members joined the Order to grow in their Faith
Demonstrate that you are living this Faith
Your Brother will be strengthened by your example. He’ll be encouraged to become a more active Knight, thus growing in his Catholicity, and helping our community and society align with God’s call.
Called to be ‘agents of the New Evangelization’
Solidarity with our Priests – How does he know?
Active in our parish – How are your Roundtables?
United action in the public square – You are not alone!

6. Retention Admission process Mentor program Council programs
Retention Team
Personal contact

7. Retention Admissions Board Introduce Order and Council
Build on baseline presentation
Timing (recruitment to Admissions Degree)

8. “It pays to plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”
Planning
“It pays to plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”

9. Admissions Board

10. Welcome the New Member First Degree = “Welcoming” Degree
Make sure our new Brother feels like a “real” Brother.
Members receive:
Virtue of Charity (Men want to give back)
Rosary – Link to his Faith (Spiritual Formation)
Lapel Pin - Link to the Order (Feeling of belonging)
Shining Armor material – Link to Retention

11. Membership Retention Member Mentoring
Each member is a valuable council asset.
New members need to be introduced to council members and be paired up with a member to be his mentor.
Have a “Welcome Night for the New Knights and their Families.”
Mentor through Shining Armor (1st Year of Membership)
Be involved in at least 3 council service programs.
Attend at least 3 council business meetings.
Receive Third Degree
Meet with their council’s insurance representative.
Recruit at least one new member.
Present Shining Armor Qualification Card (#4294) to the council to receive award.

12. Why Mentor/Sponsor Becoming a Knight
Unfamiliar organization
Time consuming
Ambiguous expectations
Sponsor assistance can make all the difference!
Ease anxiety and stress that comes with volunteering
Build relationship with new member and family
Enables member to focus on becoming active
Ease new member transition
Major impact on first impression of new member and family
Establish routine communications
Personal connection
Council newsletter / website / phone tree
Supreme & State website / newsletter

13. Sponsors make lifelong bond
Include spouse and children in sponsor process
Assess the needs of the newcomer and family
Be proactive - make the initial contact
Be helpful and sincere - listen
Be responsive but honest
If you don't know the answer, follow-up
Meet the needs of member and family
Get your family involved
Be the information source for the new member
Sponsors are not limited to helping new members
Transfers
Re-admission
High risk members

14. Sponsor Interaction Exercise
Activity groups – by table (5 minute drill)
Discover an interesting, surprising and separate connection you share with each person in your team.
A different connection with each person, not a single connection that every team member shares
'Interesting and surprising' does not include working for the same company, living in the same town or country or having the same color hair. Try to find a connection or something in common that surprises both of you.

15. Sponsor Interaction Exercise
What sort of questions helped discover most information?
How does mutual awareness (knowing each other better) help teamwork, cooperation, communications, etc?
What normally prevents people from getting to know each other better?
Sponsors Are A Critical Retention Source

16. Retain A New Member New member contact Recruitment process
Proposer/Mentor interactions
Friendly rapport with candidate & family
Interest card/Form-100 timely follow-up
Drive to/from Admissions Board
Drive to/from 1st Degree
Identify council program involvement
Work calendars to meet for programs/mtgs
Introduce Brother Knight to Benefits Advisor
Work calendars for advanced degrees
Introduce BK & family to other Knights
Periodic follow-ups
Questions about KofC
What’s going well?
What’s frustrating you?
New member contact
Recruitment process
Admissions Board
Degree progression
Council meetings & events

17. Retention Council programs & activities Parish involvement
Benefit to member & family
Build on council history

18. Retain a Long Time Member
Your council’s Knights and families have inspirational stories
Capturing the history of your council cannot be delayed until it’s time for your 100th anniversary (or 50th, or even 10th)
Capture the history of your council
Plan a social event with the purpose of learning about your council
Encourage those members who don’t attend meetings anymore to share their accounts of the ‘good old days’ in your council’s history

19. Retention
Retention Team
Retention Director
Priorities and techniques

20. Retention Team Retention Director Retention plan
Attributes of a good choice
Designation process
Retention plan
Selection of team members
Priority of efforts
Game plan/techniques

21. Retain An Active Member
Active members are already retained – What’s the point?
Reach out to all of your Knights and family members
Including the active families you see regularly is essential
Practice your message on a friendly audience
You’ll be more relaxed when listening to their comments and questions
The more time you spend with those you “know”,
the more you’ll learn about each other!
Know your members and their families
Know the rich history of your Order
Live Fraternity

22. Get Members Interested
Engage their interests
Communicate
Offer transportation
Seek and answer members’ questions
Introduce new members
Give recognition
“Be a Brother to a Brother!”

23. Retention is Fraternity in Action!
When did you last reach out to a Brother Knight?
Was he healthy?
Employed?
In need of assistance?
How is his family?
Most importantly, how did your interest make that Brother Knight feel?
Keep it up – reach out and speak with another Brother Knight today
[10 Min]How often should you connect with your members?
How do you define ‘connect’?
How many consistent connections can one Brother Knight maintain?
How does your council get to everyone?

24. Spread the Word How do you share your GK message?
How do you get feedback on GK messaging?
How much of the council do you reach?

25. Keep Communicating The Laws of Forgetting Anonymous
• We forget 50% of what we hear immediately.
• We forget 75% of what we hear within 2 months.
• Of the 25% we do remember, only 60% is correct, plus we add things that were never said in the first place!

26. Spread the Word Power of 10 Timely connections with all members
Fraternal growth
Diverse feedback

27. Retention Summary Communications/rapport before issues
Active Retention Committee
Stay upbeat – KofC is a great Catholic story!

29. Retain a Long Time Member
So, who are the members we haven’t seen lately?
1897 Supreme Convention attendees
Imagine their stories of the early days of the Order!