Lion Magazine
October 21, 2022

Executive Summary – October 2022

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

October 3-6, 2022

 

Audit Committee

  • Received a preliminary draft of The International Associations of Lions Clubs audited financial statements and report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.
  • Received an updated risk assessment, internal audit plan, and internal audit overview presentation from staff.

           

Constitution & By-Laws Committee

  • Reinstated Lion Sree Vidhya as district governor for the remainder of the 2022-2023 year and prohibit removal of any current district cabinet members without a majority vote of the district governor, first vice district governor and second vice district governor.
  • Confirmed action of Dr. Anono Dodzi Komlan related to LCIF grant funds as conduct unbecoming a Lion and prohibited membership as a Lion in the future.
  • Confirmed willful failure of Roland Dunham to comply with association policy as conduct unbecoming a Lion and prohibited membership as a Lion in the future.
  • Cancelled the charter of the New London Black Heritage Lions Club for failing to meet the obligations of a Lions club.
  • Required clubs in the undistricted area of northern Cyprus to confirm they will not associate with an unauthorized “federation” on or before November 30, 2022 and confirmed failure to comply will result in club cancellation.
  • Affirmed a proposed amendment to the International By-Laws, Article II, Section 3 to remove the requirement of a district to have 35 clubs and 1,250 members in order to be eligible to endorse a candidate.

 

Convention committee

  • Discussed and approved per diem allocations for Presidential Convention Appointees who qualify for reimbursement and headquarter staff supporting the Lions Clubs International Convention.
  • Discussed and approved the 2023 Line of March for the Parade of Nations.
  • Discussed and approved a request from Third Vice President A. P. Singh to allow the Multiple Districts of India to march together.
  • Reviewed and approved updating Chapter VIII of the Lions Clubs International Board Policy to better reflect how the Parade of Nations is organized at the Lions Clubs International Convention.

 

District and Club Service Committee

  • Appointed Past District Governor Gina Detviler (District 5-M6) and Robyn Falloon District 201-V14 to serve in the position of District Governor until the close of the 2023 International Convention.
  • Approved the following redistricting proposals for next fiscal year.
    • District 308-A1 (Singapore) to become Single District 309.
    • District 308-B1 (Malaysia) to bifurcate into District 308-B1 and District 308-B3.
    • District 3232-B1 (India) to bifurcate into District 3232-B1 and District 3232-B3.
    • District 3232-B2 (India) to bifurcate into District 3232-B2 and District 3232-B4.
    • District 3231-A2 (India) to bifurcate into District 3231-A2 and District 3231-A4.
    • District 324-L (India) to bifurcate into District 324-L and District 324-N.
    • Multiple District 19 (USA/Canada) to reduce the number of districts from 9 district to 5 districts resulting in Districts 19-L, 19-I, 19-O, 19-N, and 19-S.
  • Approved the following district name changes for next fiscal year
    • District 300D-3 (China, Taiwan) be known as District 300D-1.
    • District 300D-5 (China, Taiwan) be known as District 300D-2.
    • Proposed District 300C-5 (China, Taiwan) scheduled to take place at the close of the 2023 International Convention, be renamed District 300C-3.
  • Amended the Standard Form Club Constitution Article III, section 7. by adding the phase “Any elected officer must be removed from office as provided in Article 7, Section 2 of this constitution prior to forfeiture of membership under this section.” as the final sentence of the section.

 

Finance & Headquarters Operation committee

  • Approved the FY 2022-2023 1st Quarter Forecast, reflecting a deficit.
  • Approved placing Argentina on modified protective status through April 2023 with reviews to occur at the 2022-2023 board meetings.
  • Approved the Master Services Agreement between Balaji Enterprise and The International Association of Lions Clubs for the period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024,
  • Revised the Executive Officer Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy.
  • Revised Chapter IX, District Officers & Organization, of Board Policy.
  • Revised Chapter XIV, Leadership Development, of Board Policy.
  • Revised Chapter XXI, Travel and Expense Reimbursement, of Board Policy.

 

Leadership Development Committee

  • Confirmed the schedule for the First Vice District Governor/District Governor-elect (FVDG/DGE) Seminar Days 1-3 scheduled for February 2023.
  • Approved a revised plan for the future revisions to the Second Vice District Governor and First Vice District Governor/District Governor-elect training program.
  • Approved a five-year extension of the Q Center contract to accommodate the First Vice District Governor/District Governor-elect seminar for 2025 through 2029.

 

Long Range Planning (AUGUST 2022 Meeting Report)

  • Received an update on the Lions International Strategic Plan.
  • Discussed the process by which the International Board of Directors recommends a candidate for the position of International Third Vice President.
  • Discussed opportunities for younger voices to provide increased input in board discussions.
  • Discussed the impact of discounted membership types, including the financial impact to the association, and the potential risk of misuse to influence delegate counts.
  • Reviewed the benefits currently offered to districts who achieve a minimum of 35 clubs and 1,250 members, or who have demonstrated membership growth, and discussed ways to incentivize and reward growth in the future.
  • Discussed how recommendations from the marketing think tank can be incorporated into marketing and leadership development plans.

 

Marketing Committee

  • Reviewed a post-report on the Marketing Grant program (formerly PR Grants) from the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
  • Received and approved 13 Marketing Grants requests. During these board meetings, the committee reviewed five new grants for consideration, approving four.
  • Approved a funding request by the Lions of India to support public relations efforts for India Advocacy Day.
  • Received updates on new and existing programs such as the Executive Officer PR program, use of Instagram Reels, social media content calendars, and social channel performance.
  • Received updates on strategic messaging guidelines, use cases, brand guidelines, communication plans, digital and commercial promotions, including the new “Lions International” commercial in development.
  • Reviewed the Vital Directory publication and approved a series of format adjustments. Further, requested staff evaluate moving the publication to a digital product in the future.
  • Reviewed and approved updates to website navigation to increase menu usability and the ability for members to find the content they seek on lionsclubs.org.

 

Membership Development Committee 

  • Discussed discounted member types, and requested language be drafted to amend policy preventing discounted member types be used to influence elections through the delegate formula.
  • Approved the slate of 2023-2025 Leo Club Program advisory panelists, noting vacancies would be filled at the March 2023 board meeting.
  • Cancelled the clubs formed in June 2021 for election purposes in district 3234 D2.
  • Placed district 3234 D2 in a moratorium, preventing elections until membership misuse is resolved through the guidance of a Coordinating Lion.
  • Reiterated that clubs must be formed within a district, and all the members of the club must belong to the same district.
  • Discussed options to explore to further encourage new club chartering.
  • Updated Leo Club Program policy to align policy with current business practices.
  • Removed the requirement for district approval when two or more clubs cosponsor a Leo club. This aligns approval requirements for cosponsored clubs to be the same as Leo clubs with a single Lions club sponsor.
  • Corrected board policy from CMNI (Saipan) to CNMI (Saipan).

 

SERVICE ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

  • Resolved to adopt Lions KidSight USA as a service program of Lions Clubs International.
  • Received a report on service reporting, including the number of people served, the number of service activities, and the percent of clubs reporting service.
  • Received an update on advocacy initiatives, including Lions Day with the United Nations, Lions Day on Capitol Hill and Parliament Hill, and a marketing and advocacy campaign in development by the Lions Council of India.
  • Discussed global causes and service programs, including support for refugees and displaced persons.
  • Received an update on Lions-Elevance Health Volunteer Days.
  • Received an update on Celebrate Community, the annual event during which members of Kiwanis International, Lions International, Optimists International, and Rotary International engage in service activities together.
  • Reviewed the nominations for the Top Ten Youth Camp and Exchange Chairperson Award, and selected winners.

 

Technology Committee

  • Reviewed the 2021-2022 actual results and the 2022-2023 first quarter forecast for the Technology Division.
  • Reviewed updates on privacy initiatives, ongoing steps being taken related to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and requested that staff continue the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001 compliance project without formal certification.
  • Received a comprehensive update on the Salesforce projects, including the core constituent relationship management (CRM) and the new digital member experience.
  • Met jointly with Marketing Committee and discussed: the Salesforce project status, communicating the Salesforce change to members, branding the new member experience, and a new website navigation proposal.
  • Discussed change management and member engagement approach needed to minimize the impact associated with a change to the digital member experience.