Building Club Membership
Every club needs new members to keep serving. Learn the membership types and categories to offer, and a simple four-step plan to invite, welcome and keep them.
The easiest way to gain a member is simple: just ask — especially your friends and family.
What you'll be able to do
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Describe the membership types available and their benefits.
- Recognise the membership categories and how their privileges differ.
- Follow the four steps of the Just Ask recruiting program.
- Run an inviting membership event that actually attracts people.
- Welcome and keep new members so they stay and serve.
The big picture — mind map
Tap any branch to reveal its key ideas.
Membership types to offer
Keep these in your back pocket — the right offer removes the barrier for the right person. Tap each to learn more.
One catch to remember: reduced rates like the family discount apply to international (LCI) dues only. District and multiple-district dues are still paid in full — unless your club or district has chosen to reduce them too.
Membership categories
A member's category reflects their situation, and shapes their dues, voting and eligibility for office.
Active
The standard status: attends, votes, and may hold office.
Affiliate
Supports the club and its causes but can't take part in every meeting or activity.
Associate
Holds an active membership in another club (paying full dues there) and takes part in yours too — handy for members who split the year between two places.
Honorary
Bestowed on a community friend who has served the club; not counted as an LCI member.
Life
A one-time international fee for long-serving Lions (20+ years, or 15+ years and age 70+).
At-large / Privileged
For long-time members who — often for health reasons — can't attend regularly but want to stay part of the club.
The Just Ask plan — four steps
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Prepare your club
Reflect on what you want the club to become — and be honest about why you want new members and whether you're truly ready to welcome their ideas.
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Create a growth plan
Decide who to target, where to find them, and how to reach them — with brochures, social media and your club website.
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Implement the plan
Hold an informational meeting or membership night, set up a booth at a community event, or simply invite people to a service project.
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Welcome your new members
Induct them meaningfully, give them orientation and a mentor, and get them serving right away.
A recruiting playbook that works
Proven touches Lions shared from their own membership nights:
Take the word 'meeting' out of the invitation. A soup night, a card or fishing tournament, a family fun day — people are far more drawn to a social than to a business meeting, and it's where they get to know the people they'd serve alongside.
Welcome — and keep — them
The moment someone says yes, make it count: a meaningful induction (the sooner the better), orientation and a mentor, and a real job on a project straight away. A short interest questionnaire helps you match each new member to work they'll love.
Beware the 'paralysis of analysis.' With so many ideas, the easiest choice is to do nothing. Don't try to do everything — pick one approach, implement it, and improve from there.
Check yourself
Five quick questions. Pick an answer to see instant feedback.
Bring it home
- Be honest: is our club truly ready to welcome new members' ideas — not just their hands?
- Which membership type would remove the barrier for someone we'd love to invite?
- What is one social event we could host this year instead of a recruiting 'meeting'?