Beyond Your Club
A short, interactive tour of the leadership roles, training institutes and global opportunities waiting once you look past your own club meeting.
Lions is the only organization that can bring together an accountant from Trinidad and Tobago, a wildlife expert from Wyoming, a Mountie from Canada — and a redneck from Tennessee. — Brandon Johnson, PCC
What you'll be able to do
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Describe the leadership roles that exist beyond the club — zone, region, district and multiple district.
- Explain what the four main leadership institutes — RLLI, ALLI, FDI and LCIP — each prepare a Lion to do.
- Identify at least one concrete way to get involved beyond your own club this year.
- Recognize the value of forums and international connections in a Lion's leadership journey.
The leadership ladder beyond your club — mind map
Five roles carry a Lion from the club level to the multiple district. Tap any branch to see what it actually involves.
None of this takes away from your own club — every role beyond it is meant to complement the Lions experience you already love, not replace it.
Four leadership development institutes
Each institute targets a different point in a Lion's leadership journey.
RLLI
Regional Lions Leadership Institute — locally funded and organized, usually by a multiple district. Open to newer Lions with no prerequisites, covering local issues, motivating members and personal mission statements. It's replacing the older ELLI, and can only be attended once.
ALLI
Advanced Lions Leadership Institute — prepares Lions to lead beyond the club: zone, region, district, multiple district and higher. Requires having served as club president; a sitting district governor can no longer attend as a participant.
FDI
Faculty Development Institute — trains presentation and delivery skills for teaching at the club, district and multiple district level, using pre-built material rather than your own curriculum. Smaller and more competitive than ALLI, at roughly 40 seats.
LCIP
Lions Certified Instructor Program — the premier LCI training, required to become faculty at ALLI, FDI or LCIP itself. Open to any Lion with no prerequisite offices, but extremely competitive, with only a handful of classes run so far.
Climbing beyond your club
From zone to multiple district. Tap any box to see how it plays out.
Zone and region chairs are often the first to spot a future district leader — quietly noticing the all-star club secretary or first-time president long before anyone else does.
How to get involved beyond your club
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Show up
Attend a zone meeting, forum or convention even if you don't know anyone there yet — a shared passion for service is what brings every Lion in the room together.
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Ask a committee chair
Check whether your district has left one of the 14 officially recognized committee chair positions unfilled — a role that matches your own passion could be your open door.
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Apply for an institute
Start with RLLI if you're newer to leadership, then look toward ALLI, FDI or LCIP as you take on more responsibility and experience.
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Go global
Attend a forum outside your own constitutional area, join a symposium abroad, or set up a cultural exchange or virtual twinning with a club in another country.
Timing matters for ALLI: you must have served as club president, and once you're a sitting district governor, the window to attend as a participant has already closed.
Why it's worth the effort
Friendships that last
A single ALLI class can leave you with a network of a hundred and fifty people across ranks and regions you can call anytime for advice — or just to vent.
Diverse perspectives
Forums and abroad opportunities expose you to Lions of very different backgrounds and cultures, broadening how you think about service back home.
Preparation for what's next
Zone and region chairs quietly identify and prepare future district leaders long before those Lions ever take office.
Engaging beyond your club: do vs. avoid
- Send every zone-meeting invitation to all members, not just presidents
- Keep meetings short, focused and rewarding
- Apply for the institute that matches where you are in your leadership journey
- Look for clubs active on social media when planning an international exchange
- Assuming zone or region sizes are fixed — they're set at the district governor's discretion
- Letting zone or advisory meetings drag on for two, three or four hours
- Waiting until you're district governor to apply for ALLI as a participant
- Waiting for an official club twinning program before connecting with a club abroad
Check yourself
Eight quick questions. Pick an answer to see instant feedback.
Bring it home
- Does your district currently have any of the 14 officially recognized committee chair positions unfilled that match a passion of yours?
- If you've already served as club president, is ALLI your next step — and if not yet, could RLLI be a great place to start?
- Is there a Lions club in another country you could reach out to for a cultural exchange or a virtual twinning project?