As the end of our leadership year approaches I would like to congratulate you on a job well done. I would also like to remind you that we have the potential to make this excellent year an historic year.

We currently have over 10,000 more Lions than we did at the start of the year and we are well positioned to end the year with a positive gain in worldwide membership. As you know, membership fluctuates throughout the year and it is likely that this number will be reduced by the end of June – but it is imperative that we not give back everything we have worked so hard to gain. This makes it even more important than usual to retain the interest, commitment and membership of current Lions.

You have all done a marvelous job embracing the challenge to change. Everywhere I travel I see newly reinvigorated clubs benefiting from family membership and the addition of more women and young people. These innovative programs and strategies are largely responsible for our membership increase to date.

But membership retention goes back to the basics – back to the reason we all became Lions. People come to Lions Clubs because "We Serve." They stay for the same reason.

I would be pleased if all clubs all over the world took an "entrepreneurial" approach to service. The best, most effective clubs actively seek-out new service opportunities and experiment with new methods of meeting their communities’ most pressing needs. Not surprisingly clubs such as these are not only the most effective, their retention rates are also among the highest.

All Lions want to:

Providing members with these positive experiences is the best way for your club to improve its retention rate.

Enthusiastic participation in special projects of the entire association also improves retention and makes clubs more visible and attractive to new members. According to a report by First Vice President Albert F. Brandel, membership statistics improved in the years following the first Campaign SightFirst. Now, CSFII offers your club an ideal way to increase its visibility and inspire your members.

Congratulations to all Lions and clubs whose dedicated service helped us surpass our Campaign SightFirst II (CSFII) minimum goal of US$ 150 million. In fact, Lions worldwide efforts, and perhaps those of your club, helped us reach that minimum goal early. Let me take this opportunity to thank you if your club helped to make this phenomenal achievement possible. Now, we are striving toward our US$ 200 million challenge goal, and Lions worldwide have an opportunity to channel their service for CSFII in one unified initiative.

During the week of May 11-17, 2008, I am asking all Lions and clubs to select one Campaign SightFirst II Day. During this week, I encourage you to gather your club members to save sight by acting for CSFII. Our combined efforts stand to change lives and change the world, whether your club:

In fact, through a Club Commitment, you and the Lions in your club have an opportunity to make a much larger impact through SightFirst since commitments can be fulfilled over three to five years.

We have less than 12 weeks remaining to add to the success of CSFII and help reach our US$ 200 million challenge goal. When Lions work toward a challenge, our service can accomplish amazing things. Lions, we can change the world. As a club officer, begin to talk with your club members to see how your Campaign SightFirst II Day efforts will deliver a lifetime of sight to individuals who need Lions’ help…

I would also like to remind you that we will soon have a wonderful new tool for membership management. "Real-time" reporting begins this month. Club secretaries should take special note: the closing date for March membership reports is April 28. The closing date for April will be April 30. All membership activity must now be reported in the month in which it occurs. This will provide something that will benefit us all – timely, accurate “snapshots” of our membership so that we might more effectively evaluate our efforts in this critical area.

Thank you again for the excellent work you have done over the past nine months and for everything you will do between now and June to ensure that we leave an historic legacy of our leadership year.

Sincerely,

Mahendra Amarasuriya
International President