Table of Contents Times may change, but the challenges facing people emain the same. A need fo food, shelte, wam clothing, financial secuity and aid fo widows and ophans these wee all challenges that faced the membes of Fathe Michael J. McGivney s paish. To help meet these challenges, Fathe McGivney bought Intoduction...2 Sta Council Awad...2 Implementing Membeship Recuitment and Retention Stategy...4 Keys to Recuiting Success...5 Planning Membeship Recuitment and Retention Stategy...6 Odeing Supplies...7 Keeping Membeship Pesonnel Motivated...8 Oganizing the Recuitment Committee...8 Poven Membeship Recuitment Stategies...9 VIP Club...10 Building a Pospect List...11 Admission Committee Guidelines...11 Planning Fequent Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonials...12 Recuiting Fome Membes...13 Chuch Recuitment Dives...14 Council Open House...15 Team Recuiting...16 Insuance Pomotion...16 Membe Retention...18 Appendix A - Sta Council Awad...20 Appendix B - Cetified Council Ceemonial Team...21 Appendix C - Qualifications fo Membeship...23 Appendix D - Standing Council Committees...24 Appendix E - Sample Announcements...25 togethe a goup of Catholic men and fomed the Knights of Columbus. Today ou society still faces the same challenges that confonted people in 1882. While making geat stides to ovecome these challenges, Knights of Columbus councils will neve waive in thei commitment of continuing Fathe McGivney s vision of sevice to people in need in ou paishes and communities. 1
Just as Fathe McGivney pesonally asked the men of his paish to assist him in meeting the needs of his paishiones, so too must membes of you council ask evey eligible Catholic man to join thei council and assist with meeting people s needs. As Supeme Knight Cal Andeson eminded us, "It is ou moal obligation to invite evey eligible Catholic man to join the Knights of Columbus. This Membeship Recuitment and Retention Manual will assist you council in implementing a membeship pogam that will: incease you council s manpowe to assist paish and community membes by poviding fo those in need CHARITY; povide the oppotunity fo eligible Catholic men to wok togethe and accomplish geat deeds that they could not accomplish alone UNITY; and povide the oppotunity to build the bonds of fiendship with council membes that will last a lifetime FRATERNITY. This manual highlights successful ecuitment and etention stategies. What s impotant is that you council takes the basic infomation contained in this manual and adapts it to wok fo you council. By implementing successful ecuitment and etention stategies, you council continues the vision of ou founde and assists people in need while at the same time stengthening the bonds that unite you membes. Sta Council Awad Councils that excel in membeship ecuitment, insuance pomotion and chaitable sevice outeach may be eligible fo the Sta Council Awad, which ecognizes the effots that councils put foth in continuing Fathe McGivney s mission. In ode fo you council to ean the Sta Council Awad, it must: 2 Ean the Fathe McGivney Awad fo excellence in council membeship gowth. l Conduct fequent chuch dives. Visit kofc.og/dive fo additional infomation on how to conduct a chuch dive. l l Schedule monthly Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonials. Invite pospective membes to voluntee in one of you council s sevice pogams. Afte the pogam, invite the pospective membe to join you council. The infomation contained in this manual offes solid ideas on how to ean the Fathe McGivney Awad. Ean the Foundes Awad fo excellence in the pomotion of ou insuance and fatenal benefits. l Conduct Fatenal Benefits Nights. l Ensue that completed Membeship Documents (#100) ae pomptly deliveed to you council s insuance agent. l Invite you council s insuance agent to speak at council meetings. The infomation contained in this manual offes solid ideas on how to ean the Foundes Awad. Ean the Columbian Awad fo well-ounded council pogams. l You council should conduct at least fou majo pogams in each of the Suge... with Sevice categoies of Chuch, Community, Council, Cultue of Life, Family and Youth. As an altenative, you may complete one Featued Pogam in each catagoy to fulfill equiements. l Complete the Columbian Awad Application (#SP-7) and submit by June 30. Please see the Suge... with Sevice (#962) manual fo ideas on how to ean the Columbian Awad. Submit the Sevice Pogam Pesonnel Repot (#365) by Aug. 1. Using the Membe Management Application in the secue Offices Online section of the Knights of Columbus website is the easiest way to submit this infomation. 3
Submit the Annual Suvey of Fatenal Activity (#1728) due by Jan. 31. This suvey accounts fo you council s chaitable giving of money and voluntee time. Complete the fom electonically by visiting kofc.og/foms. Remain cuent with assessments fom the Supeme Council headquates. By excelling in membeship gowth, you council can be ecognized with multiple stas on the Sta Council Awad. Ean the Sta Council Awad and attain 200 pecent, 300 pecent, 400 pecent, etc. of you council s membeship to ean multiple stas. Fo additional infomation on how you council can ean the Sta Council Awad, see Appendix A o visit kofc.og/sta. Implementing Membeship Recuitment and Retention Stategy Begin implementing the membeship ecuitment stategy immediately afte you election of offices. You council s newly elected gand knight has the vey impotant duty of appointing both the membeship and pogam diectos. The new membeship diecto should wok with the gand knight to appoint the etention committee chaiman and the Knights that will seve on the Admission Committee. (See Appendix D fo Standing Council Committees). Once the diectos and committee chais ae appointed, complete and submit the Sevice Pogam Pesonnel Repot (#365) though Membe Management no late than Aug. 1. The epot can also be found on the Knights of Columbus website at kofc.og/foms and in the Council Repot Foms Booklet (#1436). Submitting this epot allows the appointed diectos and chaimen to begin eceiving impotant infomation 4 published by the Supeme Council headquates and you state council. The Membe Management Application is also used to epot changes to committee chaimen duing the yea o by submitting a new Sevice Pogam Pesonnel Repot (#365) with only the changed infomation. Keys to Recuiting Success Shae with membes of you council the 10 Keys to Membeship Recuiting Success (#10233) and keep these tips in mind when ecuiting a potential membe: Talk about you positive expeiences as a membe and shae you enthusiasm fo you council. l Convey a sense of enthusiasm, excitement and pide when talking about the geat things you council accomplishes and the people you council helps. Make a good impession with the ight attitude and body language. l Maintain a positive attitude, smile often, avoid being negative, and always look the pospective membe in the eye when talking with him. Talk to the pospective membe and his wife about the ways membeship can benefit his family. l Highlight how paticipation in you council's chaitable endeavos can help a man gow in his faith. Point out that many of you council's activities and pogams, including the insuance pogam and othe benefits, ae open to the membe's entie immediate family. Show unity when conducting a chaitable sevice poject. l When membes, thei families and othe voluntees wea Knights of Columbus-banded appael while conducting a chaitable poject, it identifies you council to the community and entices pospective membes to inquie about joining you council. Ask men to join you council. l Family, fiends, co-wokes and fellow paishiones epesent 5
ecuitment oppotunities ask if they would like to join you council. Appoach ecuiting in a diffeent way. l Ask a pospective membe "Would you be inteested in leaning moe about membeship in ou local Knights of Columbus council?" What to say when the answe is "I don't have time." l Be pepaed with a simple answe. Tell them the amount of time they put in is completely up to them, and emind them of you council's family-oiented activities. Pomote you council's spiituality. l Emphasize you council's involvement in the spiitual life of you paish. Involve young people. l Ask young men to join you council. Use tageted advetising, especially social media, to each younge pospective membes. Follow-up with all pospective membes in a timely manne. l It is essential that follow-up communication, by pesonal contact, occus within a few days at the most. Planning Membeship Recuitment and Retention Stategy Once you council s diectos and chaimen ae appointed, the gand knight should call an oganizational meeting. Invite you financial secetay; council chaplain; pogam and membeship diectos, with thei espective committee chaimen; and othe council offices to the meeting. Hold the meeting immediately afte the appointment of the committee chaimen and befoe Aug. 1. Set the goundwok fo the entie fatenal yea, planning you membeship and insuance goals, budget, and calenda fo social and sevice pogam events. The membeship potion of the oganizational meeting should focus on the following: 6 Reviewing the membeship ecuitment activities that wee conducted in the past yea. l Analyze the easons fo the success o failue of each poject. Deciding on successful ecuitment stategies to epeat in the cuent fatenal yea and new stategies to implement. Setting a budget fo each activity. Setting tentative dates fo each activity, keeping in mind the paish calenda. Pepaing the list of ageed upon activities to pesent to the council fo appoval. Aleting the public elations chaiman of activity dates to ensue that the council s initiatives and events ae communicated to the paish and community in a timely manne. Odeing Supplies The Supeme Council headquates has many mateials available to help you council pomote and conduct its membeship ecuitment and etention activities. Council supplies can be odeed though knightsgea.com, the Ode's website fo all Knights of Columbus-elated gift and clothing needs. Hee ae some tips to ensue that you ode is pocessed and shipped in time fo you membeship activities: All council supplies must be odeed by you council s gand It is impotant to keep in mind the equiements fo eaning the Sta Council Awad. You council needs to ean the Fathe McGivney Awad fo membeship ecuitment and the Foundes Awad fo insuance pomotion to be eligible to ean the Sta Council Awad. Additional infomation on eaning the Sta Council Awad is povided in Appendix A, o by visiting the Knights of Columbus Fatenal Taining Potal o kofc.og/sta. The Supeme Council headquates has many cetificates available fo pesentation to membes in ecognition of thei accomplishments o outstanding sevice. Visit knightsgea.com fo a complete list of cetificates. 7
knight o financial secetay. To ode council supplies and have the ode chaged against the council s account, each gand knight o financial secetay must fist log in to Offices Online. Once logged in, offices may access the link to knightsgea.com. When odeing council supplies though knightsgea.com, thee is no longe a need to complete a Requisition Fom (#1). Ode mateials at least fou weeks in advance of you activity date. Mateials that ae needed soone will be shipped in an expedited manne, howeve, exta shipping chages will be applied to the ode. Keeping Membeship Pesonnel Motivated The membeship diecto and each committee chaiman ae esponsible fo keeping the membeship pesonnel motivated. It is natual to appeciate ecognition fo a job well-done. Hee ae some suggestions to keep moale high: Be sue that each Knight gets full cedit and ecognition fo his wok. An occasional pesonal witten note may mean a geat deal to the ecipient. Make use of cuent membeship campaign awads and incentives. Listen to the suggestions of you council membes and acknowledge good advice. Tell you bothe Knight that you appeciate his inteest and will conside his idea. Be pepaed to listen when a membe has a question o poblem. Guide him, but get him to do most of the thinking. This indicates espect fo his judgment, giving him confidence and a feeling of impotance. Accept esponsibility fo you mistakes. This shows you team that you know that you ae human and fallible. Oganizing the Recuitment Committee The fist and pehaps most impotant step in setting up a successful membeship pogam is oganizing you membeship committees. The key is to ensue that these impotant positions ae filled and appointees 8 ae dedicated and enthusiastic Knights. The pocess of oganizing a ecuitment committee is as follows: The gand knight appoints a membeship diecto to ovesee all membeship pogams and ecuitment activities. Upon ecommendation of the membeship diecto, the gand knight appoints a ecuitment committee of thee o moe Knights. He should select successful ecuites o sales-oiented membes. The membeship diecto and ecuitment committee membes fom two-man ecuitment teams. The gand knight, upon ecommendation of the membeship diecto, appoints a etention chaiman and committee. It is ecommended that the deputy gand knight seve on the etention committee. The gand knight appoints an insuance pomotion chaiman, pefeably the council s insuance agent. The membeship diecto, committee chaimen and committees set goals and plan specific ecuitment, etention and insuance pomotion activities fo the entie yea. Plan a full yea's schedule of monthly Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonials. Identify and schedule ecuitment methods that best suit you council s needs and goals (chuch dives, open houses, team ecuiting, etc). Set membeship goals (exceed quota, ean Sta Council, beak the pevious ecuitment ecod, etc.). Get the ENTIRE council involved. Those who don t ecuit diectly can identify and suggest pospective membes. Poven Membeship Recuitment Stategies In a suvey, membes wee asked why they waited so long to join the Knights of Columbus. All too often the answe was nobody eve asked me. With the ight ecuitment stategy in place, you council will ensue that 9
evey eligible Catholic man in you paish has the oppotunity to join you council. A diect esult of ecuiting is you council s ability to incease its chaitable impact in you paish and community. While this manual contains only a few examples of ecuitment activities, it is meant to inspie you council into action. By ecuiting new membes, you council is continuing Fathe McGivney s vision and commitment of poviding assistance to people in you paish and community. VIP Club (Vey Impotant Popose) The VIP Club not only publicly honos ecuites, but also inspies eveyone to do thei pat in the ongoing ecuitment dives. Membeship in the VIP Club is automatic when: You ecuit two o moe membes and complete section 5 of the Membeship Document (#100) with you name and membeship numbe. l The Depatment of Fatenal Sevices maintains VIP Club ecods and only povides yea-to-date and life-to-date totals. VIP Club membes ae eligible to ean ecognition cetificates, special lapel pins and Knights of Columbus-banded mechandise. l Highe levels of the VIP Club ae attained with the moe pospective membes you ecuit. You esponsibilities as popose don't end with the signed Membeship Document (#100): You should accompany the pospect to the Admission Committee meeting and Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial. At the new membe's fist council meeting, intoduce him to his bothe Knights and make him feel welcome. If you notice that he stops volunteeing fo chaitable outeach pogams o attending meetings, make pesonal contact with him. Building a Pospect List You council s membeship committee should have a continuously updated list of potential membes. Conside these steps fo building and maintaining a pospective membe list: Ask you pasto fo the paish oste. Add all local piests who ae not Knights. Add all ushes, paish council membes, choi membes and lectos. Fom a welcoming committee to geet and ecuit new men and families of the paish. Recuit 18-yea-old Columbian Squies and high school o college gaduates. Regulaly advetise in you paish bulletin, inviting potential membes to contact the membeship committee. Obtain a list of fome membes and inactive insuance membes in you aea fom the Supeme Council Membeship Gowth Depatment. 1 Admission Committee Guidelines Use of an Admission Committee is essential to ensue that you council and the candidate undestand one anothe's expectations. Follow these guidelines to ensue a popely functioning Admission Committee: The gand knight must appoint seven membes to seve on the Admission Committee. l It is ecommended that the chancello seve on this Committee. The committee should meet on an ad hoc basis. l This ensues that candidates do not wait extended peiods of time to be welcomed into you council. Ask the candidate to complete the Membe/Pospect Inteest Suvey (#1842), and use the Admission Committee Inquiies Guide (#390) to sceen the candidate. 10 1 Reactivating inactive insuance membes qualifies fo both membeship and insuance additions towad the Fathe McGivney and Foundes awads quotas. Reinstatements, eadmissions o eapplications qualify fo membeship additions fo the Fathe McGivney Awad. 11
Immediately fowad the Admission Committee Repot (#283) to the gand knight. l Reading of the application and balloting should take place at the next council meeting. Advise the candidate of the date fo the Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial. l If the candidate has a conflict with the date/time of the scheduled Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial, utilize the Fist Degee Video Poduction, located in the secue Offices Online section of the Knights of Columbus website, to welcome the candidate into you council. Planning Fequent Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonials It is essential that pospective membes ae welcomed into you council in a timely manne. Scheduling at least one Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial pe month ensues that ecuites know the schedule and that pospective membes won't be kept waiting. Hee ae some suggestions to help oganize you council's ceemonial: You council should have its own ceemonial team. Please efe to Appendix B fo moe infomation on foming a team. Until the team is cetified by the distict deputy, use the Fist Degee Ceemonial Poduction, available on Offices Online o though the Ceemonials Depatment, to welcome membes into you council. Publicize the ceemonial schedule at council meetings, in you council's newslette and on you council's website. Ensue that you have a supply of Candidate's Kits (#531), which include a osay, a copy of These Men They Call Knights (#937) and a Knights of Columbus lapel pin (PG-107). Contact the pospective membe in advance to confim his attendance and advise him of the ecommended attie. Aange fo the pospective membe's popose o a membe of the ecuitment committee to escot him to the ceemonial. Pesent you new membes with cetificates, available though knightsgea.com, at the conclusion of the ceemonial. Publish the names of you new membes in you council's newslette and on you council's website. Recuiting Fome Membes Fome Knights ae men who ae familia with the Knights of Columbus. They left the Ode fo vaious easons but epesent a pool of pospects you council should not ovelook in stiving fo membeship gowth. Appoint a special Welcome Back, Bothe o Opeation Re-Membe committee specifically to ecuit fome membes. Past gand knights familia with cicumstances of ealie depatues ae especially suited to seve on this committee. Obtain a list of fome membes (those who took withdawals/suspensions) and inactive insuance membes (those who took withdawals/suspensions but maintain K of C insuance policies) fom the Depatment of Fatenal Sevices. Check with you financial secetay fo additional names and ecent addesses. Review the list to detemine fome membes known to be esiding in the aea who ae still eligible fo membeship. Pepae a pesentation fo fome membes, highlighting changes; new pogams, activities and benefits; and ecent council achievements. Contact each fome membe to aange a pesonal visit, o invite them to a eception fo fome membes. If planning a Welcome Back o fome-membe eception, use the open house pocedues. Be sue to invite you council chaplain and insuance agent to speak at the event. Ask evey fome membe visited o those at you eception to sign a Membeship Document (#100) to enew thei membeship. 12 13
Chuch Recuitment Dives Achuch ecuitment dive is the easiest way fo you council to ask qualified Catholic men to join you council. A successful chuch ecuitment dive is dependent on caeful planning and collaboation with you paish piest. A chuch ecuitment dive is meant to compile a list of pospective membes contact infomation. It is impeative that you council follows up with the pospective membe within a few days and invites him and his family to lean moe about the chaitable activities you council conducts in the paish and community. Hee ae the steps fo you council to follow in conducting a chuch dive: 14 Contact you pasto and obtain his pemission to conduct a chuch ecuitment dive at all Masses on a paticula weekend. Povide an announcement fo inclusion in you paish bulletin duing each of the two weeks befoe the dive. Fo a sample announcement, please see Appendix E o kofc.og/dive. Pepae a council display which highlights you council s chaitable pogams and membe benefits, then place it in the main enty of the chuch. Befoe each Mass, post teams of two o thee Knights at each enty to hand out council infomational flyes and Pospect Cads (#921A). Leave pens o shapened pencils in each pew fo men to complete the Pospect Cad (#921A). Aange fo you pasto, gand knight o membeship diecto to make a bief announcement pio to o afte Mass, explaining the Knights of Columbus and the chaitable woks conducted by you council. Fo a sample pulpit announcement, please see Appendix E o kofc.og/dive. Encouage men to complete the Pospect Cad (#921A) and hand it to Knights as they leave chuch. Afte each Mass, post teams of Knights at each exit to answe questions fom pospective membes, assist with Membeship Documents (#100) and collect completed Pospect Cads (#921A). Delive all completed Membeship Documents (#100) and Pospect Cads (#921A) to the membeship diecto. Assign ecuiting teams fo pesonal follow-ups with pospective membes. Team membes should invite pospects and thei families to paticipate in a chaitable sevice pogam; infom pospects of the dates fo the Admission Committee inteview; and invite pospects to the Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial, which should be held within one week of the chuch ecuitment dive. Council Open House An open house povides an oppotunity to intoduce you council to a boad ange of pospective membes at one event. The objective of the open house is to showcase you council s chaitable sevice pogams, social and fatenal activities, and membeship benefits. Hee ae the steps fo you council to follow to conduct an open house: The membeship diecto should appoint a committee to oganize and conduct the open house. Plan activities that childen can paticipate in while the pospective membes and thei wives lean about the benefits of membeship in you council. Publicize the date and time in local newspapes and chuch bulletins, and on local adio. Send open house invitations to pospective membes. Make a display highlighting you council s chaitable activities, awads and othe council activities, then post it at the entance to you meeting place. The open house pogam: Welcome committee geets guests. Diect childen to the planned activities. 15
Opening paye by you council s chaplain. Gand knight o membeship diecto should explain you council s chaitable pogams, and its social and fatenal activities. You council s field agent should explain benefits of membeship. A question and answe session. Conclude with efeshments o light buffet. At the conclusion of the pogam, ecuites should ask pospective membes to join and assist them in completing a Membeship Document (#100). Pospects should also be infomed of the dates fo the Admission Committee sceening and Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial. Team Recuiting Recuiting in teams of two bings twice the enthusiasm and knowledge of you council to the ecuiting pocess. Hee ae the steps fo you council to follow when conducting team ecuiting: Oganize two-man teams fom the membeship committee and additional membes of you council. Divide you council s pospective membe list among the teams. Schedule a visit with each pospective membe and his wife. Invite the pospective membe and his family to paticipate in a scheduled council chaitable pogam. Ask the pospective membe to join you council. Assist him in completing the Membeship Document (#100) and accompany him to the Admission Committee sceening and Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial. Insuance Pomotion One of the pimay easons Fathe McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus was to povide financial secuity to families afte the death of a spouse whose job was the main o only souce of income. Knights of Columbus Insuance is among the most highly-ated insuance companies in Noth Ameica and continues to povide potection by bothe Knights and fo bothe Knights. Scheduling fequent fatenal benefits nights povides membes with the oppotunity to lean about Knights of Columbus Insuance poducts and to discuss thei insuance needs with a field agent. This will also set you council on the path to eaning the Foundes Awad. Hee ae the steps fo you council to follow fo pomoting Knights of Columbus Insuance poducts and hosting a fatenal benefits night: Send copies of all completed Membeship Documents (#100) to you council s geneal agent immediately afte the Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial. Invite you council's field agent to speak at all council meetings. Ask you council s field agent to wite an aticle fo you council s newslette. Have you field agent appointed as Insuance Pomotion Chaiman by you council's gand knight. To host a fatenal benefits night: At the equest of the gand knight, you council s field agent should schedule and conduct the fatenal benefits night. The agent is in chage of this event. To enhance the educational expeience of the evening, the agent may invite pesentes such as accountants, lawyes o bankes to offe pofessional insight on the value of life insuance and annuities. Povide the meeting space. Plan activities fo childen duing the pesentations. Povide gifts o doo pizes. Seve light efeshments. 16 17
Membe Retention The task of membe etention begins as soon as the Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial is confeed upon a new membe. Fom the stat, new membes should be encouaged to be active and to paticipate in the Fomation (Second Degee) and Knighthood (Thid Degee) Ceemonials. To inspie both new and cuent Fist Degee membes, that have been inactive moe than one yea, to be active in you council, pomote the Shining Amo Awad. To ean the Shining Amo Awad, Knights must: Be involved in at least thee council sevice pogams. Attend at least thee business meetings. Receive thei Second and Thid Degees. Meet with you council s insuance epesentative. Recuit at least one new membe. Additional infomation on the Shining Amo Awad can be found on the Knights of Columbus website, kofc.og. You council must ensue that each Knight has the ability to ean the Shining Amo Awad. Hee ae some steps to take to ensue you membes succeed: 18 Set the sevice pogam calenda ealy in the fatenal yea and publicize it to the membeship. l Regulaly eview sevice pogams to detemine if they wee successful. l l Membeship etention is evey membe s esponsibility. Pesonal follow-up is the most poductive fom of etention. If you notice you fiend, neighbo o co-woke is not as involved in you council as he once was, a phone call, handwitten note o pesonal visit is ecommended. Send out a Membe/Pospect Inteest Suvey (#1842) annually to detemine the inteests of you membes. Utilize the suggestions of membes fo new sevice pogams o to impove cuent sevice pogams. l Ask diffeent membes to take leadeship oles in sevice pogams and you council. Make council meetings poductive. l Utilize membes time efficiently on meeting nights. l Pesent infomation in a clea and concise manne. l Hold office meetings to limit lengthy discussion in council meetings. l Follow a meeting agenda. Povide a schedule of Fomation (Second Degee) and Knighthood (Thid Degee) Ceemonials. l Encouage Fist Degee membes to advance to highe degees. l Council membes of highe degees should accompany membes to the Fomation (Second Degee) and Knighthood (Thid Degee) Ceemonials. l Ask membes to take leadeship oles in you council. Host fatenal benefits nights. l Invite the field agent to council meetings and allow him to speak. l Ask the field agent to contibute an aticle to you council's newslette o Web page. l Ensue that the financial secetay fowads Membeship Documents (#100) to the geneal agent immediately afte Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonials. Schedule monthly Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonials. You council s financial secetay should povide you etention committee with a list of bothe Knights in dange of being suspended. Contact these membes and discuss thei easons fo being inactive. Uge them to become active again in an upcoming chaitable o fatenal activity. l The Supeme Council has established the Pope Billing Pocedues Including Use of the Notice of Intent to Suspend (#1845A). Please be sue to follow these pocedues in an effot to etain membes in dange of being suspended. Though implementing the points above, you council will keep all membes involved and active. 19
Fo moe infomation on membeship ecuitment and etention, visit the Knights of Columbus website, kofc.og, o the Knights of Columbus Fatenal Taining Potal. Appendix A Sta Council Awad In ode fo you council to ean the Sta Council Awad, it must: Ean the Fathe McGivney Awad fo membeship gowth. Ean the Foundes Awad fo insuance gowth. Ean the Columbian Awad fo well-ounded council pogams. Submit the Columbian Awad Application (#SP-7). Submit the Sevice Pogam Pesonnel Repot (#365). Submit the Annual Suvey of Fatenal Activity (#1728). Remain cuent with assessments fom the Supeme Council headquates. The Fathe McGivney Awad ecognizes excellence in membeship gowth. Each yea, you council is assigned a membeship quota fom the Supeme Council. Fo the awad, gowth is consideed to be net incease ove losses though suspension o withdawal. Deaths do not count against you quota, and tansfes in o out of you council do not count fo o against you quota. You council quota can be found unde the Membeship tab in Offices Online, which is updated daily. Eligibility fo the Fathe McGivney Awad is automatically detemined by the Supeme Council and thee is no application. The Foundes Awad ecognizes excellence in you council s pomotion of ou insuance poducts. Each yea, you council is assigned an insuance quota fom the Supeme Council. Fo the awad, gowth is consideed to be net gain above losses though suspensions and withdawals and tansfes fom insuance to associated membeship. Deaths do not count against you quota, and tansfes in o out of you council do not count fo o 20 against you quota. You council quota can be found unde the Membeship tab in Offices Online, which is updated daily. Thee is no application fo the Foundes Awad, as eligibility is automatically detemined by the Supeme Council. The Columbian Awad ecognizes you council s chaitable sevice activities and pogams. In ode to ean the Columbian Awad, you council must complete at least fou majo pogams o activities in each of the six Suge... with Sevice pogam categoies (Chuch, Community, Council, Cultue of Life, Family and Youth). As an altenative, the Supeme Council has designated select pogams as Featued Pogams in each of the Sevice Pogam categoies. When you council successfully conducts a Featued Pogam, it automatically fulfills all fou activity equiements fo that Sevice Pogam categoy. To be eligible fo this awad, two foms must be submitted and accepted: Sevice Pogam Pesonnel Repot (#365), due Aug. 1. Columbian Awad Application (#SP-7), due June 30. Appendix B Cetified Council Ceemonial Team You gand knight is diectly esponsible fo the fomation o continuation of you council s Fist Degee Ceemonial team. When you council has its own team, it has geate oppotunities to welcome moe membes into you council. A Fist Degee Ceemonial team can be fomed with fou membes and you council s financial secetay. You council chai offices may assume team oles, but the oppotunity to do so should be open to all membes of you council. 21
Although the Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial may be conducted by eading the pats, it is pefeed that you team memoizes the necessay text. Once team membes have memoized thei pats and ae able to delive the Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial in an inspiing manne, they should be fully cetified (along with backup membes) by the distict deputy. Fist Degee Ceemonial Guidelines You council should host an Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial on a monthly basis. A candidate need not tavel fa o wait extended peiods of time to join you council. If you council's ceemonial team is not available o the candidate has a conflict with the date/time of the scheduled ceemonial, use the Fist Degee Video Poduction to advance the candidate. Appendix C 22 The financial secetay o gand knight must ode Candidates Kits (#531) by logging into the Offices Online section of the Knights of Columbus website and clicking the link to KnightsGea. Each candidate kit consists of a osay, a paye cad, a blank membeship cad, a Knights of Columbus pin (#PG-107), a copy of the booklet These Men They Call Knights (#937) and infomation on the Shining Amo Awad. The gand knight is in chage of this degee, which may be confeed pio to, duing, following o sepaately fom a egula council meeting. The degee team offices need not be cuent chai offices. Degee team offices may wea the Supeme Council Ceemonial baldic ove a dak-coloed business suit with the council jewel of office. Ceemonial baldics ae available fom the following official fatenal supplies: Lynch and Kelly, Inc.; Les Entepises Roge Sauvé; and The English Company. Reading degee pats is allowed, as is the use of the Naation CD and the Fist Degee Video Poduction. Howeve, memoization is the pefeed method of delivey. A team may exemplify a degee befoe being cetified by the distict deputy. When team membes ae eady fo cetification, the gand knight should equest the distict deputy to cetify them on a mutually ageed date and time. The financial secetay and the waden should be the custodians of the books, CD and DVD. The waden should have the council chambe aanged as shown on Diagam A, page 6, in the Fist Degee Ceemonial Book (#2080). Qualifications fo Membeship The qualifications fo membeship in the Knights of Columbus ae contained in Section 101 of the Laws of the Ode. They ae as follows: Only pactical Catholics in union with the Holy See shall be eligible to and entitled to continue membeship in the Ode. An applicant fo membeship shall not be less than 18 yeas of age on his last bithday. Thee ae no othe qualifications. Pactical Catholic Guidelines have been established to assist the Admission Committee in detemining the pactical Catholicity of an applicant o membe. The main components of the equiement may be descibed as follows: If questions egading the pactical Catholicity of an applicant o membe aise, the pasto of the applicant o membe should be consulted befoe any action is taken. A pactical Catholic accepts the teaching authoity of the Catholic Chuch on mattes of faith and moals, aspies to live in accodance with the pecepts of the Catholic Chuch, and is in good standing in the Catholic Chuch. A pactical Catholic stives to have a geate knowledge of the teaching of Chist and his Chuch, and to accept, espect and defend the Chuch s authoity (vested in the supeme pontiff, and the hieachy and clegy united with him) to teach, goven and sanctify the faithful. 23
A pactical Catholic gives mateial and moal suppot to the Chuch and he woks on all levels, pomoting the pogams of the paish and diocese and coming to the aid of the missions, the needy and the undepivileged; suppots and advances the just causes of minoity goups; endeavos to eliminate unjust discimination, pejudice, etc.; and suppots the Chuch in he defense of maiage and family life. Appendix D Standing Council Committees Admission Committee Ensues that the applicant undestands the Ode and that the council undestands what the candidate expects fom his membeship. A popely functioning Admission Committee: Is compised of seven membes who ae appointed by the gand knight. The chancello is ecommended to seve on this committee. Requests the candidates to complete the Membe/Pospect Inteest Suvey (#1842). Fowads the Admission Committee Repot (#283) to the gand knight. The epot is ead at a council meeting and followed by candidate balloting. Infoms the candidates of the date fo the next Admission (Fist Degee) Ceemonial. Asks new membes, afte Fist Degee Ceemonial, to conside joining in the committees and activities that match thei inteests. Recuitment Committee Constantly keeps a fesh list of potential candidates fo membeship in you council. A popely functioning ecuitment committee: Is compised of thee o moe membes appointed by the gand knight in collaboation with the membeship diecto. Identifies and schedules ecuitment dives, which should include Chuch ecuitment dives, open houses and team ecuiting initiatives. Retention Committee Keeps the membes of you council inteested and paticipating in council activities. A popely functioning etention committee: Is compised of the deputy gand knight, council tustees and any othe membes who ae appointed by the gand knight. Recognizes each membe s accomplishments. Ensues new membes ae intoduced to the council membeship and made to feel welcome. Communicates with membes to emind them of meetings and activities. Appendix E Sample Announcements Sample Pulpit Announcement It is my pleasue to intoduce to you membes of (council name) of the Knights of Columbus. You may aleady know some of the Knights fom ou council hee o fom some of ou 15,000 councils woldwide. The nealy 2 million membes of the Knights of Columbus fom the lagest Catholic fatenal goup in existence. As Knights, we seve ou paish and community while woking each day to ceate a bette wold though chaity. If you ae looking to live out you faith in the spiit of chaity by helping othes, ou Knights of Columbus council welcomes you to join them. Knights and thei families have the oppotunity to become involved in ou council s chaitable, faith-based and social pogams. Ove the past decade, men like you have enabled the chaitable donations of the Knights of Columbus to each moe than $1.5 billion dollas, and individual Knights have donated moe than 690 million voluntee hous to chaity. 24 25
Since its founding in 1882 by the Veneable Sevant of God Fathe Michael McGivney, the fist pinciple of the Ode has been chaity. Ou council and those aound the wold actively assist the Chuch and ou neighbos in need. We wee also founded to potect the livelihood of Catholic families, and that commitment means we continue to povide ou membes and thei families with top quality life insuance and annuity poducts. No life insue in Noth Ameica has a highe ating than the Knights of Columbus. Today, we would like to offe you the oppotunity to join us in ou wok fo God and neighbo. Ou council has undetaken many activities that benefit ou paish, such as: (list council activities). Sample Endosement Fom Piests I d like to take a moment to encouage the men of ou paish to conside joining (Name of Council and Numbe) of the Knights of Columbus, hee in ou paish. Membeship in this Catholic fatenal oganization will give you the oppotunity to stengthen ou paish and give back to ou community; exclusive access to a top-ated insuance pogam to potect you family; and the ability to gow in you faith. These ae just some of the easons to join ou council hee in (Name of Paish). Following Mass thee will be membes of (Council Name) at the chuch exits. Please take the time to speak with them, lean moe about this wondeful oganization and become a membe. As a membe of ou council, you will stengthen you faith and become a bette Catholic, husband and fathe. Though you suppot of ou paish and community, you will fom fiendships with fellow Knights that can last a lifetime. As much good as ou council has done ove the past yea, we could do even moe with you help. We invite you to join ou council today and help us be the diffeence in ou paish and community. Sample Bulletin Announcement If you e inteested in helping those in need, seving ou paish, gowing in faith o obtaining exclusive access to top-ated insuance potection fo you family, then the Knights of Columbus is the oganization fo you. (Council Name) will conduct a membeship dive afte each Mass on (Inset Dates). Please conside joining ou council. Fo moe infomation, visit kofc.og, (Council web addess) o contact (Inset Membeship Diecto Name) at (Inset email addess o telephone numbe). 26 27
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