Peter Lynch tells Grayson Walker how his service organization is changing to reach out to potential members of all ages.

We’re trying to move to our market rather than wait for the market to move to us.” While these words would be perfectly appropriate in the business world, it’s unusual to hear them from the leader of a nonprofit service organization, much less from the head of the 1.3 million member Lions Clubs International (LCI) as the worldwide group marks its 90th anniversary this year.

Peter Lynch, executive administrator of the service organization based in Oak Brook, Ill., assumed the top spot in August, continuing an association with LCI that dates to 1990 when he joined the SightFirst effort shortly after college. Although Lions Clubs members remain overwhelmingly male and skew toward the older end of the spectrum, the group has undertaken a multi-prong approach to remake the organization, both in the type of members and club focus areas.

LCI threw membership open to women in 1987, and females now comprise 18% of worldwide membership and roughly 23% of membership in North America, Lynch said. A new family membership initiative, launched at the beginning of January, resulted in the creation of 42 new clubs in January alone and 3,000 new members. And initiatives that target baby boomers and college students are ongoing.

Peter Lynch

The international organization also is in the midst of gathering information for a branding effort that’s expected to launch next year with a three-year advertising and public relations effort for the “new” Lions Clubs. “We’re trying to pick up the pace of change,” Lynch said of the numerous recruiting and branding efforts that are under way. “There are 1.3 million nonprofits in the US, so there is plenty of competition for membership.”

While “competition” may be too strong a word for a service organization, it’s clear that Lynch intends to position LCI for growth. As he sees it, competitors include traditional service organizations such as Rotary International (1.2 million members), Kiwanis International (300,000 active members), and organizations such as the Red Hat Society, which is not a nonprofit but does have more than 1 million members, according to Lynch.

Other competition includes those searching to find their own volunteer opportunities, those who volunteer on their own terms, and what Lynch calls “vigilante volunteerism,” which was popular in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Especially with younger potential volunteers, global LCI initiatives such as sight and hearing preservation may not have the necessary mass appeal, so the international headquarters is giving local clubs more leeway to find local causes to support. Especially among younger generations, technology and the Internet have given rise to niche interest areas, gatherings of enthusiasts of a particular hobby, pastime, or cause, as opposed to the more general interests of traditional service organizations like Lions Clubs.

“From the ’50s and ’60s up through the ’80s, it was acceptable that organizations would tell members what to do,” Lynch said. “Now, people want to have their voices heard, so we’re being more flexible in what it means to be a Lion and to affiliate with local needs. The organization is becoming less top-down in terms of initiatives and more about volunteer building.”

A report released last year by the National Conference on Citizenship shows civic participation at a 30-year low, and a predicted bump in volunteerism spurred by the events of Sept. 11 did not occur. However, the report does show a rebound in volunteerism among those ages 16 to 25, which makes LCI’s current branding push all the more vital.

Lions Clubs on college campuses currently number about 200 out of 45,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas. To expand its reach on campuses, Lions is finalizing plans for a new student-membership category that would charge no entrance fees, and annual dues would only be $20, half the standard rate.

The family membership dues rate is designed to appeal to young couples and those with children, creating a volunteer experience that everyone in the family can enjoy. Younger children participate in planned activities, while older children help with local service projects. The first family member joins at the full membership rate and pays any applicable entrance fees. Up to four more family members can join at half the regular dues rate and no entrance fees.

With 70 million baby boomers at or near retirement age, LCI officials hope a recruitment effort aimed at that generation also will pay big dividends. A brochure for the initiative prominently features on its cover a “flower power” decorated VW bus from the Woodstock era, with a “Lions Clubs” sticker discreetly located on the front bumper. “The message is that people can make the world a better place, working for the common good as a group,” Lynch said.

Grayson Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.