Talk:Lions Clubs International
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Key questions, not just for Lions but for all service clubs:
- Who is membership open to (religious affiliations, gender etc)? Membership is open to any individual (in the United States; clubs in other countries may have informal rules of which individuals are or are not invited to join, but there are no official requirements for membership.)
- How does one become a member? By Invitation from current Lion Member, although it would be highly unlikely that a request to join would be denied.
- Obligations of members? Participation in club activities, most being community service activities, and payment of established club dues. Individual clubs may set specific requirements (e.g., three service projects each month, 75% attendence, etc.)
- organisational structure (autonomy of local clubs etc). Each club is governed by it's members, subject to the policies of it's district/multiple district. Each club has a panel of officers and a board of directors. Heierarchy is organized into:
Clubs, with club presidents and Board of Directors elected by members. (Similar to US City structure) Generally limited to a single city, although large cities may have multiple clubs.
Zones, with Zone Chairment elected by delegates from the clubs in that zone. (Similar to US County structure). Typically consists of several cities in the same geographic area within the district, i.e. Northern clubs, southeastern clubs, etc.
Districts, with District Governors elected by delegates from the clubs in that district. (Similar to US States.) Some districts are joined with other districts as a Multiple District, which has a Chairman and other officers consisting of the Governors of the Districts within the Multiple District. Districts generally consist of the clubs within a single state, although states with a large number of clubs may be designated a Multiple District, with several Districts within the state.
The International Associaition, with an International Board with International Directors elected by delegates from the districts in thier constituency. International officers (president, etc.) are elected by delegates from all the districts in the association.
Each club is autonomous, but is subject to the policies of the association. The club's charter may be revoked if they fail to comply with association policies.
- political views, if relevant (Rotarians, at least in Australia, are known to be politically conservative, for instance). Members (at least in the USA) span the political spectrum. Politics is generally a taboo subject, as the focus of the association is on community service, not politics.