Thanks to the Builders Club advisors and members who completed end-of-year surveys last April and May. The surveys provided insight for Kiwanis International staff about students’ experiences and advisors’ observations. 

Here are nine things we learned from the advisor surveys: 

  1. Advisor experience: Twenty-six percent of advisors were serving in the role for the first time; 23% had served for two to three years. 
  2. Club size: Thirty-seven percent of advisors reported their clubs had 21 to 35 members; 27% had clubs of 11 to 20 members. 
  3. Meeting frequency: Nearly 45% of clubs met twice a month; 33% met weekly. 
  4. Number of service projects: Fifty percent of clubs completed five or more projects; 41% completed three to four projects. 
  5. Improving clubs: When asked what would improve their Builders Club, the top three responses by advisors were: money for projects or meetings (41%); resources to teach members about needs/issues (37%); and officer training on how to lead meetings (30%). 
  6. Leadership opportunities: The top three leadership opportunities advisors reported incorporating into their clubs were: asking members to do specific tasks based on their skills/talents (78%); having elected club officer positions (77%); and adding special roles for members (45%). 
  7. Topics: Advisors reported that members learned the most about these five topics:  themselves (71%); how to set goals and work to achieve them (69%); needs in their community (78%); how to plan service projects (65%); and guiding other members in groupwork (58%). 
  8. Skills: The top skills advisors said members gained in Builders Club were: collaboration (86%); empathy (70%); and adaptability and flexibility (68%). 
  9. Community needs: Advisors reported that these community needs or social issues were most important to members: kindness (72%); hunger and homelessness (63%); animal care or conservation (55%); bullying and safety (51%); and (5) community beautification (49%). 

Here are nine things we learned from the member surveys: 

  1. Describing Builders Club: In an open-response question, the words most frequently used by members to describe their Builders Clubs were “fun” and “helpful/helping.” Other common descriptors were “exciting,” “kind,” “amazing,” “creative,” “leadership,” “community” and “fundraising.” 
  2. Member tenure: The greatest number of members completing the survey (70%) were in their first year as a member, while 28% reported being in the club for two to three years. 
  3. Club officers: Ninety percent of members reported their clubs had officers; 10% said their clubs did not have officers. 
  4. Number of service projects: Just over 63% of members reported their clubs completed five or more projects; 32% completed three to four projects. 
  5. Improving clubs: When asked what would improve their Builders Club, the top three responses chosen by members were: more time to meet as a club (41%); more money for projects and activities (just over 35%); and doing more projects to help issues kids care about (nearly 35%). 
  6. Challenges to joining: Students reported they faced these top challenges when joining Builders Club: time (66%); transportation (21%); and none (can’t think of any challenges) (20%). 
  7. Topics: Members reported learning the most about these topics: understanding real community needs (77%); how to plan service projects (71%); and how to evaluate service projects (52%). 
  8. Skills: The top skills members said they gained in K-Kids were collaboration (74%), problem-solving (69%) and critical thinking (54%). 
  9. Community needs: Members reported these top community needs or social issues were most important to them: bullying and safety (65%); hunger and homelessness (64%); animal care or conservation (63%); kindness (63%); and health and wellness (58%).