Advisor

Adult advisors are the guides and mentors for Builders Club officers, committee chairs and members. They encourage, train and support students as they carry out club activities. Most Builders Clubs have both a faculty advisor and a Kiwanis advisor. Understanding advisors’ roles is important to the club’s success. Read on below to understand advisors’ roles — and learn about advisors’ responsibilities in the Builders Club Advisor Toolkit.

Types of Builders Club Advisors

Faculty advisor
Each Builders Club has a faculty advisor who is the primary adult responsible for guiding and supports the students in the club. They are chosen from the faculty or staff of the school, organization or other type of host site. The faculty advisor knows the students and is familiar with the site’s procedures and policies. They are the liaison between the Builders Club, Kiwanis advisor and host site’s administrators. When an employee of the host site is not available, a parent/guardian or Kiwanis advisor can serve as the faculty advisor with the approval of the administration.

Kiwanis advisor
The Kiwanis advisor’s role is to support the Builders Club’s activities. They are appointed by the sponsoring Kiwanis club and serve as its liaison and main volunteer to the Builders Club.

Their responsibilities vary and can include:

• Inviting the Builders Club to participate in Kiwanis club service events and for officers to speak/present at Kiwanis club meetings or during the Kiwanis district convention.
• Inviting the Kiwanis club to support the Builders Club’s service projects with volunteers, donations or promotion in the community.
• Helping the Builders Club make connections with community organizations.
• Assisting with specific tasks (such as, the installation ceremony or officer training).

Also, Kiwanis advisors are required to follow Youth Protection Guidelines. These include clearing a background check with Kiwanis International and completing Praesidium youth protection courses every two years.

Advisor events (2024-25)
Register for upcoming advisor virtual events or watch recordings of past events.

• September 24, 2024. Watch the Builders Club Advisor Chat: Starting strong: An advisor’s checklist recording. Learn tips for helping your club start the year strong, how to manage the year’s responsibilities, member recruitment resources, and tips for involving the whole school in your club’s service.Download and print the Builders Club Advisor Checklist shared at the chat.
• September 27, 2024. Watch the Global Kickoff 2024 recording. And watch this year’s Global Service Project: Make your community healthy video to learn how to carry out a health and wellness campaign in your school or community.
• January 23, 2025, Thursday, 7 p.m. ET. Register for Builders Club Advisor Chat: Awards, growth and celebration. Get tips for how to participate in awards and contests and complete the annual achievement report. Share advice with other advisors about recruiting members and celebrating club and member accomplishments!

Surveys for Builders Club members and advisors
Advisor and member feedback about club experiences is important to the improvement of support and resources offered by Kiwanis International Please plan to have your club participate in surveys at the beginning and end of the year! They take 6–8 minutes to complete. Clubs and advisors that participate have a chance to receive a US$25 Amazon gift card.

Beginning-of-year survey: The Builders Club member beginning-of-year survey is open September 1–30.

End-of-year surveys: The Builders Club advisor end-of-year survey and member end-of-year survey are open April 1 – May 15.