As a multi-district how are we doing?
As a district how are we doing? Year to date we have recruited 157 new members. Great work. Now we need to look at our problem, membership retention, we have dropped 229 members. There has been a recent survey as to some of the reasons why members don’t stay, this is the unofficial results of the survey.
Two Major Reasons Lions Are Leaving
Toxic internal culture and poor relationships
This was the single most dominant theme, representing roughly 40–50 percent of substantive comments. Lions most frequently cited conflict, cliques, bullying, disrespect, favoritism, poor leadership, and unresolved misconduct as the primary reasons for leaving. These are overwhelmingly club-controllable factors. The data indicates that Lions are not leaving because of service fatigue, but because the internal club environment becomes unhealthy and emotionally unsustainable.
Failure to modernize and engage members meaningfully
The second most common theme, representing roughly 25–30 percent of comments, focused on outdated and disengaging club practices. Lions described boring or overly formal meetings, resistance to change, excessive talking and too little doing, and poor use of members’ time. This theme is almost entirely within the control of individual clubs. Members were not rejecting service; they were rejecting a club experience that no longer felt relevant, efficient, or meaningful.
Summary of Member Comments
1. Culture Problems Are Real and Widely Recognized
Many commenters strongly agreed with the finding that toxic club culture is the #1 reason Lions
leave. They reinforced this with personal examples:
- Presidents or leaders who yell, cuss, or show favoritism
- Bullying, cliques, and exclusion
- Lack of support when members face personal hardship
- 'Drama' dominating club life
- Long-standing leaders blocking new people from advancing
Several Lions said they had personally witnessed or experienced these issues, sometimes severe
enough to push them out.
2. Clubs Are Not Modernizing Fast Enough
Members echoed the second major theme: clubs often feel outdated or inefficient.
Examples mentioned:
- Too many meetings, especially 'speaker days' that feel repetitive
- Not enough hands-on service
- Resistance to technology and virtual meetings
- Older members dismissing younger members' ideas
- Clubs stuck in old routines that no longer serve the community
Many said modernization is essential if Lions want to retain younger or working members.
3. Leadership Training Misses the Real Problems
Several commenters agreed with Alvin Louie's point: formal Lions leadership training avoids the
hard topics.
They noted:
- Training focuses on structure, roles, and procedures
- It rarely addresses conflict, culture, or accountability
- The 'real conversations' about dysfunction happen informally, not in the classroom
- This gap leaves leaders unprepared to fix the issues driving members away
4. Leadership Turnover Creates Instability
Some Lions pointed out that annual leadership changes can cause inconsistency:
- Each president leads differently
- Long-term planning suffers
- New leaders often 'figure it out on the job'
- This leads to uneven performance and frustration
5. Lack of Support and Compassion
A few comments highlighted painful personal experiences:
- Members in crisis feeling ignored
- Leaders enforcing rules rigidly without empathy
- Members feeling invisible or unvalued
These stories reinforced the idea that emotional safety and belonging are critical.
Overall Takeaway
The comments overwhelmingly validate the original analysis:
- Lions are not leaving because they dislike service.
- They are leaving because of people problems, culture problems, and outdated club practices.
- Members want more service, less drama, more modern operations, and leaders who address - not
avoid - dysfunction.
We as a district need to focus on retaining members and improving our clubs.
Steve Brewster council chair MD36