Revive service clubs to help our communities

During a recent meeting of the Gazette's Writers Circle, our group discussed how it could better serve the local community by identifying issues that are important to improving our locale. One of the topics centered on community involvement in our ever busy lives. We discussed ways the community had involved its citizens in the past and this article was written based on my past personal experiences.

In 1988, after graduating from Coe College with a degree in accounting and business administration and taking my first job with McGladrey and Pullen CPAs in Marshalltown, Iowa, I was quickly introduced to the concept of business service clubs. These organizations (Lions, Kiwanis, Optimists, etc.) served multiple purposes.

First and foremost, they served their communities identifying needs and using the talents and connections of their members to address those issues and finding ways to make those needs less severe. They helped local food pantries, families struggling with emergency situations, and families struggling to make ends meet due to a major life event such as a plant closing or natural disaster. The collective positive outcomes by the efforts of people across the local community gave a sense of pride and made it a better place to live.

Secondly, participation in these clubs was a form of advertising for the business who granted their employee paid time away from their normal work duties. Where you worked was known by the other members of the club, which meant they knew where the other members worked and what their business was. This greatly increased the probability of potential new customers for our business, simply because friendships working toward common causes created bonds that would lead members to seek out services by businesses run by trusted friends.

Third, the involvement of the employee in the service club added to the personal development of that employee. It presented opportunities to lead other community leaders and experience problem-solving growth in ways that could be tapped later in an individual's work career. These experiences were understood to be important to our firm as it increased the capabilities of all of our employees by bringing new ideas and problem-solving skills to the organization that could not be taught in college or at expensive continuing education programs.

Finally, the employee benefitted by making business contacts that might eventually lead to employment opportunities or possible new business development. Countless opportunities were generated through contacts on service projects in which the abilities of the volunteers led to lasting friendships and trusted relationships.

But what do service clubs look like today? Many (most) of the members are gray or graying. Fewer and fewer businesses volunteer their staff for these clubs due to the need to conserve on full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, so have them working longer hours and weekends. Time away from work during the business day is impossible and the employee, after working long hours and weekends, does not have the energy left to volunteer using their own personal time.

At a time when our community could use these service clubs the most, these clubs are unable to provide the man-hours that they once did. Or could they? If businesses saw the level of benefit that they would receive in the way of staff and business development, they might consider contributing time to these service organizations.

Giving always returns more to the giver than the receiver. It is up to our community to communicate the benefits of its business service clubs and up to our community business leaders to remember how important these organizations are to their bottom lines.

' Russ Gerst of Cedar Rapids, is a husband, father of four, accountant and farmer, and Coe College graduate. Comments: rdgerst@iname.com