How-To: RFL

Your personal statement is the first thing judges will see, and it is essentially a precursor/general overview of your term before the deep dive into the more in-depth sections. This is also a chance for you to explain any shortcomings or extenuating circumstances you had during your term. Write in a professional manner, but be genuine. This should be one of the last things that you do when putting together your RFL Site, as you can't write a proper reflection regarding your term if you're still in the middle of it.

EXAMPLES

This is one of the easier sections you'll have to do. Throughout the year, make sure that you're completing all of your newsletters (with proper branding, correct grammar, appealing graphic design, etc)and then taking that extra step of putting them all into your respective divisional folder in the "Newsletters" section of the shared drive; you'll be able to pull them from there onto your Site easily.

EXAMPLES

One of the lesser-spoken-about duties of an LTG/liaison is that of club officer training. As the person in charge of leading your division, you're also in charge of making sure that all of your officers at the club level are trained for their positions. This training can be conducted through an in-person meeting OR online. Refer to the distinguished guidelines when gathering and knowing what information to put into your presentation. You must conduct officer training for all officers in your division by November 15, so a good time to start reaching out to officers and planning a training date is around mid-August, aiming to conduct trainings in September and October. However, it's okay if some trainings are held past that deadline, because what truly matters is that officers are trained.

EXAMPLES

This section will be one of the most challenging to complete, especially if your clubs are particularly unresponsive. There are two components to this section: club visits and presidential council meetings (PCMs).

Let's talk PCMs first. In our district, Lieutenant Governors are required to hold at least 7 PCMs throughout their term, the timing of which doesn't matter; it usually works best to hold your first PCM with the majority of your clubs sometime in April-June, and then having them monthly when school starts back up (August-February or September-March). For a more detailed look into how to hold a PCM, see the "PCMs" section under "Lt. Governor Resources" on this Site. You'll want to upload the meeting minutes from each of your PCMs onto this page, which will be sufficient for proof of holding them.

Now, club visits are a bit trickier. A good time to set up and conduct club visits is any time from November through February, as this is when clubs have become a bit more established and likely to respond. You'll need to communicate with the president of your desired club to find a time when you can attend one of their meetings (one with general members, not just the executive board), whether it be virtually or in-person; it's typically viewed better if you are to visit the club in-person, but you can choose whether or not you wish to do so, as factors such as distance and amicability with the club board play a role. There are no set guidelines for what specifically you are to do during a club visit, but one beneficial thing you can (and should) do is to make a presentation and educate members more about the district level; some good topics to touch on include any upcoming district events, the structure of Key Club International, what other clubs are in your division, and anything else you think is relevant. Take your time to connect with the club on a deeper level, as that's what you're there for! After completion of the club visit, fill out a club visitation report showing what you did and have the advisor and club president of said club sign it to verify; place these reports and any other relevant documents onto your Site.

This is fairly straightforward: Attend all events that are required of you. For this section, all that you need to do is include a PDF of just the "Required Attendance" page from the RFL guidelines. The MinnDak Administrator will then sign it to verify your attendance at Board Training, Summer Board, Fall Rally, and all other events laid out in the guidelines.

Your main goal for this objective is to convince as many people from as many clubs in your division to attend DCON; for this section, all that you need to do is include a PDF of just the "Delegates at District Convention" page from the RFL guidelines, as the MinnDak Administrator will then sign it to verify the presence of delegates.

Your main goal for this objective is to educate your division on the importance of dues and push for dues collection from 100% of your clubs; for this section, you'll need to attach a PDF of just the "Dues Collection" page from the RFL guidelines, which the MinnDak Administrator will then sign to verify dues collection.

This section is arguably the most difficult one to succeed at, because it involves a lot of time, coordination, and cooperation; it is also the most rewarding. Your goal for this objective is to either successfully charter a new Key Club OR reactivate a suspended club in the division you preside over (for liaisons, NOT your home division).

You'll first need to choose a location: seek out a club that has been suspended or a school that you think may benefit from having a Key Club. Send an email to the school principal/important school officials (if new club) or club advisor (if suspended) and ask if they would want to start/reactivate up a Key Club in their school, and then send an email to a potential sponsoring Kiwanis club. Keep reaching out until you receive a response from one or the other. Once you do, work to identify 15 students who would join the club and find a teacher that would be willing to be the advisor for said club; both of these steps are necessary in order to officially form/reform a club. Afterwards, work with the to-be club to apply to Kiwanis International for a charter (a charter fee is $400 for a new club and $100 for a reactivated club). Finally, once the charter has gone through, work with District Executives to put the club into all district documents and continue to help the club with whatever they may need going forth into their club-ship. Putting down the official charter/reactivation document will be sufficient for this section.

Even if you are unable to successfully charter a club, you should still put down any efforts you made to do so onto this section of your Site (ex. emails to principals/advisors), as this shows that you made your best effort.

Your main goal for this objective is to receive contact information for officers from 100% of your clubs and to put it in the district club directory by October 15; for this section, you'll need to attach a PDF of just the "Submission of New Officer Information" page from the RFL guidelines, which the MinnDak Administrator will then sign to verify the collection of officer contact information.

Your main objective for this section is to host a divisional rally, whether it be in-person or online; it may seem daunting, but is completely doable. You'll first need to determine how you will be holding this event: it always looks better if it is in-person, but either will work. You can always put out a divisional rally interest form and poll your division regarding details of the rally, such as what things they'd like to see or when is best to hold it. Once you've determined the format of your rally, you need to find a place to host it, whether it be at school, a recreational area, or some sort of commonplace (usually, it's easiest to work with your principal to use a room in your school during out-of-school hours), and then choose the date and time for the event. Next, you should develop an agenda for what you want to do at this rally: playing games such as Kahoot, doing service projects, having guest speakers, and educating attendees on Key Club International are all viable options. Keep in mind time and financial constraints. You should then put out a divisional rally registration form a few weeks in advance and encourage your clubs to attend, keeping on consistently promoting it via social media and email. Once the day rolls around, have attendees sign on a sheet to confirm their attendance, take care of any loose strings, and have fun at your rally! You'll absolutely want to upload your agenda and the list of attendees onto this section, but you can also add things such as a presentation you did, photos you took at the event, or social media posts for the event to add some extra layering and depth.

EXAMPLES

This will be one of the most tedious sections you'll have to do, because it requires your going back into your emails and text messages from months past. For this objective, it's best to create buttons on your Google Site that'll lead a viewer directly to a Google Drive folder where your communication proof is kept (see minute 18:25 on RFL video). In regards to the committees section, compiling screenshots of times (once per month) where you sent messages in your respective committee Slack channels will suffice. In regards to the monthly communication section, take screenshots of text messages/emails/Slack messages that display the date and time to prove your communication with all of the required individuals. This should go without saying, but it's easiest to compile these screenshots from month to month instead of all at the end before the RFL deadline-- DON'T wait.

EXAMPLES

Your main goal for this objective is to show that you completed all of your required monthly reports. As an LTG, you are responsible for filling out Lieutenant Governor Reports (LGRs) every month. There are two ways that you can verify your completion of these LGRs. The first way is, for these LGRs, you have to complete a club report regarding your communication with officers; you can attach all of these logs to your Google Site. The second way is by snapshotting the "Monthly Reports" section of your quarterly evaluation, which verifies that you sent in your LGRs (in a timely manner, at all, etc), and uploading it. For good measure, uploading both of these will be most effective.

EXAMPLES

Holding meetings and making newsletters may be fun and all, but don't forget about the reason that you're even able to hold the position you do: community service. For this objective, it is recommended that you make a Google Sheet document to track your volunteering hours throughout your term; in this document, include the date, what the activity was, and the hours you received from it. Have your club advisor sign it, either virtually through a Google Form or on a physical piece of paper, and include the confirmation in your site.

EXAMPLE

For this section, you'll need to include a letter of recommendation. This letter can be written by any district executive officers, the District Administrator, or any high-profile Kiwanis counterparts; for the best results, you should ask somebody who knows you well and is familiar with the general aspects of how your term went. For example, if you were board buddies with the District Treasurer, they may be a good person to ask, as they likely know you very well. A good time to ask for a letter is towards the end of your term (around a month before DCON). Once you've received one, make sure that it is accessible to everyone and put it on your Site.

This section may seem a bit confusing, but it's essentially a place for you to include everything you did during your term that wasn't already a requirement. This can include things such as Instagram posts, committee work, extra work you did per request by an executive officer (ex. Web Buddies), and more. ANYTHING that you believe shows that you went above and beyond in your duties is good to put here.

Now that you know how to apply for RFL, you may be thinking that it is a lot of work to put together the materials and you don't know if it is worth it. Here are four reasons why you SHOULD apply for RFL!

1. You'll get a plaque

• If you are to receive the RFL award, you get a fancy plaque with your name on it that you'll get to keep to remember your term and recognize your hard work!

2. You get a $400 discount off your trip to ICON 2022

• There is no doubt that ICON is an expensive event to attend, but if you are receive the RFL award, you'll essentially have the cost of your trip halved!

3. There's not a lot of extra work to do

• Most of the requirements for RFL are already things that you are (or should be) doing as an LTG, so it's just a matter of collecting all of your materials and putting it on a Site. Easy peasy!

4. You'll have a tangible token from your time on the District Board

• Your experience on the District Board will (hopefully) be positive and worth reminiscing about, so what better than a reminder of your excellence to recall your time on it?