A Message to Recruiters

From the Supreme Knight

Carl A. Anderson

Biography

Time and again, I have stressed that we have nothing less than a moral obligation to offer membership in the Knights of Columbus to every eligible Catholic man.  To accomplish this, I am asking dedicated brother Knights like you to be ambassadors, to reach out to Catholic men and their families and invite them to become part of our Order.

Duties of a Proposer

The Servant of God Father Michael J. McGivney founded our Order more than 120 years ago, and yet we have only just begun to realize our true potential.  New members are essential to our success; the Order’s tomorrow depends on our recruitment today!

We must be creative in our recruitment efforts, and I am pleased to promote an exciting web site feature that we hope will facilitate membership recruitment.  Please visit the Why Join? feature and see how it can help in your recruitment efforts.  This multimedia presentation offers powerful testimonials from Knights like you about their experiences in the Order.

Please encourage prospective members and their families to visit the “Why Join?” feature at their convenience and in the comfort of their own homes.  In so doing, they can see why being a Knight of Columbus truly is an experience of a lifetime.

Thank you in advance for your efforts to bring new members into our ranks.  Working together, I am confident that the Knights of Columbus will continue to thrive as the preeminent lay Catholic organization in the world.

Proposing a new member is a commendable achievement and one to be proud of. However, as a proposer, turning over a completed Membership Document (#100) is not the end of the job. You must also take the responsibility to see that your recruit becomes fully accepted by his fellow council members and stays involved in council activities. There are several steps you can take to ensure this.

• Explain to him that the council's Admission Committee will examine his qualifications for membership and accompany him to the Admission Committee meeting. Introduce him to the members present.
  
  
• After he has been accepted, escort him to his First Degree and remain with him throughout the event. Following the exemplification, introduce him to his fellow council members.
  
  
• Take the newly initiated member and his family "under your wing". See that he learns council procedures, such as meeting times, committee assignments, etc. Introduce him and his family at council events. Encourage him to involve his family in council-sponsored activities.
  
  
• Accompany your recruit to his Second Degree and Third Degree exemplifications and stay with him throughout the day.
  
  
• Contact him before each council meeting and bring him to the meeting if necessary. If the new member becomes inactivate for some reason, try to find out why. Call and ask to visit with him. Explain your concern about his absence and offer support or assistance.
  
  
• Encourage him to earn "Shining Armor" status within the council.
  
  

If the Knight becomes inactive, his proposer should work with the retention committee to find out the reasons for his lapsed interest and try to converse his membership.

With a little personal effort you can help guarantee that your recruit becomes an active member of the Knights of Columbus.