Happy New Year, Key Club members!

I hope the 2025-26 service year has been meaningful and energizing so far. We’re heading into one of our busiest stretches as district convention registrations, award applications and scholarship deadlines take full effect.

As we reach Key Club’s midyear point, I’m pleased to share some updates from the Key Club International Board. But first, I’d like to offer a bit of guidance from my own experience as a club officer and district governor.

I understand that once the rhythm of the school year sets in, that early-year excitement can start to fade — especially if meetings begin to feel repetitive for members.

My advice is to create a simple membership retention plan for the rest of the service year. Consult your fellow club officers to consider the strengths and obstacles you are experiencing, and then make a clear, concise and attainable plan for keeping members engaged. You might try switching up your meeting agenda, inviting guest speakers or adding hands-on service to make meetings more exciting and memorable.

Membership growth and international updates

While club rush season may be behind us, it’s always a good time to grow your club! New members can be added to the Membership Update Center at any point, so consider launching a small recruitment campaign for the spring. Tools like invitation cards, bring-a-friend initiatives and social media outreach can make a huge impact.

This year, the International Board has been hard at work strengthening membership resources and expanding opportunities for clubs. We recently launched Key Conversations, a discussion-based meeting series designed to help clubs build community while exploring leadership, service and personal growth. We also rolled out Charter Champs, an initiative that supports new and rebuilding clubs with step-by-step guidance for sustainable membership development.

We’re also proud to introduce Water Warriors, a collaborative program with Thirst Project. This initiative empowers student leaders to act on the global water crisis through awareness, advocacy, and fundraising. We can’t wait to see how members bring it to life in their own communities.

As a reminder, some of our major goals for the year include having 250,000 members worldwide, launching the 2026–2031 Key Club International Strategic Plan and welcoming over 1,000 attendees to the 2026 Key Club International Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S.

Stay up to date

None of this is possible without your continuous dedication and support. And for that, I sincerely thank you.

Don’t forget that you can stay up to date on convention registration, leadership opportunities and the Key Club International Board’s initiatives by following us on Instagram at @keyclub.iboard.

I hope you’ll carry our goals with you into 2026. Together, we can accomplish this and so much more. Remember, your hard work strengthens communities across the globe every single day.

In Service,
Isabella Baldisseri
2025-26 Key Club International President
Pacific Northwest District