Mark your calendars for the Dues Town Hall Meeting on June 12 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Join us as we discuss the Key Club Board of Trustees’ proposed amendments regarding the dues structure.
The Key Club International Board of Trustees is submitting two amendments regarding dues for consideration at the 2024 Key Club International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. One amendment would increase dues by US$3, and the other would allow for dues to be automatically adjusted every four years based on inflation.
In areas where clubs are part of a district, all Key Club members must pay international and district dues. In non-districted areas, clubs pay an annual membership fee for students in the club. These amendments would affect members of clubs in districts.
For more information about dues, including a breakdown of how each member’s international dues are spent, go to keyclub.org/dues-reporting.
Why Key Club needs a dues increase:
INFLATION: Key Club International is operating at a budgeted deficit of US$123,405 — meaning it costs more to run the organization than it brings in through membership fees each year. Key Club has cut costs, but rising costs over time have outpaced what we bring in. We need to even the scales.
INSURANCE FEE: Key Club is part of the Kiwanis International family. Next year, Kiwanis International is considering assessing a fee on each Key Club member to help pay for rising insurance costs. This will create a new expense of approximately US$225,000 per year for Key Club. If a dues increase does not pass, our annual operating deficit could grow to almost US$350,000.
INVESTMENT: Key Club has savings, which we’ve been using to cover our budgeted deficit, but that money should be for emergencies, not for daily operations. Increasing dues would allow Key Club to replenish money from savings spent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the proposals?
The board is submitting two dues-related amendments to the current bylaws:
Amendment 1:
Article XXI. Revenue Section 1. Each Key Club shall pay to Key Club International or its designated fiscal agent annual dues of ten dollars (US$10) for every member, not including honorary members.
Amendment 2:
Article XXI. Revenue Section 4. Beginning October 1, 2025, and every four (4) years thereafter, an automatic inflation adjustment (hereafter referred to as “adjustment”) shall be made to the Key Club International dues. The adjustment shall be based on the inflation rate for that four-year period and will follow the policy as outlined in the Key Club International Bylaws and Policies.
Policy for Amendment 2:
Every four years beginning Oct. 1, 2025 Kiwanis International staff shall calculate the inflation rate using the Social Security index. Adjustments shall be rounded to the nearest US$0.25. No adjustment shall exceed US$1.00. The adjusted dues amount shall be communicated with Key Club districts and their sponsoring Kiwanis districts prior to billing.
If an increase of at least US$3 passes, a subsidy program will be implemented for members who live in districts outside the United States that have higher economic needs.
Important links
Snapshot of Key Club budget:
| Revenue | Expenses | Net | |
| Key Club | 1,867,436 | 1,379,420 | 488,016 |
| Key Club Board | - | 47,595 | (47,595) |
| Key Club convention | 252,500 | 409,970 | (157,470) |
| Key Club district visits | - | 26,500 | (26,500) |
| Gov/Admin Training | - | 60,440 | (60,440) |
| Share of KYP Support* | - | 236,500 | (236,500) |
| Leadership & Ed** | - | 77,500 | (77,500) |
| Governance | 5,416 | (5,416) | |
| Net | $2,119,936 | $2,243,341 | $(123,405) |
*Shared KYP & Governance Expenses calculated based on allocations using # of members
** Budgeted GLC expenses
How our dues compare to other student-focused organizations:
Organization |
2023 dues |
Boy Scouts of America |
|
Girl Scouts |
US$25 |
Lions Club |
US$21.50 |
HOSA: Future Health Professionals |
US$20 |
National Honor Society |
Up to US$20 |
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) |
US$10 + state dues (US$0- US$24)(2022 dues were US$6 + state dues) |
Key Club International |
US$$7 |
Junior Optimist |
US$$10, tiered down to $5.23; prorated for the first year only |
DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) |
US$8 |
FFA co-curricular |
US$7 |