How Sertoma Clubs Can Attract Younger Members Without Losing What Makes Them Strong

By Janice Martin, Director of Programs & Membership

For more than a century, Sertoma has been transforming communities through meaningful service, strong fellowship, and leadership development. Yet, like many community service organizations, Sertoma clubs across North America face a shared challenge: how to engage younger members while honoring the longtime Sertomans who built the foundation of today’s clubs.

This challenge isn’t unique to Sertoma, but the solution must reflect Sertoma’s culture, values, and mission. The goal is not to choose between generations, but to create a club environment where all Sertomans, regardless of age or tenure, can serve, lead, and belong.

Let Service to Mankind Lead—Not Just Tradition

Sertoma’s strength has always come from its mission. Younger adults—particularly Millennials and Gen Z—are deeply drawn to organizations that show clear, measurable community impact. National research on younger volunteers shows that purpose and authenticity consistently outweigh tradition alone when deciding where to commit time and energy. ¹

This does not mean setting aside Sertoma traditions. What it does mean is ensuring that traditions clearly support Service to Mankind rather than unintentionally becoming barriers to participation.

What works well in Sertoma clubs:

• Framing activities around why they matter to the community
• Connecting longstanding fundraisers directly to lives changed
• Explaining traditions to new members instead of assuming familiarity
• Evaluating practices through the lens of mission, not habit

When purpose leads, tradition may gain renewed meaning for every generation.

Flexible Participation Strengthens—Not Weakens—Commitment

Younger Sertomans often balance careers, families, and multiple community commitments. Research shows younger volunteers are far more likely to engage when organizations offer flexible involvement and clear expectations. ²

Importantly, flexibility also benefits long-term members who may want to scale back without stepping away entirely.

Sertoma‑friendly flexibility ideas:

• Project‑based involvement
• Short‑term service roles tied to specific events or campaigns
• Committee work with shorter and well-defined timelines
• Opportunities to serve outside traditional meeting structures

As Sertoma has emphasized in its own membership discussions, thinking beyond the meeting is key to engaging younger members. ³

Modernizing Meetings Without Losing Fellowship

Hybrid meetings increase accessibility for working professionals, parents, and members with transportation or mobility challenges. 

Meeting practices that work across generations:

• Shorter agendas focused on service impact and connection
• Hybrid or virtual options for those who cannot attend in person
• Occasional service‑centered meetings in the community
• Ensuring virtual participants feel equally engaged ⁵

Well run and inclusive meetings send a powerful message: that every Sertoman’s time matters.

Mentorship: One of Sertoma's Greatest Hidden Strengths

Sertoma is uniquely positioned to thrive across generations because it brings together professionals, retirees, community leaders, and emerging leaders in one organization. Intentional mentorship—both formal and informal—multiplies this strength.

Research on intergenerational volunteering consistently shows that mentorship improves retention, builds trust, and strengthens organizational culture. ⁶

• Pair new members with experienced Sertomans during their first year
• Invite younger members to mentor in technology, communications, or outreach
• Create shared leadership opportunities on service projects
• Encourage storytelling about Sertoma’s history and impact

When mentorship flows both ways, it reinforces Sertoma’s identity as a family of service‑driven leaders.

Modernization Without Losing Sertoma's Identity 

A common concern among longtime members is that modernization might dilute Sertoma culture. Experience shows the opposite. Clubs that invite all members into change conversations build stronger buy‑in and deeper loyalty.

Sertoma’s own member engagement resources emphasize listening, openness, and compromise when engaging younger members—without dismissing experience or tradition.

The most successful clubs treat evolution as stewardship: protecting core values while ensuring relevance for future Sertomans.

Moving Together as Sertomans

Attracting younger members is not about becoming something different—it is about becoming more fully Sertoma. When clubs lead with Service to Mankind, offer flexible ways to serve, embrace modern meeting formats, and invest in intergenerational relationships, they build a future that honors past leadership while welcoming new voices.

Sertoma’s mission has never changed. The way we live it can—and should—continue to evolve.

REFERENCES

1. American Red Cross – The Gen Z Volunteer Blueprint
2. Galaxy Digital – Volunteerism by the Generations
3. Sertoma, Inc – Five Ways to Recruit and Engage Younger Members
4. BoardEffect – How to Run Efficient and Productive Hybrid Meetings for Volunteer Boards
5. Apparo  – Facilitate Better Nonprofit Hybrid Meetings
6. Age Brilliantly – The Power of Intergenerational Volunteering