News

Global and Montana Membership – January, 2026

Connecting Clubs and Lions to One Another

As I have traveled to Lions Clubs across Montana over the past 11 years, I have observed that while some clubs are thriving, others are struggling with membership. One thing remains constant, however: every club is providing wonderful service to its community. 

Recently, I have been tracking analytics from our website, montanalions.org. These analytics show how many members visit the site, what pages they view, and how long they stay. What I’ve noticed is that, unless it is close to convention time, relatively few members visit the website in any given month. 

I have also looked at convention attendance. Last year, only half of our 58 clubs had at least one member attend the state convention. 

Not surprisingly, many of the clubs that are struggling are also the ones not visiting the website or attending conventions. As a result, these clubs can become isolated—from other clubs and from the district as a whole. 

Because of this, I ask those of you who regularly attend conventions to reach out to those who do not. Encourage them to attend this year’s convention. Consider traveling together or sharing a room. For many Lions, attending a convention alone for the first time can feel like a big step.

Sometimes all it takes is an invitation. 

Just ask!

GMT Chair Richard Gessling