Many traditional civic and service clubs, such as Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions Clubs, along with fraternal organizations and even church-affiliated groups, are in decline due to factors including time constraints, changing community structures, generational gaps, and a growing focus on hyper-individualism.
It’s not just service groups like the Kiwanis or Rotary that have been slumping. Parent-Teacher organizations no longer attract the interest they once did, groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion have lost members, and church attendance has tumbled to the point where almost half of Americans say they rarely or never go to a house of worship.
Other examples of clubs facing significant membership drops include the Jaycees and the Masons, according to data from the 2000s forward. Beyond the well-known service clubs, many other groups like ethnic halls, adult sports leagues, and garden clubs have also faded or disappeared.
Bob Putnam’s 2000 book Bowling Alone documented a significant ongoing drop in group membership, and this trend has continued as these organizations struggle to adapt to new societal norms and attract younger members.
So, what happened?
No one doubts the good work civic and service groups have done across the country and the world, so why are these groups struggling for members? As it turns out, it’s not about the group; it’s about us.
This trend of attrition is often laid at the feet of societal shifts such as increased personal mobility, changes in family structure, and the preference for more solitary leisure activities over group involvement. Younger generations are also seeking quicker, more immediate ways to make an impact and connect, which traditional civic clubs may struggle to provide.
- Suburbanization, the breakdown of industrial communities, and the rise of car culture have fragmented communities and reduced face-to-face interactions.
- People are busier than ever, and clubs that require regular meetings or significant time commitments struggle to compete for members limited free time.
- A generational gap exists, with younger adults often having different values, priorities, and expectations for community involvement compared to older generations.
- The prevalence of digital technology has led to more isolated work environments and shallow online connections, which don’t foster the deep community ties that traditional civic clubs provided.
- Modern culture often prioritizes personal achievement and individualism over a collective sense of community and working for the greater good.
- Some organizations have outdated models and structures that don’t appeal to contemporary members.
And it didn’t just happen yesterday. Membership in civic groups has been slowly declining for decades but lately seems to have gathered speed. As long ago as October 1992, The New York Times was reporting on service clubs rallying “to reverse their slide.”
Interestingly, none of this means people have stopped volunteering or working to enrich their communities. They’re just not doing it on a large scale together.
But wait… more people are involved than ever?
So statistics say. Every two years, AmeriCorps partners with the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct the most robust survey about civic engagement across the United States and over time.
AmeriCorps’ 2023 report for the government’s Civic Engagement and Volunteering (CEV) Supplement, shows that more and more Americans view their economic activity as a way to support their civic, political, and social goals. “The rate of Americans purchasing from companies whose values they agree with – and boycotting those that don’t align with their beliefs – rose from 14% in 2017 to 17% (44 million people) in 2023,” according to that report.
The CEV report also demonstrates that “Americans seem invested in their employers’ civic engagement. Corporate volunteering has risen by a remarkable 5% since 2021, and 90% of Americans said that their workplace positively impacted their community.”
When it comes to civic organizations, some experts have pointed to the hectic schedules that many younger professionals now maintain, and the fact that networking opportunities that once made membership in civic organizations so enticing can now be accomplished by signing into LinkedIn or friending someone on Facebook.
This overall decline in club participation represents a tangible loss of social capital and civic engagement for American communities. Even in rural areas where hands-on civic service has always been important, many service organizations must adapt by creating more welcoming environments, offering real opportunities for younger members, and rethinking their service models if they are to survive and thrive.