After celebrating its centennial in 2017, leaders within Civitan International began a journey to renew the organization in light of a challenging future.  Service organizations like Civitan are currently seeing enormous changes to adapt to generational and social shifts.  “Renew by 2022” has three pillars of progress, which include achieving financial stability, evolving our membership, and focusing on mission.

The Civitan International Board of Directors approved the appointment of an adhoc committee in the summer of 2019 to review the organization’s governance documents as a part of this effort.  Upon thoroughly assessing Civitan’s bylaws the group decided a total revamp of the document was necessary.  First, there were places where the organization was not in line with federal and state non-profit laws and standards.  Second, other rules in the document made it hard for the organization to adapt in changing times or crises, like the pandemic that forced a cancellation of international officer elections this year.  Aside from those two important priorities, another concern of the committee was whether the documents that set the standards of the organization were freeing enough to allow for the growth and sustainability that is much needed.

Over the course of almost a year, the committee meticulously worked with corporate counsel on a new set of governance documents for Civitan International and presented them for approval in October 2020.  The board greenlighted the new documents, which will now be up for ratification at the 2021 Civitan International Convention in Jacksonville.