Annual District Alignment FAQ

Each year, the District’s Alignment Committee reviews the alignment of clubs, Areas, and Divisions within its boundaries. The District Director appoints an Alignment Chair by January 1.

The Alignment Committee must review the District’s alignment to ensure it meets the requirements outlined in Protocol 7.0. Once the committee reviews the alignment and determines whether changes are needed, it creates a proposal for the Annual Meeting of the District Council.

By January 1, the District Director appoints a Chair for the Alignment Committee. Each Division is represented by its Division Director. If the Division Director is unable to serve, they may appoint another representative from the Division to serve, provided approval is obtained from the District Director. Please reference Article XI (d) for more information.

The Alignment Committee is obligated to prepare an alignment proposal that adheres to the minimum requirements outlined Protocol 7.0 at the time of approval by the District Council. The committee then submits it to the District Executive Committee for review, seeking approval at the Annual Meeting of the District Council.

Each Area must have a minimum of four (4) clubs in good standing (not low, ineligible, or suspended), and no more than six (6) clubs.

Each Division must have at least four (4) Areas assigned.

Each District can have no more than nine (9) Divisions.

Provisional Districts may have a minimum of three (3) clubs per Area and three (3) Areas per Division.

Yes, the committee can propose the alignment of prospective clubs that are expected to be organized by the end of the year. These clubs should be aligned as the fifth or sixth club in an Area to ensure the alignment proposal is valid at the time of approval by the District Council.

The club must organize with a charter date of June 30 or earlier to be considered a club in good standing to meet the minimum requirements of Protocol 7.0. If the club is organized with a charter date after June 30, it must be assigned to an Area that has at least four clubs in good standing.

Districts assign clubs to Areas based upon:

• Geographic proximity to other clubs
• The ability of an Area Director to effectively provide service, without requiring the clubs to change how meetings are conducted to accommodate an Area Director's visit
• Club size and strength
• Prospective clubs and expected growth
• The likelihood of eligibility for Distinguished programs

The District alignment is approved during the Annual Meeting of the District Council, which is attended by the Club President and the Vice President Education as representatives for each club. The club representatives have an opportunity to share feedback and suggest changes for consideration.

Once the District Council approves the proposed alignment, only the District Executive Committee may amend the alignment of clubs into Areas, upon recommendation of the Alignment Committee. Any amendments must be approved by the District Executive Committee by a two-thirds vote. The number of Divisions must not be amended.

The District Director updates the approved alignment through District Central, using the Annual Alignment Tool, by July 15 of the program year in which the alignment will take effect. The submission tool does not allow an alignment that does not meet the minimum requirements of Protocol 7.0.

Any District that is provisional, reforming, or in the District realignment process will be contacted in June regarding its alignment submission.

If a club charters after July 1, it will appear in the Club Alignment Tool in District Central for the District Director to align. A newly chartered club should be aligned no later than 30 days post-charter. Clubs that charter after July 1 do not count toward the Area maximum of six (6) clubs.