Non-political civil associations

In his fabled two volume tract,  “Democracy in America”, published in 1835, Alexis de Tocqueville noted that “Democracy depends on many things besides voting.” Tocqueville observed, “Everywhere that, at the head of a new undertaking, you see the government in France and a great lord in England, you will perceive an association in the United States.”

There are hundreds of civil and fraternal associations in the United States with tens of millions of members . Although not explicitly political, they nonetheless give their members a sense of political agency while teaching people of differing backgrounds how to work together towards common goals.

They provide vital public services in areas where neither the public nor private sectors are effective. Although they sometimes lack the cachet of the latest partisan cause du jour, these organizations are a time honored training ground for producing engaged citizens who know how to work together effectively for the improvement of their communities..

A partial alphabetical list follows with links and membership numbers.

Special thanks to Dr. Ramon Portales, Board of Directors, Kiwanis Club of East Fresno, California, for your profound insights into the importance of civil association in a healthy democracy.

• American Legion 2,000,000 members
• Elks USA 1,300,000
• Girls on the Run 200,000
• Junior League 140,000
• Kiwanis 600,000
• Knights of Columbus 2,000,000
• Lions Club 1,4000,000
• Masons 875,000
• Moose International 650,000
• Optimists 80,000
• Rotary 1,4000,000
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) 1,400,000