A service club is defined firstly by its service mission and secondly by its membership benefits, such as social occasions, networking, and personal growth opportunities that encourage involvement.
Much like the historical religious organizations that formed the basis for many societal institutions, such as hospitals, service organizations perform many essential services for their community and other worthy causes.
Historically, most service clubs consist of community-based groups with the same name, goals, membership requirements, and meeting structure.
Many of these clubs meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly on a recurring established day and time, commonly at mealtime.
Many of the service club organizations have become worldwide movements, and have obtained official recognition by the United Nations and various governments as non-governmental organizations (NGO).