Increasing membership is our focus, reaching a million members by our centennial 2019-20 is our goal. Adding new members, renewing member and rejoining members is the task that should always be in the forefront. Without members, what are we as an organization? I was checking out Twitter the other day and one tweet in particular struck me as very relevant to the American Legion Auxiliary today. It simply said “Be the Light.” I thought — that is what we, as unit members, should be doing. We have to be in the light for others to see who we are and what we do for our veterans, active duty military, their families and their communities. But, how can we be a light? First, we can be a light for our members — be knowledgeable so that we can guide and mentor the newest members. We also need to bring back members who have not renewed. And we must always shine the light of civility and respect during unit meetings. Units can shine a light on what is happening in the unit and what the unit is doing in the community by sending out letters/newsletters to all unit members. Include a survey to identify interests of your members in regards to veterans or community activities — how and when they want to be involved and participate. Use UPCOMING DEADLINES December 31, 2013: Last day for 2013 PUFL processing. All PUFL applications received after this date will have to have paid their 2014 dues for National Headquarters to accept their applications. Applications failing to meet this standard will be returned. 2013-2014 NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Issue 3 November 20, 2013 Congratulations to the following departments for reaching the 1st (55%) milestone: Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Louisiana, South Dakota, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Oregon, Alabama, Delaware, Florida, West Virginia, North Dakota, Maryland, Illinois Great Job! And continue to Pass it On! MEMBERSHIP FAQS Q: We have a member who wants to transfer into our unit. Is she a new member for our unit, or is she still counted in the unit from which she is transferring? A: According to Unit Handbook (see pages 20-22 of version on website), a member must be in good standing to transfer, meaning her current year dues must be paid. So, if the member has paid 2013 dues she can transfer to another unit before Dec 31, 2013 without paying dues as long as the new unit approves of the transfer, and then pay her 2014 dues to the unit to which she transfers. If she paid 2013 dues and then pays 2014 dues, she is considered a renewal regardless of which unit she is in, and she is counted in the unit to which she pays dues. that information to get members to work together or discover new ideas to work in your community. We should always be looking for the new member. She could be your next door neighbor, the mom in the school car pool, the cashier at Wal-Mart….the possibilities are endless. A potential member is most likely everywhere you are, you just have to look for and reach out to her. And why not shine a light on our organization by wearing your Auxiliary pin or shirt while out doing errands? Happy members work together for our programs and out in the community. Joining with other organizations to work for veterans, active duty military and their families shines our light outside the world of the Auxiliary. Tell the ALA story at every opportunity. The Awareness Campaign is just a start to being the light for our organization. Making others aware of who we are, what we do and why we matter will result in an increase in membership — maybe not immediately, but the future of our organization will be brighter if we can continue to be the light for our veterans. Being the light for our organization will make the million member goal the brightest light of all. PASS IT ON By Paula Raney, Membership Committee Member Our “Positively Southern” Division is made up of 13 Departments — race car drivers, angels, monkeys and jitter buggers. There is constant competition between the top five Departments. So far North Carolina and Louisiana are neck and neck to be #1. Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi are always in the top 5 and I can see them competing with North Carolina and Louisiana very soon. Janice MacLeod of North Carolina is the inspiration behind the success of North Carolina. Her theme is RACE to Renew, Recruit and Rejoin. They have already welcomed 10 units into the Winners Circle and have attained 61.85%. My friends in Louisiana, Pat and Elda Doucent Boutte, confirmed they wiould have no goose egg units by November 11 and are at 61.16% at the 55% milestone. At District and Department meetings there is a door prize where a member’s name is selected and her dues are paid for the year. If her dues are already paid, she picks another member who has not paid to “pass it on.” Their saying is “Telegraph, telephone but to get the job done, tell a woman.” In Mississippi, Angela Kilcrease is consistently on FACEBOOK getting her Department to give all they can. She is full of energy and commitment to turning the Southern Division around to be one of the top Divisions in the National Organization. If anyone has any doubts, go to their FACEBOOK page and see the excitement DIVISION REPORT—NORTHWESTERN By Barbara Stoffer, Southern Division Membership Chairman they all stir up! Teresa Simmons Copeland from Texas sends multiple emails to her units each week. I love her frankness in telling her units “the check can’t be in the mail, it must be in Department! Close only counts in horseshoes.” Texas does not want to be CLOSE, they want it all. She lets the units know exactly what is going on and makes no bones about getting that membership in. Honorable mention to South Carolina. In one week, the Department had 28 goose egg units and are now down to 15; they brought up 34 units to take them over the 55% milestone...one unit is goal and one is over 103%. I believe South Carolina will hit all their goals this year. Anne Parker is working very hard in doing just that. In closing, the “Positively Southern” Division will be on top this year. All of our Departments work hard each week entering membership and doing what they can to help us achieve our goals. I do believe constant communication with the units, enthusiasm, creating excitement, having fun and NEVER letting a week go by without praising the units makes for a successful race to our “Positively Southern” goal. I am POSITIVELY proud that the Southern Division reached the first milestone of 55% by November 11th. SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 23:26:25 +0000
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