Gwen Rankin
2019-2020 National Chief of Staff & Extension
Chief of Staff and Extension Invites Officers and Members to be Ready for the 2020-2021 Program Year
Most of the nation is sheltering in place and only leaving their homes for essentials. This is a great opportunity to review the Bylaws and Ritual, and Building on the VFW Auxiliary Foundation guidebooks. It’s also a great time to go through all the resources on the National website and to look back at all the promotions and blogs from all the National Ambassadors. WHY? Well, why not?
- You will arm yourself with more in-depth information on the workings of the Auxiliary.
- You will have better understanding and clarity of duties.
- You will gather better hindsight of Responsibility and Accountability.
- You will be more sure that your voice and your vote as a member counts.
- Perhaps you will become a better listener.
- Perhaps you will step into a leadership position or take on a Chairmanship.
- Perhaps you will know that bullying is not tolerated and will take a stand when it occurs.
- Maybe you will be more courteous to others and their thinking.
- Maybe you will reign in your temperament when talking with members of the Auxiliary and Post.
Take this time to better yourself as member.
During the 2019-2020 year, this Program challenged and asked a lot of our members, including to:
- Work with Bachelor Posts to establish Auxiliaries.
- Invite “homeless” Members at Large to become members of a local Auxiliary.
- Develop your own Department Charter Kit to present to new Auxiliaries at their Institution.
- Use the more in-depth Official Visit Inspection and to copy the Chief of Staff when completed
- Challenge District Presidents to complete Inspections by December 31, 2019 even if Line Officers were needed to be called upon to meet this.
- Encourage District Presidents to visit those Auxiliaries not personally visited after the first of the year.
- Develop talking points for your District President to use on Official Visits.
- Rejuvenate and revitalize Auxiliaries.
- Send in paperwork for National Awards No. 1 and No. 2.
I encourage you to share the following with the incoming 2020-2021 Presidents:
- The Official Visit Packet for District Presidents.
- The yellow and/or red flag issues found during the Official Visits
- Not paying Auxiliary Bond in a timely manner.
- Officers not Elected in a timely manner.
- Installation report not posted to MALTA or emailed to National or Department Headquarters.
- Not having quorum present for business meetings.
- Not working Programs.
- Not meeting IRS filing requirements.
- Misuse of funds; expending money without having a passed motion.
- Performance of duties lacking by leaders.
- Share the list of Bachelor Posts met with and keep the list updated.
- Keep Mentoring for Leadership and Membership alive, these Chairmanships are our future!
- Stress that every day, they are mentors. Every act and word and the way that word is spoken mentors those observing.
- Every member is a role model. It’s who they are using as a role model that makes the difference on their tone of voice, their body language, etc. Basically you – as an Officer.
Be ready to see the follow-through of concluding Suspensions.
- Resolve issues that brought Auxiliaries to Suspension. If Healthy, lift the Suspension. If still unresolved, find out the why’s – and take care of it.
- Many Charter applications have been received and have had to have their Institution dates extended, at the moment until June 30, 2020 or later. You will be officially notified of further extensions as needed.
- For the large amount of Auxiliaries closed, be sure that members were placed in good working Auxiliaries and not just placed as Members at Large because someone did not see it as their job.
We are coming down to the conclusion of the “Serving Our Veterans with Aloha” Program Year. This is my final blog and communication to you, the members. I had the best boss in our National President Peggy. She provided me with a knowledgeable team at National Headquarters. I served with and among such creative Ambassadors that I will always remember. The outpouring of Aloha they had for their National Programs and their desire to see that everyone succeeded inspired me.
Please know, the Aloha Spirit lives on and from one person to another.
The Aloha Spirit does not end because President Peggy’s year ends.
Mahalo Nui Loa for all the good works you did this year.
