Gloria Dobbie
2020-2021 National Chief of Staff & Extension Ambassador
Chief of Staff & Extension: 17 Ways to Have a Positive and Productive Auxiliary Meeting
Congratulations! This is your Good Job Award! Thank you for reviewing the RU Healthy Checklist and complying with the requirements. That is your guideline to take care of essential business within your Auxiliary.
Have you thought about what actually happens during your meetings? How decisions are made and how many members participate? Sometimes decisions made during the heat of the moment result in unforeseen outcomes. Some Auxiliaries view the only solution to personality conflicts is to disband their Auxiliary. Cooler heads must prevail; think before you act.
We need to be aware of how some members may see their Auxiliary. We want lifelong, involved and happy members. We need to bring new members into the organization with the same goals in mind. Good things happen when positive thoughts prevail. You are the face of the Auxiliary; wear your smile!
Meetings: Are You…
- Friendly to your members?
- Using a sign-in-sheet to have a record of those members who attended the meeting?
- Using a meeting agenda?
- Allowing the members to express their thoughts?
- Making sure that you are not dismissive to ideas you may not agree with?
- Correcting misinformation in a polite way?
- Including everyone?
- Avoiding singling out any one person for discussion, pro or con, on the issue at hand?
- Creating an environment that wants to make the member want to continue to participate in any Auxiliary activities.
Auxiliary Life: Are you…
- Encouraging members to create bonds with other members?
- Creating an atmosphere that allows friendships to grow?
- Offering opportunities to highlight special talents that would benefit the Auxiliary?
- Reinforcing the reason we joined – to honor our veterans?
- Highlighting common interests?
- Offering opportunities for members to participate in any activity in which the Auxiliary participates?
- A problem solver with the goal of everyone working together?
Extension: Are you…
- Offering assistance to your District President to identify Unaffiliated Posts with an interest in opening a new Auxiliary?
- Volunteering to be on a committee to establish new Auxiliaries?
- Familiarizing yourself with the tools available on the website at vfwauxiliary.org/resources?
Continue to be creative in conducting your business meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic. Keep listening for SWAP stories to share with each other. Thank you for all you do to support our veterans and our communities.
We pledge to continue Honoring Our Mission to Serve Veterans.
