Libby DallaTezza
2018-2019 National Historian/Media Relations Ambassador
Auxiliary Newsletters – A Great Way to Reach Out to All Your Members
Reaching Out to All Your Members…
An informative, creative and interesting newsletter is what will win your members over and keep them well informed, active and looking for more. Below are ten suggestions to help with the quality of your newsletter.
- Educate your membership by covering the National & Department Programs.
- Tell our story – the purpose and importance behind each Program. This will educate members as to whom the Auxiliary is, and how important they are to our organization.
- Tell your story according to the events and time. For example, from July to January, you can cover the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest, Family Freedom Festival, “Buddy”® Poppy Drive, Hospital visits, Flag Recognition or Retirement Ceremonies – just to mention a few!
- Try and cover each Program at least once throughout the year.
- To assist you with the Programs you can find all the National Program information on our website: www.vfwauxiliary.org/resources.
- Watch your email for the VFW Auxiliary E-newsletter and be sure to read the National Ambassadors’ blogs for the most current information and ideas.
- Do a calendar of events on upcoming dates, programs and projects.
- Boast about your completed projects and even include photos.
- Keep your members up-to-date on important legislative concerns.
- Welcome new and reinstated members and encourage membership.
- Inform your members regarding who is ill and needs Thinking of You cards, etc.
- Offer suggestions on projects to members who don’t attend meetings.
- Share a funny moment, a quote, or words of encouragement.
- Offer and educate veterans and their families benefits and who they may contact in time of need.
- Every newsletter should include your meeting date and time. You just never know when you may have sparked an interest for a member to attend a meeting.
All the above suggestions are important issues and information that may be helpful to the member and their families. Telling the members who we are and about the work we do will make them feel good about their membership. Be creative, informative and make your newsletter visual appealing.
Wouldn’t it be nice to send out newsletters that look like the ones we receive from Headquarters? They’re clean, no attachment to open, and easy to read. Reaching your members can be as easy as clicking a button in an email newsletter template. There are oodles of choices available and many are free! Five popular online email newsletter template services are listed below:
- Vertical Response: Free plan for up to 300 contacts and 4,000 emails per month.
- Constant Contact: Free trial for 60 days.
- MailChimp: Free plan for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.
- Benchmark: Get started for free and upgrade as needed.
- iContact: Send email to up to 2,000 of your subscribers for free.
There is so much to tell! I believe once you get started building your newsletter, you’ll find yourself inspired to share more and more ideas. After your first few newsletters reach the membership, it wouldn’t surprise me if they are coming to you with ideas they would like you to share.
