Membership: Be Proactive!

Be Proactive

This month’s theme is to “be proactive.” This is another one of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Being proactive means thinking and acting ahead of anticipated events.  There are so many ways that you can be proactive in your Auxiliary that there would be no way to list them all. Here are a few:

• Study the list of Awards for Auxiliaries and their deadlines
• Have a Membership plan
• Include current members

Awards for Auxiliaries

Strive to reach your membership goals as they are worth extra cash for your Auxiliary! Listed below are the National Awards for Auxiliaries.

Packed Parachute Award

• $10 to each Auxiliary that reaches 95% in Membership by November 30, 2020*
• $20 to each Auxiliary that reaches 98% in Membership by March 31, 2021*
• $50 to each Auxiliary that reaches 101% Plus in Membership by June 30, 2021*

*Based on the June 30, 2020, total membership numbers.

Have a Membership Plan

A proactive person puts a plan in place and then acts on it. Does your Auxiliary have a Membership plan? Make sure your plan includes the following:

• Contact all Annual members for their dues using one, or a combination, of the following ways:
  • A mailed dues notice
  • An email
  • A phone call
  • A text
• Have your Treasurer look up former members on MALTA, and have the Membership Team contact them.
• Assign a mentor to a new member.
• Plan several recruiting events in your community.
• Check your state Member-at-Large list (if you have one) for possible transfers to your local Auxiliary.
• Make sure all Auxiliary members carry a blank application with them.
• Ask your VFW if you can write a letter to their members asking them if they have any family members eligible to join the Auxiliary. Include the following:
  • Letter
  • Eligibility Wheel
  • Application
  • Contact information

Include Current Members

You’ve invited new members and sent out dues notices, now what? Let’s find a way to keep all our members interested in the VFW Auxiliary. The best way to do that is to include them in your activities.  Here are some ways you can go about doing that:

• Get new members involved.
• Offer to pick up members for meetings or events
• Put a team member in charge of contacting members who haven’t been to a meeting recently.
• Send out emails asking for assistance at an event or as a reminder for a meeting.
• Make a phone call asking for a donation for an event; this could be money or baking a cake-whatever you need.
• Plan family-friendly events to include your members with children.

Thank you for all you are doing to invite, include and invest in our VFW Auxiliary by working the Membership Program. Continue to assist us in “Honoring our Mission to Serve Veterans.”