Marilyn J. Malick
2020-2021 National Membership Ambassador
Continue to Reach for Your Goals
In the beginning of this Program Year, I spoke to you about one of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Successful People, “Begin with the End in Mind.” I will guess at that very moment, every Membership Chairman on every level of the VFW Auxiliary set a goal of reaching 100% Plus in Membership and some decided that they wanted to reach even higher and set their goal at 101% Plus in Membership. We have 51 days to reach our goals and even surpass them. In the past two months we have invited or invested in more than 11,000 members. The National Organization needs fewer than 8,500 new and/or rejoined members to reach 100% Plus. We can do this! Continue to reach for the goal you set in the beginning of the year.
Here are four ways you can invest in your members:
- Adopt-a-Member
- Ask for donations towards this initiative. I did this at an Auxiliary meeting, and I ended up having enough to pay for all our lapsed members.
- My District Membership Chairman asked for donations at a District meeting and she received enough to get the District to 100% Plus last year.
- Personal phone calls, texts and emails can be made and sent to members whose dues have lapsed. Remind them why they joined in the first place.
- If a member is in financial need, pay their dues out of your Relief Fund.
- Invite new members! You still have one or two more meetings to bring in new members to help you reach your goal!
Awards
Auxiliaries will earn the $50 Packed Parachute Award when they reach 101% Plus paid membership by June 30, 2021. Please do not let your members fall off the rolls of the Auxiliary. Do what you can to invest in those members.
Departments will earn $200 when they reach 101% Plus in paid membership by June 30, 2021. Again, let’s continue to reach for our goals.
Thank You
To National President Sandi Onstwedder, thank you for having confidence in me to serve as your Membership Ambassador and for giving me a great team to work with. Thank you to Bette Jean Biedrzycki, Kim Harney, Shema Peppers and Della Steege, our awesome Conference Coaches, who worked hard to assist me in encouraging, motivating and supporting the Departments in their Conferences.
To all the Membership Chairmen on every level, thank you for promoting the Membership Program and working hard to keep our members and invite new members. I am in awe of the wonderful promotions from our Department Chairmen. You have done a great job this year.
Treasurers, thank you for processing dues quickly and efficiently and for everything you do to help our Membership Chairmen.
Thank you to the National Headquarters Staff for all your guidance and assistance.
Finally, thank you to every member of this wonderful organization for all you do for veterans. Thank you for all you are doing to invite, include and invest in our VFW Auxiliary by working so diligently in our programs. Continue to reach for your goals while you continue to assist us in “Honoring our Mission to Serve Veterans.”