Diane Pencak
2019-2020 National Membership Ambassador
Invite! Include! Invest! Members Matter!
This year we are trying a fresh approach to the standard recruit, retain, rejoin terminology our organization has used for quite some time. Updating our terms and renewing our focus can reap rewards and ensure our Members Matter.
Invite!
- Prospective members to a meeting.
- Prospective members to your fundraiser or potluck dinner.
- Partner with your VFW in recruiting efforts; it can be a win/win situation.
- Have a membership booth at the local Walmart, Walgreens, grocery store, hardware store, etc.
- Work with your VFW and host an Open House at the Post Home.
- Always be prepared with literature about the Auxiliary and have an application handy.
- Ask…“Are you eligible?”
When recruiting for membership, explain the following:
- Who you are.
- How you help.
- Who you help.
- What you do.
It’s important that you have a clear message and promote the VFW Auxiliary to those who are most likely to:
- See the value of joining and aligning with our organization.
- Get active in our organization.
Once a member joins, be sure to include them. What’s the sense of recruiting if you cannot retain them?
Include!
- Know your members’ strengths and interests. E.g. Millie bakes; Mike likes to cook; Lucy knits; Sally loves to make table decorations; Tom is good on the computer; and Joanie is a teacher and would be a great editor for the newsletter.
- When you know your members’ strengths and interests, ask them to be on the planning committee for a project or function, or if they would take on a specific duty.
- Have a bi-monthly newsletter and send it to your membership. Whether it’s emailed or snail mailed, a newsletter will keep your members informed of upcoming functions, events, fundraisers or projects within the community. The best way to keep your members engaged is to keep them informed.
- Ask your members if they could pick up a member who no longer drives or has transportation and bring them to the monthly Auxiliary meeting or function.
Invest!
Inviting and including your members tells them something very important: all Members Matter!
All of the members in your Auxiliary are unique and lend to the legacy of your Auxiliary. With the addition of new members, they, too, will add to the Auxiliary story and history. Each member is an investment in our organization. They have a purpose and meaning. They joined to honor a family member’s service to our country. They want to help, assist, and care for our service men and women who are currently serving our country, who are in our VA hospitals and assisted living facilities, and their family members.
Team Up for Success!
The Veterans of Foreign Wars is the largest and oldest war veterans service organization (VSO). The VFW can be a great place to find information on what’s happening in the military and veteran communities. Through magazines, newsletters, webinars, podcasts, meetings, guidebooks, research projects, and social media, VSOs work hard to find the most important and latest information about the topics that matter to their members. Many VSOs have access to people and places you may never have access to on your own, including the people and organizations responsible for overseeing services, policies and benefits for service members, veterans and their families.
