Membership & Leadership: Three Steps to Reach Your Auxiliary’s Membership Goals

Three Steps to Reach Your Auxiliary’s Membership Goals

It’s hard to believe we are more than halfway through the 2017-2018 Program Year! It seems to me like we just got started; however we still have a lot of work to do before we reach our goals. I believe that every Auxiliary, District and Department will reach its membership goals by June 30, 2018!

There are a few steps we need to take in order to reach our goals:

1. Make sure that we keep all of our continuous members. Have all of your Auxiliary members paid their dues? The members who have let their membership lapse must be contacted. Hopefully you have mailed them at least two dues notices. If you have not received any contact or feedback from the member, try another method of communication. Some members respond better to phone calls, emails and text messages rather than standard mail. You may learn there has been a hardship that has prevented the member from paying their dues. If it is approved on your Auxiliary floor, you may use your Relief Fund to help pay dues for members.
2. We need to continue to recruit new and rejoined members to our organization. Most everyone I talk to has heard of our organization, however they may believe they are not eligible. The most common line is, “I didn’t serve in the military.” We need to educate potential members and utilize our membership resources to tell the story of the VFW Auxiliary and share how they can become a member.
3. We have recruited more than 20,000 new and rejoined members so far this year. I know there are quite a few of you that have recruited at least five (5) new and/or rejoined members; thanks for “Catching 5!” If you have not done so, please fill out the Catch Five Member Recruiter Award form and send it to National Headquarters. Do your Post members know they are eligible to receive this pin when they recruit five new and/or rejoined Auxiliary members this year? There are many of you that have and will qualify for the National Achievement Award for recruiting 20 new members. Please fill out the National Membership Achievement award form and send it to National Headquarters so they know how many awards to get to hand out at National Convention in Kansas City!

A majority of the Departments made the second quarterly goal for recruiting new and rejoined members. This was a great effort by everyone within each of these Departments. This did not happen because of one or two individuals, it was – and is – truly a team effort.

We have so many good things going for us. Nine (9) Departments have reached 95 percent and one (1) of those nine reached 100 percent plus in membership. We need everyone to make sure that they bring in ONE new member this year and we would double our membership. Call and check on those Auxiliary members you haven’t seen in a while and make sure their dues are paid.

Remember it all starts with “JUST ONE”!