Marilyn J. Malick
2020-2021 National Membership Ambassador
First Things First
Steven Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, writes, “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.” Dr. Covey doesn’t just write these books for those of you in “leadership” positions, he writes to help all people learn how to manage their personal everyday lives. So, what is this habit, Put First Things First all about? This habit is about identifying what is important to do first to reach your goals, and then do those things. It is about managing what we do with the time that we have every day. VFW Auxiliary membership always gives Departments, local Auxiliaries and members goals to reach. What is your goal? Here are some possible goals you may have already set for yourself:
- I want to earn the National President’s coin for recruiting 10 members this year.
- I want to make sure my Auxiliary earns the second Packed Parachute Award of $20 for reaching 98% by March 31, 2021.
- I want to make sure my Department reaches 101%+ by June 30, 2021.
- I want to be sure that we don’t lose ANY of our members from our Auxiliary.
The big personal question is, “What am I going to do today to reach those goals? This is where the habit, Put First Things First comes in. Make a list of things you need to do to reach the goal you have set for membership. Set a time for each of those things to be done, and then do them. Mark them off your list as you get them finished, then sit back and watch your organization grow and prosper.
Goals and Awards
There are some award deadlines coming up in the next six weeks! Your Auxiliary can earn the Packed Parachute Award, which is $20, by having 98% membership by March 31, 2021. By reaching this you will be helping your Department earn Department Award #2, which is $400, by having 98%+ membership by March 31, 2021.
Keep the Members You Have – Include Them
Someone worked hard on recruiting the members you have in your Auxiliary. One of our goals should be to make sure we keep those members. One way to do this is to include all your members. If you have members who still have not paid their dues or are members who someone always has to pay their dues under the Adopt a Member program, then make a point to call them and invite them to a meeting or function. Get them involved in some way and they will be more inclined to pay their dues.
Members who have not yet paid their 2021 dues are not in good standing at this time, however, they have until June 30, 2021 before they fall off the rolls of the organization. At that time, they would have to reapply for membership to join the VFW Auxiliary again.
The National organization needs members, Auxiliaries and Departments to invite, include and invest in 20,000 members over the next four months for the organization to reach 100% Plus in Membership. The future of the VFW Auxiliary depends on you and your fellow members to Put First Things First and work on what is most important to reach your goals. 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.”