Renew your membership commitment for the new year

My fellow Legionnaires, we are facing challenges concerning membership as we are currently about 70,000 members behind where we were last year. The new year is approaching so let’s renew our commitment to increasing membership through recruitment and retention.

As we remain committed to the service we have provided for the past 100 years, it is time to change the downward turn in membership and it begins with our Team 100. And it begins by engaging members.

I’m asking you to focus on two areas: renewal and recruitment.

Contact members who have yet to renew for 2019 and let them know we care. We have to engage our members and ask them to renew their membership before it’s too late. This engagement can be accomplished during the Legion’s 100th birthday week, March 10-16.

As for recruiting, about 12 years ago we were consistently recruiting over 100,000 new members through traditional efforts. Now we are below 60,000. We cannot wait for new members to come to us. We have to ask them to join. To help in this effort, play the “Join The American Legion Today!” video where I ask potential new members to join and become a part of our ranks. You can play this from your mobile phone or during events held at your post or within your community. You can download the video at https://vimeo.com/299986964.

To locate veterans in your area to join your post, use the “Find Members in Area” feature on  www.mylegion.org or contact your department headquarters. If for any reason names cannot be acquired through these two channels, please request a list by sending an email to the Internal Affairs Division at  ia@legion.org.

Our veterans and our communities need us. America needs us. I am counting on you to help lead this effort in your department and post. Now there are new membership incentives that you will read on page 4 to help us go into our second century on a positive membership turn. Together we can accomplish anything because we are Team 100!