The value of the DMS program

The COVID-19 pandemic has created membership recruiting challenges for many American Legion posts.

Faced with this challenge, the Eugene C. Yount Post 145 in Peoria, Ariz., utilized a membership tool that put them in direct contact with potential post members – the Direct Membership Solicitation (DMS) program. As a result, Post 145 grew membership from 127 to 400 members.

With The American Legion’s DMS program – a national recruiting program that has brought in four million members since 1982 – Post 145 took a different approach than just calling DMS members and asking them to transfer. 

“We used the DMS program as a Buddy Check,” said Roberta Kimelton, Arizona District 11 commander and a chartering member of Post 145 who attended the 2021 National Legion College in Indianapolis last month. “We said, ‘We understand you’re a veteran in the area, is there anything that we can do for you? We’re American Legion Post 145 and we’re just calling to check in and see how you’re doing.’”

About 15 members of Post 145 make monthly Buddy Check calls on members and veterans in the community. One Buddy Check resulted in a Post 145 member calling an ambulance to check on a veteran who was having a medical issue; other conversations have involved transportation, health care and food needs, as well as needed assistance from a veteran service officer.   

“We’ve really worked to encourage people to focus not on give me your dues and get a member, but here is what we can do for you. And it’s worked,” Kimelton said.

Through DMS, American Legion posts are encouraged to reach out and transfer members into the local post. 

“You have members waiting to be engaged. Contact them, engage them, bring them in to your post,” said Matt Herndon, director of The American Legion Membership and Internal Affairs Division. “Show them the value (of transferring to a local post). What is the big selling point? Your dues stay local to support programs within the post and community.”

American Legion post adjutants and commanders have access to DMS members in  mylegion.org/publications. DMS members are in the “Find Members in my Area” report located in Reports/Labels on the left-hand navigation menu.

Create the report by entering a ZIP code (or multiple ZIP codes) and last paid year. Then select View Report.  The report provides contact information, including member ID, name, address, phone number, email, war era and more.

Jeffrey Jewell of Vacaville, Calif., who also attended Legion College, shared that his Rago-Christopher Post 165 mails letters to DMS members that share what the post is doing for veterans, their families and the community. The letter allows the DMS member to transfer into Post 165 by signature. 

Matt Jabaut, a 2021 Legion College facilitator and the alternate National Executive Committeeman for the Department of Maine, said that the department uses DMS as a way to leverage what they can’t control – Legionnaires passing on to Post Everlasting. “We can’t control how long people live, but we can control how much we go out and engage,” Jabaut said. “If you lost five post members last year, go into your DMS and rebuild. It’s not cold calling. They are looking for you to call them and engage. Don’t hesitate to call and really use the DMS to help provide that gap.”

REMINDER

With National Commander Paul E. Dillard’s focus on renewals, post leadership is encouraged to reach out to 2020 last paid members and offer them the ability to continue their continuous years of membership – despite not renewing in 2021 – if they renew for the 2022 membership year. For example, if an expired 2020 member had five continuous years prior to letting their membership lapse, and they were to pay for the 2022 membership year, their continuous years would be six years.

If the veteran would like to pay for 2021 as well so it’s on their membership record, they can. If they only want to pay for 2022, then the adjustment on the continuous years must be made at the post by filling out a Member Data Form (MDF) to correct the years and processed at National Headquarters. Or the department can correct it within the member’s record in Personify.

When transmitting dues, if the veteran is only paying for the 2022 membership year then select 2022 – do not select 2021 or payment will come out for that portion of the per capita and it will be deducted as part of the eCheck payment processing.

If the member wants both 2021 and 2022 membership years to be added to their continuous years, accept payment for 2021 and 2022 and the department will process through Personify.