The online report shares best practices for The American Legion to continue to serve veterans, their family and community members.
The American Legion 21st Century Report focuses on three areas to ensure the organization continues to serve community, state and nation: Legacy and Vision; Membership and Member Engagement; and Training. It is to be implemented at all levels of the organization. Download the report here.
The original 21st Century Report was approved by the National Executive Committee during the 1997 Fall Meetings, and the 21st Century Ad-Hoc Committee was re-established during the 2017 Fall Meetings by the NEC to review and update the report.
For Membership and Member Engagement, the committee focused on how to reach and engage members. A few of those ideas in the report include:
Member retention. Retention starts the moment a new member joins The American Legion. New members should receive a welcome letter thanking them for joining, and informing them briefly on what The American Legion and post does. Download this New Member Welcome toolkit for best practices.
Buddy Checks. The American Legion’s Buddy Check program is designed to give Legionnaires the tools to make contact, engage in conversation, assess risks and direct veterans in need to the appropriate services. Resources are available to help Legionnaires make Buddy Checks at legion.org/buddycheck. “We must have a culture and process of contacting our members and checking on them,” the committee wrote. The committee suggests that post’s implement a Buddy Check committee and conduct Buddy Checks during The American Legion birthday and/or Veterans Day, or even quarterly or monthly as done by some posts.
Basic Training Course. The online course is free for new Legionnaires to learn about the history of The American Legion, what the Legion does and its four pillars through videos, digital photos and clickable links. There is a quiz after each section. “The committee believes that this course is very important to integrating the member into the organization. The more they know about our organization and its history, the greater the opportunity for us to retain the member.” Take and share the course.
- Dispatch