DEPARTMENT COMMANDER’S EXPECTATIONS AND PRIORITIES 2017-2018 DISTRICT COMMANDERS

EXPECTATIONS OF DISTRICT COMMANDERS the job you were elected to do Review publications on District Commander duties and responsibilities Comply with Department and National Constitution and By-Laws Do Department conferences and conventions Annual, Mid-Winter, and Fall Leadership Others as announced Inform Department Commander in advance of reasons if can’t attend Attend Posts in your District At least once annually, more if needed Assist Posts with programs and issues Know Post information, such as meeting schedule, level of activity, etc. Visit EXPECTATIONS OF DISTRICT COMMANDERS

EXPECTATIONS OF DISTRICT COMMANDERS and conduct meaningful District meetings Minimum of one per quarter Interesting and well-conducted meetings will improve participation Schedule communications Ensure accurate phone/email information for leaders Encourage Posts to communicate with you and members Communicate with Division Commander, Department Commander and Department Adjutant Improve responsibilities and use Department staff for assistance and resources Fulfill EXPECTATIONS OF DISTRICT COMMANDERS

2017/2018 PRIORITIES Membership growth Stop decline Adjust to changing veteran demographics Address “special” situations with selected Posts Program support Know programs Inform membership Direct contact with program participants Community visibility Participate in community events and activities Establish relationships with local government officials and media Effective use of resources Automation Social media 2017/2018 PRIORITIES

2017/2018 MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM

MEMBERSHIP PERFORMANCE (as of June 5, 2017) Exceeded 95% of National goal -- ranked #10 Exceeded 90% of Department goal Districts with a net membership increase 1st Division – 1 District 2nd Division -- 2 Districts 3rd Division – 4 Districts Performance overview: 81% renewal rate New members = 5% of this year’s membership 2.6% deceased rate 6.5% market penetration rate MEMBERSHIP PERFORMANCE (as of June 5, 2017)

MAJOR MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGES IMPEDING GROWTH Changing “old school” mindsets Retain 95% of current members Posts leadership and other obstacles Lack of program knowledge and participation

ACTIONS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES Conduct District revitalization program Assign “mentors” to assist struggling Posts “0” new members Under charter strength Negative growth Other obstacles Enhance and conduct training -- digital classroom at Department HQ ACTIONS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES

CULTURE CHANGES WE MUST ADDRESS TO ACHIEVE MEMBERSHIP GROWTH State veteran demographics: Females = 10% African-Americans = 20% Hispanics = 1.5% Feedback from veterans: Smoky environment Non-welcoming and unfriendly Only want money Provide an “inclusive” environment Know and use proper “Veteran eligibility” criteria for membership All veterans are equal regardless of race, creed, color or gender Personal opinion of Post leadership is unacceptable criteria to reject membership CULTURE CHANGES WE MUST ADDRESS TO ACHIEVE MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

VETERANS TO BE PART OF THIS?? CURRENT IMAGE OF VETERAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS TO YOUNGER VETERANS (AMVETS Study) “A building with a couple of windows and a dimly lit smoke-filled room with pool tables and dart boards” “Bingo Night” boldly advertised as the biggest event at the Post HOW DO WE GET YOUNGER VETERANS TO BE PART OF THIS?? WE DON’T!! WE MUST CHANGE!!

VSO MARKETING STRATEGY AS SEEN BY YOUNGER VETERANS Waiting for younger veterans to just walk in and join like their fathers and grandfathers Relies solely on VSO name to entice younger veterans to show up and join Outdated marketing campaigns Marketing materials leave opinion VSO only looking for money from membership VSO MARKETING STRATEGY AS SEEN BY YOUNGER VETERANS

APPEALING TO YOUNGER VETERANS Materials need to be honest & transparent Educate on local and national veteran accomplishments– show how we make a difference Promote the whole organization to enhance membership value Treat all veterans equally Update Post facilities, such as WIFI, video gaming, flat screen TVs Be open to new ideas on how to improve the Post, even if different from your experiences Welcome all veterans into your Post – make them feel a part of your Post

APPEALING TO YOUNGER VETERANS Keep meetings short and to the point. Involve younger veterans on a team task. Enable the Post to be a community type of facility Create networking opportunities for veterans – invite local government leaders, business owners, VA reps, etc., to speak at meetings Build a strong veterans support network by working with other VSOs

O APPEAL TO YOUNGER VETERANS Participate with military transition programs Introduce yourself to local NG and Reserve units Attend veteran events to become the contact for veterans support

“RETENTION” “RECRUITING “ MUST BE A PRIORITY AT POST LEVEL!! “RECRUITING “ MUST BE A PRIORITY AT POST LEVEL!!

RETENTION AND RECRUITING SHOULD START IN JULY AT POST LEVEL AND CONTINUE CONSISTENTLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

SPECIAL PRIORITIES Post 1, Birmingham Oldest Post in Department Appropriate with WWI commemoration and The American Legion Centennial Celebration Post 150, Tuskegee Home of Tuskegee Airmen and historically black college (Tuskegee Univ) Post 50, Evergreen Has building and above charter strength Others as resources available SPECIAL PRIORITIES

2017/2018 MEMBERSHIP REVITALIZATION PLAN

REVITALIZATION PROGRAM LESSONS LEARNED Participating Posts = membership growth Lack of member contact information restricted capability Limited recruiting took place MYLEGION.ORG not used by most Posts Limited Post information known (meeting dates, locations, phone #, programs, etc) Some Posts leadership refused to accept Post 1983 transfers 3 days too many Many members at work during the day -- had to leave messages without good follow- up plan REVITALIZATION PROGRAM LESSONS LEARNED

REVITALIZATION PROGRAM OBJECTIVES TRANSFERS *Transfer each Post 1983 member on the provided rosters to a local Post *Verify and update member contact information reflected on the rosters *Check on member’s “health and welfare” RECRUIT *new members from local communities into the Post

REVITALIZATION PLAN OVERVIEW National will assist: Provide contact rosters Post card mail-outs All 14 Districts scheduled 1 each in August ’17 and September ‘17 2 each in October ‘17 thru March ‘18 Conducted by Districts and Posts Department will assist Training Update member contact information

POST RESPONSIBILITIES Provide volunteers for call center and recruiting activities Identify contact person name/number for return calls Provide accurate Post information: Post officers telephone/email information Post physical address, mailing address, and telephone/email Post meeting dates, times and location Post activities available to members, such as AUX, SAL, ALR Legion programs supported, such as Boys/Girls State, Oratorical, Baseball, Scouting Smoking or non-smoking environment Other activities, events Continually work retention and recruiting throughout the year Conduct at least 2 local recruiting activities during the year Keep District Commander informed POST RESPONSIBILITIES

DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITIES Establish and staff a “call center” to contact Post 1983 members about transferring to a local Post Prepare a notebook with Post information (see Post responsibilities) Coordinate call center volunteers with all Posts at least 2 Post-level recruiting activities during the year all membership activities with Division Commander & Department Membership Chairperson DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITIES

DIVISION COMMANDER RESPONSIBILITIES in each District call-center operation and scheduled Post-level recruiting activities Attend and participate District and Post Commanders in planning, scheduling and conducting recruiting activities Assist Department Membership Chairperson, Department Commander and Department Adjutant of all activities in a timely manner Inform DIVISION COMMANDER RESPONSIBILITIES

DEPARTMENT MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON RESPONSIBILITIES Schedule District revitalization call center operations according to established schedule Attend and participate in each District revitalization call center operation Train call center staff Coordinate with Department Adjutant to obtain National membership rosters Obtain necessary membership forms for District call center use Ensure call center rosters with updated member contact information are returned to the Department Adjutant

DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES National membership rosters so they are received approximately 1 month prior to scheduled District revitalization date Request volunteers to update member’s contact information on the rosters at Department HQ prior to the scheduled revitalization date Coordinate updated member contact information is entered in the member data base Ensure necessary materials for scheduled recruiting and call center activities Provide one Department Officer (Cdr, SVC, JVC) to attend and participate in each District revitalization call center operation Identify membership transactions and maintain performance statistics Process DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

DISTRICT REVITALIZATION DATES SCHEDULED DATES District 32 August 11-12, 2017 District 24 September 8-9, 2017 District 15 October 13-14, 2017 District 11 October 20-21, 2017 District 23 November 3-4, 2017 District 12 November 17-18, 2017 District 34 December 1-2, 2017 District 13 December 8-9, 2107 District 31 January 5-6, 2018 District 22 January 26-27, 2018 District 33 February 9-10, 2018 District 35 February 23-24, 2018 District 14 March 2-3, 2018 District 21 March 23-24, 2018

A.C.T. T.O INSPIRE!! HAVE A GREAT YEAR!