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

2. 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

3. 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/ 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

4. 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

5. 2017/2018
MEMBERSHIP
PROGRAM

6. 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)

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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!!

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

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

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

17. 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

18. 2017/2018
MEMBERSHIP
REVITALIZATION PLAN

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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/ information
Post physical address, mailing address, and telephone/
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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

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