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Chairman’s Report

May 2023

Recommendations and Instructions

 

It is important that as we prepare for another year, we eliminate the problems that have occurred this year.  One of our worst problems was folks who needed to be correctly registered in myLegion when they assumed a role with access to the post membership.  The most common issues are:

1. Members sign up for Legion.org and not mylegion.org; these are completely different areas of the system.
2. Members not registering for myLegion with the on-file email address; make sure they are the same.
3. Members using post emails to register these links that post email to this person’s membership number and cannot be transferred to the incoming officer.
   1. Each year, the Department links the newly elected officers to the account with personal emails.
4. Incoming officer paperwork not sent to Department.
5. Members go online to renew, click on the wrong renewal link, and end up transferring themselves to Post 400.

MyLegion.org Registration

1.  Go to MyLegion.org and select “register.”
2. Enter your email in the register window. Click “next”
3. Enter your name, check the required consents, and click “next.”
4. A one-time password (OTP) will be sent to your email address.
5. Welcome window, create a password, and confirm.
6. Retrieve an OTP from the email, enter, and click “finish registration.”
7. Click “MY ACCOUNT” to view account information.

8. Once registered, sign in, check all your personal information, and update any errors.

Immediately following post-elections, ensure that the Post Officer Report and Post Officer Certification are sent to the Department.

Adjutants, it is time to finalize your CPR if you have not already.  It is on your myLegion page.

Because we are not in the targeted time, membership and recruiting continue. Work our DMS and Buddy Check. However, the most important thing in membership is retention. Here are some retention tips:

1. Have a program, not a campaign. Retention is a year-round priority and needs to be planned.
2. Recognize members who reach milestone membership anniversaries. If members stay in The American Legion for five, ten, twenty, or more years, they are probably not among those who are likely to drop out. When members reach one of these milestones, it provides two retention opportunities for your Post.
3. Provide and encourage the use of The American Legion Emblem. There are good reasons for members to want to display the Legion emblem or other Legion artwork. The emblem can be an effective membership and marketing tool.
4. When important issues come up, call some inactive members for their opinions. It’s natural for Posts to contact their leadership people when a matter of importance arises, such as a legislative crisis, a local election, or the setting of a new standard. These issues and events are also opportunities to involve some of the Post’s least active members simply by asking their opinion.
5. Accept credit and debit cards for dues payments. Credit and debit card payments have become the norm for almost all purchasing transactions.
6. Recognize your members as often as possible.
7. Get members involved at SOME level. Involved members don’t drop.
8. Publish an annual report in the local media. Thank the community for their support and send a copy to members. Publishing an annual report (Consolidated Post Report) allows your Post to summarize all the accomplishments from the previous year.
9. Get spouses active – it assures renewal. When you have multiple family members simultaneously belonging to the Legion, the Auxiliary, and the Sons of The American Legion, your chances of having them renew are much greater than the renewal rates of individual members.
10. Hold leadership-training programs. Give your members the tools to be successful volunteers. It is important for members who get involved to have a good experience during their involvement. Leadership training is becoming one of the best services that organizations can give their members. The skills developed through leadership training are transferred back to the members’ workplaces. At renewal time, members will remember where these skills were developed.

Bruce Thurber
Membership Chair
membership@legionmail.org