BULK MAILING FOR MAY 2017

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1 BULK MAILING FOR MAY 2017 To: Unit Presidents Department Chairmen/Committee Department Executive Committee Past Department Presidents District Chairmen Hospital Representatives & Deputies Note From the President Membership Information Auxiliary Impact National Junior Meeting Information National Mission Training Information National Convention Housing FORM American Legion Auxiliary Polo Shirt Order Form (National Parade Shirt)-The ALA Shirt will be in Navy Blue. Special Information: ALL UNITS!! If you REACH YOUR GOAL OR GO ABOVE & BEYOND YOUR GOAL THIS YEAR, YOUR UNIT MEMBERSHIP GOAL FOR 2018 WILL STAY THE SAME!!! SO IT BENEFITS YOUR UNIT TO REACH YOUR GOAL!! Log In to the National Website to Learn More about the ALA. The Auxiliary now has ALA 101 and ALA 201 that can be taken online. The more members we get to take the course before National Convention in August, helps us to enter a drawing to win a New Projector for Department Use! National POPPY DAY is Friday May 26 th. Get your New POPPY DAY PIN at Emblem Sales or you can purchase at Department Convention in Dayton.

2 Denise Conrad Department President 1108 Erie Ct. Woodville, Oh May 2017 Bulk Mailing Dear Members, I have a few reminders for you. If you have not sent in your impact report to your District President please do it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. We have extended the deadline to May 22. Every Unit can answer at least one question on the Impact Report and it is the only Mandatory report that National requires from all Units. We have some great things planned for Department Convention July 7-8 in Dayton, Oh. I am asking everyone to again support RED, Remember Everyone Deployed, by wearing red on Friday July 7 at Department Convention. As you know we are having an ART FOR A CAUSE auction on Friday evening beginning at 6:30pm. I have just been informed that a Johnson guitar SIGNED by Thomas Rhett has been donated for the Auction! For those of you who don t know him he is one of the new award winning country artists. (He recently had a sold out concert at the Dayton Wright State University Nutter Center.) The auction will be full of beautiful items donated with love by our Auxiliary members and friends. It is open to the public and all proceeds benefit the Military Family Assistance Fund. Won t you come and join us in the fun? This is the last Bulk Mailing letter I will write as your Department President. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your Department President As I traveled the state of Ohio, I confirmed what I already knew. We have the greatest Volunteers of any organization in the Nation! God Bless you All. Ohio continues Serving Our Soldiers Past and Present with Member Pride. Hugs to All, Denise

3 MEMBERSHIP NEW GUIDELINES ON MEMBERSHIP The Department Officers spent May 6 May 9 in Indianapolis at National meetings preparing us for our upcoming year. We are STRONGLY REQUESTING that all Officers for the Unit, District, County, and Department including the Department and District Chairmen pay their dues by September 1, for the Membership year. If you are one of these ladies in the Department of Ohio, we are asking you to step up and help by setting an example of a great leader. If Officers dues are not paid promptly, they are not a member in good standing which is a requirement for their position. Goals for next year have been discussed with the incoming 1 st Vice President. The number that we will add to each unit will be announced after July 31, BUT, we have decided that any unit that is GOAL by July 31, we will NOT add any number on. So if your goal for this year was 260 and you have 260 or above, that will be your goal for next year. We are encouraging you though to enhance your membership by seeking out new members for next year. National has two membership awards that they are passing out next year which I feel for OHIO is attainable. The first one is All Treats No Tricks Award. The guideline for this is the Departments that have no units with 0 membership as of October 15, 2017, will receive $1, This is not for just one Department; it is any Department that has no 0. Let s all strive for Department to receive this $1, The second award is Find Your Pot O Gold Award. The guideline for this is the Departments that have no units with 0 membership as of March 3, 2018, will receive $ Departments that received the All Treats No Tricks Award are not eligible. The 1 st Vice President is working on her incentives for next year. One of the incentives that she will be giving is The District that is in 1 st Place in Membership by January 19, 2018, (Mid- Winter) will receive $ to be used on membership enhancement. This is just a heads up on some of the things that will be happening in the year I want to say thanks to our Ohio leaders at all levels, for everything you do for the American Legion Auxiliary and its programs.

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11 Pam Bates, Department of Ohio Leadership Chairman STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL UNIT FUTURE The saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. In the Auxiliary case, April nominations bring May elections and sometimes controversy. Here s a little checklist to help keep the unit on the right path to success. 1. Did you administer your nominations and elections according to your Unit Bylaws? Unit Guide Book (nominations & elections): The Bylaws should detail the procedures for nominations and elections. This should include nomination procedures, time of election, election procedures, elected officers, term of office and filling vacancies. 2. Did you have an installation? Unit Guide Book (Installation of Officers): Unit officers should be installed immediately following their election or as soon thereafter as possible. While installations of officers are desirable, they are not mandatory. An officer takes possession of her office immediately upon her election unless the bylws or other rules specify a later time. Unit Guide Book (nominations and elections): All elected officers assume their duties as soon as elected, at the close of the meeting or convention at which elected, or as provided for in the Bylaws. Installation is not necessary to assume the duties of the office. As your leadership chairman, I would recommend that installation should be accomplished for new officers or even if you are keeping the same slate of officers from the year before. Installation reaffirms the officers duties and responsibilities and reminds the member of their pledge of service to the American Legion Auxiliary and the pledge to support these officers. 3. Did you acquaint yourself with your duties? Unit Guide Book (nominations and elections): Upon entering office, each one should make herself acquainted with the duties entailed. Her plan of action and method of accomplishment should be clearly in mind. Duties of each office can be found in the Unit Guide Book and outlined somewhere (usually standing rules) in your unit documents. 4. Were the records of the Unit passed on? Unit Guide Book (nominations and elections): when going out of office, the retiring officer should pass on to her successor her file of materials as promptly as possible. One of the most important records would be the treasurer s books. These should have been audited prior to the officer receiving it. You really should not accepted the treasurer s books unless they have been audited prior to your receiving them. 5. Have you selected your chairmen? No activities can take place within your unit without someone in charge enter the program chairman. There are at least 21 program committees and no one expects the unit to have a chairman for each. Units are either too

12 small or not enough active members. It is recommended that you attempt to have the following chairmen: Americanism; Children & Youth, Community Service and Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation. Keep in mind that participation may change from year to year depending on the interest of the membership. (unknown author) It is recommended that you reach out to your members either by phone, or some form of social media and find a niche for each member. There is a new Member Data Survey available in assisting the unit in find that program of interest for each member. 6. Have your explained to each chairman her duties, provided a copy of what the previous year s chairmen accomplished, informed her that reports are expected at unit meetings and to District and Department at year s end and finally, provided her the Program Action Plan that will help her accomplish her duties for next year? 7. Have you provided unit members resources of where answers can be found as to What We Do and Who We Are. 8. Do you as a leader whether elected or appointed extend these characteristic to the unit members? a positive attitude; welcoming attitude to new members; goodwill to all members; enthusiasm; good communication skills (keeping all members informed); show a willingness to learn and share (not thinking you know everything); reliable; dependable; honest and trustworthy. Do you encourage unit members to attend District, Department and National meetings? (This includes District Conferences; Department School of Instructions, Mid-Winter Conference and Department Convention; and National Mission Training events) 9. Do you encourage your members to participate in taking the (1) American Legion Auxiliary Senior Auxiliary Basics, A Course on our History and Legacy (National (2) A Journey In Becoming A Success & Knowledgeable Member (Ohio- or (3) Slide Shows The Unit & The District (also on Ohio website. These slides are developed with script and a quiz and can be used in increments and downloaded and SHARED. 10. Do you encourage your members to sign up for the enews and ebulletins these are both up to date informative messages about what the Auxiliary is promoting and accomplishing. Does every member get the Auxiliary News? (sign up at There are many tools out there to help YOUR unit succeed. You just need to take that first step to research and share. Then your members will be able to say they are talking the talk and walking the walk for Leadership and their bucket is full.