The The 21st Century Ad-Hoc Committee report provides recommendations for current and future needs to ensure The American Legion continues to be of service to community, state and nation.
The 21st Century Ad-Hoc Committee was re-established during the 2017 Fall Meetings by the National Executive Committee to review the original 21st Century Report approved by the NEC during the 1997 Fall Meetings. The re-establishment of the committee was to update the report’s recommendations for current and future needs to ensure The American Legion continues to serve community, state and nation.
The report focuses on three areas: Legacy and Vision; Membership and Member Engagement; and Training. And it is to be implemented at all levels of the organization. Download the report here.
See information on training from the report here. The following information on membership/membership engagement came from the report as stated by the committee members:
"The Committee spent considerable time on how to better engage our members once recruited. We must recognize that the job is not completed once an individual is recruited. Attention must then turn to retaining the members we have. Recruiting and retention, we believe, must go hand-in-hand. The recruiter should be charged with the follow-up of new members by ensuring they are engaged and integrated into the organization. At this point, robust mentorship must take over towards developing the new member."
The committee recommended the following ways for membership engagement:
Retention. Retention starts the moment a new member joins The American Legion. New members, whether joining through DMS or traditionally at the local post, should receive a welcome letter/postcard within 15 days thanking them for joining, informing them on what The American Legion does by sending this new member orientation video, and providing a link to Basic Training.
Buddy Checks. "We must have a culture and process of contacting our members and checking on them. To do so, we need to have resources on-hand when contacting members to be ready to assist their needs, or at least know where to find help. For example, service officer contact information, Temporary Financial Assistance and National Emergency Fund applications, and useful websites that can assist with other needs." The Committee suggests that posts implement a Buddy Check Committee and conduct Buddy Checks at least twice a year during the Legion's birthday week and Veterans Day.
Basic Training. "The Committee believes that this course is very important in integrating the member into the organization. Therefore, we should strive to get information about this course to every new member within the first 15 days. The more they know about our organization and its history, the greater the opportunity for us to retain the member." legion.org/alei/basic-training
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