3 goals for membership in 2025-26

By Joe Bares
Joe Bares

I am Joe Bares of Jordan Post 3. Commander Linda Dvorak has asked me to be the membership director for her one-year term. Here are my three goals for membership this year:

  1. Retention: Retention is our first priority, keeping the members we already have. Obtaining rosters and names of members who did not renew in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Then posts should reach out to them. If we are losing valuable members, we need to understand why. Was it due to a conflict, culture, bullying or isolation? Was it at the post, district or department levels? We can provide training to address these issues. Let’s communicate with these members and try to bring them back. If promises were made, we need to fulfill them.
  2. Membership: While we always aim for 100 percent, my realistic goal is 95 percent, which would place us in the top 10 percent nationally. We need to actively recruit new members, particularly focusing on reaching out to younger, minority and female veterans.

The number of eligible veterans in these groups is low, so it is crucial to engage with them and utilize the new app for recruitment. Do not let potential members slip away; they can always be transferred to other posts later. Utilize the Post 1982-AD excel spreadsheet broken down by zip code for transfer effort. This should simplify the process of printing and sending out information to encourage members to transfer to a local post or a district at-large post. While posts are typically responsible for recruitment, if the department can provide assistance, we should take advantage of it.

  1. Community engagement: Encourage posts to host open houses and showcase the work the Legion does in the community. Utilize opportunities such as county fairs, town celebrations, Reserve centers, National Guard armories and farm shows to engage with the community.

Also go to school boards and city councils and explain our four pillars. “Back to the Basics” is explaining our veterans and youth programs. A big reason to join is mutual helpfulness itself. Utilize resources from the national and department organization for media items and promotional materials. I will make an effort to attend as many membership functions and open houses as possible. Additionally, I will organize special events throughout the year.

Joe Bares of Jordan Post 3 is the department membership director.