Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063’s March 2018 e-newsletter is available here. Highlights include: Post Adjutant Outlines Communication Initiatives; Sr. Vice has Recruiting Plans; KOMO 4 News Update on Tiny House Village Move; VA Resumes Online Applications for New ID Cards; and The Iraq War: VFW Members Take a Look Back.
Category: Post Business
Sr. Vice has Recruiting Plans
By Joe Tiffany, Sr. Vice Commander
Nobody does more for Veterans.
That is the VFW’s motto. Our motto.
I’d like to impress upon every member of Post 3063 the importance of new members. It is the life force of our organization.
I have some ideas for recruiting new members:
1. Set up a booth at the Ballard Sunday Market where we can answer questions and get our name out to the public.
2. Host an open house at our post with a barbecue of hamburgers and hot dogs this summer. We’d invite not only prospective members but our neighbors and community as well. We could also include a live band performance and a food truck. That will entice younger members to join.
If you have any ideas please contact me at [email protected] or 206-619-9521.
Post Adjutant Outlines Communication Initiatives
By Alyson M. Teeter, Post Adjutant
When I took on the job as post adjutant last year, I didn’t know what the job entailed besides taking business meeting notes and periodically emailing the post. Eventually I read a job description that said, “The Post Adjutant is a conduit for information between the Post Commander and the members of the Post, as well as between the Post and the general public. Effective communication skills are necessary to maintain a productive harmonious atmosphere among members and help to recruit new members.”
Whew, that can mean a lot or a little, since communication can be put to the wayside in our fast moving, noisy lives.
On that note, the leadership team is working to streamline and improve communication processes for the post in order to enhance retention, membership participation, continuity, and recruitment. Here’s an overview of what’s we’ve been up to.
- Website: The post’s official page at http://vfwseattle.org/ was revamped in the past couple years and it’s a resource for Post 3063 members. You can also use it for recruiting or for hall rentals.
- The post’s Google calendar is available at http://vfwseattle.org/index.php/resources/event-calendar/. You can add this calendar to your own calendaring system if you always know what’s going on with the post. The hall rental calendar is also posted on the website.
- Submit meeting agenda items at http://vfwseattle.org/index.php/resources/meeting-agenda-item-submission-form/.
- Do you volunteer, fly a flag, recycle, give blood, donate goods to charity, or any other activities that improve the community? The VFW wants to know this information! Submit community service info to http://vfwseattle.org/index.php/resources/community-service-reporting/.
- Facebook: Our business meetings and social nights are posted as events on our page at https://www.facebook.com/vfwpost3063. Here we also share veteran-related news to our followers.
- Newsletter: Look for our monthly e-newsletter in your email inbox and quarterly newsletter in the mail. If your contact information changes, please notify me at [email protected].
- Email Lists: Post 3063 has two email lists that publicize benefits and volunteer opportunities. Please let me know if you’d like to be included on these lists. After I add your name, click on the confirmation email from Zoho.com to join.
I’m just a conduit for information, so if there’s anything you’d ever like to pass along to the rest of the post, please share and we’ll see what’s the best channel for relaying your information. I also appreciate feedback so let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for improving the post’s communication processes.
February 2018 E-Newsletter Available
Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063’s February 2018 e-newsletter is available here. Highlights include: Greetings from the Newly-Elected Auxiliary President; Trip Report: Mid-Winter Conference 2018; Tips From the Post Service Officer; Seven Post Honor Guard Members Participate in Wreaths Across America Ceremony; and The Last Best Place.
Trip Report: Mid-Winter Conference 2018
By Harold Rodenberger
Along with four other delegates from our post, I attended this year’s Mid-Winter Conference held in Spokane Jan. 19-20, 2018.
Friday morning Gail Engler, the Post 3063 Service Officer, Joe Fitzgerald, the Post 3063 Junior Vice Commander, and I attended the Service Officer’s training presented by our new Department of Washington VSO, Bill Brown. Bill gave a comprehensive class covering forms, procedures and available resources.
Next on the agenda was the Quartermaster’s Class presented by our new Department Quartermaster, Paul Manley. Paul covered some of the finer points of quartermaster’s duties and answered lots of questions for post quartermasters and other interested people in attendance.
To wrap up the day, I attended Nadine Warren’s very informative and motivating Recruiting Class. Nadine is a great speaker. She showed slides and gave examples of the various techniques to get those all-important younger veterans to join our ranks.
Saturday, we attended the business session. It was a busy day with remarks by the VFW National Representative, Bob Wallace, and reports from the state line officers. In the afternoon, committee chairpersons reported on the mid-year progress of their committees.
Saturday evening was the big event of the conference. Earlier in the day, Patriot’s Pen and Youth Essay
winners were announced and presented with their awards but at the banquet Saturday night, the Voice of Democracy winners were announced and we listened to their stirring essays on the theme: “What does a veteran mean to me?”. Teacher of the Year Awards also were presented at the banquet.
As in past years, at this year’s Mid-Winter Conference our delegates learned some new information about our VFW, the status of our state organization, and returned to our post more enthusiastic, motivated and knowledgeable.