Author: Gordon Moore, Dominion President
Membership is the backbone of the Legion. Everything the Legion does is inherently reliant on the strength of our membership, our connections in the communities we serve, our efforts to support the Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP, their families and finally the generosity of Canadians. You as members make this organization successful. You are the pride of all we are and all we do. And we need you to share that pride.
Put simply, the Legion could not deliver the programs and services we do to millions of Canadians every year, if it were not for you. When the Legion advocates on behalf of all Veterans we speak with the voice of 320,000 members. It therefore becomes fundamentally important for the Legion to engage our current members and reinforce within them the importance of their being part of this organization. We must tell our story and be proud of our accomplishments. At the same time the Legion must strengthen our connections to our communities by having all current members reach out to potential new members. We will seek to solidify our relationship with the CAF and RCMP. On a broader level Legion members must also connect with Canadians and tell them our story so that become aware of all we do for them…and encourage them to join! We are the Legion and we do amazing work in this country. Be proud to be a member…so proud that you want others to join you.
A strong membership is vital to the operation and continuation of our work, and to that end, we must grow our ranks. Growth often requires change, adapting to a new environment, and striving to meet the needs within that environment. The Legion, in order to thrive, must understand and meet the needs of our new environment, while still holding true to the values and needs of our members.
We will adapt and adjust our service model to include the needs of a younger generation… a generation who engages and advocates online, who juggles multiple roles, who wants to support veterans but has limited time. We need to find out what our veterans, our members, our potential members, and the community wants and strive to provide it.
We are getting online in many places across the country and we need to be online, as an organization and as individual Branches. Our members and potential members are there… we need to be there too. Communicating, interacting, engaging, and inviting them to the Branches.
Dominion Command is working hard to engage new members. We are working on ways we can support Branches to engage current members and bring in new members. The One-By-One campaign supports every Branch in helping to bring in new members.
We tested a direct mail campaign to drive members to your Branch and get them to join the Legion. We are growing our presence on Facebook and Twitter with very exciting results. You’ll soon see a new Dominion Command website all geared to sharing our story and connecting our members, our partners and those who want to join us. With the launch of Legion Riders motorcycle units we’ve opened up the Legion to attract an entirely new audience. These are just some of the ways we are adapting.
If your Branch has a story of some new ways you are doing membership or you have a great event you want to share, tell us about it through email7.
In the meantime, here’s what we need you to do. Get behind the national campaigns, create a welcoming atmosphere in your Branch, get online, build Veteran outreach programs, communicate, promote, adapt. Become a place where members of ALL ages want to go… where they can contribute and show their support in meaningful ways, with whatever time they have available. Become a place where all veterans, no matter their age or where they served, feel welcomed and supported when they walk through the Branch doors.
There is strength and power in numbers. Our members make the Legion strong and One-By-One we can all grow the Legion ranks. I have made it my pledge to do what I can to grow our membership. What will you do?
~ Gordon