'BE COUNTED AGAIN—N O W . . Membership Success Begins With ...

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A NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS MONTHLY PUBLICATION FOR POST COMMANDERS AND POST ADJUTANTS . . . THE AMERICAN LEGION Vol. XVII July, 1974 No. 7 m 'BE COUNTED AGAIN—N O W . . Membership Success Begins With Plan r I \HE MEMBERSHIP of your post 12 months from now will be one of the major factors in determining whether your year has been a successful one. Whether that membership grows or shrinks depends in large measure on the plans that are made now and on how you follow through on those plans. A successful sales campaign has four essential ele¬ ments: 1. A saleable product. 2. A sales organization. 3. A sales plan. 4. Training and motivating. The product, basically, is the post itself—the services it offers to the community, youth, veterans in general, and its members in particular. The benefits offered by the post are supplemented by the department and the National Organization. The automatic subscription to The American Legion Magazine and the opportunity to enroll in The American Legion Life Insurance Plan are examples of National benefits. The sales organization is your membership commit¬ tee, headed by the senior vice commander or a separate membership chairman. This committee should be ap¬ pointed and organized just as early as possible in the new Legion year. The sales plan sets forth how you are going to reach your desired membership goal and includes a timetable for the various steps that have to be taken to get there. Mr. Post Commander and Post Adjutant: Much of this issue of ADVANCE is of particular interest to the newly elected Post Commander and Post Ad¬ jutant. If you are about to retire from your re¬ spective offices, please pass this issue (and future ones you might receive before we get our mailing records updated) to your successor. Also, be sure the names and addresses of your new post officers are properly certified to department headquarters. THANKS! As the final element, the membership committee needs to be trained. Its members need to know what that sales plan is, what sales aids are available, and what their individual assignments are. Then, they need to be motivated to carry out the plan and reach that goal. Set Membership Goal What was your post’s total membership in 1973? In 1974? What is a realistic goal for 1975? Your depart¬ ment or district may have set a quota or goal for your post, but at the very first meeting of your membership committee decide, with the help of the committee, what your membership should be one year from now. Because of the greatly increased membership poten¬ tial resulting from the Vietnam War, no post should set a goal of less than a 5 per cent increase, and usually it should be more. Set the goal at a level that can be reached with some hard work. From your current mem¬ bership decide how many renewals you will get. This should be at least 85 per cent of your goal, although 90 per cent is a much healthier level. If the post has suffered a high percent¬ age of drop-outs in the past, find out why and set up a special plan to keep your (Continued on next page)

Transcript of 'BE COUNTED AGAIN—N O W . . Membership Success Begins With ...

A NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS MONTHLY PUBLICATION FOR POST COMMANDERS AND POST ADJUTANTS . . .

THE AMERICAN

LEGION

Vol. XVII July, 1974 No. 7

m

'BE COUNTED AGAIN—N O W . .

Membership Success Begins With Plan r I \HE MEMBERSHIP of your post 12 months from

now will be one of the major factors in determining whether your year has been a successful one. Whether that membership grows or shrinks depends in large measure on the plans that are made now and on how you follow through on those plans.

A successful sales campaign has four essential ele¬ ments:

1. A saleable product. 2. A sales organization. 3. A sales plan. 4. Training and motivating.

The product, basically, is the post itself—the services it offers to the community, youth, veterans in general, and its members in particular. The benefits offered by the post are supplemented by the department and the National Organization. The automatic subscription to The American Legion Magazine and the opportunity to enroll in The American Legion Life Insurance Plan are examples of National benefits.

The sales organization is your membership commit¬ tee, headed by the senior vice commander or a separate membership chairman. This committee should be ap¬ pointed and organized just as early as possible in the new Legion year.

The sales plan sets forth how you are going to reach your desired membership goal and includes a timetable for the various steps that have to be taken to get there.

Mr. Post Commander and Post Adjutant: Much of this issue of ADVANCE is of particular interest to the newly elected Post Commander and Post Ad¬ jutant. If you are about to retire from your re¬ spective offices, please pass this issue (and future ones you might receive before we get our mailing records updated) to your successor. Also, be sure the names and addresses of your new post officers are properly certified to department headquarters. THANKS!

As the final element, the membership committee needs to be trained. Its members need to know what that sales plan is, what sales aids are available, and what their individual assignments are. Then, they need to be motivated to carry out the plan and reach that goal.

Set Membership Goal What was your post’s total membership in 1973? In

1974? What is a realistic goal for 1975? Your depart¬ ment or district may have set a quota or goal for your post, but at the very first meeting of your membership committee decide, with the help of the committee, what your membership should be one year from now.

Because of the greatly increased membership poten¬ tial resulting from the Vietnam War, no post should set a goal of less than a 5 per cent increase, and usually it should be more. Set the goal at a level that can be reached with some hard work.

From your current mem¬ bership decide how many renewals you will get. This should be at least 85 per cent of your goal, although 90 per cent is a much healthier level. If the post has suffered a high percent¬ age of drop-outs in the past, find out why and set up a special plan to keep your

(Continued on next page)

Membership... (Continued from preceding page)

members once they have been signed.

Set Sights on New Members After you decide how many renewals you think you

can get, new members or re-instatements will have to

make up the balance needed to reach that goal. These become the major task of your membership committee.

An overall National membership plan is laid out in the 1975 Manual for American Legion Membership Committees. This publication is entitled, “Be Counted Again NOW!—For America.”

Your membership chairman should have a copy of this booklet. If he does not, ask your department head¬ quarters for one.

It shows how to set up a membership timetable, explains the use of a prospect file, lists membership aids that your post should have, and gives those three key words to any sales job:

TELL SHOW ASK.

Direct Billing This year (1974-75), 38 departments are taking part

in the program of direct billing of membership dues. Under this operation, National Headquarters prints and mails dues notices to the post’s members. Even though the dues notice comes from National Headquar¬ ters, the member still pays his dues directly to the post.

This is the third year of direct billing for a part of the Legion, and the experience of the first two years leaves no doubt that it works. If your post is under the direct billing program, your membership committee should use the early months of the new Legion year to

concentrate on new members and re-instatements. If your post is not on direct billing, then an essential

part of your plan for the first months will be how to get renewals in. With a very few exceptions, mailing your own dues notices is the easiest and quickest way.

Membership Blueprint Whatever your particular membership plan may be,

it should cover these points:

L The membership timetable; 2. Getting in the easy, nearly automatic renewals; 3. Setting up a file of prospective members; 4. Contacting and recruiting prospects; 5. Contacting recent drop-outs and re-instating

them; 6. Contacting and re¬

newing members who are slow to respond to a first notice or request;

7. Introducing new members and re-in¬ statements to the post and putting them to work;

8. Conducting an initiation; and 9. Giving awards to those who earn them. The Post Commander isn’t going to have time to do

the membership job by himself. Neither is the member¬ ship chairman except in the very smallest posts.

Put Others to Work The trick is in getting others to do the job for you.

The committee will work best if you let the members have a part in setting goals and agreeing to the plan of action.

Each worker needs to know what his assignment is and to accept the assignment. If a Legionnaire has a part in setting up a plan of procedure and agrees to accept a specific assignment, the chances are that he will come through.

Check Progress But, at the same time, let’s be realistic. Some workers

are going to fall down on the job. So there is a constant need to check progress. See whether the results are measuring up to the previously established timetable. If not, it is a lot easier to take whatever remedial action is needed in October than it will be next February or March.

Then, when it’s all over, be sure to say, “Thanks!” There will be articles in the ADVANCE later on the various awards available for membership workers.

In the meantime, Mr. Post Commander, you will be making a big start on some things that count, for both The American Legion and for America.

2 The ADVANCE, July, 1974

a-k£ advance Published monthly by: National Headquarters, The Ameri¬ can Legion, P. O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, Ind. 46206. A publication for American Legion Post Commanders and Post Adjutants.

EMBER

mi AMERICAN LEGION PRESS

ASSOCIATION

Editor: Frank L. Megnin

July, 1974 Vol. XVII, No. 7 COMMANDER'S ALENDAR

July 4 Independence Day. The climax of Ameri¬

ca’s Bicentennial is only two years away. Make sure your post will have a mean¬ ingful role in this historic milestone.

18-25 Boys Nation, Washington, D. C. 22 Deadline for having 1974 membership

transmittals reach National Headquarters to determine delegate strength for National Convention. Deadline for filing entries for uniformed groups competition at National Convention.

27 Korean War ended, 1953. August

1-2 National Membership Workshop, Indian¬ apolis, Ind.

5 10th anniversary of Gulf of Tonkin Inci¬ dent, changing role of U. S. involvement in Vietnam, 1964.

14-19 Regional tournaments, American Legion Baseball.

16-22 56th National Convention, The American Legion, Miami Beach, Fla.

11-17 1974 World Series of American Legion Baseball, Roseburg, Ore.

September 2 Labor Day. 29th anniversary of V-J Day,

1945. 7-8 District Commanders’ Training Seminars

at the following sites: Atlanta, Ga.; Little Rock, Ark.; Portland, Me.; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

14-15 District Commanders’ Training Seminar, Minneapolis, Minn.

21-22 National Baseball Conference, Indianapo¬ lis, Ind.

Posts, Units Have Roles in Disaster Aid rpHE RECENT DEVASTATING tornadoes which -*■ struck 12 states from Colorado to Ohio are a sober¬

ing reminder of the terrible, almost unbelievable, force nature can unleash.

In most instances, there was little or no warning of impending calamity which destroyed 20,000 homes, businesses, and farm buildings, killed more than 300, and injured more than 3,700.

In the aftermath, people in the areas hardest hit joined together to help victims and to care for those without homes, food, clothing, and other essentials.

Helping the victims of such disasters is an area in which The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary have distinguished themselves. In the wake of the April tornadoes, our organizations pitched in again to help.

However, to effectively aid the victims of such disas¬ ters, coordination is a must! Since 1926, The American Legion and the American National Red Cross have rec¬ ognized this need and set down areas of cooperation in a Disaster Relief Understanding, the latest version of which was signed Feb. 1, 1972. This agreement outlines respective areas of responsibility and cooperation such as the paragraph under the heading “Methods of Cooperating” which states:

“The American National Red Cross welcomes the cooperation of The American Legion and its Auxiliary in disaster preparedness and relief activities and will, when appropriate, utilize to the fullest possible extent the physical facilities that The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary make available for shel¬ ters, feeding centers, depots, disaster service centers, or administrative offices and the services of Legion and Auxiliary members as individual volunteers with Red Cross or groups of Legion members serving collectively to operate a specific facility. Legion and Auxiliary members may be trained to become members of year- round Red Cross Disaster Action Teams or to assist in providing immediate assistance to victims of major dis¬ asters.”

The Understanding also outlines other areas of mutual helpfulness and responsibility. Copies of the full Understanding in booklet form are available upon request to the National Security-Foreign Relations Division, The American Legion, 1608 K St., N.W., Washington, D. C. 20006.

The ADVANCE, July, 1974 3

American Legion Funeral Service Editor’s Note: At its meeting, May 1-2, the National Executive Committee approved extensive changes in The American Legion’s Funeral Service as recom¬ mended by the Trophies, Awards and Ceremonials Committee. The TAC Committee has undertaken a complete review of the official Manual of Ceremo¬ nies to recommend whatever changes are necessary to encourage and facilitate the use of Legion rituals. The revised Funeral Service which appears here will be added to the Fourteenth Edition (1976) of the Post Commander’s Guide and Manual of Ceremonies which will be shipped next year to all departments for post distribution.

rJ'HE AMERICAN LEGION service is nonsectarian. Therefore, it may be varied in accordance with the

religious belief of the deceased Legionnaire. The wish of the family of the deceased, and of the officiating clergyman, should be respected.

The casket is covered with an American Flag when closed or as it leaves the chapel or home. In case the deceased served under an Allied Flag, that Flag shall also be displayed near the casket.

At Funeral, Chapel or Home

Commander: “Another Legionnaire has been called to the High Command; he (she) has gone to report to the Commander of us all.”

Chaplain : “Let us pray.

“Eternal God, Supreme Commander of us all, Lord of the farflung battle line, to whom the ranks of life report, we bow before you with reverent hearts and in sublime faith, knowing that you lead us on in death as you have in life. For again you have ordered a Legion¬ naire to that realm in the West, beyond the twilight and the evening star, where beauty and valor and goodness dwell forever with the unnumbered multitude. Mindful of service nobly done, you have called (name of deceased) to everlasting rest. You have sealed his (her) lips. With the faded blossoms of springtime and the withered leaves of autumn, you have called him (her) to Eternal Peace, to the land of your silent mystery.

“Hear now the sorrows of those who mourn. Touch their tired hearts with healing. Protect them with your holy care. Keep clean and bright in memory the splen¬ did flame that now has flickered out, and shelter us with your compassion.

“Lord of all life, who lives forever, again you have taught us the measure of our days. We are strangers with you and sojourners as our fathers were. Our days are as a shadow and there is none abiding. But you abide. Your years fail not. You never change. A thou¬ sand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. The grass withers, the flower fades, but your word endures forever. And there¬ in is our help and hope.

“You heal the broken in heart and bind up their wounds. Comfort your people. In their sorrow may there be no bitterness, no doubt of your eternal good¬ ness. Give them to know that you do not mock us with this stubborn hope of life eternal; that having created and cared for us you will not desert us to the dust; that you hold us with a love unfailing; that our dead are in your keeping; and that you are able to do far more for them than all that we ask or think.

“Until for us also the day breaks and the shadows flee, grant us so to live that our lives may honor the Legionnaires who have gone before us. That together we may come to the City which you have prepared for those who love you and keep your commandments. For your own name’s sake we pray. Amen.”

Short Eulogy (By One Who Knew Him Well)

Commander: “This moment is sacred with the almost visible presence of the one who has gone before. We come to honor the memory of one who offered his (her) life in the service of his (her) Country; who now has enrolled in the great spirit army whose footfalls cause no sound. But in our memory, their souls go marching on. Proudly we remember their service in time of war. Because of them, our lives are free; because of them, our nation lives; because of them, the world is blessed. May the ceremonies of today deepen our reverence for our dead.

“Let us not enshroud their memory with thoughts of sorrow. Tears or words of sympathy cannot bring back the comfort of those loving hands or the music of voices stilled. Only the solemn pride in his (her) service is theirs who live to remember.

“Legionnaires and friends, let us here pledge our¬ selves anew to united service, to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by a devotion to mutual helpfulness in the protection of those left behind.

(Continued on next page)

The ADVANCE, July, 1974

American Legion Funeral Service (Continued from preceding page)

“We realize how futile are mere words to express our deep and abiding sympathy in your loss. May you feel that he (she) is at rest, and in endless peace. Genera¬ tion after generation, all the shadowy peoples of the past have lived as we live, perplexed and mystified by death. They have gone into the Great Beyond with hearts filled with wistful longing, as all must go.

“Surely there is an after life for all who have been loyal and true, a life to which light and peace shall come, where the burden shall be lifted and the heart¬ ache shall cease, where the love, the hope and the ful¬ fillment that escape us here shall be given to us, to be ours forever.”

(Here the Chaplain Offers a Prayer in Accordance with the Faith of the Deceased.)

Protestant—

Chaplain: “O God, who heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds; look in tender pity and compas¬ sion upon thy servants whose joy has been turned into mourning. Leave them not comfortless, but grant that they may be drawn closer to thee and to one another by their common sorrow. Fill their souls with the light and comfort of thy presence. Grant unto them such a vision of that life wherein all mysteries shall be revealed, and all tears wiped away, that they may be able to endure. So dwell with them and be their God, until the day break and the shadows flee away; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Jewish—

Chaplain: “O Lord, who art full of compassion, who dwellest on high—God of forgiveness, who are merciful, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness—grant pardon of transgressions, nearness of salvation, and per¬ fect rest beneath the shadow of thy divine presence, in the exalted places among the holy and pure, who shine as the brightness of the firmament, to (name of deceased Legionnaire) who hath gone to his (her) eter¬ nal home. We beseech thee, O Lord of compassion, remember unto him (her) for good all the meritorious and pious deeds which he (she) wrought while on Earth. Open unto him (her) the gates of righteousness and light, the gates of pity and grace. O shelter him (her) for evermore under the cover of thy wings; and let his (her) soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life. The Lord is his (her) inheritance; may he (she) rest in peace. And let us say, Amen.”

The ADVANCE, July, 1974

Catholic—

Chaplain: “Father, we entrust our brother (sister) to your mercy. You loved him (her) greatly in this life; now that he (she) is freed from all its cares, give him (her) happiness and peace for ever.

“The old order has passed away; welcome him (her) now into paradise where there will be no more sorrow, no more weeping or pain, but only peace and joy with Jesus, your Son, and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

“Eternal rest grant unto him (her), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him (her). May his (her) soul and all of the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”

When there is a service at the chapel or home and if the casket is open, the Commander or Chaplain may at the conclusion of the services place a poppy in the cas¬ ket and say, “Farewell, my Fellow Legionnaire.”

If the casket is sealed and draped with the American Flag, do not use the poppy, as nothing is placed on top of an American Flag, hut salute and say, “Farewell, my Fellow Legionnaire.”

All Legionnaires present at the funeral service shall pass the casket and salute the deceased Legionnaire. It is not necessary to place another poppy in the casket and the Legionnaires present, after the salute, shall leave the funeral chapel in single file and with dignity.

Other changes to be made pertaining to Funeral Service procedure include the following. (Page numbers refer to the Thirteenth Edition (1975) of the Post Com¬ mander’s Guide and Manual of Ceremonies.)

Page 79, under “Funeral Escort” delete all text and substitute the following:

The escort is formed outside the church, chapel, or residence. Upon appearance of the casket, the com¬ mander commands: “Present . . . Arms.”

After the casket is placed in the hearse, the com¬ mander commands: “Order . . . Arms.”

Page 82, delete the four lines under the sketch. Page 83, delete the sketch “Marching Arrangements.” Page 84, delete the first six lines. Delete the tenth and

eleventh lines and substitute the following:

The Chaplain, Bugler, and Pallbearers should go to the cemetery ahead of the funeral procession.

5

Post Activities Calendar pOST MEETINGS and their programs should be

planned at least three months in advance and social events should have at least six months of “lead time.” This is the formula for the operations of an effective, growing American Legion Post.

Mr. Post Commander, this formula will help you keep in mind just how far ahead you need to plan. In some posts, both meetings and social events are planned for the full year soon after new officers are elected.

In addition to providing you and your officers with an excellent blueprint of the post’s operations, your advance planning will permit the development of a calendar of post events and activities which, in turn,

Legion Assigns Priority Status To Jobs Program TITR. POST COMMANDER: The American Legion ^ continues to support an aggressive employment program to assist the unemployed veteran.

As affirmed by Resolution 172 adopted by our 1973 National Convention, “Jobs for Veterans” is a priority program of The American Legion. The Convention had also urged the continuation of the National Committee for Jobs for Veterans; however, the functions of that committee have been assumed by the National Alliance for Businessmen, with support services from the Veter¬ ans Administration, Department of Labor, and other governmental agencies.

The Legion will continue to cooperate in any way possible with the “Jobs for Veterans” program. Our organization will continue to encourage job fairs and related activities to help veterans find employment. Since the Legion launched its “Jobs for Veterans” pro¬ gram in mid-1970, it has sponsored or co-sponsored more than 375 job fairs which have resulted in the hir¬ ing of an estimated 135,000 veterans.

American Legion organizations—posts, counties, dis¬ tricts, or departments—wishing further information on setting up and operating job fairs or other related activities should write to:

National Economic Commission The American Legion 1608 K St., N. W. Washington, D. C. 20006

Aids Membership Drive will be a valuable sales tool for your membership work¬ ers.

Avoid Conflict in Dates Remember, the longer the planning period you utilize

for your post’s social events the easier it becomes to avoid dates of events which are in conflict with those of other organizations that could have an effect on the size of your crowd.

Earlier planning of your post’s big events will make them easier to fit into the family’s social schedule. And your advance planning will develop the type of social events which will make membership in your post more attractive to those who are eligible to join.

Your post may have some social events for which the planning is more or less routine—the weekly bingo ses¬ sions, the monthly pot-luck dinners, etc. But the year’s big social events—Veterans Day, New Year’s Eve, Val¬ entine’s Day, the Legion’s Birthday, etc.—require all the planning skill your post can muster. Make these festivities the top social events of the year for your members, their wives, and, on occasion, their families. You are going to need the cooperation and good will of that wife and family if you are to develop that mem¬ ber into an active Legionnaire.

Looking at the value of advance planning, keep in mind that a calendar of outstanding social events will do more to sell new members than most post programs. Several national surveys have shown that about two- thirds of our members initially join because of actual or expected social activities. However, it becomes the responsibility of worthwhile programs to help sell that new member on staying with the organization.

Agenda Key to Better Meeting

While the planning of post meeting need not be developed as far in advance as that for social events, nevertheless such planning is vital. And the key word in such planning is “agenda.”

Running a meeting without an agenda is like driving a car without a steering wheel.

Advance planning of your post meetings gives you a chance to review what you plan to do. It helps you to avoid turning inward and taking the emphasis off what the post was organized to accomplish. As you review your actions and accomplishments, ask yourself, “Is this post providing the service we should be making availa¬ ble to the members, the local veterans, and the commu¬ nity?”

With advance planning you can effectively utilize resource people who can help keep your Legionnaires informed and able to make intelligent decisions on the type of programs for your post.

6 The ADVANCE, July, 1974

'BE COUNTED AGAIN—N O W . .

Its Time to Set Objectives for 75 r|ON’T LOOK NOW, Mr. Post Commander, but it’s

time to consider the objectives both you and your post should attain in the next 12 months. What should you and your post be doing this coming year? You may have already asked yourself this question, perhaps right after your election as Post Commander.

Your answer to that question is extremely important, especially if yours is a post with a static or declining membership. Your post’s membership total, as com¬ pared with last year’s, indicates whether the post pro¬ grams are providing the incentive or the sales material for your membership team.

Danger Signs If your membership hasn’t grown—if your member¬

ship is showing a decline—then your post programs have not fully answered the question, “What’s in it for me ?” for the veterans of your community.

The answer to that question is just as important to the post that is successful and growing. No American Legion Post ever stands still. It either goes forward or falters and falls. So, further improvement of already good programs is a must if your post is to hold its front-running position.

How do you do it? Well, there are no easy answers, but we do offer some ideas—all tried—all proven—all workable.

Be Counted Again—-NOW Be Counted Again—For America

There’s our slogan for 1975. “NOW” is the key work. “NOW” fits the needs and the mood of today in this era of instant change and overnight development of new values.

As a viable American institution—a cross-section of the nation and her people—The American Legion faces the same challenges which are testing all America to a degree not unlike that which confronted our pioneer ancestors. By symbol, word, and action, The American Legion must respond “NOW” to each of the tasks that faces us as an organization, as citizens, and as Legion¬ naires. W e must “Be Counted Again—NOW”—we must “Be Counted Again—For America.”

Service to Veterans Our job begins by being able to say to the veterans

of America, “We know you deserve the best and we are prepared to see that you get it through the services, programs, and activities of your local American Legion Post.”

Let’s be able to talk to each and every veteran—re¬ gardless of age—with the complete assurance of being able to answer his question, “What’s in it for me?” It’s essential that both old and new members see their

American Legion Post dedicated to such general objec¬ tives as—

1. To provide a highly desirable social center for post members, one which serves as a hub around which community activities revolve.

2. To create a friendship index that draws everyone into a warm circle of real friendship.

3. To participate in the community as part of a team necessary to make any neighborhood a desirable place to live.

4. To conduct its business as a business while retain¬ ing a congenial social atmosphere.

5. To pursue fully the ideals outlined in the Pream¬ ble to the Constitution of The American Legion, mak¬ ing these ideals come alive within the framework of good Legion programs.

These objectives can be attained if certain basic steps are followed.

Check Previous Records First, check through the minutes of the previous

year’s meetings or consult your retiring post officers to obtain a list and timetable of programs, events, and sig¬ nificant dates for the year just ending.

Next, draw up a suggested list for the coming year with a tentative date scheduled for each event.

Call a meeting of your new officers and acquaint them with the “NOW” year membership material. Review each program the post should undertake during your year in office. Perhaps you will want to introduce each program with a statement something like this: “Last year our post conducted (participated in, spon¬ sored, etc.) — (name of program)—. This year, our post will continue (or enlarge) this program in order to— (you provide the reason)—.”

Outline how each program will be implemented with special emphasis on increasing active participation of Legionnaires. Then, make a final decision on when the program or activity will occur and assign the responsi¬ bility to a specific chairman or committee.

Finally, assure yourself of an effective “follow- through” on each planned endeavor by assigning specif¬ ically a member of the Post Executive Committee to provide “shadow leadership” on the program—someone to make sure that the program is initiated and complet¬ ed.

All of these are basic steps and will work well on any program your post wishes to undertake.

Mr. Post Commander, right now it’s up to you. Pro¬ grams require intelligent planning to be successful. You can build a blueprint from past post activities, but you also must be looking for new ideas, new ways to “Be Counted Again—NOW.”

The ADVANCE, July, 1974 7

Nominations Open for Freedoms Foundation Awards ^MERICAN LEGION POSTS and individual Le¬

gionnaires whose accomplishments during the past year are relevant to the principles as set forth in the Preamble may find that their achievements qualify for distinguished national recognition.

For 25 years, the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Pa., has honored many organizations (including The American Legion), corporations, and individuals from all walks of life for their “ . . . constructive words and deeds which have supported America, suggested solutions to basic problems besetting the nation, con¬ tributed to responsible citizenship, and inspired love of country.”

A nonprofit, nonpolitical, and nonsectarian organiza¬ tion, Freedoms Foundation instituted its awards pro¬ gram as a means of encouraging Americans to express and demonstrate abiding faith in the principles that brought the United States of America to greatness.

Awards are presented in several categories. Posts and Legionnaires may wish to consider nominations in com¬ munity projects and youth activities. Other awards are given for journalism—editorials, letters to the editor, editorial cartoons, and newspaper and magazine arti¬

cles. Other areas include public addresses and religious sermons, advertising and public affairs, television and radio programs and motion pictures, government unit activities, and education.

All American citizens, including members of the U.S. Armed Forces, are eligible for Freedoms Foundation awards. Nominations must consist of materials which relate to one or more points the American Credo con¬ tained in the nomination form. Material must docu¬ ment the statements or activities nominated, and give evidence of presentation or speech, editorial, sermon, cartoon, or printed article, indicating when and where delivered or published. A scrapbook, not to exceed 13 in. wide by 16 in. long, should be used to send materi¬ als.

Entries must have been first written, developed, or presented during the current awards year—Nov. 1, 1973, to Nov. 1, 1974—or, in the case of school-related entries, the current academic year, ending July 1, 1974.

Complete details on the awards program and nomina¬ tion forms may be obtained by writing to Awards Administration, Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Valley Forge, Pa. 19481.

THE AMERICAN LEGION

Advance

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PRINTED IN U.S.A. 13-856 (7/74)