Detachment Membership Chairman's Report
November 9, 2023
Mr. Chairman, I had several Squadron Division duties that caused me to complete update late during the night. I see your report on saltexas.org is dated 10-25-2023. Will this one be posted for our members soon? I am getting questioned why this is not more current.
I thought it best to include the Committee so they could review and communicate with their Division Staff concerning their squadron membership situations.
As I looked over the updated numbers, I see there might be some actions that might need to be taken to address how we accomplish the next 2 Target Goals of 45% in December and 60% in January. Thom Skelley expressed his concerns about how the upcoming holiday season can make our membership efforts more challenging. Of course, there are other things that will impact us for sure.
I trust my fellow committee members see how the numbers are telling us how we should proceed these next months. There are still too many Zero Squadrons. Hopefully, we can get this addressed so we can focus on other membership needs and expectations.
Sincerely,
Lewis Elam
Vice Commander Division 1
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
August 23, 2023
Our 2024 TX SAL Membership Report will be sent out another day.
Thank you again for the great job you all did throughout the year. I know Commander Guillory really appreciates it too.
Remember the importance of Certifications and SDRs. They can be emailed or mailed to Kevin Winkelmann/Mamie Hughes. This will make life a lot easier for everyone.
Thank you,
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
July 10, 2023
We have another membership report. This will probably be the last report for this week.
I want to thank everyone for being patient with me. I know some of you think the numbers should be different, but I take the numbers off the Detachment site. I just report the news, I don't make it. I would like to thank everyone for getting on board and going to the tenth inning to make Commander Guillory proud. In my year I was so proud of all the hard work the division commanders, district commanders and squadron commanders did. However, Membership is EVERYONE's JOB!! So thank you!
We do have another goal to reach by 07-26-23. 105%. Can we do it? I believe we CAN! Let's go for it!
Remember, SERVICE, NOT SELF
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
July 7, 2023
We are still going strong! Continue on and reach out to anyone else you can think of. As of July 3rd, Texas is at 101.29% of the year end goal. That translates to 206 more members to reach the 105% target by July 26th. ONLY 206 more members and we'll be there!
Thank you everyone for your hard work!! Persistence and diligence pays off!
There should be one more membership report before our department convention next week.
Remember to turn in your updated Certification of Squadron form, your SDRs and CSRs. CSRs are very important. Let's capture your hours from all of your hard work throughout the year. Please send this information to Kevin first and then he will forward to National.
Thank you! Thank you! Keep moving forward.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
June 12, 2023
We're still turning in membership! Let's keep up the good work!
We need 37 more to reach 100%. How about reaching the 105% goal by 07-26-23? Do you think we can do that? I know we can. We need 315 more members to reach that goal. Keep up the buddy checks. Contact everyone you can think of -- family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. The list goes on and on. Remember to keep applications in your wallet. Be ready. Keep on keeping on!!! Let's do it! Continue to work it hard!! We're almost there!!squadrons.
Not Self.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
May 25, 2023
It may sound like a broken record--Let's keep reaching out to those who need to renew and any others that show interest. Remember to always have an application with you. With the holiday weekend, keep your eyes and ears open.
We have to capture the last minute renewals, especially in order to keep continuous years. Please do not hold any memberships; turn in everything you have.
Thank you for all that you do. Continue on and contact the squadrons.
Service, Not Self.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
May 20, 2023
Detachment Commander Guillroy and Past Detachment Commander Arista need your help.
According to our last report from the Midwest Membership Committee, Texas did not reach our 100% goal, which was due on 05-17-23. We needed 184 more to reach that goal; we were at 96.70% on that date. So we are going to continue on and keep reaching out to everyone we know. We're at the bottom of the ninth inning and we need some hits.
Congratulations to League City Squadron #554. You reached 100%. Way to go.
Thank you for all your hard work. Keep it up!
Service, Not Self.Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
May 5, 2023
We are doing some high jumpin' !! Way to go! Some squadrons have gone from a low spot on the numerical scale to waaaaay up there! Keep up the good work.
Reading the report from our Midwest Membership Committee Chair dated May 1, Texas is at 94.43%. Our next goal is on May 17th.....and we should be at 100%. Is that possible? Yes, it is. Texas needs 310 more renewals or new members to get there. Keep shaking the trees. Leave no stone unturned. Think outside the box. Continue doing your buddy checks. Some squadrons are so close.
Thank you for everything you do.continue!!
Thank you for everything you do.
Service, Not Self.Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
April 27, 2023
The latest membership report from national states that Texas is at 90.59%, as of April 24th. Texas did not reach the 90% goal by April 19th but we are there now! Our next membership goal to reach is 100% on May 17th. Let's continue to contact those who have not renewed. It sounds like a broken record, doesn't it? But--that happens to be the best way to find out how our SAL members are doing; we will never know until we contact them. This is so important, not only for renewals but also to see how they are doing. Do they have any needs? Has their health been ok? Remember, we all joined for a reason. There are a few more months in our membership year. Just keep up the good work.
CONGRATULATIONS to District 19 Commander, Herb Fish, and his team for reaching 100% membership. This is the 2nd district who has achieved this goal. There are so many other districts who are soooo close to reaching their goal. Come on!! Let's continue!!
Thank you for everything you do.
Service, Not Self.Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
April 17, 2023
Come on Texas! We can do it! Texas is at 89.13% as of April 13th. Keep on working on renewals and new members. Buddy checks are always important.
April 19th is the next goal and coming up very soon. Can we reach 90%? I believe we can. We are so close! Let's continue on. I need some rock stars out there!
Thank you for everything you do. Remember: Service, not self.
Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
April 7, 2023
As of April 5th Texas is at 85.19%. We are getting there! It takes a little more time and energy to continue on to reach our new goal, doesn't it? Let's work a little harder and reach out a little more often. Our next goal to reach is 90.00% on April 19th. We still have about a week and a half left to reach that goal. Yes, I do know you can do it.
Some of your posts may be having Easter meals & Easter egg hunts sometime over the weekend. There may be family members that are visiting relatives & friends and spending some time at your post. Be ready with membership applications. You may have some potential new members visiting and hopefully it will be a time for your current members to renew.
Thank you for everything you do. Continue to reach out to others.
Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
March 31, 2023
This is our latest membership report. We are getting there! Continue to call members who have not renewed their membership -- keep in touch. If they have already been called, let's contact them again to make sure they are ok.
Our next target date is April 19th; we need to be at 90% by that date. I do believe we can get there and for those who are already at that point, continue moving forward. Remember to think outside the box too.
Great job!!! A special congratulations to Rockport and Alpine squadrons making 100%. The numbers are talking!! Take a look at the spreadsheet and figure out how many more members you need for 100%...It's really not that many more for a lot of squadrons. For those who are trailing behind, keep in contact with your members. There may be some possible new members out there too -- just ask!
I appreciate everything you are doing!
Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
March 23, 2023
This is our latest TX SAL membership report. Thank you to all who have helped with renewals and new members. Texas is at 80.7% as of March 20th. Our next target date of 90% is on April 19th. Now it's time to really get serious. As time goes on it will be more difficult to reach our goals--but we can do it!! To all Division, District, Squadron Commanders -- Continue to reach out to those who have not renewed. Let's keep up the good work!
Thank you,
Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
March 16, 2023
Tomorrow is our 80% target date. The Detachment of Texas came in at 79.28% as of National's report on 03-13-23. That is so close! Let's keep working on renewals and new members. I know we can do it! Everyone is doing a great job! Keep it up!
Thank you,
Tom Arista
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
March 7, 2023
This is the latest report from department. We really need to As of March 2nd, Texas is at 76.91% We need to reach 80% by our target date of March 15th. Come on - let's keep moving forward. Continue to think outside the box. Make some more phone calls. Visit. Make sure no squadron is holding memberships.
Oh and by the way, March 15th, our next target date, is The American Legion BIRTHDAY!!
Thank you division and district commanders for working so har
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
February 27, 2023
This is the latest report from department. We really need to think out of the box. Look at your roster and see who has continuous membership for five years or more. Concentrate on them. Call them. Send them a card. They do not want to lose their membership. Do any of your members have a new grandchild? Has anyone moved into your area that has visited your post? What is that saying: Just Ask! I heard a story over the weekend that was a great example. All it took was one person who just asked someone to join--and they did. They had been around the post but no one ever asked. Check your legionnaires too; they may qualify.
Division Commanders, check up on your District Commanders. District Commanders, check up on your squadrons. Talk to them. Visit them.
Remember our next goal is 80% by March 15th. There are a few detachments that are already there. Let's just keep moving forward.
Thank you for everything you do.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
February 22, 2023
Sorry to say Texas missed our 75.00% membership goal. We were close though. Let's keep on working and contacting our members for renewals and continue reaching out for new members.
Congratulations to 5th district, the first district to reach 100%.
Our next goal is 80.00% by March 15th. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for everything you do.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
February 8, 2023
Good afternoon. I hope all of you survived our "winter". That's one thing about Texas--you never know what the weather is going to do from one week to another.
The Detachment of Texas is at 71.11% as of February 6th. The target is for us to be at 75.00% by February 15th. That is next week. Is it possible? YES!! I don't doubt it at all. Let's keep contacting our members and see what is going on. Continue with buddy checks to make sure everyone is ok.
Thank you for all your hard work--but keep it up!
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
January 30, 2023
Hello Texas! I hope all are safe and well. And warm. Some have not been going to work due to the weather - and now it's cabin fever time.
Our membership continues to climb. As of Jan 30th, Texas is at 69.24%. Our next target date is on Feb 15th, with a goal of 75.00%. We can do this! It's crunch time. I hate to put the pressure on, but we need to think out of the box. What about buddy checks? Let's find them. Ask their family where they may be. Go to where they are--where do they hang out? If you need to knock on doors, knock on doors. Let's make sure they are alright. They may need some assistance; reach out to them. Look at your roster--who has been a member three years plus? There was a reason they joined--they're honoring someone.
Let's work together and continue to reach our goals.
Thank you for everything you do. I appreciate all of you.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
January 19, 2023
Good afternoon.
As of January 16, 2023, Texas is at 61.68%. We exceeded our target goal of 60.00%, which is due on January 19th. WAY TO GO TEXAS!!!! Keep up the good work.
The next target goal is 75% by February 15th. Can we do it?? YES, I KNOW WE CAN!!! Thank you for all your hard work. Communication makes a difference; continue to reach out to others.
Hoping to see you this weekend at Mid-Winter.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
January 11, 2023
Good morning Texas! We are still gaining ground for our next target date, which is on January 19th.
As of 01.09.23 we need 113 more members to meet our 60% target goal. Can we do it? YES!! Keep up the good work.
Hope to see you next week at mid-winter. Safe travels.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons
of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
December 14, 2022
Way to go Texas! As of 12.12.22, Texas is at 48.36%, which is above the goal for the target date of 12.14.22. Let's keep the momentum going. Thanks to all who have been working on renewals as well as new members.
On another note, not every squadron has turned in the Certification of Officers and not every squadron has turned in the SDRs. It is imperative that these forms be sent to Kevin with a copy to Mamie as soon as possible. Division and District Commanders, please contact your squadrons and help them get these forms filled out and sent in. Both forms are on the SAL site; go to forms and download. They can be scanned or mailed to Kevin and Mamie. Kevin Winkelmann's email is: knwink@msn.com. Mamie Hughes' email is: mamieh@txlegion.org.
With that being said, we will all be looking forward to reviewing the next membership spreadsheet and seeing a lot of ******* and CCCCCCs.
Continue to reach out to others. Look for the person who is sitting alone. Look for families that may come in the post during the holiday season. There may be some potential new members for the American Legion family.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
November 10, 2022
I hope it was a wonderful weekend for all. A special thanks to everyone who is serving or has served to help keep our country free. Thank you!! I am a member of the Sons of the American Legion because my dad served in the Army. He is my WHO and WHY I remain a member.
I am sending the SAL membership spreadsheet as of 11.10.22. YES!! We did it! Congratulations to the Detachment of Texas that met the 35% target date by 11.09.22. Thank you for all of your efforts for the membership year of 2022-2023.
FYI - We are still working on a few kinks; hopefully they will be worked out soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
October 27, 2022
This is the latest update in membership. We're getting there! Thank you for your hard work.
There are now 6 squadrons who are at or above the 100% mark. Way to go squadrons 169, 077, 092, 392, 133, 317. Let's all keep up the good work.
Reminder: Our next goal is November 9th to be at or above 35%.
Thank you for everything you do.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
October 19, 2022
Congratulations Texas!!! In the 2023 SAL regional breakdown, Midwest Region is in second place, right behind the Southern Region. Texas is at 25.35% membership, which means we reached the 25% target date by 10.19.22. GREAT JOB EVERYONE!!
Keep up the momentum -- Let's get the membership in. Beat the bushes and shake the trees. Go to your legion meetings and ask who is eligible for SAL and sign them up as dual member. We're a family. The legionnaire sitting next to you may be eligible but no one has ever asked. Ask the question. One squadron went to a legion meeting and signed up 9 new members. Gentlemen, think outside the box.
Buddy checks -- buddy checks work! Continue to do your buddy checks.
Thank you.
Tom Arista
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
2022-2023
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
August 1, 2022
Fellow Sons,
I meant to have this sent out over the weekend but I never hit the send button. Here is the updated Membership report which reflects the Detachment of Texas going over our membership goal. I know there are still a few that are still in process so if your think that your Squadron number should be a little different, give it a week to see if everything catches up. I am still trying to research many of the issues brought to my attention at the convention. It is a load of details that take some time to verify. Your patience is appreciated.
To the Detachment of Texas and immediate Past Detachment Commander Thom Arista, CONGRATULATIONS!
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
July 24, 2022
Fellow Sons,
CONGRATULATIONS!
As some of you may already know, the Membership Report from National dated July 22, 2022 shows that we are now 31 over our 100% goal. Unfortunately, the record used for the Detachment is only from July 20th and does not reflect that number. It should update this week. Everyone has done a fantastic job these past few weeks to get us to the finish.
I will be working on all of the questions and issues presented to me at the convention and should have answers to most, if not all, by next weekend.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
June 24, 2022
Fellow Sons,
This is going to be a busy weekend for me made busier waking to a water line break in my yard this morning. Therefore, a short summary report.
We continue to inch forward on membership. We now sit at 98.47% of making our goal. Less than 90 memberships to go. Let's continue to reach out to our members who have not yet renewed.
I look forward to seeing everyone in 3 weeks at the Detachment Convention.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
Texas S.A.L. Members,
We are slowly moving towards our goal. We saw some movement this past week and we are now only 113 away from our goal. We did see the 3rd District pick up that one member needed from last week so they have now reached their 100% goal.
Keep up that focus on our members that haven't renewed yet. You might even try to get them to pay asst years dues and go ahead and get their dues for 2023. Keep working. Keep plugging away. Kee[ focusing on membership.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
June 10, 2022
Texas Sons,
I have finally had a healthy week and figured out a workaround for my computer issues. It was probably a good thing that I was not able to get a report out last week as there had been very little change.
However, this week, it is a much better report. On the national level, we are now only 217 away from our goal. We are at 96.00%. On the Detachment level, we are at 90.99%. Congratulations to the 6th District for reaching 100%, becoming the fourth District to do so. We also had 4 additional Squadrons reach their 100% goal.
217 memberships is not an overwhelming number. We can do it and I feel like we can do it in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Let's, "Git 'er done!"
On a quick side note, I have had numerous people try to contact me with various issues. I have tried to directly respond to several but have not made contact. Some were researched and corrected and if the person requesting the information had read my comments with each report while looking at the report, they would have noticed that the issue was resolved. Others, I am still researching. Remember, I am, for the most part, unreachable from Sunday afternoon until Thursday or Friday morning. For the remainder of June, even Thursdays and Fridays will be a challenge as I have a doctor appointment, test, procedure, or test results reveal every Thursday and Friday. Emails are best and texts are best and voicemails often go unchecked for extended periods.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
May 31, 2022
Texas Sons,
My apologies for no report this past weekend but I tried to make some changes to my home computer network and in the process knocked out my primary computer with all of my links and Sons membership information. I have back up systems in place but spent the weekend trying to get the primary system going without success. I will work on getting things back up to speed this week as I can around work and sleep but it will likely be this coming weekend before I can get a full report to everyone. Again, my apologies. (This not only ruined my membership efforts but several personal projects as well. Count me frustrated.)
That being said, the membership report from National shows that we currently have 5,093 members, just under 94% of our goal. We have 332 to go to make !00%. This is not a big number. I can not reiterate enough the need to continue to reach out to our past members to assist in reaching our targets.
Well, as I type this, I am about to be running late for work. Stay strong, do our Buddy Checks, and think, "Membership, membership, membership."
**No report so there is no attachment.**
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
May 25, 2022
Texas Sons,
Please find this week's membership report attached. We saw only a slight improvement this week but we did have 2 Squadrons reach their 100% target goal. We are right at 93% of National's goal for us.
There are still many, too many actually, Squadrons that do not have any membership or only have credit for a PUFL member or 2. District Commanders, please check in with these Squadrons to review what is happening. We also have many of our active Squadrons that are short of goal so let's continue to reach out to those who have not yet renewed and reach that 100% mark.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
April 25, 2022
Texas Sons,
My apologies for the delay as I attended the 14th District Convention this past weekend. As a reminder, I may not get anything out this coming week as I will be in Indianapolis for the NEC meeting and NMI training.
For this week's report, while we still have work to do, we did have some good improvement. With District and Division conventions going on, I expect to see continued improvement. Let's continue to reach out to our members who have not yet renewed and reach out to our potential new members.
Let's get this done and show the nation how it is done in Texas.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
April 17, 2022
Gentlemen of the Sons of Texas,
Please find the attached membership report. We had one moe Squadron join the ranks of reaching goals. As a Detachment, we are currently at 84.61% of our national goal. We did not see much movement but there was some. We dropped to number 44 in the national rankings. I had hoped that with the spring conventions we might see a bigger improvement this month.
However, there is still time. Continue to reach out. District and Division Commanders help your Squadrons, especially the ones that still do not have any membership turned in.
I hope everyone filed their SDRs on time. Also, we are getting to the time of the year when we need to start focusing on our Consolidated Squadron Reports. They do not take that much effort to fill out and there is really no good reason not to file.
Please note, I will be travelling for the next two weekends. I will try to get a report completed each week but don't hold me to it.
Finally, as I type this, it is early Easter morning. While there are many that believe as I do and celebrate the holiday as the holiest of days, there are some that do not. Please accept this with the most earnest of intentions from my heart to you, have a Happy and Joyous Easter.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
April 4, 2022
Texas Sons,
Please find the attached weekly report. I think I have worked out all of the Squadrons that made 100% by the Legion birthday. there is one Squadron that I am giving the benefit of the doubt until I finish researching the final numbers.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
March 27, 2022
Gentlemen,
Excellent job. We saw a significant increase in number this week and are now above 80% of our goal. There is still a lot of work to be done but we are moving in the right direction.
Hopefully, by now you have seen the message from National regarding the "open" transmittals. If your Squadron was one of the ones affected, you should be able to address and correct the issue.
District Commanders, there are still a LOT of Squadrons with ZERO membership. With convention season upon us, it is a time we can take advantage to see what is going on.
While we did much improvement in our renewals this past week, we still have a rate of just over 67%.
Keep up the good work and don't stop now.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
March 21, 2022
To the Texas Sons,
Here is the membership report based on information available on March 17, 2022. However, I will tell you that there are likely corrupted numbers listed. National had the Detachment of Texas membership at 4,145 on March 14th but the detailed report that was provided to me on March 16th & 17th had us at only 3,987. The report I sent out last week dated 3/10/2022 had our total at 4,027. (Unfortunately, I do not have a detailed report from the 14th.) These updated reports also had some Squadron membership numbers at significantly lower numbers than last week. National Vice Commander Torres mentioned that it had been noticed by himself and the other NVCs and was being discussed at National Commander Fox's Homecoming this weekend.
So what I did was this. If the membership number for a Squadron was lower than it was last week, I kept the number at last week's number and made a notation to specifically check those numbers next week. For the rest of the report, I followed the normal procedure and updated any numbers that were higher. This caused my total for the Detachment to show 4,052 which is still 93 less than the March 14th report.
So let me say this, I know that this situation is under review and I will keep an idea on what is happening. The Detachment of Texas still has a lot of work to do to get our membership up to where it should be. As I have continued to state, we have a large number of renewals that have not paid their dues yet. I did a quick calculation and if we had our renewals at 80% instead of below 65%, we would have already reached our 90% target goal.
Now for some praises. We had 19 Squadrons that hit 100% by the new year, 17 of which will receive a check. I will list them here in a report in the near future. Currently, it appears that there were another 19 Squadrons that reached 100% by the Legion birthday. Again, 17 of them are in line to get a check. Since there are several Squadrons that were close to the 100% mark and there are somewhere around 90 missing members, there may be a few more. I will keep a close eye on the situation.
Time is beginning to run short on our year and we still have a long way to go. I know that the Detachment of Texas can do it.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
March 13, 2022
Fellow Texas Sons of the American Legion,
We just passed the March 9 target date and no, we did not make the goal. I will let Kevin's admonishment from last week stand for the scolding we all need.
I will not mention that while 39 Detachments made the 80% target goal, Texas did not.
I will not mention that Texas is 52nd out of 55 Detachments in membership percentage.
I will not mention that Texas is 51st out of 55 Detachments in renewal percentage.
I will not mention that Texas is dead last in membership percentage in the Midwest Region. 11th out of 11.
I'm not going to mention any of that. And so, I am going to move on to the report details.
I am a little late getting this report to you but I have been working on it to verify the information and upgrade the spreadsheet.
I have completed the list of Squadrons that reached the 100 % goal before 1 January and up to the moment list of Squadrons that have reached 100% since. There was one Squadron that for some reason I had listed as having reached 100% but I cannot find the reason I added them to the list. I removed them from the list as they have not yet reached that target.
Remember, the cutoff date for a Squadron to receive a check is The American Legion birthday which is this coming Tuesday, March 15.
Some things to note about the report as it is presented...
As you should already know, the asterisk (*) by the location means that that Squadron has filed their Squadron Data Report.
I have created some conditional formatting for the cells for the percentage of goal for each Division, District, and Squadron. When the Division, District, or Squadron hits 100%, the cell will change background color and the text will change color. This will make it easier to see which body has hit 100% with a simple glance. The Squadron colors are light red for the cell fill and darker red for the number. Only the 5th District has hit 100% on the District level. Congratulations and thanks for the work to 5th District Commander Lewis Elam.
As a side note, please remember that 15 April is the deadline for Squadrons to file their SDRs.
Fellow Sons, we are really struggling with membership for this year and need to get on the ball. We have almost 38% of our members from last year that have yet to renew. We know what we need to do, it is simply a matter of doing it.
If anyone has any issues or questions about the report, please EMAIL me. My phone is silenced and I often check my messages only one or two days a week.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
February 22, 2022
Fellow Sons:
I thought I had sent this out this past weekend but I was battling post-booster shot issues which included some serious brain fog.
This report is based on the report sent by National on 2-16-22. I am fairly comfortable with the accuracy of the numbers and Squadron goals as I have not heard anything to the contrary after my last report. I still have to review the 100% Squadrons and when that goal was reached. With my issues with the booster shot, I did not make the effort to go with this report. I am planning on attending President Copeland's HC this weekend in McAllen so I doubt I will have time to do it this weekend as well. I am targeting the following weekend as when I will be able to give it the effort that is required. I have the national reports archived so I only have to take the time to compare the old total membership numbers with the corrected goal numbers. Please be patient as I work to get thing CORRECT.
Now for the bad news, Texas is now 50th out of 55 Squadrons in paid membership in relation to goals. March 9th is the next target date and we have some work to do to reach it. However, I have faith in Texas, we can make the target date goals with a little effort. Let's get to work
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
February 13, 2022
Texas Sons,
Let me begin with the scolding. There were numerous people who mentioned that they had things that needed my attention in the Membership Report. I stated many times, to the point of annoyance, to email me with items that needed my attention. I received a grand total of ONE email from 20th District Commander Alva. And he wasn't one of the people telling me that there was a problem. So you may have noticed that it has taken me a while to get a report out. This was due to the fact that I have had to go Squadron by Squadron checking and verifying information. I re-evaluated all of the goals for each Squadron and made sure that the membership numbers were taken directly from the report from National. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEL THAT THE INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, EMAIL ME.
eddysal179@gmail.com
Okay, now that this is out of the way, we did miss the 75% target date but we did make a little bit of a run at the end. Our next target date is March 9, 2022 at 80%. It is very reachable, especially if we push to get our existing members to renew.
Also discussed at the Mid-Winter Conference was creating a way to list which Squadrons had sent in their Squadron Data Reports. I put an asterisk (*) next to the city of each Squadron listed by National as their SDR having been sent. If you do not agree with a notation, you can complain to me but there is little I can do except recheck the report sent from National.
We are hitting the point where we all are getting burned out on chasing membership but it is not the time to relax. We made every goal until this last one but it is not too big of an obstacle to get back on track. We can do it. Texas is better than Detachment ranked 46th in the organization. Let's do it!
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
January 5, 2022
Happy New Year to all!
I want to apologize for not getting anything out during the last couple of weeks but information had limited availability while my personal and work schedules were demanding. I do want to mention that I had a spreadsheet to go with my last report but failed to attach it before sending it out. I will include that report with this one as well.
On the national level, we made our 45% goal at the last moment. To be honest, I didn't think we would make it but we did. Great job. Our next target date is 20 January to make 60%. We currently sit at 53.46%. Fortunately and unfortunately, many members wait until the beginning of the new year to pay their dues. If we can push to collect from these members, we can easily hit that target. Keep focusing on membership, it is our life blood as an organization.
Finally, congratulations to the last 4 Squadron to hit their 100% goal by the new year. They are:
Squadron Squadron 111 Cedar Hill
Squadron Squadron 453 Dallas-Love Field
Squadron Squadron 369 Westoff
Squadron Squadron 392 Moulton
It is time for me to get ready for the night shift. Keep up the good work and I hope to see all of you in Austin in a couple of weeks.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
December 19, 2021
Greetings fellow Detachment of Texas Sons of The American Legion,
According to the notification from our Midwest Region National Vice Commander, we just missed the 45% goal target date. HOWEVER, according to the report from National, WE MADE IT! Congratulations as we made a good closing effort to hit the mark.
I want to congratulate the three Squadrons that hit the 100% mark this week.
Squadron 68 Shamrock
Squadron 533 Bastrop
Squadron 554 League City
Keep up the good work. Our next target date is 20 January at 60%. We are only at just under 39% on renewals so there is plenty of room for quick improvement. Reach out to our members who have not yet paid for the new year so they can stay up to date.
Division and District Commanders continue to reach out and work with our Squadrons that have yet to turn in any membership. There are many that are still not showing any membership. Offer help where you can.
Finally, while I will try to get a report out next week, I am not sure of reporting availability or my own obligations. I will do my best to get something out next weekend even if it is based on information from the middle of the week.
On a personal note, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I say this realizing that everyone may not celebrate the holiday season the same as I do, it is my way of wishing blessings on you from my heart. We have continued to have a challenging year as a nation, organization, and I am sure many of us on a personal and family level. The season, no matter your personal beliefs, is about Love, Peace, Joy, Hope, and Giving. It is my hope that we all can take time to reflect and to look for the good in ourselves and those around us.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
December 12, 2021
To the Sons of The American Legion, Detachment of Texas.
Fellow Texas Sons,
I know I sent out another report earlier this week but the 45% Target Date was pushed back from 8 December to 15 December. This gives us the opportunity to reach the 45% goal. As of Friday we are only 134 short of that mark. It will be tight but if we get that membership turned in quick enough, we can make the goal.
We still have many Squadrons that have not certified and many that still are showing zero paid dues. As we come to the end of the year with the opportunity for the Squadrons to receive a check for 100%, there seems to be a lot more that we could be doing.
Finally, on a personal level, I am starting a new temp job that is going to take up much of my time for the next few weeks. This is a temp position which I will be working in while I get some training and certification for another. more permanent position. During this temp job my hours are going to be long and odd until after the new year. Please, if you call me, leave a voice mail and know that I may not be able to answer right away. Same with emails. I will do my best to respond as soon as I am able. Now that the computer system seems to be getting up to speed, I think I have my own system in place to get membership out on a regular basis.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
December 7, 2021
To the Sons of The American Legion, Detachment of Texas.
I trust that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Almost 2 weeks later and I am thankful that the computer issues do appear to be getting fixed. This report is a little late as there were conflicting information on the National report, Detachment report, and as I just discovered, a formula error on my spreadsheet. With people taking time off for the holiday and continued bad data, I have been trying to reconcile the reports and I have finally been successful. And National and Detachment reports are finally reconciling as well.
With that being said, we are still doing fairly well with membership although we will likely miss the 45% target on 8 December. We still have a large number of Squadrons that are showing ZERO membership. I know that our Division and some District Commanders have been working to help but we need a little more.
It is also vital that all squadrons get their certifications in. We have had people wondering where their membership cards but their Squadrons have yet to certify. This is one of the simplest duties that Squadron Commanders and Adjutants have to do.
It is also important that our Squadrons get the new Squadron Data Reports filed with Mamie before 1 January. If your Squadron has not filed the report and a member pays online, they will only be charged National and State dues because that is all the system will know to collect. As far as National and the Detachment is concerned, they are members in good standing and the Squadron may lose out on their portion of dues. So get those SDRs tuned in and soon.
These reports can sometimes seem to be a downer but we are doing a good job but we just need to keep up the effort. And on that note, we have 6 new Squadrons who made 100% membership.
Sq 248 Hooks
Sq 320 Gilmer
Sq 511 Dallas
Sq 198 Archer City
Sq 37 McAllen
Sq 58 El Paso
There are many others that are close. Thanks if you have continued to read this far. Catch you on the next report.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
November 16, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
Let's get the technical items out of the way at the start. Once again, some Squadron membership goals changed. My apologies for this but I found a conflict between the process used to determine the goals in the past with how the Constitution and Bylaws say they should be set. I understand the reasoning for the past method. However, I am a staunch believer of following the C&BL. So, trying to make a long story short, we will be setting the goals this year and next by following the C&BL guideline. I have already started the process with our Judge Advocate to create a resolution to amend the Bylaws. We will hopefully present the resolution to the body at the Mid-Winter Conference. We will then vote on it at the Detachment Convention in July of 2022. If it passes, it will then take effect the following year as the timing of the vote would not allow it to be effective until then. This will be for the 2024 membership year.
That being said, I also mistakenly gave Waco 121 credit for 100% due to a typo.
On a state level, the Detachment membership goal for this coming year is 5,850. According to this report, that puts us at 24.77%. That is a strong start but we need to continue the push to recruit, renew, and reinstate our members. The goal for the Detachment of Texas, as set by the National Sons of The American Legion is 5,425. This report says we made our 25% goal with 26.71% but notes from national show us with an even higher percentage of over 27%. This discrepancy is likely due to the timing of information being shared back and forth. We are still dealing with issues with the computer and access to the membership numbers but progress is being made. Thank you for your patience while this is getting worked out.
Division Commanders, I remind you to notify me as to who your District Commanders are. Check the report to see where there are no commanders listed. District Commanders, help your Squadrons with any questions or issues they may have. We have many Squadrons that have not certified yet and I feel it is safe today to say that those and possibly more that have not completed their Squadron Data Report.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
October 19, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
Let's get the technical items out of the way at the start. Once again, some Squadron membership goals changed. My apologies for this but I found a conflict between the process used to determine the goals in the past with how the Constitution and Bylaws say they should be set. I understand the reasoning for the past method. However, I am a staunch believer of following the C&BL. So, trying to make a long story short, we will be setting the goals this year and next by following the C&BL guideline. I have already started the process with our Judge Advocate to create a resolution to amend the Bylaws. We will hopefully present the resolution to the body at the Mid-Winter Conference. We will then vote on it at the Detachment Convention in July of 2022. If it passes, it will then take effect the following year as the timing of the vote would not allow it to be effective until then. This will be for the 2024 membership year.
That being said, I also mistakenly gave Waco 121 credit for 100% due to a typo.
On a state level, the Detachment membership goal for this coming year is 5,850. According to this report, that puts us at 24.77%. That is a strong start but we need to continue the push to recruit, renew, and reinstate our members. The goal for the Detachment of Texas, as set by the National Sons of The American Legion is 5,425. This report says we made our 25% goal with 26.71% but notes from national show us with an even higher percentage of over 27%. This discrepancy is likely due to the timing of information being shared back and forth. We are still dealing with issues with the computer and access to the membership numbers but progress is being made. Thank you for your patience while this is getting worked out.
Division Commanders, I remind you to notify me as to who your District Commanders are. Check the report to see where there are no commanders listed. District Commanders, help your Squadrons with any questions or issues they may have. We have many Squadrons that have not certified yet and I feel it is safe today to say that those and possibly more that have not completed their Squadron Data Report.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
October 7, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
Let me start by apologizing for how long this message is but there is a lot of information that needs to be shared. I also apologize for the delay in getting this information to you but I wanted to get the correct info into everyone's possession. Also, we are still getting reports on an irregular basis. This, in addition to me trying to get the information organized, has caused some delays. I want to be sure that you are getting the most up to date information but I also want to make sure that it is accurate.
Prior to the Fall D.E.C. I sent out a list with the Squadron goals. After several calls and a review, I realized that some of the numbers were not correct. Please use the goals listed on this report as the targets for this year. The Detachment Goal for the year is 5,723. National Membership goal is 5,425. Our next target date is October 14. For the national number, we are only 59 short.
For the Detachment, we have 54 Squadrons that have already reached 25% including two that have already reached 100%. Congratulations on making 100% already to Squadron 121 Waco and Squadron 133 Temple.
Division Commanders, I need to get the names of all of the District Commanders. There are several districts where I either do not have a name or I have received conflicting information so I have left the cell for the commander's name blank. Please get that information to me so I can get it designated on the report.
Remember, we can still accept dues for the 2020-2021 year through December 31.
As mentioned at the D.E.C., The American Legion National Commander Paul Dillard has instituted an incentive program to get members throughout the Legion family to maintain continuous years. The Sons approved it for our program this last weekend at N.E.C. The program works like this. If someone who already has 5 continuous years did not pay their dues for 2021 but wants to pay for 2022, they can pick up their continuous years where they left off. For example, if someone with 5 continuous years did not pay for 2021 but pays for 2022, they will pick up their continuous years at 6. If they want to pay for both 2020-2021 and the 2021-2022, they will get credit for both years and have 7 continuous years.
Remember Squadrons, if you have a question, your first point of contact should be your district commander. District Commanders, your first point of contact should be your division commander. If you have questions regarding membership DO NOT CALL MAMIE, contact me. My phone number is 832-573-5594. In all likelihood, you will need to leave a message. Do not call and fail to leave a message then say you could not reach me. A preferred method of contact is through my email: eddysal179@gmail.com. If you feel for some reason you feel it necessary to contact Mamie, do not call her. Send her an email. You are much more likely to get a quick response that way but if you do contact her, you should have already contacted your district or division commander and myself.
We are off to a good start for the new year. Let's keep the momentum. There are many people people who have not renewed for last year and many still to go for this coming year. make contact and remind them that the work of the Legion and the Sons continues and we need their support.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
September 14, 2021
Greetings Fellow Sons,
First, the bad news, there are still issues with the computer system from national. We are not able to get the numbers that have been turned in thus far. We are still being told that October 1st is the target to have everything up and working. Also, we did not get any new membership for 2021. I am sending the same 2021 membership report as last week. We will likely not see any differences next week either as Mamie will be out of the office for the remainder of this week. I realize that it can be frustrating not getting the information that we need here at the beginning of our new membership year but we need to be patient while the program is being worked on.
On a slightly happier note, I am sending out a spreadsheet with the goal numbers for 2022. I have also marked the Squadrons that have sent in their certification up to this point. Please review. If you have sent in your certification and it is not marked on the sheet, please let me know and I will research. There are a number of Districts of which I don't know who their commander is. Any guidance on who holds these positions would be appreciated. Email me at eddysal179@gmail.com.
Please don't forget that we can continue to add to our 2021 membership until the end of the year. When talking to your renewals, be sure they paid for last year as well so they can maintain their continuous years.
As stated last week, it is also important that membership be active if a Son is to be eligible for the National Emergency Fund (NEF). With Hurricane Ida hitting the central Gulf Coast a few weeks ago and Tropical Storm Nicolas hitting the Texas coast this week, there are many who do and may need NEF assistance but they must be up to date on their dues.
We have faced a lot in the past 2 years and we have performed admirably. However, there is so much more to do. There are times that the task in front of us seems impossible. I think that Nelson Mandela said it best when he stated, "Everything is impossible until somebody does it."
Finally, it seems like many of our Legion family and their families are having difficulties due to the coronavirus. Please do what you feel you need to do to keep you and your family safe.
For God and Country,
Eddy Seegers
Membership & Internal Affairs Chairman
Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
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