Duane T. Sarmiento

Commander-in-Chief

  

 

 

 

* For the full 2023-24 National membership Program see attachments below of click here 

Membership Mission

To recruit, retain and mentor a stable membership base including all generations of veterans. To cultivate a membership that is well versed in institutional knowledge and actively involved at all levels of the organization and in the local community. To establish Posts with an established vision of service, leadership, and community outreach.

Introduction

Today, the Veterans of Foreign Wars is 124 years old. During those years, we have had WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and other veterans joining en masse. Today, however, we have lost many of these honorable men and women. As history has proven, the Post-9/11 veterans will join our organization like others have when they are ready, however usually not until their kids grow or their retirements are in place.

We must not stereotype any of our future members regardless of sex, color, or personal beliefs. If a member qualifies, bring them in. The only way to make this success permanent is to retain those members, recover past members, and continue to recruit new veterans into our ranks. There are still many veterans eligible to join and at all ages. However, our focus needs to be on our Post-9/11 veterans, for they will be our future.

You might ask, how do we build our organization? It’s simple, leadership by example. If you are a Commander of a Post, District, Department, or the National Commander, then get out there and recruit members yourself and show your team that if you can do it, so can they. A good way to do this is to improve the way we communicate with our members at all levels of the organization. Posts, Districts, Departments, and our National Officers need to use all methods available to convey information for news and training to our membership through newsletters, emails, social media, recruiting booths and outreach teams.

We need to know who our members are and how we can address their needs and concerns. It’s time to step it up and recruit Post-9/11 veterans. Each of us needs to do our part and recruit at least one new member. Think about it. If we all recruit one each, we would show substantial growth in membership in just one year.

Membership Goals

1. Build a strong organization through recruiting new members while retaining our current membership that creates a solid baseline for the future.
2. Work together to achieve the VFW’s goals. The VFW National Headquarters staff is available to assist in coordinating programs, developing membership initiatives and building awareness among our membership and the entire veteran community.

Membership Objectives

• Achieve 102% in Membership.
• For everyone to recruit at least one new member and then mentor that member.
• Increase membership drives and/or events.
• Develop new Posts and/or revitalize existing Posts.
• Increase Life Membership and Legacy Life Membership

Membership Resources

In order to assist our Posts, Districts, and Departments in meeting the goals set out by the Commander-in-Chief in this membership program, the National Headquarters has a wealth of resources at your disposal. Many of those are available free of charge to our members.

• Membership materials ranging from applications, recruiting brochures, posters, and benefits brochures can be ordered directly from the Membership Department using the Membership Order Form (located under Membership Quick Links once you log into vfw.org )
• Resources for Post Development, Membership Campaigns, and Mentorship such as training guides, videos, and webinars are available in the Training & Support section on vfw.org
• Promotional tools such as radio spots, sample advertisements, public service announcements, and media kits are all available through the Media Room on vfw.org
• See the trend? Just about anything you will need is at vfw.org, check it out.

The VFW National Headquarters staff is ready and trained to answer any questions you may have concerning membership, VFW programs, or other issues. You can contact our Member Service Center directly at 1.833.VFW.VETS, or the Membership Department at 1.888.JOIN.VFW.