DMS

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Jerry Wilson, DMS Committee Chairman

Phone: 513-476-1969 | Email: jerryw939@aol.com

The Chairman for the Department DMS (Direct Mail Solicitation) Committee is responsible for the training, motivating, and implementing procedures to help posts transfer 888 members into prospective posts within the Department. The DMS Department Committee is made up of 14 District DMS Chairpersons who have been appointed by their respective District Commanders. This committee may meet 2-3 times during a given membership year to assess the goals and accomplishments of 888 transfers. There are close to 8,000 888 members in the Department of Ohio who are in this holding group that have not joined a local post. Chairperson Wilson is available to help train and show each District how they can effectively revitalize a county or district membership effort with their DMS lists. All you need to do is…”Just Ask!”

What is DMS?

8,031 DMS Members for Department of Ohio in 2016
Many Legionnaires are unaware of what DMS is or what it means for the American Legion and for the Department of Ohio.

National Headquarters purchases lists of names to send our story of who we are and what we do plus they invite the recipient to join The American Legion by mail. Thus, the letters of DMS refer to Direct Mail Solicitation.

Unfortunately, when allowing a DMS member into a post function, and he or she is not a post member, they are not readily accepted or welcomed. Today, we still have some posts and individuals who are against DMS members. They will not work the DMS list in getting those members to transfer into their local post, especially those DMS members who have paid their 2014 membership dues. We do a good job in bringing in new members but let too many of them go out the back door after a year or two. Be willing to change attitudes concerning the DMS program and go after those DMSmembers in your post area by “just asking” them to transfer their 888 membership into your post.

But what are the advantages of a DMS (888) member to transfer into a local post? They continue to be a member of the largest veterans’ organization through a local post and have a tendency to renew their membership at a higher rate yearly. It helps the local post to attain yearly membership quota and recognition. It helps the post to increase their pool of members, to recruit volunteers at functions or find people who wish to become more active and involved in the leadership of their post. One might save some money on your yearly post dues compared to what you are paying at the national level. Your local dues help support the programs of your post such as buckeye boys & girls state programs, legion baseball, oratorical contest, scholarship funding and helping your local veterans and their families. By joining a local post, you and your family have an opportunity to share in post socializing and comradery. you are a veteran helping other veterans in your community giving one a great sense of pride and satisfaction. By transferring to a local post you now have an active voice and vote in how your local post operates and the opportunity to attend monthly meetings. You will continue to receive the Ohio Legion News plus receive the local post newsletter or access to their post website. If you enjoy volunteering, your post will have a number of functions during the year that would welcome your help. Free access and help by the post service officer with your VA claims, and follow-up with any concerns. You can have free access to legislative matters affecting veterans, member benefits and free membership to MyLegion. Plus so much more!

If you are not sure you are a DMS member, look at your current membership card. Does your post number read 0888? If so, when you joined the American Legion and paid your money to National or Department, you were placed in a holding group (888) until such time you are contacted to transfer into a local post or you request to be transferred into a local post.

As districts and local posts work on revitalizations, we know that some of the DMS members will not transfer into a local post because their time of service does not qualify them for membership since they must provide eligibility of service for post approval by its members upon transfer; just too old and can’t be active or involved; or just fearful they will be asked to run for office. It has been my experience doing revitalizations to date that many of these DMS members are unaware they do not belong to a post and have been placed in a holding group. So many have never been contacted even after being a DMS member for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years and once contacted have readily approved their transfer into a post.

I highly encourage all districts to begin now to schedule county or district revitalizations during the 2016 membership year. If we want this DMS program to be continued, all posts, districts and departments need to actively promote and work the DMS program to insure the national finance of the American Legion will continue to fund this program in the future years.

I am available to help your district and would welcome your invite to speak at any your up coming conferences on the importance of the DMS program and how to do a county or district revitalization.

“Just ask”, and you will be surprised that they will transfer!