Membership

Eligibility for membership in the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary shall be limited to the mothers, wives, grandmothers, regardless of age, and to the daughters, stepdaughters (a stepdaughter must have been a dependent of an AMVET or deceased veteran prior to their eighteenth birthday to be eligible), sisters and granddaughters, not less than 18 years of age, of regular members of AMVETS; and to the mothers and widows, regardless of age, and to the daughters, sisters and granddaughters, not less than 18 years of age, of deceased veterans who would have been eligible for membership in AMVETS, and female veterans who  served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States after September 15, 1940, or as an American Citizen in the Armed Forces of Allied countries after September 15, 1940, and before May 8, 1975, who maintain their AMVET membership unless they meet the established eligibility criteria. The term mother shall be construed to include any female member of the family, or any female guardian of such person or deceased veteran, who has exercised or is exercising the care and responsibility for the rearing of such person or deceased veteran. A person shall become a member of AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary upon written application, establishing her eligibility, and payment of dues to all levels as required by the Constitution. After application is completed, it must be submitted to the Local AMVETS membership chairman for verification of eligibility. No person who is a member of, or who advocates the principles of any organization believing in, or working for the overthrow of the United States Government by force, and no person who refuses to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States shall be privileged to become or continue to be a member of this organization. Any member of the Auxiliary who has been duly recognized as a member of the Auxiliary under the provisions of ARTICLE IV, SECTION 1, shall be allowed to remain a member of the Auxiliary so long as she remains a member in good standing. The statement “member in good standing” as it appears in the Constitution, shall be defined as “any member who has complied with ARTICLE IV, SECTION 1 and SECTION 2, but shall not be limited to, or restricted thereto, from the powers and jurisdiction of the National Executive Board.

 There shall be three (3) forms of membership:
(a)    Annual membership, (b) Life membership, (c) Membership-At-Large

As the First Vice President of your local Auxiliary, you are responsible for membership and keeping accurate membership records. Be sure you are familiar with your duties. You should also be familiar with the duties of the President and be prepared in the event the President should call upon you to chair a meeting. You may be required to represent your Auxiliary at District meetings and/or functions if requested by the President.
Membership is the lifeblood of our organization. Remember that retention of existing members is as important as recruiting new members. You may want to consider a phone tree and having members call those that have not renewed and see if you can assist to get them engaged. That personal touch can sometimes make a difference.
You can promote membership in the Auxiliary by offering projects and ideas to retain and acquire new members and by encouraging members to attend meetings. Assist new members in getting acquainted with what the Auxiliary does.
Always have a good supply of membership applications on hand and encourage your members to carry them. The Auxiliary membership year runs from January 1 through December 31 each year. An annual membership card is valid until December 31st each year.
Department membership awards include:
Membership achievement awards-(Auxiliary certificate} Achieving 100% total membership counts based on previous year.
100% membership renewals-(Auxiliary certificate} Each Auxiliary renewing all members of the previous year.
Three largest membership awards-(Auxiliary certificates) Awarded to the three largest auxiliaries in the Department
PDP Trudy Wood Largest Numerical increase in Membership Award (Auxiliary) Auxiliary with the largest numerical increase in membership.
PNP Ruth K. Nickerson Memorial Membership Award (Chairman) Largest number of renewals.
Please see the National Manual, Section 4 Programs: Membership for additional information and resources. Also check the National and Department Auxiliary’s websites often for updates. They contain information which can assist you with your program. Share the information with your members by including it in the reports you give at your meetings. The websites are: https://amvetsaux.org/ and http://www.amvetsauxfl.org