Departments are encouraged to apply for one too! 
 
The American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters was approved for a Special Group Recognition (SGR) license plate for the first time! The ALA-branded license plate is available to all Indiana residents this registration year, which began Jan. 1. Indiana residents can select the plate when they renew online at www.in.gov/bmv/registration-plates/home or at their local BMV. The exciting update also included a motorcycle license plate. 
 
The SGR license plate is $40 to purchase, and $25 of that will go back to the national American Legion Auxiliary to support the Auxiliary Emergency Fund. The opportunity is a wonderful way to give back to fellow ALA members facing a financial hardship or crisis. 
 
“This is such a great way to display your support and membership to the American Legion Auxiliary,” said ALA National Headquarters Development Director Carley Schutz. “It’s a great branding tool for the organization, and it directly benefits a program — AEF — that is crucial to so many of our ALA members.” 
 
Think of how many times you’ve sat in traffic or passed people on the road, and you noticed their license plate. The unique plates usually stand out! Through this license plate opportunity, it’s a pretty easy way to get the American Legion Auxiliary’s name out even more to the public.  
 
Is your ALA department interested in applying for the same benefit in your state? An SGR plate can promote an organization while using the revenue to improve services provided or special projects. An organization seeking initial participation in the SGR license plate program must submit a completed application, including the required documentation to the BMV. 
 
Applying for Indiana’s specialty ALA plate wasn’t an overnight deal. 
 
“The process was long and tedious,” Schutz said. “Development Assistant Amanda Freeman and I worked together for several days to pull together all of the documentation needed for the application. We created a Formstack form to obtain the 500 signatures, we compiled several years of financials, and submitted everything on file for the Auxiliary Emergency Fund to plead our case. I presented the idea to the National Executive Committee, and they voted to approve it in February 2022. Ultimately, I had to testify in front of the Roads and Transportation Committee at the Indiana Statehouse. We submitted our application in March 2023, I testified in October 2023, and we received the final approval Nov. 1, 2023, for the 2024 registration year beginning January 1.” 
 
Thinking about applying? Make sure you can provide documentation for the following:

1. 500 signatures of state residents who pledge to purchase the SGR plate. You must sell at least 500 plates in the first two years that the plate is offered and maintain that sale or renewal during each subsequent year thereafter.

2. Financial statements, including three consecutive annual reports and the last three annual audits.

3. A copy of a certified motion passed by the board of directors of the special group requesting that the SGR license plate be issued by the BMV.

4. Evidence of statewide public benefit from the special group.

Find the complete application checklist on your state BMV’s website to get started. If you need additional help navigating the process, reach out to ALA National Headquarters’ Schutz at cschutz@ALAforVeterans.org or (317) 569-4500. 

“Take your time,” Schutz advised. “Make sure your application is complete and thorough. You will not get 
a second chance to submit if something is missing — you will have to wait until the following year. And, 
ask questions. Reach out to the BMV and ask questions along the way.” 

If approved for the license plate, states won’t have to reapply for 10 years. It will become a steady income stream for your department.