Sign up now for Mission Development Training 201 
 
Are you ready to think outside the box and learn how to attract and recruit members, volunteers, and donors? 
 
If so, ALA Mission Development Training 201 is for you! This training is geared toward helping members inspire and engage volunteers to help the ALA for decades to come. Members will be encouraged to break their projects into bite-sized pieces by creating a “menu” of opportunities to select from. The point is that units don’t have to tackle everything— they can pick and choose the projects or parts of projects that appeal to them. When people are having fun and engaging in genuine mission-related activities, others will want to join us.
 
Thinking about the volunteer experience — and not just focusing on numbers — is an important part of making the Auxiliary appealing. Could you use extra hands when making poppies, stuffing backpacks or boxes, or having a special event to raise funds for ALA Girls State? The Mission Development Training 201 learning experience is a great way to get ideas on making service fun for everyone, including volunteers who may also become members someday. 
 
This is about YOU and how you can modify your own actions to influence the future of the Auxiliary in your unit. Here’s a thought: What needs to be different for our next 100 years of ALA service? There was a time when The American Legion Family was a critical ingredient in communities — everyone knew who we were and what we did. Is that still true where you live? If the Legion closed its doors in your town, would anyone notice, other than members? Mission Development Training 201 will help you with that out-of-the-box thinking necessary to helping the Family continue to thrive.
 
In the training sessions, members will research the needs in their communities and develop a menu of opportunities to work the ALA mission. Participants will learn the seven concepts of success to help with this:

• Concept 1: Marketing
• Concept 2: What you do with your volunteers
• Concept 3: Make volunteers feel welcome
• Concept 4: Establish tailored communication 
• Concept 5: Introduce a variety of volunteer options
• Concept 6: Acknowledge volunteer contributions
• Concept 7: Share success stories  

Guiding members through this training so we can continue serving veterans, military, and their families will be a handful of ALA national leaders facilitating the various Mission Development Training 201 sessions.  
 
Are you ready to move the mission forward using new and innovative ideas? Sign up for a one-day Mission Development Training 201 session today! All events are held on Saturdays.  

• Jan. 29: Las Vegas, Nev.
• Feb. 12: Orlando, Fla.
• Feb. 19: Indianapolis, Ind.
• March 26: Baltimore, Md.
• April 2: Omaha, Neb. 

Bonus — the 2022 national Junior meetings are held at the same time as each Mission Development Training 201 session listed above. If your Junior is 8 years old or older, bring them along to a national Junior meeting! Learn more and register here. 
 
By Sara Fowler, Staff Writer