Guest blog post by 2025-2026 National Membership Committee Chair Tracy Kinnick
 
Do you remember watching Alice in Wonderland, where the White Rabbit was always running around, checking his pocket watch, saying, “I’m late! I’m late! I’m late for a very important date”? While the White Rabbit was concerned about being late, the real issue was that his watch was slower than the actual time. 

In the American Legion Auxiliary, we also have an important date: Dec. 31. The membership year for the American Legion Auxiliary is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. We want to encourage our members to renew before the end of the calendar year! 

Did you know that members who are not renewed for the current membership year by Jan. 31 are considered delinquent and suspended from membership privileges? The American Legion Auxiliary gives members a grace month to get their membership renewed.

It is crucial to have your membership renewed by the end of the year because at your first unit meeting in January, we want you to exercise your membership right to vote and take advantage of the many benefits offered by the American Legion Auxiliary.

Key benefits of renewing:

• Voting rights: Ensure you can vote at your future unit meetings.
• Emergency fund access: The American Legion Auxiliary Emergency Fund (AEF) is available to members who have been part of the Auxiliary for 36 consecutive months. If you do not renew and face an emergency on Jan. 1, 2026, you will be ineligible to apply for this crucial support.
• Discounts: savings on shopping, travel, and insurance. 
• Networking, personal growth, and building leadership skills.  
• Unity in numbers with our voices loud and proud in Washington, D.C. 

Not only do we have valuable benefits available to us, but more importantly, we have people who currently depend on us — individuals who have sacrificed everything to give us the freedoms we cherish today. Renewing our dues by the end of the year should be something we strive together to accomplish. It’s something we should want to do to continue advocating for our veterans, military, and their families. If not us, then who will stand up for them? Who will continue the fight if we don’t?

It’s not a question of if we’re going to renew, but rather a question of why you haven’t done it yet.

How to renew your ALA membership — three easy options:

• Work with your unit.
• Renew online at www.ALAforVeterans.org/renew. 
• Call National Headquarters at (317) 569-4570 to pay over the phone.

On Dec. 9, 2025, National Headquarters sent emails to remind those who haven’t renewed yet.

Units, I urge you to reach out to your members and share the remarkable things your unit has accomplished for our mission. Highlight what their membership in the ALA has done locally for your communities and how their membership contributes to our legacy of Service Not Self.  

When sending membership cards, be sure to thank each member for being a part of your unit — even if they cannot attend meetings or help with every event. Appreciate their membership and what they have done.

I am asking you to renew your membership today for the future of our American Legion Auxiliary and to uphold our mission of serving veterans, military, and their families.

Act now to ensure your voice is heard in our advocacy!