August 1, 2008
Hello, Navy Leaguers! Welcome to the "Dog Days" of August (with apologies to the dogs). Many councils are inactive in August, but there are activities you could host, as detailed below. If you have questions or comments about the information below, please contact the Member Service Center at service@navyleague.org or 800.356.5760. Thanks! Bill Waylett
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Members and staff who normally have remote access to information on servers located at Navy League headquarters (i.e. Outlook email, CITRIX) will not have access to that information this weekend beginning Saturday evening, August 2 at 11:50pm (Eastern DST), due to a total electrical shutdown by the Virginia Dominion Power of the Navy League Building in order to perform preventative maintenance on the building’s electrical equipment. All equipment will go offline during the maintenance period and will be brought back up as soon as possible Monday.
During this period, we appreciate your patience with this necessary outage and apologize for any inconvenience. The Online Community portal and the Navy League website will still be accessible.
Featured Sections:
I. Annual National Convention at Kansas City in October
II. National Sea Cadet Month in September
III. Legislative Affairs
IV. Development
V. Public Relations
VI. Membership
VII. Personnel Changes
VIII. Announcements
I. Annual National Convention at Kansas City in October
The Navy League’s 106th National Convention will be held October 28-31 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Information on the Convention can be found at our convention site http://www.navyleaguenationalconvention.org/. National President J. Michael McGrath strongly encourages all Navy Leaguers to attend this meeting - especially Council Presidents and other council leaders. We will be conducting many council workshops that are intended to assist council leaders in council operations.
Register and make your hotel reservations now online at the convention website or http://www.navyleaguenationalconvention.org/2008/registration.html. Special hotel rate available through September 26. Airlines have reduced schedules for the fall, so we encourage everyone to book their airline reservations ASAP.
II. National Sea Cadet Month in September
National President Mike McGrath has declared September 2008 as Naval Sea Cadet Month. The Sea Cadet letter and proclamation are available on our website. The Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC) was authorized by the US Congress in September, 1962.
Councils sponsoring a Sea Cadet Unit should plan some activities in September to celebrate their birthday and to increase their visibility in your community!
Councils not currently sponsoring a Sea Cadet Unit are encouraged to join sponsorship program by contacting the NLUS Vice President for Youth Programs, Jim Erlinger, or NSCC Headquarters, seacadets@navyleague.org. For information detailing what “sponsorship” entails, please refer to the Navy League Youth Program Guide and Sea Cadet Corps Support Guide, available here.
III. Legislative Affairs
A Grass Roots Presentation One training session will be held at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern DST) on Tuesday, August 19, and a Grass Roots Presentation Two training session will be held the following week at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern DST) on Tuesday, August 26. If you need to attend one of these sessions to prepare for a visit with a Member of Congress, please register with your Region Vice President of Legislative Affairs.
Grass Roots Presentations One and Two will receive minor updates in early August. If you have a near term meeting with your Member of Congress, please check with your Region Vice President of Legislative Affairs to ensure you have the latest presentation version.
IV. Development
There are many ways you can support the national programs of the Navy League - include the Navy League in your estate planning, make a gift of securities or real estate, or consider designating the Navy League as the beneficiary of your IRA. Please contact Julie Beaver, Director of Development, 703-312-1585 or jbeaver@navyleague.org, if you wish to discuss any of these options.
Keep an eye on your mailbox—the always popular Navy League Return Address Labels will be arriving next week! Thank you for your generosity and patriotism.
V. Public Relations
Web Domain Registration Scam Alert: Councils should be on the look out for an apparent scam operation soliciting organizations to re-register their website domain name. NOVA Council received an unsolicited check from Domain Registry Group for $95 offering them to re-register their “expiring domain” name with them. However, their fees are by comparison quite high and the apparently the whole campaign is a scam and similar to one run by the Domain Registry of America. Luckily NOVA Council did not take the bait. So, Caveat Emptor … Buyer Beware!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are always membership-based questions that leaders and members have. Here are a few questions that have been asked. The answers are helpful to many in the field.
Q. What is the processing time for new and renewing members?
A. Our long-term goal is to shorten the timeframe to 5 days or less. Applications and renewals are sent to NLUS membership department at headquarters via a bank lockbox. The bank processes the checks or charges the cards, makes copies of the checks, and then sends documentation on to us. Our goal is to complete this process within 5-7 business days.
Q. Why were the membership types changed from abbreviations to full spelling of membership types in last database upgrade?
A. The decision was made to replace codes with their true meaning and make the member types universally understood for anyone searching for information on the Online Community – especially new members and leaders trying to decipher their records.
Q. Anomalies are still present in the online data. How can we get this information updated?
A. This information should be sent to service@navyleague.org for correction.
Q. How are Community Affiliates (CAs) notified at renewal time?
A. CAs are sent renewal notices on a monthly basis – similar to regular members. Councils should also include the renewal information in their newsletters and on their websites.
Q. To whom is the Community Affiliate renewal notice sent?
A. Renewal notices are sent to the Affiliate’s contact – not all CAs have an accounts payable department.
Q. How often is the Online Community updated?
A. The Online Community is updated every day by 6 a.m. (Eastern DST).
Q. When a member requests re-assignment to a different Council (e.g. because of a move) are they listed as “new” in the new Council? How would we know when this happens?
A. The “New” designation is tied to their membership, so if they transfer in their first year, then their record will show up as “New.” Currently we are working with the Online Community programmers to flag these types of changes.
VII. Personnel Changes
Corporate Affairs
Ben Lowe, Manager of Corporate Affairs, is leaving Navy League to pursue a commission as an officer in the U.S. Army. While we will sorely miss him, we could not be more proud of Ben’s decision … his patriotism … and dedication to country!
Colin Chetson is now acting Manager of Corporate Affairs. For any assistance, please contact him at (703) 312-1556 or cchetson@navyleague.org.
Public Relations
Unfortunately the Navy League is losing its Public Relations team at this challenging time.
Jessica Rohn, the Acting Director of Public Relations: Jessica’s last day with the Navy League as a temp hire is Friday, August 1st.
Ron Trickett, the Web Content Manager: Ron has submitted his resignation and his last day is Friday August 8th.
Jessica and Ron have made important and lasting contributions to the organization and we wish them both Fair Winds and Following Seas. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, these positions will not be filled in the immediate future. But please continue to submit your stories and photos to publicrelations@navyleague.org. For Public Relations-related inquiries, please contact Janet Mescus, Sr. Director of Communications, at 703-312-1557.
VIII. Announcements
1. SeaPower Digital Online Version Released
The August 2008 edition of SeaPower is now available online. The August edition includes a report on the challenges encountered hosting a Ship Commissioning Ceremony.
2. August Deadlines
Region Nominating Reports are due at HQ by August 1st. Council rebates for 2008Q2 new and renewed memberships (individual & Community Affiliate) have been issued.
August celebrates the Coast Guard’s Birthday – Navy Leaguers are encouraged to honor the men and women locally who protect the Homeland by serving in the Coast Guard.
Member Services support email: service@navyleague.org
Navy League website: http://www.navyleague.org