Aaron Bresnahan posted on June 01, 2010 00:10
June 2010 Navy
by Aaron Bresnahan
The saying goes that “all politics is local.” Well, along that same vein, “all communications needs to be personalized.” What do I mean? Well, I am asking each of you to share with your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members about what being a part of AUSN means to you.
I have heard stories quite often about the good ol’ days when chapter meetings were heavily attended and hundreds would show up for National Conferences. It seems as though today, we have some parts of the country that continue to have vibrant chapters or districts, and other parts of the country that have gone into hibernation. In order to improve our overall situation, we need members talking to members and sharing their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for what AUSN has the potential to become.
AUSN has three important core values: Passion, Relevance, and Community.
Just about every AUSN member around the country has a passion for the US Navy. The United States has the greatest Navy in the world, and our Navy is a global force for good. We should be very proud. How is AUSN relevant? AUSN is the leading organization advocating on behalf of the interests of the US Navy, its personnel, and their families. Each day, we highlight the need to give back to those that patriotically serve and have served their country. We support professional development for those still in service and provide support to our Veterans and retirees. And finally, back in the day, when you first joined NRA/AUSN, you must have felt a need to be part of a professional community. You wanted to associate with like minded persons; persons that shared the same passion for the US Navy and for developing their careers. Yet, how do we get this message out most efficiently? The most efficient way is for individual members to spread the word; to share the magazine; to forward the electronic newsletters; and to ask people to join.
Individual member communication is the keystone to the future success of this association. I cannot stress the point enough....
Being a member of AUSN means joining over 18,000 colleagues from around the United States in a common cause. All members are empowered with immediate access to AUSN’s on-line tools, making a personal connection to other AUSN members even easier.
Maybe, I use clichés a bit much, but the one that seems most appropriate here is that “every journey of a thousand miles always begins with the first step.” Please begin taking that first step in talking about your passion for the Navy with your friends. Please help increase our AUSN community by volunteering your time and energies and asking others to join, and then we will surely continue to grow.