President Robert Cohen's Address to the 119th Convention
Thank you for the privilege to serve as the 100th President of the Texas Society, Sons of the American Revolution. I want to specifically thank President General Dooley for installing me into the office. Additionally, I want to extend a special thank you to Bill Marrs and Jim Jones who have been my mentors and continue to be my advisors.
Theme for this year is: Celebrate the Past, Strengthen the Present, Shape the Future.
This is not an original theme on my part, but never-the-less an appropriate theme for this year.
The six major points that we will be accentuating are:
1. Emphasize the Brand
2. Recruit
3. Retain
4. Reinstate
5. Get Membership to Critical Mass
6. “Sharpen the Saw”
We Celebrate the Past by tracing our genealogy to each of our patriot ancestors and by identifying and reveling in each of their efforts and sacrifices to form the United States of America. My own Triple Great Grand Father, a private in the South Carolina militia, was, according to family legend, scalped and left for dead. His sweetheart, Mary Beckham, with assistance retrieved him, carried him back home, and nursed him back to health.
We Strengthen the Present by each of us contributing our efforts and sacrifices to further the cause of Patriotism, Education, and History using our talents through avenues available to each of us.
We Shape the Future by laying out a strategic plan and succeeding at the respective tasks each of us contribute toward a common goal.
In the present we must Build a strong foundation which will allow us to amplify this organization in the future. Along that line of thought, the National Society and each of its member Societies needs to emphasize a common brand, not 51 or 52 different brands for the organization. Sure it is alright to use the 51 or 52 different brands, but emphasize only one - SAR. Have you heard the statement, “Well, I have seen TXSSAR, but I did not know it was affiliated with any National organization.” Now that is a perfect example of brand fragmentation.
What do I mean by Brand? Let me give you an example: If I say Ford what do you first think of? If I say McDonalds or Wendy’s, what is your first thought? To use some more agrarian examples: What about 6666 or “running W”? Not to belabor the point, but let me give one more example, DAR. If I say SAR, we in this room all know what it means because we use it internally; however, very few external to the organization know what it means. That is where our new members are; external to this organization.
Let me give to you a personal example. I wear on my lapel two pins representing different fraternities. One of them is the SAR rosette; the other is a square and a compass, the kind of compass one uses to draw a circle. The fraternity represented by the latter pin is recognized anywhere in the world for its meaning. And, many think it’s a secret society. The rosette I have worn for 4 years, and nobody recognizes what it represents except those who are members, and it is not supposed to be a secret society. In that four years only three people have asked me what the rosette represented. When I tell them I am a member of the SAR they then ask, “What is the SAR?” I respond with, Sons of the American Revolution. They respond, “I’ve heard of the DAR, but have never heard of the SAR.”
In the interest of branding, I want to move that dialog further along. So that the first question is, “What is SAR?” And, hopefully, in due time it becomes, “Oh! I see that you are a member of the SAR.”
To that point, President General Dooley, would you please come to the podium. I would like to present to you a lapel pin in the shape of Texas with the colors and star of the State flag and the initials, SAR, in the white part of the flag.
At the same time, would each of the designated table “Captains” open the bag left with you and distribute to each member of the SAR at your table one of the lapel pins and brochures contained within the bag. I would ask that you wear this lapel pin as an indication of your support for the Texas SAR, and to promote the organization.
Pamela Wright, who is the State Regent of Texas DAR, whose company Pamela Wright Collections assisted Jane and I to create this lapel pin, donated the first 200 pins to the Texas SAR. Those of you who have had this kind of item made know that the first 200 is the most expensive part; in fact, they were more than double the price of the remaining ones. I will be presenting some of these lapel pins as I visit Chapters throughout Texas. There will be some that I will sell to out-of-state SAR members for $5.00 each which I will then donate to the Texas Patriots Fund.
1. Emphasize the Brand: Emphasize the Brand so that when people see the brand they know that it stands for Patriotism, Education, History and Genealogy. To keep from fragmenting the brand, in Texas we can say Texas SAR, instead of saying TXSSAR.
One other place to promote the brand is at the National Headquarters.
Membership - I challenge the Texas Society to reach 5000 active members by the year 2018. That would be about 575 new members each year for the four remaining years. The Texas SAR recruited over 300 new members each of the three years I was State Secretary. What is significant about 2018? That is when the Texas SAR is currently slated to host the National Congress in Houston.
Where are we going to find these new members? In Texas SAR there are about 2700 active members. In Texas DAR there are 17,000 active members. Statistics suggest that at least half of those DAR Ladies have a son or a brother and probably a large number have both.
2. Recruit - A Chapter needs to recruit annually at least 10% of membership as new members to remain viable. For some men to be attracted to join an organization they will have to hear about it and recognize that the organization is doing something worthwhile for the community. For other men you will have to ask them to join. This Society needs to develop elevator speeches that can be used to recruit new members.
Develop an elevator speech - a 20 second talk about the SAR and why it is important to America. Recently while in Louisville, KY, for the leadership meeting, I was on the elevator with some gentlemen from another state and their ladies. It was plain to see that the gentlemen had the SAR member medal on a ribbon around their neck. As we were moving from one floor to the another, I suddenly ask them if they belonged to the SAR, and if not had they considered joining the organization. I completed my speech in about 10 to 15 seconds and reached my floor just as I thanked them for listening, and informed them that I was practicing my elevator speech. They chuckled and said, Thank you.
To assist in the development of a number of short, to the point speeches to share with Chapter members so they can use them in recruiting, I want to announce an Elevator Speech Contest to be held at the next State Convention. The contest is open to SAR members, is to be 20 seconds or less in length, and is to promote membership in the SAR. Props may be used, but must be setup and taken down in the allotted 20 seconds or less of the speech. The winner will receive $52 toward your dues from Jane and me.
Go to historical events in your community, visit with others there, and ask them if they are a member of the SAR.
There are individuals who are eligible for membership and know they are, but will not seek to apply until they see some “smoke” or “fire” or other indications of life in an organization. Seek community leaders and offer to do their papers. Others may just need to be asked. Assist Veterans to learn how to do their genealogy.
I am announcing a Brochure Contest to be held at the next State Convention. The purpose of the contest is to develop brochures that can be passed out at meetings of other organizations or left at genealogy libraries to cause the reader to become interested in joining the SAR as well as increase the reader’s awareness of the existence of the SAR and its main purposes. The contest is open to SAR members. The brochure will need to be front and back and trifold on a single landscape page. The winner will receive $52 toward your dues from Jane and me.
3. Retain - When you induct new members put them to work some committee. Learn their interests/specialties and utilize them in short term projects. Project an expectation of contribution to the Chapter.
Perpetual Membership. Utilize it to retain members. Mike Everheart prepared a document that quite adequately stated what is necessary to retain members. The document is on the private Texas SAR web site.
4. Reinstate - Each year find out who has dropped by not paying dues. Go ask them if it was an oversight, or better yet tell them the State office has them as dropped from membership and they might want to contact the State office to get the situation fixed. Example of Ralph McDowell.
Reinstate members who have been dropped. Find out who at private web site.
5. Get Membership to Critical Mass - There is a point when a Chapter has enough members executing various projects that they can generate enough “buzz” in the community that recruiting and retention become easier.
6. “Sharpen the Saw” - Those who have attended a Franklin-Covey class will recognize this term to mean receive training to enhance the organizational experience. We will continue to train Chapter Presidents, Registrars, genealogists and others so they can do the best job to enhance the experience of the member for the benefit of the member, Chapter, State and National SAR. Remember to train your replacement.
In closing, thank you for the privilege to serve you the members of this Society. I will be here to assist the Chapters to accomplish these objectives, and I challenge each committee, the Texas SAR, Chapters and members to develop a plan to facilitate reaching the 5000 active member goal.