28,282 Strong and Growing

28,282 Strong and Growing
By Jimmy Warden
NAPS Secretary/Treasurer

April was a fantastic month for gaining new members. Active members increased by 527. Overall, membership increased by 526 members. That is fantastic! Your efforts are paying off. Thank you for getting the message out why it is beneficial to join NAPS. The increase in membership reflects all your efforts and leadership.

Have no fear, technology is here. Did you know you easily can sign someone as a NAPS member just by using your phone? Yes, it’s that easy. No need to worry about carrying forms with you, if that is your preference. Just Google naps.org/join; when the screen opens, click on “Join.” A Form 1187 will open. Next, input the information (do not forget to add your sponsor information), then click on “Complete.”

The application then is emailed to NAPS Headquarters. An email acknowledgement will be sent to the email address of the new member listed on the 1187. It’s that easy! When attending events such as career conferences, consider having a tablet or laptop with you. The larger screen is more beneficial to some folks when entering the information.

I have had the pleasure and honor these past few months to attend multiple state conventions. At each convention, membership was a topic of discussion. It was refreshing to hear the delegates’ enthusiasm referencing how to increase our membership and making our association even stronger.

Special thanks to Capitol-Atlantic Area Vice President Troy Green for acknowledging top sponsors in his area. He contacted NAPS Headquarters to find out who the top-20 sponsors were from the past year. Troy learned that four members from the Capitol-Atlantic Area were in the top-20 in the nation. There are 16 areas; Capitol-Atlantic has 20% of the top-20 spots.

At the recent Capitol-Atlantic Area States Convention, Troy recognized his top-four membership sponsors: David Joseph, Branch 183, 6th; Steve Shawn, Branch 403, 11th; Beverly Torain, Branch 177, 18th; and Erica Lomax, Branch 42, 20th.

Other NAPS areas have had outstanding performance recruiting new members. The New York, Mideast and Pacific areas have had major success with their all-out recruitment campaigns. Congratulations and thanks to all of them. At our national convention in August, I once again will acknowledge the top-10 membership sponsors for the past two years. It will be exciting to see who our membership sponsor champions will be!

As I continue to stress, our upcoming national convention at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT, is an important event as we map out the direction our association will be take in the next two years. Your dedication shown in building membership has displayed your loyalty to NAPS.

I applaud all our membership sponsors and encourage everyone to reach out to one non-member and inform them of the benefits of NAPS. Some branches have invited non-members to their meetings so they see the importance of our association and the impact it has on their careers and personal lives.

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at Foxwoods—safe travels. And remember, increasing membership demonstrates leadership.