1. Q4 2011 Anchorage Club #289 report 

2. February 2012 Letter from SIUSA President Llana Smith

re: membership priority

3. New Skal Video from Skal International

4. SIUSA Region III News from Region III V.P. Nahid Olfati

5. Skal International Website

6. SIUSA Website

SKAL Anchorage Club # 289

Fourth Quarter 2011 Highlights:

October, 2011. Monthly dinner was held at Fiora D'Italia Restaurant, with 27 members in attendance.  This long-time Anchorage establishment, formerly know as the Garden of Eatin', has been the site of several Skal events over the years, and several veterans reminisced about the unique atmosphere and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that had occured at the storied location.

November, 2011. Monthly gathering was held at the Alaska Aviation Museum, hosted by Skalleague Shari Hart.  32 members attended, and toasts were offered in memory of Anchorage club founding member Ray Petersen, a pioneer in both Alaska aviation and tourism, who is memorialized in a special exhibit at the Museum, funded in large part by a donation from Anchorage Skal.

December, 2011.  Anchorage Skal Christmas Party and Benefit Auction was held in the Hotel Captain Cook Quarterdeck.  The evening's festivities and sumptuous dinner were capped by the annual benefit auction, this year generating over $2400 for two needy families connected to us by Salvation Army of Alaska.

Membership total for 2012 is 42 members.    

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February 23, 2012

Greetings from your SIUSA President,

This is the 5^th of my series of notes to you regarding membership.  This one will combine information for both new membership and retention, along with some housekeeping items.  SKAL continues coming up with new values for members; we need to help educate prospective new members of these opportunities.

Membership

• Changes in membership approval will cut one step out and quicken the process.  All completed applications once approved at the club level are automatically sent directly to SI for final approval.  Each club can look on the SI website to verify approval; meanwhile SI will send the SIUSA VP Finance the approval and SI invoice, which will be forwarded to the club with the SIUSA dues included. 
• As with any business, good strong prosperous clubs seem to be the ones that are best organized and spend appropriate time on advanced planning.  Plan your meetings months in advance, allowing all to know where and when you are meeting.  It is far easier to invite prospective members, when the meeting time and place are set far in advance.  I know that SI Pittsburgh sets up their meetings for the whole year by the end of January.  With that planning behind them, whoever sets the meetings for the club has most of their tasks done for the rest of the year.  Members are happy with the advanced knowledge of place and time, thus helping retention.
• When looking at prospective new members, research the SI website for worldwide members that might be with the same corporation or specific business. There is an easy filter on the site that will automatically do that for you.  You can then solicit that member to email an encouraging note to that prospective member asking them to join.
• At the end of this e-mail you will find a link with a letter from me, which I will be glad to send to any prospective new member after they have attended their first club meeting.  Just email me the contact information and I will send it out.  We have adapted the letter to send out to the 86 prospective new members, who visited our booth at the recent ABA Marketplace in Grapevine Texas.
• A new member letter from me is also available to be emailed to all new members.

Other business

• Election ballots have been sent by SI you can see who is running by going to www.siusaelections.org. 
• Committees – there are Six (6) standing committees representating Membership, Fundraising, Standards/Processes, Communication, Young SKAL and Education, if you have interest in any of these please contact your Regional VP and they will direct you to the committee chairperson, to either help you with your questions or add you to the committee. 
• Florimond-Volckaert-Fund – Donations from your club, to the FVF must be received by March 15^th by the VP Finance Carlos Banks. Make checks payable to SIUSA and memo FVF. The fund was set up in 1954, in the name of the acknowledged founder of Skål, to provide assistance to Skålleagues and their immediate families who are in serious need of assistance.  All clubs should give generously!
• IRS Non Profit Filing is due by May 15^th. Instructions are available in the MOI.
• 2012 Membership Dues – are due to Carlos Banks VP Finance no later than February 28 ^th Please mail checks payable to SIUSA to: Carlos Banks, SIUSA P. O. Box 290691 Davie, FL 33329-0691
• Insurance – Invoices will be sent in August
• 51^st NAASC Congress – Bermuda April 12-15, 2012 please be advised according to the SIUSA Bylaws each club must send a representative to the NAASC Congress www.skal.bm/NAASC2012 The SIUSA Board meeting will be held Thursday morning, April 12^th and the AGM is Saturday morning, April 14^th.  Many clubs have already submitted agenda items     for the AGM.  If your Club feels anything needs to be addressed at the AGM, please submit them to myself or to Patrick Logue, VP Administration prior to March 12^th.  This will be one of the most important AGM meetings we have ever had. Thank you to Tony Cosenza, RVP II and Martha  McClintock, RVP IV we will also offer (5) five workshops for the first time at a congress focusing on membership, fundraising, Young SKAL/ communication, Education and SKAL International.
• SI International Congress - Seoul Incheon Korea October 2-7 www.skalkorea2012.org the cost is extremely affordable and Korean Air is offering great discounts from key cities in the US.
• SKAL International is previewing its new web site- go to www.skal.org  try it out and give the webmaster some feedback.  Make sure you have your membership number located on your current membership card to get in to the new site it will not take your previously set up password for the other web site.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call any of us on the SIUSA Board. We are dedicated to serve you. It’s basic….. Membership is our lifeblood, get more and keep the ones we have. Have a wonderful week and remember, SIUSA Rocks!

Skål, and thanks for everything you do for me and for SIUSA!

Llana Smith, CTC

SIUSA President

901-484-3895-cell
SKAL Infosheet.pdf

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What is Skal?  Go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCHmyxMoSqU

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