By VPG Jay Dickey
| Society | Jan. 5, 2023 | Jan. 4, 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA SAR | 1,603 | 1,666 | +4% |
| NV SAR | 160 | 183 | +15% |
| HI SAR | 30 | 21 | −30% |
| Total | 1,793 | 1,870 | +4% |
The Strategic Plan aims to have all state societies achieve 3% membership growth by 2028, so our 4% combined membership growth in the last three years already achieves that goal. We just need to meet or exceed that percentage for the next few years!
As for member retention, the Strategic Plan’s target is 95% retention by 2030. Here’s what our District numbers look like for the three-year period 2023-2025:
| Year | Member Retention |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 88.9% |
| 2024 | 85.6% |
| 2025 | 91.8% |
Once again, the overall District performance over the three-year period is very solid, but we still have a way to go to achieve the target goal of 95%.
Besides statistics, the Plan has various other goals and objectives to be achieved over the next few years. With input from District Secretary John Ferris, I have chosen to focus on three of those goals during my term of office: youth education, increasing our Color Guard participation, and the creation of “Signature Events” by each of our chapters. Over the next 10 months I will be visiting with as many chapters as possible to talk about how we can increase our activity in each of these areas. In the meantime, I’ve created this handy logo to remind us all of the Western District’s mission, which is “Getting to YES!”
Finally, please save the date for the next Western District Zoom meeting, which will take place as part of the California SAR’s Board of Managers meeting on November 7 in San Francisco. The Zoom meeting will start at 2 pm pacific time, and will be available to all District members. I will be posting an agenda for the meeting on the Western District website (wdsar.org), approximately 3 weeks prior to the scheduled District meeting date. I invite everyone to join us!