First Newsletter Proposal

On Tuesday, Feb. 2nd I presented the newsletter to the House Committee and they have tabled it until their next meeting on March 2nd. I came out of the meeting with my head spinning. Ultimately, they needed more information on the cost projection. Going in I felt prepared, but after experiencing my first proposal, I walked away with several things I could have done better. I presented a three page newsletter with categories such as "How Our Programs Help You, " "How Our Programs Help the Region," and "How Our Programs Help the Nation." It was presented in color and they asked me to present both a black and white copy and colored copy at the next meeting. I also brought an application for non-profit organization bulk mailing rates and the information I researched about it online. Apparently, there's more involved to getting a non-profit permit than I thought, so I have to do more research at the post office. They really liked the idea and thought that the draft I brought to the proposal looked good and included the information they wanted. I'm not sure if I should update the newsletter for the next meeting to include information from Feb. or just keep the draft I have and wait until it is approved to start the next month. I also found out that there was a little communication issue with how I presented the dates of publication. I presented the newsletter as a bi-monthly newsletter, to be published every two months, 6 publications total per year. However, I think they may have misunderstood and thought I meant twice a month publications. I am also working on researching bills within legislation that concern veterans. The auxiliary is wanting me to write letters to state congressman about their support for and against certain bills. If anyone knows of any, it would be helpful for when I go to research them. Thanks!

Internship Final

It's final, my internship will be with the Veteran's of Foreign Wars Post 5501 in Ripley, WV. I am a little concerned about the distance I will be traveling. I like the opportunity because I have been a part of this organization for around two years now and haven't had the time to commit, until now. The president of the ladies auxiliary as well as the commander of the VFW have projects for me to take on. The commander has me working on a newsletter that they intend to circulate to the members. Their main goals with the newsletter are to boost membership and to get older members to become more involved. My ideas so far include updates, articles on the previous month's news, and a calendar of events. They haven't presented this idea before, so I will have to go in front of the House Committee with a presentation on the newsletter and it's benefits to the post.