The first area we must increase excellence is recruiting, from application to membership. Our only opportunity for success in recruiting is with commitment from each and every Hibernian. We are recruiting men who will help us in every aspect of our noble order. From Pro-Life to Political Education, from Freedom for all Ireland to Catholic Action, recruiting new Irish Catholic Brothers will make us stronger in Everything we do. Every time you recruit, you are recruiting the future leaders of Irish America. Our success in recruiting will strengthen the Voice of Irish America!

Local recruiting remains our bread and butter. This is where you come in. I know each and every one of you knows at least one, if not 10, men who meet the qualifications to become a great Hibernian. The only thing holding them back is you. Take a time to recruit one Irish Catholic you know today. Set a goal as to how many people you can recruit between now and Christmas, New Years, St. Patrick’s Day. It may be your father, your son, your brother, your uncle, someone at work, someone at church. Take a minute right now to write down three names. Increase excellence by bringing in a new member today.

The national board has made a commitment to additional funding to be used in marketing, promotion and advertising for new recruits. This is a sure way to generate applications from those who wish to be part of the largest and oldest Irish Catholic organization outside of Ireland, the voice of Irish America, the voice of the AOH. The key to the success of this national campaign is you! Without our members on the ground vetting and then recruiting the qualified men on these applications, we lose them. With your help we can bring these men into the Order, mentor them, open up the world of Irish America to them and most importantly, retain them. Increase excellence by converting every qualified applicant in your area into a member of the AOH.

The second area we must increase excellence in is the collection of our positive data. We are working on ways to improve communication between your division, county board, state board and national board to gather as much impact information as we can. Impact information is anything that shows our strength in number of members as well as the number of people we impact in everything we do. We need to know the numbers of people participating in your events from A to Z. We are working on updated forms to share with you to report everything and anything you do.

Part of the improved communication began on October 8th when we had a National Board State President zoom meeting. For the first time, we invited all members of every state board to participate in the meeting. This opportunity allowed these brothers to learn fist hand what is happening on the national level. Moving forward we plan to open these meeting up to county and division presidents as well. This meeting went on for just under two hours and afforded everyone on the zoom an opportunity to hear from almost all of our national chairman.

In closing, I want to remind everyone to check the website regularly for opportunities to participate in our live events. Each event will also be on our YouTube page for you to watch at a later time and date or even during, before, or after your division meeting. Remember, Macte Virtute, increase excellence. The excellent work you continue to do every day well help the AOH to increase excellence.

God Bless,