Cindy Moore was only a few years into her decades-long membership with the American Legion Auxiliary when she answered her unit’s call for greater involvement among young members.
 
Moore took on the role of unit vice president. She knew nothing about the position — and found that to get up to speed, she had to do her own research about the role and its requirements.
 
Determined to help other members avoid this experience as they stepped into new roles in the unit, she set out to establish a single, easily accessible resource that provides background, how-to’s, and forms for various leadership positions. 
 
“If this happened to me, then it’s happened to others,” Moore said. “I don’t understand why you have to reinvent the wheel each time.”
 
In 2023 when she was president of ALA Unit 216 in Gretna, Neb., she created tabbed notebooks for each elected office. The notebooks contain a variety of information and resources compiled from Moore’s own research, based on what she thought new members or officers might need to succeed. 
 
Among each notebook’s materials are the Constitution & Bylaws and Standing Rules, a unit calendar, and information about ALA ceremonies and programs. The notebooks also contain forms and details related to volunteering. 
 
After creating the notebooks, Moore led a retreat for officers in her unit to review them and make changes and updates as needed. She developed the notebooks to be living documents whose contents officers adjust as needed.
 
Succession planning helps ensure that ALA units are prepared for any unexpected unavailability among officers. Efforts to smooth leadership transitions also encourage members to pursue these roles, confident that they’ll have the tools they need to perform their duties.
 
“There’s nothing worse than asking somebody to do something, and then they have a bad experience,” Moore said, “so they don’t take another role.”
 
Additionally, clarifying the responsibilities of each position helps units and leaders align their work with the expectations of the organization. 
 
But making these resources and assistance available is effective only if it happens with each transition to new officers, Moore said. That’s why her unit’s notebooks include a statement encouraging the user to “pass this notebook on to the succeeding officer.”

“It’s vital that the next person knows what his or her responsibilities are,” she said, “so they can be more effective.”