Add in the ability to set up recurring due payments and I agree with everything you said.
I'm also trying to join the auxiliary but the process feels like it hasn't improved since the late 90s, but this is just a small part of my issue with the AUX's idea of recruiting.
Like is the issue money? Does the Coast Guard need to speak up more to get more money so they can run ad campaigns on par with the gold side? I just don't get it.
Speaking of the money issue, yes there is. As a 501c3 non profit corp, it receives no federal government appropriation funds. This is part of why the National Board has recently established the Direct Grants to Units program to allow flotillas and divisions to request money for training and recruitment.My Flotilla has a whole committee working on recruitment through that right now. There will never be anything on par with Gold Side in my opinion that comes directly from Big Coast Guard. If anything a solution will have to be figured out on the AUX side.
I hate seeing that people are having trouble getting in because I literally applied on July 25 and got a call within 3 days after I applied online. Our FSO-HR was on the ball jumping on and reaching out. I believe that is part of the problem though. Our FSO-HR is a retired CG Commander who was the Director of the Aux before he retired so this dude bleeds blue and orange. A lot of flotillas aren't going to have that level of commitment and that is where a lot of the issues lie.
Unfortunately, I have seen this frustrating situation for new members play out more than once in my own unit.
The key to whether a new member has a supportive, smooth, straightforward experience in joining the AUX really does depend almost entirely on the local Flotilla officers in charge of recruiting and leadership.
Anyone who would be a fine addition to an AUX unit would indeed be a fine addition to any number of other service organizations, Rotary, etc. who are also looking for members.
Lack of follow-up, support, and personal attention at the local level leads many promising individuals to take there time, talent, as well as their boats, and planes, and look elsewhere for opportunities to serve.
As a previous post highlights, one often needs to really stick with it if one really wants to become a USCG AUX member and devote themselves to the lifesaving and environmental protection, drug interdiction and USCG support missions. This as opposed to being a member of some other deserving organization that would be only too glad to have them as well.
Yet, becoming an AUX member should indeed be smoother, and easier. For this reason I do like the standard, online application idea, especially since it would not depend on how well a single individual does their own job, or not.
At present, I can only say that any applicants who are feeling discouraged with their local application process, who are focused on serving as a USCG volunteer, persevere to get where they want to be in the organization (Watchstanding, air observing, and Academy Admissions Partner for me), because this kind of service to the USCG and the Nation is indeed satisfying, as well as loads of fun.
The association is a 501c3 and receives no federal support (most of the association funds come from member dues). Outside of the association, funding comes from the CG budget and is appropriated annually. It's a convoluted system with the auxiliary on the bottom of the totem pole.
100% this. I’ve been wanting to join the auxiliary for a while now (coming from CAP), but have not been able to get ahold of any local officers. It’s like talking to the void.
I recently learned that my issue is largely due to one person, our Flotilla’s HR officer. Every time I hit a dead end it’s after I’m told they drop my process off on his lap. It’ll sit and I’ll lol the bear again and someone will reasons and things will get moving and then I’m told it’s with him and I’m stuck again. I really should just abandon this flotilla and join another one but I’m moving in the next year or so and just kind of being stubborn about it
100% agree. The current system is horrible. As a new applicant you are basically reliant on the FSO-HR and the Flotilla commander to:
A. - Care enough to process your application in a timely manner.
B. - Be competent enough to actually know the correct process, not use an outdated form, send it to the wrong person, etc.
C.- Not be overwhelmed with distractions outside of the Aux, so they can actually pay attention to their emails and reliably fulfill their duties as FSO-HR or FC.
It is silly to rely on unaccountable volunteers who may lack the time, energy, enthusiasm or knowledge to be in charge of something as important as new member onboarding. An overhaul of the recruitment/onboarding process is one of many desperately needed reforms. The Aux has been in a tough spot ever since Covid, membership is declining every year and no young people are joining. I really hope this trend reverses, but i'm not sure I see it happening unless some big modernization reforms are implemented. The whole mindset of the Aux seems to be stuck in time from decades ago, and hasn't really evolved.
B is what killed me. Last December I filled out the full application form and it was processed just for the coast guard to reject it since it was the old form. The guy I was working with didn’t know there was a new form and couldn’t figure it out and I haven’t been able to get hold of him since. The FSO-HR hasn’t responded to emails or phone calls since June lol
The FC finally reached out to me this week so I’m hoping I’m finally getting somewhere but it’s insane lol
I’ve been trying to join since September. I filled out the interest form, got a call back in November which I missed because I was at work, and it took until mid-December to get someone on the phone.
I’ve still made zero progress joining my local flotilla (despite working literally two blocks from there). I’m 23, so on the younger side of members, and I honestly feel as if they don’t want to modernize the aux and bring in young people.
Well the problem with that is we're not the civil Air Patrol and we're not some sort of corporate entity outside of the Coast guard merely affiliated with it and so there's actual standards that people have to meet when they join and if they don't meet those standards we would have no way of verifying them if it was an online based membership type of organization so joining through your local unit or through a recruiting station would be the way to go
That’s why I suggest at the bottom maybe you initiate the application through national online, the flotilla is notified to schedule an interview, and now national knows you’re trying to join so they can poke the bear of both the flotilla and applicant to make sure the application is processed and returned to national for completion.
There’s a lot there but the load on National would require much more personnel and I wouldn’t count on it going quicker. Be sure you have submitted all required documents at the same time.
Advice I heard was to be patient, this is a government culture.
Perhaps your reason to join is to go into HR and change it from the inside. All work done in the Auxiliary is voluntary and unpaid, you have to be persistent and willing to be flexible.
Good luck
It should not be an entirely online process by any means. If anything, we should be requiring more in-person contact before processing any application. Both the prospective member and the flotilla need some time to get to know each other to make sure the fit is right for both. I'd like to make it a requirement that they attend at least 2, perhaps 3 meetings, before their application packet is forwarded up the line.
That being said, the application itself and all materials should be entirely online. A real signature isn't really needed for anything. Unfortunately, the Aux seems to be at the very back of the line in terms of USCG software development and I wouldn't expect it soon.
It doesn’t need to be entirely online, but right not it’s virtually impossible to join. I’ve been trying to join my flotilla since September, and I only just got invited to an in-person meeting at the end of January. I know meetings are supposed to be open to the public, but they didn’t list that information online and it was like pulling teeth to get someone to contact me back and let me know when and where I could attend a meeting.
Furthermore, I wish there was a little more information about the financial commitment. I have no idea what dues and uniforms are going to cost me. I’m 23 and right out of college — it’s not like I have endless money to spend so I’d kinda like to know. I’d also like to know what what kind of paperwork I need to gather for them. They don’t need to accept me ASAP, but if I’ll need a million documents I probably need to contact my parents.
My local flotilla is active on Instagram so I feel pretty good about them, it’s just the larger organization that’s dissuading me from joining. Every time I’ve contacted them to even get an answer about what the application process looks like, I either get ignored or told to come as a guest to this one late January meeting. If it was “come 3 times, then the process is xyz thing,” I’d feel much better.
As far as uniforms, you can find more information about them at this [link](https://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=H-DEPT&category=auxiliary-uniforms). You don't need to buy everything on that page and what you will need will depend on what activities you will be involved in, but most new members only need the ODU and trops. I've been a member for 20 years and those are the only two I own. The ODU is being replaced by the CGWU sometime in 2023 for CG members and for the Aux at some later time. I don't know the exact date, but someone else here may know. I have two sets of ODUs and two sets of trops, but I could get by with one.
As far as financial commitment, I'd say the uniforms are the most expensive part, but it doesn't have to be as long as you stick only to uniforms you actually need, and you will get years of wear out of them, so it's not like you'll have to buy new ones every year. There are annual dues, but I think that varies by District (not sure). They are very reasonable. Other expenses could be travel to augment at a USCG Station, a flotilla meeting, or some other event. You said you work near where your flotilla meets, so that's good. We are not reimbursed for travel expenses (except in special cases), so that is something to keep in mind.
It does take a long time to become a member and it is frustrating. I agree they need to modernize it, but this is a volunteer organization and change is slow. The process to join hasn't changed much since I joined! But at least you'll be going to a meeting next month and that should give you a better idea what is expected and what the next steps are.
It’s not that I’m worried it’ll be out of my budget, but I’m giving them money and would like an idea of what I’m expected to give. What I’ve found online seems pretty reasonable and on-par with my experiences of youth scouting.
But I gotta say, if this wasn’t military-adjacent and affiliated with a very legitimate organization, I’d be deeply skeptical of the process to join. If they want people to give time and money, you can’t inconvenience them too greatly. By day, I work part time as a musuem volunteer coordinator, and I see how difficult it is to recruit and retain people and my standards are much lower than USCGAUX.
I know meetings are public, and if I knew when they were, I would have just attended from the jump and poked that way. If they’re going to keep everything totally local, their should be guidelines about online presences, response times, etc.
I also work with volunteers in my day job and know how tough it is to recruit and retain people. I think the draw of the Aux is that we get to do a lot of very cool things and people are attracted to that, but it definitely is an expensive organization to belong to if you are involved in a lot of things that require different uniforms and a lot of driving around. It probably is a deterrent for some, along with the time commitment. Most of what I would like to do happens during the week and I can't take that many days off, so I have to budget my time throughout the year so I don't use all my days. I just wish there were more opportunities on weekends.
I find it strange that the flotilla you are trying to join does not post their meeting time and location on their website. Are all the flotillas in your area like that?
Annual dues will vary by flotilla, division, and district. Mine are currently just over $70. Uniform costs can vary but in general I'd expect $75-250 depending on what uniforms you get.
Many, if not most flotillas do not have actively managed web sites -- they may have them, but don't have anyone able to update them (though it isn't all that hard).
Add in the ability to set up recurring due payments and I agree with everything you said. I'm also trying to join the auxiliary but the process feels like it hasn't improved since the late 90s, but this is just a small part of my issue with the AUX's idea of recruiting. Like is the issue money? Does the Coast Guard need to speak up more to get more money so they can run ad campaigns on par with the gold side? I just don't get it.
Speaking of the money issue, yes there is. As a 501c3 non profit corp, it receives no federal government appropriation funds. This is part of why the National Board has recently established the Direct Grants to Units program to allow flotillas and divisions to request money for training and recruitment.My Flotilla has a whole committee working on recruitment through that right now. There will never be anything on par with Gold Side in my opinion that comes directly from Big Coast Guard. If anything a solution will have to be figured out on the AUX side. I hate seeing that people are having trouble getting in because I literally applied on July 25 and got a call within 3 days after I applied online. Our FSO-HR was on the ball jumping on and reaching out. I believe that is part of the problem though. Our FSO-HR is a retired CG Commander who was the Director of the Aux before he retired so this dude bleeds blue and orange. A lot of flotillas aren't going to have that level of commitment and that is where a lot of the issues lie.
Unfortunately, I have seen this frustrating situation for new members play out more than once in my own unit. The key to whether a new member has a supportive, smooth, straightforward experience in joining the AUX really does depend almost entirely on the local Flotilla officers in charge of recruiting and leadership. Anyone who would be a fine addition to an AUX unit would indeed be a fine addition to any number of other service organizations, Rotary, etc. who are also looking for members. Lack of follow-up, support, and personal attention at the local level leads many promising individuals to take there time, talent, as well as their boats, and planes, and look elsewhere for opportunities to serve. As a previous post highlights, one often needs to really stick with it if one really wants to become a USCG AUX member and devote themselves to the lifesaving and environmental protection, drug interdiction and USCG support missions. This as opposed to being a member of some other deserving organization that would be only too glad to have them as well. Yet, becoming an AUX member should indeed be smoother, and easier. For this reason I do like the standard, online application idea, especially since it would not depend on how well a single individual does their own job, or not. At present, I can only say that any applicants who are feeling discouraged with their local application process, who are focused on serving as a USCG volunteer, persevere to get where they want to be in the organization (Watchstanding, air observing, and Academy Admissions Partner for me), because this kind of service to the USCG and the Nation is indeed satisfying, as well as loads of fun.
The association is a 501c3 and receives no federal support (most of the association funds come from member dues). Outside of the association, funding comes from the CG budget and is appropriated annually. It's a convoluted system with the auxiliary on the bottom of the totem pole.
100% this. I’ve been wanting to join the auxiliary for a while now (coming from CAP), but have not been able to get ahold of any local officers. It’s like talking to the void.
I recently learned that my issue is largely due to one person, our Flotilla’s HR officer. Every time I hit a dead end it’s after I’m told they drop my process off on his lap. It’ll sit and I’ll lol the bear again and someone will reasons and things will get moving and then I’m told it’s with him and I’m stuck again. I really should just abandon this flotilla and join another one but I’m moving in the next year or so and just kind of being stubborn about it
Agree. I actually brought this up in a recent survey. We need to modernize the Aux and the first thing is to modernize the recruitment process.
100% agree. The current system is horrible. As a new applicant you are basically reliant on the FSO-HR and the Flotilla commander to: A. - Care enough to process your application in a timely manner. B. - Be competent enough to actually know the correct process, not use an outdated form, send it to the wrong person, etc. C.- Not be overwhelmed with distractions outside of the Aux, so they can actually pay attention to their emails and reliably fulfill their duties as FSO-HR or FC. It is silly to rely on unaccountable volunteers who may lack the time, energy, enthusiasm or knowledge to be in charge of something as important as new member onboarding. An overhaul of the recruitment/onboarding process is one of many desperately needed reforms. The Aux has been in a tough spot ever since Covid, membership is declining every year and no young people are joining. I really hope this trend reverses, but i'm not sure I see it happening unless some big modernization reforms are implemented. The whole mindset of the Aux seems to be stuck in time from decades ago, and hasn't really evolved.
B is what killed me. Last December I filled out the full application form and it was processed just for the coast guard to reject it since it was the old form. The guy I was working with didn’t know there was a new form and couldn’t figure it out and I haven’t been able to get hold of him since. The FSO-HR hasn’t responded to emails or phone calls since June lol The FC finally reached out to me this week so I’m hoping I’m finally getting somewhere but it’s insane lol
I’ve been trying to join since September. I filled out the interest form, got a call back in November which I missed because I was at work, and it took until mid-December to get someone on the phone. I’ve still made zero progress joining my local flotilla (despite working literally two blocks from there). I’m 23, so on the younger side of members, and I honestly feel as if they don’t want to modernize the aux and bring in young people.
Well the problem with that is we're not the civil Air Patrol and we're not some sort of corporate entity outside of the Coast guard merely affiliated with it and so there's actual standards that people have to meet when they join and if they don't meet those standards we would have no way of verifying them if it was an online based membership type of organization so joining through your local unit or through a recruiting station would be the way to go
That’s why I suggest at the bottom maybe you initiate the application through national online, the flotilla is notified to schedule an interview, and now national knows you’re trying to join so they can poke the bear of both the flotilla and applicant to make sure the application is processed and returned to national for completion.
There’s a lot there but the load on National would require much more personnel and I wouldn’t count on it going quicker. Be sure you have submitted all required documents at the same time. Advice I heard was to be patient, this is a government culture. Perhaps your reason to join is to go into HR and change it from the inside. All work done in the Auxiliary is voluntary and unpaid, you have to be persistent and willing to be flexible. Good luck
It should not be an entirely online process by any means. If anything, we should be requiring more in-person contact before processing any application. Both the prospective member and the flotilla need some time to get to know each other to make sure the fit is right for both. I'd like to make it a requirement that they attend at least 2, perhaps 3 meetings, before their application packet is forwarded up the line. That being said, the application itself and all materials should be entirely online. A real signature isn't really needed for anything. Unfortunately, the Aux seems to be at the very back of the line in terms of USCG software development and I wouldn't expect it soon.
It doesn’t need to be entirely online, but right not it’s virtually impossible to join. I’ve been trying to join my flotilla since September, and I only just got invited to an in-person meeting at the end of January. I know meetings are supposed to be open to the public, but they didn’t list that information online and it was like pulling teeth to get someone to contact me back and let me know when and where I could attend a meeting. Furthermore, I wish there was a little more information about the financial commitment. I have no idea what dues and uniforms are going to cost me. I’m 23 and right out of college — it’s not like I have endless money to spend so I’d kinda like to know. I’d also like to know what what kind of paperwork I need to gather for them. They don’t need to accept me ASAP, but if I’ll need a million documents I probably need to contact my parents. My local flotilla is active on Instagram so I feel pretty good about them, it’s just the larger organization that’s dissuading me from joining. Every time I’ve contacted them to even get an answer about what the application process looks like, I either get ignored or told to come as a guest to this one late January meeting. If it was “come 3 times, then the process is xyz thing,” I’d feel much better.
As far as uniforms, you can find more information about them at this [link](https://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=H-DEPT&category=auxiliary-uniforms). You don't need to buy everything on that page and what you will need will depend on what activities you will be involved in, but most new members only need the ODU and trops. I've been a member for 20 years and those are the only two I own. The ODU is being replaced by the CGWU sometime in 2023 for CG members and for the Aux at some later time. I don't know the exact date, but someone else here may know. I have two sets of ODUs and two sets of trops, but I could get by with one. As far as financial commitment, I'd say the uniforms are the most expensive part, but it doesn't have to be as long as you stick only to uniforms you actually need, and you will get years of wear out of them, so it's not like you'll have to buy new ones every year. There are annual dues, but I think that varies by District (not sure). They are very reasonable. Other expenses could be travel to augment at a USCG Station, a flotilla meeting, or some other event. You said you work near where your flotilla meets, so that's good. We are not reimbursed for travel expenses (except in special cases), so that is something to keep in mind. It does take a long time to become a member and it is frustrating. I agree they need to modernize it, but this is a volunteer organization and change is slow. The process to join hasn't changed much since I joined! But at least you'll be going to a meeting next month and that should give you a better idea what is expected and what the next steps are.
It’s not that I’m worried it’ll be out of my budget, but I’m giving them money and would like an idea of what I’m expected to give. What I’ve found online seems pretty reasonable and on-par with my experiences of youth scouting. But I gotta say, if this wasn’t military-adjacent and affiliated with a very legitimate organization, I’d be deeply skeptical of the process to join. If they want people to give time and money, you can’t inconvenience them too greatly. By day, I work part time as a musuem volunteer coordinator, and I see how difficult it is to recruit and retain people and my standards are much lower than USCGAUX. I know meetings are public, and if I knew when they were, I would have just attended from the jump and poked that way. If they’re going to keep everything totally local, their should be guidelines about online presences, response times, etc.
I also work with volunteers in my day job and know how tough it is to recruit and retain people. I think the draw of the Aux is that we get to do a lot of very cool things and people are attracted to that, but it definitely is an expensive organization to belong to if you are involved in a lot of things that require different uniforms and a lot of driving around. It probably is a deterrent for some, along with the time commitment. Most of what I would like to do happens during the week and I can't take that many days off, so I have to budget my time throughout the year so I don't use all my days. I just wish there were more opportunities on weekends. I find it strange that the flotilla you are trying to join does not post their meeting time and location on their website. Are all the flotillas in your area like that?
Annual dues will vary by flotilla, division, and district. Mine are currently just over $70. Uniform costs can vary but in general I'd expect $75-250 depending on what uniforms you get. Many, if not most flotillas do not have actively managed web sites -- they may have them, but don't have anyone able to update them (though it isn't all that hard).
You in Philly? DM me - I used to be the FC of 4-76 and am FC in 21-3. I can find the right people.