On pace to record growth, the horizon is aflame

AS WE CROSS THE HALFWAY point of the year, Legatus is in a more positive position for growth and vitality than in years past.

In 2020 and 2021, due to lower retention levels and poor growth, we lost a net 8 percent of our membership. Thus far in 2022, however, renewals are strong, and growth is ahead of schedule. We have already surpassed 91 percent retention, a rate not seen since 1999, and we have added 216 new members, a pace ahead of the current projection of 400. I can safely project that Legatus will grow by 8-10 percent over the course of 2022.

In addition, there is active development in five cities: Tucson, AZ; Westchester County, NY; Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN; and Knoxville, TN. Legatus plans to have chartered these five new chapters by year’s end.

Echoing throughout Legatus and the Church at large is the reassurance that we are “made for such a time as this.” Legatus answers this call to action, and our status this year shows that we have a great opportunity to prove this.

This month, Legatus National is rolling out our new CRM (Customer Relation Management) software, a project we have been working on for the past year. A CRM serves as the database of all membership, but it’s also a marketing tool to link current members with Legatus National in attracting and recruiting new members. We identified Hubspot as the best platform and created a transition team for CRM’s startup.

What does this mean for members and their chapters?

Each chapter will have access to this CRM through its chapter administrator and/or its membership chair. The CRM will track current, alumni, and prospective members through the onboarding process. Your regional vice-president will also have access to your chapter’s database in order to view the progress of prospects and assist in onboarding. Tracking prospects in their specific “nurture sequence” will streamline and standardize the process so that chapters and the national o¦ce can collaborate better.

With this rollout, we will also move the membership application online. The online application will be logical and more user friendly. As prospective members complete the application, they will become better educated as to the current criteria for membership, which will enable them to become more e§ective recruiters themselves when they reach out to potential new members.

Lastly, our continued efforts to promote and build forums is succeeding. We added 22 new forums in 2021 and are on course to surpass that number in 2022. Forums not only serve as a premier resource for members, but they also strengthen the chapter, leading to higher renewals and growth.

These initiatives give me great hope. They should excite you too as we take Legatus to new heights, surpassing our all-time high of 2,800 qualifying members. As we continue to grow toward 3,000 members and spouses, we set the stage for our ambassadors to initiate tremendous change in the world and ultimately to lead many more souls to heaven. Semper altius!

Stephen M. Henley is Legatus' President