Your mission is simple: Sign up just one fully paid new DAV member, and you’ll instantly be entered to win the ultimate prize package for the 2026 DAV and Auxiliary National Convention in Orlando, Florida. Think sunshine, community and $2,500 in spending money—hotel room included. Stop dreaming about a vacation and start recruiting your way to one.

The rules of the contest: Recruit one new paid member between now and June 30, 2026, and be automatically entered in the contest. There’s only one entry per person, no matter how many new members you recruit. After June 30, we’ll hold a drawing at DAV National Headquarters to pick the winner.

“One million members is more than a number—it’s a nonnegotiable floor for our legislative strength,” said National Adjutant Barry Jesinoski. “It’s what commands attention on Capitol Hill. Let’s strip the recruitment goal down to its simplest form: Find one. If every current nonrecruiter brought in just one new member, we don’t just secure our advocacy; we exponentially multiply it. Don’t worry about the total—worry about the veteran you can personally empower today.”

And when you recruit more than one new member, besides being entered in the Recruiter Rally, you’ll receive credits to purchase items from the DAV Store and other possible awards!

DAV super recruiter gives recruiting pro tips

Recruiting members isn’t easy for everyone. Besides the potential for rejection, selling anything is challenging for some people because it involves connecting with the “buyer.” But according to one DAV “super recruiter,” empathy is your superpower when selling a DAV membership.

“There might be one issue you’re focused on, that you’re passionate about—share that part of your passion,” said Shannon Sander, a service officer for the Department of New York who recruited more than 150 members last year. “Let people know what DAV is fighting for that affects you and your family. Let them know what it was that made you join DAV.”

One of the hardest parts of selling something is the potential rejection. People, in general, don’t like hearing “no” because it feels like a limitation on their desires or plans. But not Sander.

“I take ‘no’ as a maybe,” she said. “Because when I give them the information and my reason for joining DAV, the no right there turns into a maybe. Maybe they need to go home and talk to their spouse. Maybe they’re too embarrassed to say they don’t have a job right now. I never look at that no as a solid no to membership.”

The final tip from Sander involves money, or rather, how to communicate the cost of joining.

“Don’t pressure people to pay all at once,” she said. “Often, disabled veterans are living on Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation, and they have other bills. Remind them that they can take time to pay it, because DAV understands that a lot of disabled veterans don’t have top-paying jobs, and they need more time to pay off a membership.”

Guidance for recruiting new DAV members is available at dav.org under Member Resources. Click on the Publicity tile to find our recruitment resources, available in digital, print and video formats.