THE PART THE COMMUNITY CAN PLAY The success of any efforts at publicity or public relations depends upon the extent to which one catches the attention of the public. To this end, various community media must be used, such as its radio, its newspaper, its store windows, its public halls, and its citizens with speaking and writing talents. The community can help the public relations committee, therefore, by making these resources available to the local Girl Scout agency, and by making available to the committee those persons with publicity talent who wish to volunteer their services to the defense program. USE THIS SPACE TO LIST YOUR SPECIFIC LOCAL NEEDS 28 The Membership Job WHAT THE JOB HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP JOB has always been concerned with vitalizing the council and committee groups by bringing to them new membership material. The task involves analyzing the needs in terms of jobs to be done and qualifications needed to do them; analyzing the resources of the community; tapping the resources of the community tby careful methods of selection for specific jobs; bringing potential membership material to the attention of the commissioner and chairmen of committees; preparing a ballot for nominations and elections; counting the ballots and preparing announcements of elections. These persons are always members of a council membership committee. Qualifications. These person should know the community and its personnel resources, should know something of personnel methods of selection and placement, should be able to make effective personal appeals to others for service, and be alert to the ever-changing needs of the council and the community it serves. Help on the Job. As part of the administrative set-up of the local Girl Scout agency, these persons receive training both before and after they go on the job. Since they are always members of a council membership committee, they receive advice and help from their chairman and fellow committee members. From the Personnel Division at national headquarters they can obtain advice on attitudes and techniques of job analysis and selection and placement of council and committee members. WHAT MAKES THE JOB MORE IMPORTANT TODAY Because of the acceleration of defense activities of all kinds, the volunteer service of the community is facing unusual demands. Nothing must be done to lessen this service. In the face of this necessity, however, the membership committee must maintain its own ranks, because Girl Scouting is part of defense. This necessity places upon the committee a compulsion to tap new resources and to improve their methods of selection and placement to a point where no one’s talents are wasted and no one who is willing and able to serve remains idle. The urgency of the times makes people more willing to serve their community than in normal times. The public is service-minded and anxious to make a contribution to defense. 29