Organizational Structure

We categorize the nearly 850,000 members who make up the national organization known as the American Legion Auxiliary into units, departments and divisions. And it is with great pride that we recognize it is the individual members that make us the largest women’s patriotic service organization in the world! See below for details on how our structure operates.

Units - 9,500+
This is a group of (at least ten) individuals—and must be connected with an American Legion Post. That requirement has to do with the way The American Legion was chartered by Congress.  We also have foreign units in other parts of the world.

Departments - 52
This is a group of units in a defined geographical area. Typically these correspond with our states, but we do have a Department of Puerto Rico. Our foreign units are not associated with a department.

Divisions - 5                                  
This is a group of departments in a defined geographical area. Our five divisions are: Central, Eastern, Southern, Western, Northwestern.

Our Governance Structure
Our process for electing and appointing organizational leaders at the various levels follows the same format as our organizational structure: unit, department, division, and national. Learn More...