[Sosfbay-discuss] Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers (was Re: Strategy Retreat Mar. 31)

[JamBoi]

We are only part of the way through the first step of my "Organize,
Energize, Coalize!" campaign which is par far the most important
strategies towards Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers.  Basically the
most important thing is to complete this basic program and not let it
get hung up part way through.  To wit:

Step #1  Fill County Council
1) Fill the County Council up to the 7 members required by bylaws
a. Not finished yet - we need 2 more females.  Please speak up with
your nominations!)
2) Further expand the County Council to represent the diverse
ethnicities, faith and lifestyle orientations of Santa Clara County. 
a. The County Council is free to appoint additional members beyond the
7 minimum).

Step #2 Form Committees and Working Groups and staff them.
1) ID and create needed Committees
a. so far we've created the Strategy, Events, and Health Care
Committees and have IDed the need for a Media Committee.
2) Staff them

Step #3 Form County Locals
1) ID and create Locals
2) ID and coach leadership for each
3) Get each of them going on local meetings, house parties, issues, and
campaigns.

#4 Coalize and Caucusize
1) ID and form caucuses & join coalitional efforts
a. CaucusesWe've IDed Woman's Issues (the Feminist Issues Group, ie.
F.I.G.), Latino, Asian, Campus Greens and International (ie. non-U.S.
Citizen) Greens as all being groups we need to help form.  
b. Coalitions: We've already joined the SCC Single Payer Health Care
Coalition, and the Silicon Valley Impeachment Coalition as well as
making close contact with the Peace Center, South Bay Mobilization and
other progressive groups in the area.
2) Staff 

Q: WHY WILL THESE THREE STEPS IN AND OF THEMSELVES KICK OFF THE
RECRUITING AND RETAINING OF VOLUNTEERS???  
A: Simple.  Because it means we are actually starting to DO THINGS! 
Once the GPSCC is actually accomplishing things we will have so many
recruits we won't know what to do with them all.  We have already
started to get excited responses when we are out protesting or what
have you of people who are saying things like "I didn't know the Green
Party was actually doing anything!  Wow!  I'll have to check them
out!!!"  Thats what accomplishing political tasks (or 'adding value' as
we might say in SiliValley speak) will do for us.  Look for a LOT more
of that coming up.  The above steps create the GPSCC infrastructure on
which all the rest will grow from.


"Organize, Energize, Coalize!"

Drew

 
--- Jim Stauffer <jims at greens.org> wrote:

> 
> Santa Clara Greens -
> 
> We've had recent discussions about holding a local "strategy
> retreat," as
> we've done in previous years. The purpose of such an event is to put
> into
> place some goals for the local Green Party over the coming year, and
> plans
> on how to attain those goals.
> 
> This year we decided to hold it in the southern part of the county so
> the
> activists we have down there have a better opportunity to attend.
> Accordingly, Wes has reserved a community room in Morgan Hill for
> Saturday,
> March 31.
> 
> PLEASE RESPOND BACK TO THE LIST IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THIS
> RETREAT.
> 
> ------------------
> 
> 
> A personal opinion.
> 
> I've become ambivalent (at best) about strategy retreats. The
> previous
> retreats produced highly predictable results. We spend the day
> brainstorming
> a dozen different ideas, and then within a few months the fledgling
> projects
> are all but dead. What projects that do move forward typically do so
> because
> the same small handful of people who seem to do all the work got
> involved.
> 
> If this year's retreat is not going to be a waste of time, it must be
> about
> picking realistic projects that the party needs and for which we have
> a
> reasonable chance of completing.
> 
> The single most vexing and persistent problem we've faced has been
> attracting and retaining volunteers. This is a core issue that must
> be
> mitigated before other projects can be contemplated. Got any ideas?
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jim

___________________

JamBoi
Jammy The Sacred Cow Slayer

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com


 
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