[StrategyPlan] Goals and Strategy Exercise

[civillib]

So, just for example, Sacramento County could host neighboring counties 
- El Dorado, Placer, Davis, etc. for a one-day (4 hours or so) to discuss
these general areas, and come with a transmittal report to the GA?

If that's the case, the value of counties getting together is, in 
itself, very worthwhile.

Thanks, Jim, for doing this.

Cres
Sac County Greens

On 12/10/2010 4:00 PM, Jim Stauffer wrote:
> The "strategy" discussions on the coco list have been centered around
> developing a list of issues to send to the Locals. I've never been clear
> on what the Locals are suppose to do with that list -- discuss the
> issues verbatim or just use them as a reference for local discussions.
>
> I've not favored a 'list' approach, preferring to hear what the Locals
> come up with on their own, but emphasizing the need to be realistic (as
> opposed to wish-list brainstorming).
>
> Also, there doesn't seem to be agreement on the duration and composition
> of the counties' strategy meetings. I still advocated the one-day,
> multi-counties structure.
>
> I've put together a draft of an announcement to send to the Locals. It's
> centered around the approach I've advocated. However, I did take the
> issues list that was developed and added it as a reference of what cocos
> had suggested. (Actually, that list is primarily Shane's contributions
> plus a few of mine.)
>
> Comments on this plan are welcome. But I would like to hear whether or
> not people are generally in favor of this approach.
>
> However, this announcement will be received in the counties with no
> forewarning or prior discussions on the topic. This is one of the
> conditions I wanted to avoid. It would be far better to discuss this
> plan with the counties at a GA prior to sending them an actionable item.
> Should we send this now, or wait until after the next GA?
>
> Also, this plan assumes that the CC will be actively involved with
> facilitating this project by being in touch with their Locals and
> encouraging their participation, and helping to organize the meetings.
>
>
> Jim
> =======================================================================
>
>
> GPCA GOALS AND STRATEGIES FOR LONG-TERM PLANNING
> A Participatory Exercise
>
>
> Green Party Locals:
>
> We would like to engage all GPCA county Locals in an exercise to
> establish long-term goals for the party. By agreeing on a set of goals,
> we give the party definition and purpose. From those goals we develop
> strategies for their implementation. This creates projects for our
> Working Groups and Standing Committees (WG/SC), and it helps attract
> volunteers and donations.
>
> It’s important to be realistic when setting goals. Brainstorming
> exercises encourage free-thinking with no critique or analysis of
> suggested issues. Goal setting is different; it’s intended to derive
> projects that are achievable, not just desirable. We all have a list of
> favorite issues and a wish-list of what we’d like the party to be. But
> we must focus on what we can actually accomplish – realistic goals.
>
> We encourage Locals to get together with your neighboring counties for
> this exercise. Gathering into a group from a few counties helps the
> thought process. It gets us outside of our normal monthly meeting crowd
> and provides the synergy of a larger group.
>
> The Coordinating Committee (CC) will gather the reports from this
> exercise and present the results at next General Assembly. The CC would
> like all county responses by the end of February.
>
>
>
> PROCESS
>
> We are proposing an afternoon meeting of up to four hours for this
> exercise. A venue should be selected that allows participants to attend
> and return home in one day.
>
> Contact your neighboring counties and get an estimate of attendance.
> Find a meeting room or a house of sufficient size. Consider traveling
> distance for all attendees.
>
> Take notes of the goals discussed and rank or categorize them by the
> level of agreement or support. Submit the report to your CC Regional
> Rep, or to the CC list (gpca-cc at cagreens.org). Please identify which
> counties participated in the exercise and how many people attended.
>
>
> DISCUSSION
>
> We want to hear what Locals think our long-term goals should be. This
> requires some degree of open discussion, but the exercise must remain
> moderated by the theme of realistic goals. For every suggested goal, the
> presenter should have some idea of a strategy to implement that goal.
>
> Basically, the question to answer is, “What should the GPCA accomplish
> in five years and in ten years?”
>
> Some organizing may help the discussion:
>
> Political Goals
> Partisan and non-partisan candidates
> Campaigns and ballot proposition
> Election reforms
>
> Internal / Party Goals
> Voter registration
> Developing county Locals
> Fundraising
> Internal structure and process
>
>
>
>
> REFERENCES
>
> The WG/SC coordinators have been discussing this subject and have come
> up with their list of issues. These are being provided here just as a
> reference, they should not be used as guidance for your discussions. Its
> purpose is to provide input as to what volunteers at the state level see
> as our long-term issues.
>
> 1. Given the current recession and its detrimental effect on
> fundraising, should GPCA and its locals adopt a “survival plan” until
> recovery is tangible (e.g. unemployment below 8%)? How would this affect
> all goals and strategies?
>
> 2. What are realistic voter registration goals? What attracts people to
> a small party? What caused the California Green registration decline of
> the past six years, can it be reversed? Was the 2010 new registrations
> of about 1,000 too unambitious?
>
> 3. Given that we have less than 1% of registered voters, what are
> realistic electoral strategies for a party of our size? Do we continue
> attempts in partisan races or focus on non-partisan races? If there is
> to be focus on State-wide offices, then should GPCA focus on the MOST
> "winnable seats"? What funding and effort split is desirable? This
> should be ‘partisan offices.’ Is there a realistic strategy for winning
> partisan races?
>
> 4. How do we recruit/develop electable candidates for non-partisan offices?
>
> 5. How do we recruit electable candidates for state-wide offices? This
> should be ‘partisan offices.’ Is there a realistic strategy for winning
> partisan races?
>
> 6. Does Prop 14 provide any potential to us? Should GPCA continue to be
> part of the lawsuit against Prop 14? Do we raise funds for the lawsuit?
> Are we part of a lawsuit against Prop 14? I don’t recall any discussion
> of us joining a lawsuit.
>
> 7. Should we make a real, concerted effort to promote ranked-choice
> voting (i.e. Instant Runoff Voting and proportional representation)?
>
> 8. Should GPCA consider closer ties with the Progressive Caucus of the
> California Democratic Party? How would this work at the level of the
> Locals?
>
> 9. The GPCA’s decentralized structure and consensus-seeking decision
> process is an experiment that we’ve carried on for 20 years. Is it
> working well enough? Is there a good balance of responsibilities between
> the state party and the county parties? Should we examine giving more
> authority over internal business to the state party?
>
> 10. Is continuing to rely solely on volunteer labor a viable plan for
> growth?
>
> 11. What kind of representation do counties/regions/locals want in GPCA?
> How should the current system be changed for the better?
>
> 12. What factors have created viable, stable Locals? What factors have
> caused Locals to deteriorate?
>
> 13. What resources do Locals need from the state party? What resources
> does the state party need from Locals? What specific services/mutual
> agreements do Counties/regions/locals want from GPCA? How should the
> current system be changed?
>
> 14. Should in-person General Assemblies be scrapped? If yes, what should
> replace them? Are the alternatives cost-effective?
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