What Would Alice Paul Do?

In episode 7, we smash through the League of Women Voters terms so you are in the know and can fully participate in League activities and leadership! We also share an activist alert.

• What is Program Planning? Program Planning usually happens in the first of the year. Be sure to check out episode 3:  value of nonpartisanship and episode 1: advocacy versus lobbying. Program planning is the first in the process to create an action agenda. For example, Campaign to Make Democracy Work For All from 2016 National Convention. Short summary of the League’s Public Policy Positions and LWV's Impact on Issues 2016-2018.
• What is the difference between "Program" (positions, action, advocacy) versus hosting programs like events or forums?
• What is Voter Service? Activities that include educational tools and events that help grow the electorate and help voters make informed decisions at the polls. It is the most sacred nonpartisan work we do. It can include creating voter guides for elections, voter registration, Vote411.org, hosting candidate and issue forums. 
• What is Calendaring? Creating a plan for the year. Calendaring resources from LWV:  360 Degree Look at Calendaring for 365 Days and Calendaring Part 2 (PDF)
• What is Leaders Update? The LWVUS Leaders' Updates are sent out weekly to state and local presidents. These updates keep state and local Leagues informed about LWVUS actions, upcoming events, and opportunities. Visit lwv.org for more information, including how to sign up. Another tip: the state league will often also have a newsletter you can be added to.
• What is MAL? MAL stands for Members-at-Large and can be pronounced as an acronym or phonetically as "mal." It refers to League members who may not belong to a local league chapter or the local league chapter is new and hasn't yet received its official status. Many leagues are now using the term "State Unit" or "Geographical Unit" in its place. Find out more in this PDF, Starting Strong for State Leagues: Building a League Presence and Local Leagues at the Community Level. 
• What is a PMP? It stands for Per Member Payment and refers to the dues paid to state and national league from the local leagues.  It is similar to a franchise fee. Find out more at LWV.org.
• What is forum.lwv.org? It is a member-focused section on the League of Women Voters of the United States' website. It is also called the League Management Site.
• Pro tip: Search for ideas on other local League websites using your favorite search engine like Google.
• What is the Clearinghouse? The Clearinghouse is a location for all Leagues to share their positions. You can do a concurrence of these positions, if you want to adopt them at your local league. What is concurrence you ask? It's an agreement by League members that leads to defining a position on an issue reached by another League, study committee, task force, or League board.
• Another pro tip: Leagues will often check out other League's positions for a position to save time. In other words, instead of doing a formal study on an issue, Leagues will head over to the Clearinghouse, find a position that meets their needs, and then have a concurrence on another League's position. This process allows Leagues to be more nimble in their passion for action.
• What is an ILO? An ILO is a Inter-League Organization. Find out more at the Upper Mississippi River Region ILO. 
• What is the difference between a debate and a forum? The Federal Election Commission (FEC) defines a debate as an event that (1) includes at least two candidates; (2) is staged in a way that does not promote or advance one candidate over another; and (3) allows the candidates to appear concurrently, in face-to-face confrontations, with opportunities to respond to each other. Non-Debate Candidate Appearances (also known as Candidate Forums or Speeches) are other formats outside those described above are considered “Non-debate Candidate Appearances” – defined as a place, meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue are exchanged. Find out more at LWV.org.
• Why doesn't the League of Women Voters sponsor the Presidential Debates anymore?  Find out more about the League and its history with the presidential debates and check out this LWV press release from 1988. 

Peeing in their boots! Stop Voter Suppression. Now more than ever! Election Integrity Commission, voter rolls, scare tactics. What is flippin' going on?? We are fighting back! Sign the petition and be counted!  Alice Paul wouldn’t take this and neither will we! Call your U.S. Rep and your U.S. Senators to tell them the Election Integrity Commission is a sham and was only developed to create more suppressive election policies and to deny voters their right to vote. 

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In this supersized episode, we talk about raising funds for your League of Women Voters projects, specifically, the how-tos of how to make it rain money! We also have a special guest, LWVUS Board member, Kim Lauth. 

• Check out our first part of this series on fundraising

We are joined by Kim Lauth, board member of the League of Women Voters of the United States and CEO of Kim Lauth Consulting, LLC. Find out more about Kim.

Kim details the power of a fundraising ask event, which is a great way to bring money to your cause. Email Kayte Kennedy, Chief Development Officer at LWVUS to be added to a list-serv about League fundraising.

• Download LWVUS tips on how to hold an "ask" event. 

Direct mail /Appeal Letter Tips

1. Personalize your letter
2. Add pictures of activities (voter registrations, etc)
3. Consider writing one letter to League members and another to community members.
4. Write the letter in the form of a story
5. Include “you” language so the reader knows their contribution will make a difference. 
6. Have a personal note.
7. Include a P.S.
8. Keep a file of other organizations’ ask letters
9. Include a remit envelope
10. Stamped letters are better
11. Reply with a thank you letter within 3 days. Donations to 501(c)3 organization have to mailed by the end of January of the next fiscal year.
12. Grow your lists by asking board members and former board members 
13. Create a calendar for appeal letters (summer, year end, voter guide, dues renewal)

Crowdsourcing may be be worth trying with your networks. Websites to try: Fundraise.com, CauseVox, Fundly, Razoo, StartSomeGood, indiegogo, Facebook fundraising. 

• Have a donation box
• Host a film and food night
• Host a trivia night
• Partner with a vendor for a promotion.
• Create your own t-shirts and get commission. Websites to try:  Custom Ink's Booster, TeeSpring, CafePress. Remember: If the volunteers wear the same shirt, it is great for advocacy, observer corp, and voter registration. 
• Host a holiday party with followup for the ask
• Fundraise for "passion projects" where you raise money for a specific cause within the League
• Host a "Birthday Change" event. Ask your guests to make change with their change.
• Offer to run elections for homeowners associations, unions and neighborhood councils
• Have a fundraising match. Have the board, major donor or another organization offer to match the gifts of donors. 
• Host a Phonathon
• Partner with a radio station to host an auction 

• Fourth Wave Apparel 
• "10 Companies That Can Help You Make Money By Designing T-Shirts" by The Work at Home Woman.
• Phonathons: The Fundraiser’s Ultimate Guide & 14 Top Tips by DoubletheDonation.com
• Fundraising the League Way by League of Women Voters
• Facebook and Nonprofit Fundraising
• Fundraising Planning Worksheet (PDF) by People Powered Movement
• LWV's Event Planning Checklist (PDF) (for brainstorming)

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In Episode 5 of the What Would Alice Paul Do? Podcast, we discuss fundraising in the League of Women Voters in this first part of a two-part series, and we share an activist alert and a book recommendation. 

What is LWV Council?
Two representatives from each state League were invited to attend National Council in June 2017. The work of the 2017 council was to help refine the “blueprint” for the League’s organization-wide transformation to strengthen the League of Women Voters’ role in the American elections process by 2020. Read more on LWV.org.

• Giving USA Report for 2017. See more in this infographic.
• We discuss the Fundraising Pyramid: Occasional Gifts, Annual Gifts, Major Gifts, Planned Gifts
• The Art of the Ask: It can feel difficult to make the ask, but having a plan helps ease anxiety. 
• We talk about Board Giving. If you serve on a nonprofit board, including the League of Women Voters, give a gift that is meaningful for you. When asked to join a board, be sure to ask what is expected of you in terms of board giving.
• Fundraising is Relationship-Building. It can feel easier to ask corporations and foundations for money because it is transactional. But time needs to be spent cultivating relationships. 
• When you ask someone to give, you are inviting them to invest their money to making a difference with League of Women Voters.
• Consider giving to your local, state or national League of Women Voters. LWVUS has a monthly giving program, Partners in Democracy. Find out more here.

• Association of Fundraising Professionals - The Donors Bill of Rights  
• Do You Hate Asking for Money? Here’s a New Way to Look at Fundraising.
• Fundraising 101 – The League Way

• The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources by Lynne Twist. Visit the book's website. 
• Let us know your book recommendations for fundraising. Email us!

• Senate Reveals Nasty Health Care Bill. 
• Call Capitol Switch Board (202) 224-3121 (save in your cell phone!) and tell your Senators that the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 is not worthy of this great nation.

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In episode 4,  we talk about engaging new volunteers in person and online, and we share a League of Women Voters activist alert.

• Bad emails
• No communication
• Not asking why they joined and what motivates them
• Not inviting them to join with volunteer opportunities
• Not defining volunteer role
• No connections to other volunteers

This Maya Angelou quote is good to remember: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Relationships are being built face-to-face and online.

• Host a League 101 training.
• Explain volunteer roles clearly.
• Provide meaty and challenging roles (think: resume building).
• The feeling that the activity is worth while. 
• Refresher training / regional training / train the trainer workshops. 
• Good Communications - if they don’t know an opportunity exists, then it doesn’t exist. It has to be polished and clear.

• Email Tips: Subject Lines are really important. Make is standout!
• Signupgenius.com and SignUp.com - for volunteer notifications.
• MealTrain.com - To organize meals.
• LinkedIn.com to share experiences, help build networks and build online resumes--for your League, it's members and supporters, and you.
• Figure out what social media platforms your community uses. Manage those platforms really well.
• Graphics - if you need help with graphics, check out canva.com.
• Don’t be afraid to send emails and reminders. Have the news be ongoing. This demonstrates how active your League is.
• Recognize volunteer contributions. A great example is from Oregon Bus Project, the “t-shirt that cannot be bought.”
• Use Annual Meetings as a way to highlight the great work your League has done. Celebrate your successes and volunteers! - Tell your volunteers' stories.

• Use the phone to call and text.
• Cluster Mentorship - Have a seasoned League member mentor three or four new members. Build relationships and interest.
• Have a rally on an issue - have a speaker and snacks.
• Host a Sips and Civility event or an event that bring people together to talk about issues that matter in a nonjudgemental, safe space. Help people get to know each other and share their stories. Example from LWV San Diego.
• Civics Game Night. Example from LWV Falls Church VA.
• Twitter Takeover. What Does a Successful Social Media Takeover Look Like? On Classy.com

• Protect Our Care
• Sign up for League of Women Voters Action Alerts

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Music by OhmLab.

In episode 3, we talk about the value of nonpartisanship in a polarizing world and take a listener question.

• The beginnings of the League of Women Voters as a women’s voting rights organization with Carrie Chapman Catt at the helm.
• How we form public policy positions
• The importance of consensus - “The feel of the room”
• Public Policy Positions of the League of Women Voters of the U.S. Check with your state and local leagues for their specific positions.
• What we are doing with our nonpartisanship policy? Candidate forum tips from LWV Washington, Voter Guide tips, Vote411.org, Voter Registration Drives for high schools (PDF), Naturalization Ceremonies (PDF), National Voter Registration Day and more.
• We are a political organization
• Civil discourse resources
  LWV North San Diego County
  LWV Oregon
  LWV San Luis Obispo County CA
• Nonpartsianship and social media - Watch our video on how you can change an image on a Facebook post you create.
• We are Nonpartisan Party Animals!

Does the League of Women Voters own this podcast? We are League volunteers who are doing this podcast on our own, and paying for any costs incurred ourselves. We are grateful for the encouragement from the League of Women Voters.

• Developing and Implementing a Nonpartisan Policy
• Messaging for Impact: What resonates with voters in 2016 (Video from LWV 2016 Convention)

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Music by OhmLab.

We're excited for our second episode of the What Would Alice Paul Do? Podcast! The response to our show has been overwhelming. Thank you for supporting our project! In this episode, we share personal stories of leadership development in the League of Women Voters.

• Amy talks about starting a League of Women Voters in Sault Sainte Marie, MI (LWV Eastern Upper Peninsula, Michigan) 
• Melissa talks about starting Act One: Hands-On Civics in Cincinnati with LWV Cincinnati.

• Build Relationships
• "Bring the Party" - have food and conversations
• Use volunteers’ personal talents
• Use passion of volunteers to make a difference with the mission of the League versus the adminstrative work of the League
• Raise the visibility of the League of Women Voters and have multiple people helping with social media, creating flyers, radio interviews, letters-to-the-editor
• Be conscious with making the work-life balance with volunteers  
• Start small when developing leaders
• Provide a support system for new members. Find out more about LWV mentoring (Video)
• Outline expectations for leadership positions.

We talk about this quote from a listener: “A good leader leads where the group is interested in going, with stretch.”

• Packet on Developing Leaders within the League of Women Voters, including the Leadership Development Ladder (PDF)
• 10 Strategies for recruiting active volunteers by Everyday Democracy

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In this episode, we talk about the difference between advocacy and lobbying. Lobbying is about supporting or opposing specific legislation.  Tips include having facts with you so they can be shared and taken back to convince other legislators join in.  The cost of these activities are usually covered by a League of Women Voters "general funds" (a.k.a. 501c4 money).  Advocacy include educational opportunity to gain awareness around an issue. Activities can include forums on topics the community cares about. Funding for this type of activities are typically covered by tax-deductible funds (a.k.a. 501c3 money).

• Public Policy Positions of the League of Women Voters
• Money In Politics Action Kit
• Watch a webinar for using the Money in Politics Action Kit (VIDEO)
• Join the LWV Money in Politics Google Group
• Learn more about LWV Lobby Corps (volunteers who meet in Washington, D.C.)
• Examples of Legislator Interviews: LWV of Pennsylvania, LWV Chester County, PA, LWV of Florida, 
• We encourage you to check out Iron Jawed Angels, a movie about Alice Paul and the U.S. fight for women's voting rights. Find out more about the movie at IMDB. Get resources for Educators at Cincy World Cinema. 

• Sign up for League of Women Voters Action Alerts
• Join LWVUS on Facebook
• Join LWVUS on Twitter

The music for this episode was by OhmLab.