Michael,
Thanks for sending this info. Here is my take on the LPC awards plan
in a nutshell: Our state chair has figured out the priorities he thinks
the regions ought to have, and what information he would like to see
from them on a regular basis, and came up with this awards plan as a
mechanism for making it happen. It's difficult to control something as
diverse and localized as a bunch of county organizations without
regular, standardized data, and Aaron has made no secret of the fact
that he favors a top-down, centralized organizational model for the
party.
Now some of the items listed in the plan are things we probably
*should* be keeping better track of internally. But I would question
whether we should put any effort into participating in this program.
First, I question whether it would be productive to fill our
newsletter with a lot of the stuff he wants us to include in it. Right
now we are not even publishing the Golden Gate Libertarian monthly;
therefore space in the newsletter is valuable. We have already cut back
on this important member service by reducing the frequency of
publication (something I hope we can reverse soon). Most of the data
that Aaron wants to see published (meeting attendance, fundraising
data, membership data) will probably not be of great interest to many
of our members, nor will they educate anyone about liberty. I suspect
that members are much more interested in seeing local news, pictures,
our take on current events, and arguments in support of libertarian
ideas in our newsletter. Therefore, regularly including lots of raw
data on things like membership and fundraising would be an effective
further reduction in the value we give to the people who support us
morally and financially.
Second, this whole awards program is largely internal in focus. What I
mean by that is that it does not directly affect anyone outside our
organization. I sometimes find it useful to think about how much of my
time and effort as a Libertarian activist is being spent on internal
effort, versus how much is going into external effort — distributing
fliers, speaking to the public, writing letters to the editor, getting
new members and registered Libertarians, etc. Right now, for example,
in writing this email I am strictly engaged in internal activism. Even
if we don't adopt this program, it will have already had the effect of
focusing more of our energy on internal matters. Adopting it will mean
*many more* hours devoted to internal matters, at the obvious expense
of getting things done that have a real-world impact.
The internal/external balance is one that it behooves all of us to be
mindful of, because ultimately what counts in the struggle for liberty
is what we do externally. Internal efforts are only successful if they
protect or enhance the value of our external efforts. Organizationally,
I think that we ought to be primarily concerned with making *external*
activism happen, and that attention to internal "housekeeping" type
things generally be limited to what is truly important or necessary.
For example, instead of one of our activists taking his or her time to
track the number of volunteer hours we're racking up each month, we
would be better served by that person simply spending the time going
out and volunteering! We are not a large enough organization that
pouring a significant amount of resources into such tracking efforts is
a good use of our time, in my opinion.
Finally, I note that Aaron and Bruce have copyrighted this awards
program for the LPC. Claiming a copyright on something is not the
action of someone who simply has a good idea and wants to see it spread
as much as possible. It is the action of someone who wants to make sure
they control something. I think we have seen enough examples of our
state chair's efforts to control things in other areas to be rightfully
wary of new initiatives that seem to fall into the same category.
Yours in liberty,
<<< Starchild >>>
Dear Folks,
At the meeting last Saturday, you requested I resend
to you a copy of the LPC ARP for your consideration.
Here it is.Best, Michael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Libertarian Party of California
Awards and Recognition ProgramThis program is designed to encourage and reward Libertarian
activists and activism.Setting standards of achievement fosters Libertarian excellence
and success. This program also gives regions and individuals a
template to build success.Awards will be given on a universal performance standard.
All regions, regardless of size, can reach award status.Regions will be given awards in four categories, as well as an
overall award. Awards will be given at three levels: Gold, Silver
and Bronze.The four categories are:
1. Organization
2. Membership
3. Fundraising
4. VolunteerismThe three levels of achievement reflect different levels of
success in these areas:
Bronze Award - Good
Silver Award - Very Good
Gold Award - ExcellentReporting requirements are clear and simple.
Any active region in observance of LPC bylaws may participate
in this program.Aaron Starr, State Chair - 805.404.8693
Bruce Cohen, Committee Chair - 949.388.5463
Donna Nowland, Committee Member - 805.646.3750This entire program, its theme and concept Copyright February
2003, Libertarian Party of California, Bruce Cohen and Aaron
StarrAny Libertarian Organization may reproduce this program in its
entirety.1. Libertarian Party of California Organization Award
This award recognizes achievement in Organization.
Bronze Level
Annual Officer Elections.
Quarterly Newsletter mailed to all members. *
Officer contact information in each newsletter. **
Vacant Officer positions in each newsletter.
Quarterly Meetings.
Regional Bylaws Published on Regional Website.
Level of Organizational Achievement in each newsletter.
Unfilled requirements for next level in each newsletter.Silver Level
All requirements for Bronze, plus:Monthly Newsletter mailed to all members. *
Monthly business meetings held.
Guest speaker at every other meeting.
No vacancies in officer positions.
Names of members at meetings and events listed in each
newsletter. ***
Names and backgrounds of meeting guests mentioned in each newsletter.
****Gold Level
All requirements for Silver, plus:Treasurer's summary in newsletter. *****
Goals published and tracked in each newsletter.*Mail via USPS and include LPC Secretary, LPC Editor, and
LPC Awards & Recognition Chair in distribution.**Should include phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
*** Or the number of attendees if over 20.
****If no guests attended, that should be stated in newsletter.
*****Minimum of three items: total receipts, spending and cash
on hand.2. Libertarian Party of California Membership Award
This award recognizes achievement in Membership.
Bronze Level
Bronze level achieved in Organization.
Membership Chair position filled.
New members listed in newsletter. *
Number of new members last month and last twelve months in newsletter.
Number of members compared to last year in newsletter. **
Retention: Lapse ratio calculation in newsletter. ***
Level of Membership Achievement in each newsletter.
Unfilled requirements for next level in each newsletter.Silver Level
All requirements for Bronze, plus:Silver level achieved in Organization.
At least six new members per 100,000 in population in past 12 months.
****
Retention: Lapse ratio less than 25%. ***Gold Level
All requirements for Silver, plus:Gold level achieved in Organization.
At least nine new members per 100,000 in population in past 12 months.
****
Retention: Lapse ratio less than 15%. **** Also includes subscribing members who don't sign the pledge.
** If last year information not available, compare to first month.
(Ideally, this could be in a bar chart graph showing each month
over 24 months.)*** Members lapsed during last 12 months who were members
longer than one year divided by current number of members.**** Pro-rated if tracking began less than 12 months ago.
3. Libertarian Party of California Fundraising Award
This award recognizes achievement in Fundraising.
Bronze Level
Bronze level achieved in Organization.
Fundraising Chair in place.
New monthly pledges listed in newsletter. *
Monthly pledges added in last month and last twelve months in
newsletter. **
Pledges for the month versus last year in each newsletter. **
Level of Fundraising Achievement in each newsletter.
Unfilled requirements for next level in each newsletter.Silver Level
All requirements for Bronze, plus:Silver level achieved in Organization.
Fundraising goals published and tracked in each newsletter.
Minimum of $10 in pledges per month per 100,000 in
population. ***Gold Level
All requirements for Silver, plus:Gold level achieved in Organization.
Minimum of $25 in pledges per month per 100,000 in
population. ****List may indicate "anonymous." Prepaid pledges may be
converted to monthly equivalents.**If last year information not available, compare to first month.
(Ideally, this could be in a bar chart graph showing each month
over 24 months.)***Pledges more than 90 days in arrears excluded.
4. Libertarian Party of California Volunteerism Award
This award recognizes achievement in Volunteerism.
Bronze Level
Bronze level achieved in Organization.
Volunteer Chair position filled.
Names, dates and accomplishments of last month's volunteers
in newsletter.
Hours of volunteer time last month and last twelve months in
newsletter. *
Hours of volunteer time last month versus last year in
newsletter. **
Level of Organizational Achievement in each newsletter.
Unfilled requirements for next level in each newsletter.Silver Level
All requirements for Bronze, plus:Silver level achieved in Organization.
12 hours volunteer time over previous 12 months per 100,000
in population. ***Gold Level
All requirements for Silver, plus:Gold level achieved in Organization.
24 hours volunteer time over previous 12 months per 100,000
in population. ****To count, each volunteer session to be 3 hours minimum.
Volunteer time does not include the monthly business meeting or
travel time.**If last year information not available, compare to first month.
(Ideally, this could be in a bar chart graph showing each month
over 24 months.)*** Pro-rated if tracking began less than 12 months ago.
-------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US &
Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/l.m7sD/LIdGAA/qnsNAA/69cplB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------
~->To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lpsf-activists-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.comYour use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/l.m7sD/LIdGAA/qnsNAA/69cplB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lpsf-activists-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos