GPUS-SC Conference Call
August 10, 2008
8:00 p.m. EST
Participants:
Co-chairs: Jill Bussiere, Budd Dickinson, Jason Nabewaniec, Phil Huckelberry, Sanda Everrett, Cliff Thornton, Craig Thorsen. Cliff had to leave the call after about a half hour. Jason had to leave the call after 2 1/2 hours.
Secretary: Holly Hart
Treasurer: Jody Grage
Staff: Tamar Yager, Brent McMillan. Emily is on vacation this week.
Fundraising Manager for Online, Merchandise and States
Facilitator: Budd
Abbreviations used:
AC = Accreditation Committee
ANM, ANMC = Annual National Meeting Committee
BAWG = Ballot Access Working Group
BRPP = Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures Committee
BC = Black Caucus
CC = Coordinating Committee
CCC = Coordinated Campaign Committee
CG SC = Campus Greens Steering Committee
ComCom = Communications Committee
DC = Diversity Committee
DIA = Democracy in Action internet service
DRC = Dispute Resolution Committee
FC = Fundraising Committee
FEC = Federal Election Commission
GP = Green Party
IC = International Committee
LC = Lavender Caucus
NPWG = Nominating Process Working Group
NWC = National Women’s Caucus
PEC = Presidential Exploratory Committee
PCSC = Presidential Campaign Support Committee
SC = Steering Committee
SPWG = Strategic Plan Working Group
[Brackets denote editor’s suggested corrections. Some punctuation corrections done with no content change. -ed.]
AGENDA
I. Check-in, review agenda, choose facilitator
II. Executive Session 8:08-9:20 p.m.
personnel matters; campaign matters
III. STAFF REPORTS
A. POLITICAL DIRECTOR; LARGE DONOR FUNDRAISING – Brent
Brent focused on ballot access efforts quite a bit last week. Set up call for this Tuesday for people involved with information and paperwork for filings. Added candidates this week, currently at 285. UP to 9 Senate, 67 House races, now looking at recruiting down-ticket candidates. WA confirmed ballot line. VA is working hard petitioning. Ohio, NY and VA are the hot ballot access efforts right now.
Citizens Summit scheduled for Lincoln’s birthday, 2009.
DCSG had a successful press conference in front of the Washington Post about lack of coverage, good results including. a story in The Black Agenda.
Brent is researching more contacts, potential large donors, celebrity contacts.
B. FUNDRAISING – MAILINGS, SOLICITATIONS – Tamar
Re-solicitation letter to almost 14,000 who did not attend the convention went out on Monday, another 500 will go out this week. We expect to start seeing returns this coming week. A letter to folks who did attend the convention will go out in early September.
Tamar is looking into some alternative fundraising efforts, such as online auctions, and has located a company that will do a test project with GPUS. Fundraising Committee has given an initial approval to explore this further.
AGREED that, if FundCom approves, they should go ahead with the test project. Tamar will keep SC informed.
She is still looking for fundraising assistants – will send another announcement to the delegate lists.
Phil reported that national office has sent a mailing to all registered Greens in KY with a fundraising message, funds for filing fee, petition, solicit state contacts to create a state party. Phil expects this to break even financially, but will find good petitioners and long-term guidance in trying to mail registered Greens in some states.
III. TREASURER’S REPORT – Jody
Jody sent out a cash flow report showing $40k in all accounts with many of the July bills left unpaid to work toward paying the approximately $60k owed to the Palmer Hilton Hotel and the $10k owed to the Community Symphony Center. A conservative estimate of our additional income in August includes only $35k ($5k pledge, $15k loans from members, $15k usual income). Therefore, the Accounts Payable has been separated into 2 categories – the unavoidable and most necessary totaling $89k and $19k for bills that can be postponed ’til September. We have 1/3 of loan request pledged. Further discussion with Palmer House on final costs, Phil offered to help out if needed, since he is in Chicago.
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Jody reported that the Finance Committee is reluctant to seem to be setting policy and the problem is the lack of a strategic plan. Brent pointed out that the FundCom came out with a case statement, as the GPUS has not come out with a strategic plan. It is the SC’s responsibility to either initiate or develop a strategic plan. SC dropped the ball right after the 2005 national meeting, it needs to be taken up. Brent pointed out Proposal #72, which instructed the SC to take action. This led to a further discussion of strategic planning and how the SC could facilitate this. Phil feels that the SC is getting bogged down in too many things and should be able to get some things off our plates Brent will send the strategic planning document to the SC.
Phil asked about telecommunications costs. Jason asked if there has been any discussion about budget revision and fundraising. Fundraising Committee consists mostly of SC members and a couple others. Phil suggested that what we need for the rest of 2008 is a quasi-budget that takes into account that we are not going to meet our fundraising projections, and get a better understanding of what is going on rather than trying to meet expenses.
Jody reported that the Finance Committee is reluctant to be seeming to set policy. The problem is the lack of a strategic plan. Brent pointed out that the FundCom came out with a case statement (which gave an explanation of our activities and reasons for fundraising), as the GPUS has not come out with a strategic plan. It is the SC’s responsibility to either initiate or develop a strategic plan. SC dropped the ball right after the 2005 national meeting, it needs to be taken up. Brent pointed out Proposal #72, which instructed the SC to take action. This led to a further discussion of strategic planning and how the SC could facilitate this. Phil feels that the SC is getting bogged down in too many things and should be able to get some things off our plates Brent will send the strategic planning document to the SC.
Sanda asked about GPCA’s payments for convention, an issue that needs to be reconciled. Last fall, GPCA offered to register people in advance when early registrations were offered. They did this in 2 segments. Sanda asked what would happen if GPCA didn’t send that number of people, and was told GPCA would be re-imbursed. GPCA sent about $10,000. It was done by credit card over the phone, and Sanda was unaware of the March refund deadline included in the information on the website. GPCA sold quite a few of the registrations, but is still short of some of the money. Sanda would like GPCA to be refunded for the difference in the amount of registration they used and how much they paid for, ca. $1500.
IV. Rock the Debates. Phil said that Michael Richardson from the Nader campaign called him last week. Rock the debates is working on getting candidates into the debates that are on enough ballot lines where they could win enough electoral college votes to win the election; or other benchmarks. GPUS and/or the McKinney/Clemente campaign can have people on their organizing calls. Phil suggested contacting the McKinney campaign and letting them know they can have someone on the calls, and strongly recommends we have someone on the calls, as well.
AGREED that Phil join the Rock the Debates phone calls.
V. Question on GPUS as part of ACLU effort concerning IA petitioning
We have been informed there is no down-side to this AGREED that GPUS will support this effort.
VI. VOTING QUEUE/Misc. – Holly
a. NC Certification of 2008 SC Election
b. Forum Managers – Holly will follow up
c. Forum – Holly will look into whether GPUS still has access to a PHPP bulletin board used some time ago.
VIII PORTFOLIOS – latest update has been finalized and agreed on.
IX. FACILITATOR – DO WE WANT TO CONTINUE MEETING FACILITATION
We were not able to get a facilitator for this meeting. Holly will contact the former SC members who had offered to facilitate, and attempt to get a facilitator for the next meeting. We will re-evaluate next meeting whether we want to continue with an outside facilitator.
8/10/08
Holly Hart
Secretary, GPUS
NEXT CALL; Sunday, August 24, 208; 8:00 p.m. EDT