GPUS Steering Committee Minutes – Strategy Call – 3 January 2019
AGENDA:
I. CALL SETUP & BACKGROUND – 15 min
a) Facilitator: Margaret Flowers
b) Roll call – Gloria Mattera, Hillary Kane. Jody Grage, Justin Beth, Margaret Flower, Andrea Merida, Tony Ndege.,
Violet Zitola, Anita Rios
Observers – Tamar Yager VA, Tommie James – NC, Philena Farley OH, Erin Fox MI
c) Agenda revision suggestions – Chat feature will not be used
2. Key discussions based on last call
a) Responsibilities of committees and role of SC
JUSTIN – need for best practices, increase consistency, review goals and how they fit in with GPUS vision and goals
GLORIA – meet baselines, best practices not necessarily rules, need more reporting
ANITA – possibly group committees together, identify key committees
HILLARY – lots of new energy, need to increase expectations/accountability/responsibilities/reportingl reporting perhaps only quarterly
ANDREA – goal of 5% in 2020, group CCC/BAC/AC, AC could become state support committee – connect to resources/Outreach/CCC/BAC; Strategic Plan needs to be ratified by the NC; facilitator training – could be done by liaison
HILLARY – liaison system should keep SC/NC informed
TONY – communications hub needed for synergy, need working groups to increase participation, spread work so an individual not on so many committees that their energy is dissipated. encourage more inviting committee culture
VIOLET – synergy/communication, need structure more effective than liaison system, more flexible/open policy about participation on email lists, consider other modes than email which is often difficult – less computer oriented
JUSTIN – identify individual talents, individual goals for states in 2020, get strategic plan for every committee and look for common threads and fit with overall GPUS goals, know committee outputs and relate to communication between committees, SC is the glue that holds it all together
MARGARET – Loomio communication tool, see 2014 proposals with action items for committees
GLORIA – has also used Loomio, how will we proceed from this conversation
ANITA – SC meant to be the hub, limitation to volunteerism especially for poorer people, bottlenecks exist, need linkages – committees/regions, NC is the most dysfunctional committee and regional connections could help
HiLLARY – previous Strategic Plan has good content and charts, produced directives that didn’t get buy in, issues of lack of free time and increased conflict when being Green
JUSTIN – seeking more buy in – ask each committee to develop their strategic plan and bring to the SC to come up with an overall plan, set up SC interoffice communication that includes committee co-chairs
ANDREA – stress local development to increase national participation, need collaboration, screen for NC participation
GLORIA – states need to supervise GPUS committee participation, few responsibilities listed for committees
b) National committee delegates’ responsibility to state parties
JODY – mission statement needed – first need a good process for developing one
JUSTIN – have each SC member write mission statement, vision, and goals and compare, perhaps NC members also
MARGARET – mission needs to identify why we exist, vision – where to be in five years
TONY – need for lit and visibility
HILLARY – failed mission statement proposal from 2011
Consensus on need for mission statement, ANITA – get information/.input from NC, volunteers: GLORIA, JUSTIN, MARGARET, ANDREA will work on this
c) SC responsibility to GPUS rules – for future session
3. Review of mission and vision – for future session
4. What committees/caucuses are key to supporting the mission and vision?
How are they functioning? Review strategic document on committees – how are committees doing with respect to the tasks that are outlined? See https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ci1BsriGIQtUXcgugGUBvzYlFdzgUHMKI4shfUVToQI/edit?usp=sharing
ANITA – caucuses are semi-autonomous and we do not task them, committees are to get the work of the NC done;
GREEN PAGES largely dormant – could develop blogging, vignettes; transition from newspaper to using internet; Green Pages/Media/Advertising-PR work together; DIVERSITY getting going again, DISPUTE RESOLUTION coming up with good ideas for how it can evolve; should review all of committees – shouldn’t have uniform ways – need elected membership, need some smaller and some larger and better structured for efficiency
HILLARY – four or five buckets of work – outreach/visibility – electoral work – issues – etc.
VIOLET – coordinate timing of calls including next Strategic Plan call
ANIMAL RIGHTS – JUSTIIN – could include climate change aspects, low functioning, may be active locally in NY –
GLORIA – example of use of state liaisons to each committee
ANNUAL NATIONAL MEETING – MARGARET – 2019 location already determined, working on workshops more proactively, improve outreach to states to host; HILLARY – role of meeting important – no longer a business meeting – could shift meeting more away from delegates/alternates to individuals, ANM handles logistics, SC handles plenary scheduling, 3-4 core people plus local volunteers, actually the PNC is a production; ANDREA – can have little value for a state, location should be where ballot access work is needed, consider regional meetings – water issue for example;
JODY – facilitate combining business and social, regional every other could lead to meshing GPUs, states, elected delegates and individuals for good synergy, TONY – need more interactions and national discussions, ANITA – committees are to make reports, good organizing efforts, very economical, good skill buildings but we could do better, could do regional every other year – shared issues, VIOLET – no substitute for establishing in-person relationships, success if leave with more energy than came with, JUSTIN – new delegates learn about committees and that should be featured, ANDREA – need to understand economic realities of attending the ANM
BALLOT ACCESS – VIOLET- BAC meeting at this time; Jody former BAC co-chair – productive, data gathered/maintained/ and updated, regional approach, BAC Funding application for expertise, quite good use of available funds
BYLAWS, RULES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES – ANDREA – decentralized, stresses adherence to the rules, much inertia now, can’t get candidates for 2nd co-chair, perhaps should become ad hoc group to work when needed, or SC could do; ANITA – periodic review of bylaws required by BRPP, committees aren’t doing what they ought to be doing; GLORIA – first step review of a committee – value, responsibilities – before reforming, more direction seems needed; JODY – overbearing leadership issues, review of rules that are convoluted and vague, often first step needs BRPP participation; MARGARET – maybe elected membership, maybe more specific tasks; ANDREA – need the right people, need committee rules, not oversight role
CCC – GLORIA – fulfill a lot of their goals, organized, collaborate working, webinars, always more that can be done, have minimal funding to support candidates, trying new ideas including technical systems; seemed to define 2016 effort – may need to ask for more input from states – problem with Green Wave effort, need more connections between BAC/CCC/Media/Outreach; MARGARET – 2018 not enough overall strategy for which candidate to support questions on storing webinars; HILLARY – all webinars are archived – 1000 people have attended a webinar – also have state liaison system which still needs improving, have no overall strategy though tried to develop one after the 2013 strategy plan – decoded on four-pronged issue based strategy – didn’t have internal bandwidth/human resources to execute and candidates weren’t connecting with those issues, back to looking at the individual applications; JUSTIN – phonebanking for 2018 candidates – CCC could focus on close races and draw in people across the country; JODY – CCC has had forms for candidates for a long time; MARGARET – need to know who in party has certain skills esp treasurers and of training opportunities across the country; be able to identify potential races that are impactful to get more support; JODY – job description for down tickets positions – what can be done as a Green – give both reasons to run and provide talking points, HILLARY – creating treasurer’s network
5. Tasks and next steps. – for future session
a) Review timeline at the bottom of the google doc above and here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D1f_X5SBRRydYmhwJzr8dpE5kYNliltyQek5tRFjuzA/edit?usp=sharing
b) List old uncompleted tasks and new tasks, including those discussed on the last strategic planning call.
c) Prioritize and delegate tasks. Create a timeline.
Total time on call – 3 hours
Jody Grage
GPUS Secretary