Document:LPCA Affiliate Support Handbook: Difference between revisions

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== Organized Affiliates==
== Organized Affiliates==
Organized affiliates usually have the advantage of being established, and thus not having to worry about the “basics” new and in-progress affiliates do. That being said, organized affiliates often fall into the trap of becoming complacent and set in their ways which consequently leads to stagnation, especially when it comes to recruitment and outreach (i.e., growing their membership, appeal, etc.). No matter how established an affiliate may be, there’s always room for improvement.
====Recruitment====
=====Current Dues Paying LPCA Members=====
This is the “lowest hanging fruit.” Individuals who fall under this category typically hold anything from a Basic Membership ($25 per annum) to a Lifetime Membership (One $1,000 payment to retain paid membership status for life). Their lack of involvement could stem anywhere from not knowing that their county affiliate exists (i.e., they pay dues to the Party, but are unaware that their county operates as its own separate organization), to having at one point been involved but stopping due to personal issues, or having at one point been involved but stopping due to disillusionment in the messaging/direction of the Party, to any other reason. Whatever the case, it’s important to reach out to these individuals and find out why they aren’t engaged or involved locally in hopes of addressing their pain point(s). They should be the easiest to reach out to and convince to help grow your affiliate since they believe (or at the very least did at some point) enough in the advancement of liberty to pay dues to the Party on a somewhat regular basis. Discovery is key here—it’s not about you, you’re already involved, it’s about them; it’s about what you can do to get them excited about getting engaged and involved.
=====Lapsed Dues Paying LPCA Members=====
This should be the second easiest lead list to pull members from. Individuals who fall under this category were dues paying members at one point in time (whether it be years or months ago), but let their membership lapse without ever bothering to renew it. The more recent the
lapse date, the likelier they are to be responsive. Their lapsed membership could stem anywhere from forgetting to renew, to financial troubles, to disillusionment in the messaging/ direction of the Party, to any combination of the three or something entirely different. Again, whatever the case, it’s important to reach out to these individuals to find out why their respective memberships lapsed. They should be more receptive than most to the idea of helping you grow your affiliate since they believed enough in the advancement of liberty at
some point to pay dues to the Party.
=====Family, Friends & Acquaintances=====
This can be an incredibly valuable resource to draw from and help you “jump-start,” or even maintain your organization. Often times these individuals are easily dismissed, but they shouldn’t be. Given how the State can’t help but amass more power for itself year after year
with absolutely no regard for the individual, chances are you’ve been unable to bite your tongue on more than occasion around family, friends and/or acquaintances over the years. It’s very possible that some of your “libertarian propaganda” may have caught the attention of
some of them at some point in time. The only way to find out is by inviting them to socials where they might meet individuals they have more in common with than they realize.
=====California Secretary of State Registered Libertarians=====
The Party has access to voter registration data all across the state through a data contractor called L2. This access lies solely with Party Officers and the Executive Director, but the information for your affiliate can be sent to your County Chair at their request. This lead list is a bit more of a gamble than most. Just because someone is registered to vote “Libertarian,” doesn’t necessarily mean that they are one. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this data could be more unreliable than it should be given the ever-changing political climate. Every election cycle breeds more and more voters disillusioned with their own party, often resulting in a registration change to a third party out of “protest.” That being said, there are still thousands of actual Libertarians who are registered as such, and may simply not know about dues paying membership, so they should be reached out to when possible.
=====Likeminded Local “Liberty-Leaning” Coalitions/Groups=====
Many counties have formed “liberty” coalitions as a result of the government’s response to COVID. Anecdotal evidence suggests that most of these coalitions are comprised of disillusioned and disenfranchised MAGA and “liberty” Republicans (although some have very moderate Democrats in their ranks depending on the area). While they may not be immediately open to joining your organization (if at all), it would be good to look for and attend these events. Even if you fail to recruit new members, you should at the very least be able to build long lasting relationships for the purpose of building important single-issue coalitions which through this method can be done without compromising overarching libertarian principles.
====Events====
Event recruiting is high risk, high reward. Tabling at most events such as: farmer’s markets, festivals, parades, etc. usually cost anywhere from $200 - $500 depending on the event and the area. While this method can certainly increase exposure, the money needed to do so, may not
yield the results desired to justify the cost. Nevertheless, it never hurts to inquire. While this method may not yield immediate results, doing at least one regular event of this caliber a year may prove beneficial over a longer period of time.
=====Farmer’s Markets=====
There’re multiple farmer’s markets associations that operate throughout California. You can find yours [https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/docs/CurrentMrktsCounty.pdf here] (search by county). Some farmer’s markets however, may be averse to allowing a political organization have a table. If you’re denied, simply try a different one.
=====Fairs & Festivals=====
When applying for vendor booth opportunities, many events will charge a lower rate for nonprofit organizations. If you go this route, review what your organization can budget for given that some higher profile events (those with large attendance) can run several hundred dollars
per booth, while others will cost less than $50. Be prepared to provide your EIN for proof of your non-profit status. Many events will also require proof of insurance. If this is the case, contact your Area Coordinator first to see if it’s possible for you to get event insurance
through the LPCA. If it isn’t, see below. For public outreach opportunities like this, it is recommended that you have some basic
materials:
*A 10'x10' pop-up canvas gazebo along with weights, stakes or rope to tie it down in case of strong wind.
*2 6' tables (folding tables would be best for transportation’s sake).
*Folding chairs.
*A banner with your organization’s name, and logo (either County, State or National).
*Table cloths.
*Literature: (e.g., Party brochures, flyers, voter registration forms for your county, etc.).
You’re also encouraged to create your own brochures/flyers to address local concerns such as, agriculture, water, forest management, decriminalization of drugs, gun rights, rent control, etc.
*Literature stand/holder (especially if you’re in a windy area).
*A laminated Nolan Political Survey chart with colored sticker dots and an easel/tripod to display the chart. (Contact Ms. Tilford or the Advocates on their [https://www.theadvocates.org/quiz/ website] for assistance.)
*Printed out versions of the Nolan Political Survey for people to take. (Contact Ms. Tilford or the Advocates on their [https://www.theadvocates.org/quiz/ website] for assistance.)
*Buttons or stickers to give out as “prizes” for taking the Nolan Political Survey or engaging you in meaningful discussion. Examples of popular libertarian catch phrases your buttons or stickers can display include, “Make Orwell Fiction Again,” “Stop Electing Assholes,” “Am I Being Detained?” “Come Back With A Warrant,” “My Governor Is An Idiot,” etc. You can also make some which support Libertarians running
in local elections that say “#VoteGold” or that have their specific name or campaign slogan on them.
*A clip board with a sign up sheet to take down names and contact information for people interested in learning more about your organization.
*A makeshift “boothing kit’ which should at the very least include: rope, twine, duct tape, painter’s tape, scotch tape, zip ties, scissors, rubber bands and pens.
=====County Fairs=====
Only consider county fairs if you have a sufficient number of members who can volunteer to man it on a multi-shift rotation schedule. County fairs are often 10-14 days, and require any booth to be staffed at all hours of operation every day of the fair.
=====Festivals=====
Anything with vendor booth opportunities:
*Art & Wine Festivals
*Music Festivals
*Community/Town Festivals
Be sure to check downtown associations, Chamber of Commerce, and Visitor Bureau websites for opportunities within your city/town and county.
=====Gun Shows=====
You can find a list of prominent gun shows that you should consider participating in at the following websites:
*[https://gunshowtrader.com/gunshows/california-gun-shows/ Gun Show Trader]
*[https://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/events/category/state/california/ Crossroads of the West]
*[https://www.igunshows.com/gun-shows/California/ iGunShows]
*[http://www.californiagunshows.com/ California Gun Shows]
*[https://www.californiagunshows.net/ California’s Worldwide Gun Shows]
=====Parades=====
Chances are that there are various types of parades in your community that you can participate in to bolster organizational awareness. The most common tend to be:
*Rodeo
*Holiday & Seasonal (e.g., Fourth of July, Christmas, etc)
*Light
*Classic Car/Cruise
While optics and professionalism are important to maintain at every event, there’s arguably no more important time for this to be the case than a parade. If no one in your organization has a convertible, classic car, or “special/interesting” vehicle to drive in a parade, you can
always rent one. Make sure to plan for 2'x4' banners for both sides of the car in which to advertise your organization. It’s also wise to ensure that your banner has a libertarian slogan (i.e. “All Your Freedoms, All the Time,” “Minimal Government/Maximum Freedom,” etc.).
Depending on the type of parade, it may even be more prudent to consider using or renting a flatbed truck.
=====Event Insurance=====
Many venues require presenters to obtain event insurance. Thus, your affiliate may be required to show proof of insurance to participate in an event. If a venue requires this, contact an LPCA officer—the Party has a general liability insurance policy that may cover your
event. Make sure you understand the specifics of the coverage the venue requires (e.g., the types of liability that need to be covered, the amount of coverage, whether the venue needs to be named as an additional insured on the insurance policy, etc.).
The purpose of event insurance is usually to cover your, and the venue’s, potential liability due to personal injuries and damage to the location that may occur at the event, but sometimes it is also used to cover the cost of canceling or postponing the event, or damage to
gifts, wardrobe, and other items that may be used in connection with the event.
If you are unable to obtain the necessary coverage via the LPCA, the following links to event insurance providers may be helpful:
*[https://www.theeventhelper.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjbyYBhCdARIsAArC6LJ6HYk5Zxa_EJTdBjTeJzm1sWmT92m0D47J0uiBnsphWrRDUoOKkRAaAnyOEALw_wcB Event Helper]
*[https://www.cphins.com/what-is-event-insurance-and-why-is-it-so-important/ CPH & Associates]
*[https://www.progressive.com/special-event-insurance/ Progressive Special Event Insurance]
====Goodwill, Volunteer Events & Holiday Charity Efforts====
''“Why Localism Matters''
''Why is it important to involve your community partners? Two reasons come to mind. First, that is where real change takes place. Secondly, to be successful in implementing any national issue, you must engage local media, because obviously they control the medium and the message. As all politicians know so well, social change takes place in the thousands of hamlets, villages, towns and cities that comprise our national fabric. There is a reason why all the most successful non-profits such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Red Cross and hundreds of others have local chapters. That is where they can efficiently deliver services which cater to the needs of their stakeholders. From the media perspective, that is also where their audience is located and the sources of their ad revenues, so the concept of localism is very strong.”''
“[http://www1.psaresearch.com/images/CREATING%20A%20COMMUNITY%20PARTNERSHIP.pdf How to Engage Community Partners in Your Issue]" by Bill Goodwill
Early fall is the perfect time to begin planning a county affiliate holiday charity event. Libertarians often preach volunteerism, events like these, especially at the local level, can be demonstrative of how effective our philosophy can be.
The State’s response to COVID resulted in many small businesses having to close (some permanently, and up to 50% in some urban areas). Additionally, California Assembly Bill 5 decimated an estimated two million freelance and independent contractor positions over a variety
of industries, meaning people here are in need of help more than ever.
Your county affiliate can either do a charity drive on their own, or they can team up with a trusted local agency or Non-Government Organization (NGO) that already does charity events in your local community.
Popular Charity Events Include:
*Toy Drive
*Secret Santa/Angel Tree/Wish Lists
*Local Children’s Hospital Book Drive
*Food Drives (Best during November and December)
*Loose Change Drive (Collecting change at major intersections and donating it to a local private charity of your choice).
Best Organizations to Collaborate with Include:
*Marines: [https://www.toysfortots.org/ Toys for Tots]
*Fire Departments
*Local County and Community Food Banks
*Local [https://my.rotary.org/en/club-search Rotary Clubs]
*[https://firstplaceforyou.org/where/ First Place for Youth] (Young Adults in the Foster System)
*One Warm Coat (Drive for the Homeless)
*Local NGOs.
If you are not familiar with a particular charity, you can always research it [https://www.charitynavigator.org/ here] to make sure they
are legitimate and reputable. Once you have decided on a charity project, notify your members and local community of the event, and make the appropriate arrangements. (If you are doing a Toy Drive in partner with The Marines Toy for Tots or a local Fire Department, there is often a cut-off date for donations. Make sure to hold your event and deliver the collected items before the cut-off date.)
Notice should be sent to community calendars in your local papers, TV stations (news departments and online community calendars), radio stations, Nextdoor and Patch (specifically the goods you are collecting and the special event date). If you have a popular community center
or library that allows local community event flyers to be posted on a Community Board, put one up there. Also try local businesses (barber shops, donut shops, diners etc.) that post these types of flyers in their windows. Be sure to include a contact email and/or phone number for people with questions. Promoting your charity event will help drive donations, and possibly new members to your affiliate. When you do collect items (and before you drop off or deliver them) take a photo with all of the goods, and some of your members for your affiliate’s social media accounts, as well as local media.
Charity events can also be done outside of the holiday season. Back-to-School is a good time to help low-income families with gift cards for: clothes, backpacks, school supplies (notebooks, calculators, pens, pencils, pencil cases, college ruled paper, glue sticks, etc.). Food Drives are also necessary year round.
====Board, Committee & Commission Vacancies====
Applying for a Board, Committee or Commission (BCC) at the city or county level is an excellent way to begin participation in your local government without being elected, with none of the costs associated with a campaign. In fact, having BCC experience should be your number
one priority if you intend to run for an elected position in the future. It helps build a resume for when you do eventually run for office. It is also an excellent way to network within the community prior to running for office.
Many of these BCCs come up with insipid and insidious regulations as to why you can’t paint your shed, or dictate rules regarding fences around your yard, or worst of all, come up with recommendations for cities and counties to put a sales or parcel tax on the next election ballot for some local pet project.
Volunteering for a local BCC gives you the opportunity to halt the encroachment of more government, and tax increases at the local level. Most cities and counties have vacancies on many of their BCCs at any given time. All positions have term expiration dates.
Most cities and counties have their various BCCs listed, along with their current member and term expirations online. Local community newspapers, both daily and weekly ones, will also post when a position is going to be made available on a BCC, especially if a member of the
community has reached their maximum number of terms to serve.
=====Searching For BBC Vacancies=====
In most of California’s 58 counties (Amador, Colusa, Del Norte, Lassen, Mono, and Tehama being the exceptions) it is very easy to find current vacancies. '''For the rest of the counties, simply go to the county’s website, and in the search bar, type “vacancies” or “vacancy.” Your number one search result will likely be a web page listing all current vacancies, or a list of vacancies for various BCCs, often under the Board of Supervisors section of the web page.''' Many County Board of Supervisors (sometimes abbreviated BOS) have the power to appoint these positions.
For the aforementioned exceptions:
'''Amador:''' Check under [https://www.amadorgov.org/about/county-news County News] for notice postings of vacancies.
'''Colusa:''' Contact the Board of Supervisor Clerk, or a Deputy Clerk and ask for a list of current vacancies and upcoming vacancies in which you can apply.
'''Del Norte:''' No centralized web page listing vacancies exists. To search for vacancies, when they occur, they will be posted in the local newspaper, or on that particular BCC web page, which is found [http://www.co.del-norte.ca.us/departments here].
'''Lassen:''' This information is not available on their website, and they have said that they don’t have a system in which to gather it. Watch local newspapers for posting of vacancies (it’s required by law).
'''Mono:''' Call the Clerk of the Board, Scheereen Dedman (760) 932-5530 for vacancies, and check local newspapers for posting of vacancies. No web page listing vacancies exists.
'''Tehama:''' Go to the Clerk of the Board’s web page and click the latest Appointment List [https://www.co.tehama.ca.us/government/departments/clerk-of-the-board/ here]. The PDF appointment list will show what terms are expiring when, and qualifications.
=====Applying For A BBC Position=====
To apply for a BCC, most of the counties also include an application page, and a list of requirements or directions when applying. You can usually find these pages under the Board of Supervisors page for county, and City Clerk page for cities. Some positions may be
County District related, and you may have to be a resident of that particular District to apply.
If in doubt, or you need further information or clarification, it is recommended that you call or email the City Clerk, or Clerk for the Board of Supervisors.
====Communication====
There are several tools you can use to create brand and organization awareness. While it’s important to note that no two affiliates are the same, and what works for one affiliate may not necessarily work for another in this respect (especially if you’re at different building stages, i.e., new vs in-progress, vs established) chances are that at the very least one of the following tools could help you reach “small-l” libertarians, registered Libertarians, those who are “politically homeless,” or those desperately looking for sanity in a world growing seemingly more absurd by the day.
=====Web Notification Platforms=====
'''[https://www.meetup.com/lp/how-to-group-start Meetup]''': Meetup is a community based event notification platform which also has a mobile
app. It can be a great way to let people know about, and find your events. Individuals who sign up indicate that they are interested in local volunteer opportunities, politics, community causes, etc. You can select any number of descriptions to define your county affiliate,
especially if your county affiliate decides to engage in local charity or activism work. The biggest problem is that it costs money ($99 per 6 months) and isn’t guaranteed to yield results, so this might not be the best option for newer affiliates who can’t afford to expend
their very limited capital. It is however possible to share an account (up to 3 groups are allowed) so it might be prudent to consider partnering up with neighboring affiliates and splitting the costs.
'''[https://us.nextdoor.com/ Nextdoor]''': Nextdoor is a neighborhood network which also has a mobile app. It’s the most localized communicative tool at your disposal. It helps you reach out to literal neighbors, businesses, non-profits and public agencies in your area. You’ll find that many members of your community are very much in-tune with local issues. Posting and commenting on a lot of these threads could serve as an opening to introducing members of your immediate community to your organization so long as you keep things civil and professional. This is a free service.
'''[https://patch.com/ Patch]''': Patch is an online newspaper for local neighborhoods. That being said, it does not have a local community page for every city, town, district or neighborhood. If one doesn't exist for yours, you can put in a request with them to create one. You can also select which communities you want to promote your event in. If it’s beyond the area in which you’ll be meeting, that will likely cost money. It is however free to post a notice for an upcoming meeting, and if you so choose, pay to have it promoted on its web page when they send emails out to local community members.
'''[https://www.cityspark.com/ CitySpark]''': This is an online calendar of event webpages some local TV networks in your area may use to list upcoming events. It’s free to list, but costs money to promote your listing if you’re looking to have one of the top results or have a special notification window link attached.
'''Local Media Online Community Calendar''': Many local TV affiliates (e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.) that may not use CitySpark, likely have on their own Community Calendar Events page on their respective website where you can add your upcoming meeting. Don’t confuse
local TV affiliates with national network pages. If you’re not sure which local affiliates serve your region, do a web search (e.g., “all NBC affiliates in California”) and you should find a Wikipedia page where you can search by state and find your service area. There are also
independent news stations in your area which should have their own department. Some independent stations may even have a deal with local network affiliates (e.g., WB bringing in a local CBS news broadcast).
'''[https://www.craigslist.org/about/sites#US Craigslist]''': This might be a better resource for more rural counties. Visit your local
Craigslist page and go to the “Community Section.” There you can choose to post to “Events” and “Politics” when promoting a county affiliate meeting. You may have to change the wording slightly between the posts or Craigslist might cite that your posts are too similar. The “post” link should be in the upper right hand corner. There, you can either use a county affiliate email, or use a Craigslist generated one. If you use your county affiliate email for contact be sure to “word it,” otherwise bots will glean it and likely spam you.
=====Other Communication Platforms=====
======Newspapers======
Even in the age of the internet, physical, printed publications are still a great medium for outreach, especially among older members in your county. More often than not, publications will simultaneously publish physical newspapers in addition to publishing
online. While this is particularly true for major newspapers, even smaller, community specific daily or weekly newspapers maintain this practice. You should gather a list of all of the newspapers currently publishing daily and weekly/bi-weekly newspapers in your county.
A quick Google search will show you the major ones. For the smaller, daily and weekly newspapers that aren't easily found via online searches, visit barbershops, doughnut shops, restaurants, and other local businesses. These are the establishments most likely to have a
stack of local community newspapers given that many of these are free and supported through local advertising. Grab a copy of each one you can find. The masthead will give you information on how to contact the publication as well as their website.
For daily newspapers, you to need to give a little more than a week’s advance notice of your organization’s meeting. (For weekly newspapers, you need to give a little more than two week’s advance notice.) Send notice to whoever edits the local “Community Calendar” or “Event Calendar.” Keep it simple, only include:
* Who
* What
* Where
* Date
* Time
* Basic Info
* Website or Facebook Page
While it would be wise to include a standing meeting and/or location (assuming you have one), it could be a “double-edged sword.” Often times small, city/town-specific newspapers will not include your event if it’s held in a different city/town that has its own publication.
Nevertheless, you may be able to convince any publication to habitually include your event if you explain that your organization services the entire county.
'''Letters to the Editor:''' Nearly all publications (even free community weekly papers) have a “Letter to the Editor” section in them where the public can comment in support, opposition, or question the reasoning or motive behind certain current events. This can include anything from government or business actions or policies, to a statement from a prominent individual, to any other number of wide-ranging issues. Before writing a letter to the editor, check their respective policy. Many publications post their guidelines in their print and online periodicals. Most will require you to be a resident within the area of the paper’s circulation, especially if it’s city/town-specific or county/regional-specific. There’s always a word limit (usually between 150-500 words). Writing a letter to the editor will teach you how to write concisely, which will take practice, especially if you’re trying to put together a complex argument.
When writing your letter, keep it specific to the point of the topic (i.e., no name-calling, incendiary claims, or “straw-man” arguments). Have several members of your organization read it over for input and edits before submitting. Keep in mind that when you’re submitting something in an official capacity, you’re not just representing your organization to your community, but representing the State and National Party as well, which means that it’s important to be inclusive, inviting, and provide rational and cohesive thought in the ever growing tumultuous climate of political partisanship and hyperbole.
If the publication elects not to publish your letter on any given week, don’t necessarily take it as a personal slight. Keep in mind that newspapers only have so much room to dedicate to “Letters to the Editor,” and there’s always a good chance that they may prioritize other letters based on factors such as submission date or topic urgency. That being said, there’s always a chance editorial staff may deeply disagree with your position and actively choose not to publish your letter, especially if that particular publication has a history of political bias. Nevertheless, don’t get discouraged; assuming you continue to submit letters, you should eventually get published.
'''Opinion-Editorials (Op-Eds):''' The Chair or a member of the affiliate's Executive Committee should introduce themselves to a local paper they believe to be fair and welcoming of “controversial” (i.e., Libertarian) opinion pieces. Some counties with very strong Democratic or Republican leanings may ignore this overture. If your local paper is hungry for content however, they may take in the occasional guest Op-Ed piece. Speak with the editor about writing an Op-Ed piece when there’s something important or time sensitive happening in your county/region (e.g., water management, wildfires, decriminalization of psychoactive plants, qualified immunity, the local sheriff's record on issuing CCW permits, etc.). If you’re successful in getting a few Op-Ed pieces published, talk to the editor about writing a once-a-month guest Op-Ed column.
======Radio======
The message of liberty is valuable, so it follows that it should be shared with as many individuals as possible, and across as many mediums as possible. You can find great success getting into the booth at radio stations (this is particularly true during election years). Studios and managers are always looking for enthusiastic community members and County Officers to talk about their party, principles, candidates and initiatives. Getting on the air gets you into people's homes, cars, and worksites spreading the libertarian message on a station they’re already listening to. These can be prerecorded interviews, live call-in ‘Question & Answer’ sessions, or on the spot at local events. If the station doesn't answer their phone, walking in is always an option. Some stations appreciate a face to face meeting before doing a segment or show.
'''Public Service Announcements (PSAs):''' Everyone wants a radio station to do a PSA for them because it's essentially “free advertising.” As a result, radio stations only allot so much time for them given that they take time away from programming, and paid advertising. If you’re going to attempt to have a radio station broadcast a PSA about your organization, it’s recommended that you only use it for when you’re doing a charity-only focused event (coat drive for the homeless, yearly local waterway/creek clean-up, an annual volunteer event that benefits the community, a change drive for a local children's hospital, etc.).
Good articles on how to write a PSA include:
[https://www.govtech.com/education/news/how-to-create-the-perfect-public-service-announcement.html How to Create the Perfect PSA]
[https://mediatracks.com/resources/how-to-write-a-public-service-announcement/ How to write a PSA]
As with newspapers, be sure to include:
* Who
* What
* Where
* Date
* Time
* How people can participate
* Why they should
This article discusses how to find out if a radio station allows PSAs, and how to thoroughly place one:
[https://www.awwa.org/Policy-Advocacy/Communications-Outreach/Public-Communications-Toolkit/Placing-a-Radio-PSA Placing a Radio PSA]
=====Press Releases & Media Alerts=====
A common misconception is that press releases and media alerts are the same. A press release is what one writes when they announce the launch of a political campaign for office (e.g., a Libertarian running for County Supervisor or Mayor). A media alert informs the press about the event being held to celebrate said launch, and is designed to encourage the press (in all forms) to cover the event. Press releases and media alerts are great tools to inform the press (including bloggers and podcasters) covering certain topics about news worthy events. Needless to say, organization meetings do not warrant a press release—the Libertarian presidential candidate coming to stump and hold a rally, speech, or fundraiser however, does. If an event is particularly newsworthy, you can roll the press release and media alert into one. In this case, you would have the press release on top, and the “Who/What/Where/When/Why” at the bottom.
Standard practice is to send out a press release as soon as the news can be shared, but it is strategically best to have it go out on a Monday or Tuesday (8AM or 9AM local time). “The Cathedral” is notorious for publishing press releases with "bad news” on Friday or Saturday
at the end of the day, which means that by Monday it will either be buried, or no longer timely to cover.
======Press Release======
The whole purpose of a press release is to get coverage, and noticed by a target audience. There is a format to press releases, and you can find templates online. The parts of a press release are:
*Letterhead and/or organization logo.
*Contact information: (i.e., who should the press contact for more information or an additional quote?) Include a name, email and phone number.
*Listing if it’s for “IMMEDIATE RELEASE” or whether there’s an embargo until a certain time to announce. (Try to refrain from submitting a press release unless it’s ready for “IMMEDIATE RELEASE.”)
*Headline: keeps it brief, and tells the most important detail of the release.
*Sub-headline: adds additional key information to the headline.
*Dateline: listing the city, state and date of the release.
*Body: this is the key information you’re trying to convey to the press. (Follow the journalistic style of writing and put the most important information in the first paragraph. Reporters and editors will usually only skim it over and read the first paragraph. They’ll usually only bother to read the whole thing if they’re interested in covering the story.)
*Quote: something about the subject. (You can quote the county Chair, or someone who’s an expert in the field of topic. Make sure you get approval if you’re crafting a quote for someone you know, and keep it simple.)
*Boilerplate: this is a simple paragraph at the end of a press release used to describe your organization, and the LP in general. (Be sure to include a website to either your organization or to the Party.) End the press release with either “-30-” or “###” or “-end-” at the very bottom. It signals that there’s nothing more to the press release.
If you need help or have any questions about writing a press release, please reach out to the Communications and Media Committee.
After the press release is written, the next thing you need to do is get it to press. There’re two ways to do this:
# Send it out over a news wire service which distributes press releases to the press. The Party has an account with EIN news wire service which distributes press releases based on geography and industry topics to thousands of newspapers, TV stations, radio, and anyone else watching the news wires.
# Create a list of media contacts in your area which you can contact via email. Don’t include your press release or media alert as an attachment, instead write the press release into the body of your email. That way you can include a short introduction and pitch as to why they should bother covering your news. Don’t submit your press release to an online web contact form at a news web page; it’s highly unlikely to get read. Instead, ring ahead of time and ask for the news desk. Once you’re speaking to someone in the newsroom, ask for an email address where you can send a press release. Create a database for all the newspapers, TV and radio stations, and record their email addresses. For newspapers in particular, you'll want to send it to the appropriate reporter covering the topic of your press release (e.g, Cannabis Regulation, Politics, Civil Liberty issues, etc.) If you’re not sure who to send it to, send it to the Deputy Editor or Assignment Desk.
While you don't have to use a news wire service, it’s highly recommended that you send your press release to key media in your area via email. (This is why creating a database of print and online newspapers, TV and radio stations is essential.)
======Media Alert======
A media alert, like a press release, is a way to inform the local press about an upcoming event of note. Again: don’t do a media alert for reoccurring meetings. They should only be done for something important (e.g., a protest, a rally, a local volunteer charity effort, etc.). Media alerts are much simpler to craft. All they require are a basic headline, followed by the “Who/What/Where/When/Why” the media should bother covering the event. Media Alerts can also be sent out over a news wire service, as well as to the local press via email.
Media alerts should go out via news wire approximately 5-7 days before the event, and sent out same time to newspapers and radios (assuming you have that much time to plan ahead). TV station media alerts should be sent via email two days in advance, and once more the day before. If it’s a last minute event, send is out as soon as possible.
====Newsletters====
Established organizations should have a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly newsletter that they send out to their membership. If this seems untenable, you should at the very least consider sending out a newsletter two weeks prior to your next meeting. The announcement of your next meeting should top the newsletter, followed by news about upcoming opportunities for people to apply as candidates in elections (e.g., openings on boards for water, sanitation, parks & recreation, etc.) anything in which you can bring libertarian sensibility to organizations that serve the community. Be sure to also include information about upcoming volunteer events, as well as the most recent successes of your past community outreach (with photos, e.g., trash pick up at a local park, foster youth support, loose coin drive for a local NGO charity, etc.) Make sure to keep it brief and to the point; the longer the newsletter, the less likely the recipient is to read it.
====Official Email====
=====Domains=====
Every organized county should have an official email domain for Officers, if not all county affiliate ExCom members. For those of you who don’t have one, they’re generally not actual email accounts, but rather, forwarding addresses that you tie your personal email address to
(the latter is significantly cheaper). While there are several places you can register a domain, one of the easiest and cheapest is [https://domains.google/ Google Domains].
=====Signatures=====
The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the State of California, which is why it’s important to maintain an air of professionalism. Every affiliate ExCom member should create an email signature that they use for all official communication whether it be
internal, or external. The signature should at a minimum consist of: your name, your title/role within your affiliate, and the name of your affiliate. Additionally, you might consider adding your affiliate’s logo, as well as your website and maybe even social media links, especially if email is going to be your primary method of reaching out to prospects, as well as local businesses and political figures.
====Seminars====
While this handbook attempts to go into detail about everything that is integral to running a successful county affiliate, there is only so much that a 50-100 page book can cover. Many issues, or topics lend themselves to demonstrative, rather than explanative, presentation. Thus, the Affiliate Support Committee hosts multiple seminars a month on a wide range of topics, from running a website or using Party tools (e.g., Neon), to appropriately conveying libertarian principles. For each workshop, a google form will be sent out with dates and times for members of County Executive Committees to sign up. Once the date and time have been decided, a Zoom link will be sent out to everyone in case others who missed the first email would like to join. In order to make sure that you are fully utilizing the seminars created by the Affiliate Support Committee, please check your email on a regular basis and fill out forms for seminars that you are interested in. If a topic that isn't being covered would help you or others you know, feel free to email the Affiliate Support Committee to request a specific topic.
Seminars to Date Include:
* Nationbuilder (Website Building) 101
* Rhetoric 101
* Public Relations 101
* Liberty Speaks
While attending seminars live is preferable so that there can be real-time discussion and
clarification, recordings of the aforementioned seminars (which are purposely designed to be
evergreen) can be found [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WnMWaG2IdzVkzs2bsPuWRDRHuxn_VrUo here].
== Web Presence==
== Web Presence==
==Affiliate Index (Organized)==
==Affiliate Index (Organized)==

Revision as of 03:06, 11 June 2023

THIS DOCUMENT IN OTHER FORMATS

PDF







This handbook is maintained by the LPCA Affiliate Support Committee.

The full text will be added below. It is currently a work-in-progress, so refer to the PDF for complete information and formatting. KatM (talk) 16:02, 3 May 2023 (CDT)

Purpose

The purpose of this Affiliate Support Handbook is to serve as an all encompassing guide designed to help County Affiliate Executive Committees, as well as their Central Committee Members, understand how affiliates operate at the county level in relation to the Party at the state level. It is purposely intended to be as comprehensive as possible, and updated as soon as information changes or new information becomes available. It’s broken up into into six main sections:


General Information
This section covers the most basic and important information about the Libertarian Party of California (LPCA) in detail.

New & In-Progress Affiliates
This section covers detailed steps new and in-progress affiliates looking to be recognized by the Party need to take, as well as best practices to increase its membership involvement and success rate. Some of what is in this section may be beneficial to already organized affiliates as well.

Organized Affiliates
This section covers detailed best practices already organized affiliates should be participating in, in order to increase their level of professionalism as well as outreach, presence, membership growth, involvement and engagement.

Web Presence
This section covers detailed steps and best practices affiliates of all sizes and stages can take to reach new members through their social media platforms, website, and email, as well as how to get started, and how to maintain a strong online presence.

Affiliate Index (Organized)
This section outlines every established affiliate’s most crucial information, such as their official: website, social media accounts, contact email, and Executive Committee.

Affiliate Index (Unorganized)
This section outlines every in-progress affiliate’s most crucial information, such as their official: website, social media accounts, contact email, and Executive Committee.


It is our hope that this comprehensive guide assists your affiliate building and maintenance efforts, in addition to serving as your first point of reference for any information you may need.

In Liberty,

Affiliate Support Committee (2022)

Chairs, Adrian F Malagon (Feb. 2022 - July 2022) / Theodore Gercken (July 2022 - Feb. 2023)

General Information

Libertarian Party of California (LPCA)

Website

The LPCA website is ca.lp.org. Make sure to check it periodically for Party updates and information.

Webmaster

The LPCA website is managed by a webmaster. Any recommendations, updates, corrections, and the like you have for the Party website should be be submitted to the webmaster for consideration.

Webmaster(s): Ms. Carrie Eiler & Mr. Theodore Gercken
Email: webmaster@ca.lp.org

Official Social Media Presence

The Party has official social media accounts and presence that it uses to inform members about what is happening internally (e.g., meetings, Party business, etc.). They also serve as a medium from which to provide messaging about important and current issues in real time to help educate and spread our libertarian principles to those who may be otherwise unfamiliar with them. Everyone is encouraged to subscribe and/or follow these accounts from their official affiliate accounts, as well as their personal ones.

Facebook Official Page

Party Business Group

Jefferson Region
Northern Area
Central Area
Southern Area
Twitter @LPofCal
@LPofCalEs (Spanish)
Instagram @libertarianpartyofcalifornia
MeWe Official Page

Membership

The site where you can join your county party, the state party and the national party, just the county and state parties, or renew your already existing membership can be found here.

If you’re already a member and you’re looking to update your information (e.g., address, phone number, email, membership tier, county affiliation, etc.) you can login via the LPCA customer relationship management system (CRM), otherwise known as Neon. Once logged in, click on the dropdown menu, select “Update My Profile,” make the desired changes, scroll down to the bottom and click the “Submit” button in order for the changes to take effect.

Neon is also used to gain access to the list of current or lapsed dues paying members in your county. Once logged in, click on the dropdown menu and select “County Directories.” Select your county, and then click on the “Click Here” link. You’ll be prompted to enter an access code to see the report for your county. Enter the access code for your county in the text box, and click the “Submit” button. (The site glitches from time to time so you may have to do this more than once.) Once you see the report, you’ll be able to download it as an Excel or CSV file should you wish to do so. (Please note: only County Officers, i.e., the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer have access to membership lists for their respective counties. If you’re an Officer and don’t know the access code for your county, please reach out to your Area Coordinator.)

Party Caucuses

While everyone in the LPCA organizes together to elect Libertarians and advance liberty around the State, many members choose to create groups within the Party known as caucuses. A caucus is any political group which organizes to further a special interest or cause. Libertarian Party caucuses attempt to influence the direction of the Party through particular focus, issues, or messaging. No dues-paying member is required to join a caucus, and being a member of, or donating to a caucus does not make you an automatic dues-paying member of the Party. Below is a list of all of the LPCA-recognized caucuses, and a brief description of their goals.

Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC)

The Mises Caucus focuses on promoting Austrian economic literacy, and advocates applying the science of taking human action within the Libertarian Party to counter all forms of statism. They promote a strong opposition to war, advocacy of decentralization, and privatization in all of its forms. Through their Political Action Committee (PAC) they support candidates running serious campaigns and continue in the tradition of Dr. Ron Paul by coalition-building with any person or group willing to engage in good faith on liberty issues, in order to achieve political objectives in the real world, while exposing non-libertarians to free market ideology. The Mises Caucus also promotes strong, unapologetic libertarian messaging when it matters most, and is passionate about making, and keeping the Libertarian Party libertarian.

CA-LPMC Chair Mr. Adrian F Malagon
Contact Email camisescaucus@gmail.com
Twitter @camisescaucus
Instagram @camisescaucus
Facebook CaliforniaLPMC
National Website TakeHumanAction.com
California Website CAMisesCaucus.com
Libertarian Youth Caucus (LYC)

The Libertarian Youth Caucus is the youth wing of the Libertarian Party, and the only partisan libertarian organization for young Americans in the country. They charter and support affiliates at college and high school campuses across the country, and help to build the next generation of Party activists. In contrast with other liberty-minded youth organizations, they focus their students’ activism solely on Libertarian Party campaigns, committees, and various legislative efforts.

LYC National Chair Mr. Theodore Gercken
Contact Email chair@lycaucus.org
National Website lycaucus.org
Operations Manual operations.lycaucus.org
Libertarian Party Classical Liberal Caucus

The Classical Liberal Caucus promotes a human-rights-based view of libertarianism as well as professionalism within the Party. They believe that the government's ultimate goal is to protect their citizens' rights, so their focus on messaging revolves around compassionate politics. They seek to professionalize the Libertarian Party by moving away from seemingly “edgy takes,” and embrace positions that would appeal to the majority of the country.

Libertarian Party Radical Caucus

The Radical Caucus stands for the re-radicalization of the Libertarian Party. They disagree with sanatizing the views of the Party in order to appeal to the majority. They favor standing boldly on traditional libertarian values, and wish to push the Overton window from a place of principle.

Libertarian Party Veterans Caucus

The Veterans Caucus is organized to promote the issues of Veterans in the Libertarian Party. They push for proposals like Defend the Guard, and consider ending foreign wars to be at the front of the Libertarian Party’s platform and messaging.


Governing Documents

The Bylaws and Convention Rules] is the primary governing document of the LPCA which defines and controls how internal affairs are handled. Amendments to this document are voted on every year by the Central Committee Members who are delegates at the LPCA Annual Convention (i.e., persons who are eligible to vote on Party business consistent with the Bylaws and Convention Rules), after which the document is updated accordingly by the Party Secretary. Proposed amendments can be submitted by any member in good standing via: the Bylaws Committee, general advance notice to the membership, or a motion on the Convention floor. While all affiliates are required to operate within the scope of the LPCA Bylaws, it’s important for every county affiliate to have its own set of Bylaws which should be tailored to serve its respective needs. If your affiliate does not have Bylaws, you should look to adopt some formally (via an official recorded vote) as soon as possible. A Bylaws template can be provided by your Area Coordinator if needed. If you already have Bylaws for your affiliate, you should make it standard practice to review them at least once a year to ensure that they aren’t obsolete, and to update them as needed to prevent future issues that may arise. Anytime that an affiliate formally adopts a new set of Bylaws or makes any change to an existing set, the new document should be immediately sent to the Secretary so that the Party always has a copy of your most current Bylaws, which will be posted on the Bylaws page of the website for transparency and accessibility.

The Operating Procedures Manual (Ops Manual) is a special compilation of rules governing the Party that is not already reflected in the Bylaws or Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR). Amendments to this document are generally proposed by a member of the LPCA Executive Committee via a motion (in-person or email), and then voted on by the entire Executive Committee. It is not necessary or general practice for affiliates to have their own Ops Manual (although they can should they choose).

The Platform sets forth our basic libertarian principles, and enumerates various policy stands derived from those principles. The LPCA Platform is the national Libertarian Party (LP) Platform.

Executive Committee (ExCom)

The LPCA Executive Committee is composed of 4 Officers, 3 Area Coordinators, 8 At Large Members, and 2 At Large Alternates (in ranked order) elected by the Central Committee at the Annual Convention (generally for two-year terms, except for the alternates who are always elected for one-year terms) as prescribed by the aforementioned Bylaws and Convention Rules. The ExCom is responsible for the control and management of all affairs, properties, and funds of the Party. The Executive Director is a non-voting, paid position that is appointed and serves at the pleasure of the ExCom. The ExCom is required to attend in-person, quarterly meetings. The location of these meetings traditionally rotates between the Northern, Central and Southern areas of the state, after which, a fundraiser of some kind (whether it’s for a candidate in the area or the Party itself) traditionally takes place. Guests are always welcome and encouraged to attend both the meeting and the fundraiser. (See Bylaw 12 and the Ops Manual.) The most current ExCom, along with their contact information, is as follows:

Chair Mr. Adrian F Malagon chair@ca.lp.org
Vice Chair Mr. Gary Alvstad vicechair@ca.lp.org
Secretary Mr. Chris Edgar secretary@ca.lp.org
Treasurer Mr. Jason Regehr treasurer@ca.lp.org
Northern Area Coordinator Ms. Elizabeth Stump nac@ca.lp.org
Central Area Coordinator Mr. Matthew Butts cac@ca.lp.org
Southern Area Coordinator Mr. Garrison Ham sac@ca.lp.org
At Large Mr. Alberto Alvarez  aalvarez@ca.lp.org
At Large Mr. Graham Brown  gbrown@ca.lp.org
At Large Ms. Trendalyn Hallesy thallesy@ca.lp.org
At Large Ms. Victoria Lapacek vlapacek@ca.lp.org
At Large Mr. Michael Lema mlema@ca.lp.org
At Large Mr. Chris Minoletti cminoletti@ca.lp.org
At Large Mr. Tom Nichols tnichols@ca.lp.org
At Large Mr. Craig Strachan cstrachan@ca.lp.org
At Large (1st Alternate) Mr. Max Jimenez mjimenez@ca.lp.org
At Large (2nd Alternate) Mr. David Gorshe dgorshe@ca.lp.org

Libertarian National Committee (LNC) Region 4 Representatives

The Libertarian Party is run by the Libertarian National Committee, which is responsible for the control and management of all affairs, properties, and funds of the LP. The LNC has divided the country into nine separate regions. Each Region has its own elected Representative and Alternate who sit on the LNC to represent their Region’s respective interests on a national level. As a result of its number of LP dues paying members relative to the rest of the country, the State of California is the only state which maintains independent regional status (i.e., it doesn’t belong to a Region that includes other states) and that Region is known as Region 4. California’s regional independence allow the state’s Central Committee to elect its LNC Representative and Alternate at the LPCA Annual Convention before that year’s LP National Convention as prescribed by the aforementioned Bylaws and Convention Rules, as well as the Libertarian Party Bylaws and Convention Rules. (Every other Region is required to elect their Representative and Alternate at the LP National Convention which takes place every two years). Both the Region 4 Representative and the Alternate are elected for a two-year term. The most current Region 4 Representative and Alternate, along with their contact information, is as follows:

Region 4 Representative Ms. Adrian F Malagon adrian.malagon@lp.org
Region 4 Alternate Mr. Joshua Clark joshua.clark@lp.org

Judicial Committee (JC)

The LPCA Judicial Committee is composed of 5 members and 2 alternates (in ranked order) elected by the Central Committee at the Annual Convention as prescribed by the aforementioned Bylaws and Convention Rules. A Judicial Committee member may not be a member of the ExCom, the Operations Committee, or the Program Committee. The Judicial Committee is the final body of appeal in all Party matters and disputes, serving as a kind of internal court, subject to the provision that a decision of the Committee may be overturned by a three-quarters vote of a Convention. (See Bylaw 14, Sections 1-9.) The most current Judicial Committee is as follows:

Members: Mr. David Bowers Chair
Ms. Susan Aquino
Mr. Loren Dean
Dr. Elisheva Levin
Mr. Loren Springer
Mr. Matthew Hartley 1st Alternate
Ms. Meredith Hays 2nd Alternate
Email: jc@ca.lp.org

Party Committees

Committees serve specific functions and can directly or indirectly affect how affiliates operate. Any Central Committee Member is eligible to be on any committee. Most committees are filled by the ExCom within 90 days of the LPCA Annual Convention. Most elected committees chose their own Chairs, and meeting schedule (usually virtual). In addition to serving their primary function, most committee chairs are required to submit a report on their committee to the ExCom a week before a particular meeting every quarter. If you or any member of your affiliate is interested in joining any of these committees, a résumé and any further statement of qualification should be sent to the ExCom before the announced meeting where elections take place for the committee of interest, for the purpose of seeking nomination.

               

Affiliate Support Committee (ASC)

The Affiliate Support Committee shall consist of the three Area Coordinators and up to four members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Affiliate Support Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Affiliate Support Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Affiliate Support Committee, pg. 9)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Providing affiliate growth strategy and support.
  2. Providing assistance drafting and amending affiliate bylaws.
  3. Teaching affiliate Executive Committees Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (RONR).
  4. Providing assistance with resources, including but not limited to promotional flyer/pamphlet templates, website templates and/or website design.
  5. Providing assistance with basic marketing and public relations instruction.
Members: Northern Area Coordinator Ms. Elizabeth Stump
Central Area Coordinator Mr. Matthew Butts
Southern Area Coordinator Mr. Garrison Ham
Mr. Adrian F Malagon Chair
Dr. Kathryn McElroy Secretary
Mr. John Due
Vacant
Email: asc@ca.lp.org
Awards Committee

The Awards Committee shall consist of up to five members elected by the Executive Committee within the first six months after the Annual Convention. The Awards Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Awards Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Awards Committee, pg. 9)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Establishing the award(s) and the names of the award(s) to be given at the Convention presentation.
  2. Setting and managing the nomination process.
  3. Selecting the award winner(s) by Committee vote.
  4. Securing the award(s).
  5. Presenting the award(s) at the Convention.
Members: Mr. Loren Dean
Ms. Meredith Hays
Ms. Victoria Lapacek
Mr. Michael Lema
Dr. Marybeth Yuskavage
Email: awards@ca.lp.org
Budget Committee

The Budget Committee shall consist of the Treasurer and up to four members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Budget Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Budget Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. The operations of the LPCA shall be governed by a budget adopted by the Budget Committee and approved by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may amend the budget by deletion at any time with a majority vote. Any other changes by the Executive Committee will require a two-thirds vote. The Treasurer shall present the Budget Report and the adopted budget at the Annual Convention. (See Ops Manual: Budget Committee, pg. 10)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. To consider and construct a budget of income and expenditures for a period of January 1 through December 31 and distribute the budget to the Executive Committee by its final meeting of the fiscal year for ratification.
Members: Treasurer Mr. Jason Regehr Chair
Ms. Trendalyn Hallesy
Mr. Matthew Hartwig
Mr. Adrian F Malagon
Dr. Kathryn McElroy
Email: budget@ca.lp.org
Bylaws Committee

This Committee is made up of 5 members, all of which are elected by the ExCom. This Committee is responsible for: recommending changes in the Bylaws and Convention Rules, and for drafting an initial and final report for the delegates prior to Convention. (See Bylaw: 15 Committees, Section 2: Bylaws Committee)

Members: Mr. Gary Alvstad Chair
Mr. Chris Edgar Secretary
Mr. Graham Brown
Ms. Trendalyn Hallesy
Vacant
Email: bylaws@ca.lp.org
Candidate Support Committee (CSC)

This Committee is made up of 7 members: the Chair, a Treasurer appointed by the Chair and up to 5 members elected by the ExCom. This Committee is responsible for: raising money to support qualified state and federal Libertarian candidates in California, campaign publicity, reviewing unrestricted account records for accuracy and assisting the Treasurer with timely filing of FPPC and FEC reports. (See Ops Manual: Candidate Support Committees, pg. 10)

Members: Chair Mr. Adrian F Malagon Chair
Mr. Graham Brown Treasurer
Mr. Matthew Hartwig Assistant to CSC Treasurer
Mr. Alberto Alvarez
Mr. Matthew Butts
Mr. Tom Nichols
Mr. Craig Strachan
Email: csc@ca.lp.org
Communications and Media Committee (CMC)

The Communications and Media Committee shall consist of up to seven members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Communications and Media Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Communications and Media Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: The Communications and Media Committee, pg. 11)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Working as the LPCA’s public relations and internal communications department.
  2. Writing and disseminating press releases, and highlighting the Party’s activities and public positions in a constructive and inclusive manner through social media engagement, thoughtful political analysis, and at least quarterly newsletters.
Members: Ms. Elizabeth Stump Chair
Mr. Viktor Srivastava Vice Chair
Mr. Alberto Alvarez
Mr. John Due
Ms. Carrie Eiler
Mr. Patrick Nicholson
Vacant
Email: cmc@ca.lp.org
Convention Committee

The Chair of the Convention Committee shall be elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Committee Chair shall appoint as many members as deemed necessary. The Committee Chair shall have the authority to dismiss any members at their discretion. The Convention Committee Chair serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Convention Committee, pg. 11)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Planning all aspects of the LPCA Annual Convention.
  2. Providing a written Convention report to the Executive Committee within

90 days of the close of Convention.

Members: Mr. Michael Lema Chair
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Email: convention@ca.lp.org
Credentials Committee

The Credentials Committee shall consist of the Secretary and up to six members elected by the Executive Committee within the first six months after the Annual Convention. The Credentials Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair, who shall not be the Secretary. The Credentials Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Credentials Committee, pg. 12)


Responsibilities Include:

  1. Assisting the Secretary at the Annual Convention by retaining a list of all delegates in attendance, and providing periodic credentials reports to the Secretary during the Convention to be reported to the Chair and the delegates.
Members: Secretary Mr. Chris Edgar
Mr. Gary Alvstad
Mr. Joshua Clark
Mr. Loren Dean
Mr. Chris Ganiere
Dr. Kathryn McElroy
Mr. Tom Nichols
Email credentials@ca.lp.org


Financial Standards Committee (FSC)

The Financial Standards Committee shall consist of the Vice Chair and however many other members the Vice Chair deems necessary, elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The FSC members shall elect the Committee Chair. The FSC serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. The FSC shall obtain, no later than 30 days after the creation of the Committee, the financial records of the LPCA for the prior fiscal year ending December 31.

A written report shall be prepared as to the FSC’s findings, to be submitted to the LPCA Secretary no later than two days prior to the commencement of the Annual Convention and included in the year-end report. Additional audits shall be performed upon request by the Executive Committee or the Operations Committee.

The FSC shall have access to all financial records required to perform the required audits. (See Bylaw 11: Finance and Accounting, Section 7 & Ops Manual: Financial Standards Committee, pg. 12)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Review of all reports produced by an outside CPA, as permitted by the LPCA’s budget, and incorporation of that review into their annual report to the Convention.
  2. Review of the receipts and expenditures for authorization and proper coding according to the LPCA budget.
  3. Verification of the existence and valuation of the assets and liabilities of the LPCA.
  4. Review and evaluation of the system of internal controls and making recommendations as needed.
  5. Review of the reports generated and providing an opinion as to their accuracy and adequacy.
  6. Review and confirm compliance with reporting to all government financial reporting agencies.
Members: Vice Chair Mr. Gary Alvstad Chair
Ms. Trendalyn Hallesy
Mr. Kirk Sullivan
Email: fsc@ca.lp.org
Historical Preservation Committee (HPC)

The Historical Preservation Committee shall consist of up to five members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Historical Preservation Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Historical Preservation Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Historical Preservation Committee, pg. 13)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Directing the preservation and publication of Party historical documents and reporting its activities and decisions to the Executive Committee at each Executive Committee meeting it is asked to attend.
Members: Mr. Joe Dehn Chair
Mr. Graham Brown
Ms. Gail Lightfoot
Mr. Patrick Nicholson
Vacant
Email: hpc@ca.lp.org
Legislative Committee

The Legislative Committee shall consist of up to seven members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Legislative Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Legislative Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Legislative Committee, pg. 13)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Educating about, and advocating for, LPCA positions on California state legislation, in communications with Party affiliates, Party members, legislators, and the general public.
Members: Mr. Alberto Alvarez Chair
Ms. Carrie Eiler
Ms. Meredith Hays
Mr. Zach Kincaid
Mr. Tyler Collins
Vacant
Vacant
Email: legislative@ca.lp.org]
Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall consist of the Chair, the three Area Coordinators and up to four members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Membership Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Membership Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Membership Committee, pgs. 13)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Managing the LPCA’s programs to maintain membership.
  2. Developing and implementing programs and materials for membership upgrade, including but not limited to encouraging upgraded membership levels, getting national-only members to join as state members, getting state-only members to join as national members, contacting lapsed members, contacting members not on auto-renew, membership promotion literature, direct mail letters, advertisements, and in-person contact.
  3. Developing and implementing programs and materials for membership retention, including but not limited to new member packets, renewal letters, renewal forms, and membership premiums.
  4. Tracking, sharing information and analyzing membership progress and the results of membership programs.
  5. Reviewing policies concerning membership qualifications and dues and report recommendations for improvements to the Executive Committee and/or Bylaws Committee for consideration.
  6. Working with other LPCA committees and the newsletter editor as necessary to coordinate activities which involve solicitation of new memberships or dues.
  7. The authority to establish membership categories and pricing for the LPCA.
Members: Chair Mr. Adrian F Malagon Chair
Northern Area Coordinator Ms. Elizabeth Stump
Central Area Coordinator Mr. Matthew Butts
Southern Area Coordinator Mr. Garrison Ham
Mx. Alex Bielanski
Mr. Mark Hinkle
Mr. Kyle Thom
Mr. Alex Trujillo
Email: membership@ca.lp.org
Operations Committee (OpsCom)

This Committee is made up of 5 members: the Chair, and 4 members elected by the ExCom, usually at the Post-Convention Meeting. This Committee has the powers of the ExCom between meetings (with very specific exceptions) and may by unanimous vote, approve any other action that would otherwise require a two-thirds vote of the ExCom. The Operations Committee shall justify any vote or action taken in writing within 24 hours of the respective vote or action taken. (See Bylaw 13: Operations Committee, Sections 1-3 & Ops Manual: Operations Committee, pg. 14)

Members: Chair Mr. Adrian F Malagon Chair
Mr. Gary Alvstad
Mr. Chris Edgar
Mr. Jason Regehr
Ms. Elizabeth Stump
Email opscom@ca.lp.org
Program Committee

This Committee is made up of 5 members elected by the ExCom. This Committee is responsible for: developing the Party Program consisting of up to 5 planks which state interim measures and political policies designed to implement the Party position on issues of interest to California. (See Bylaw 21: Program)

Members: Mr. Marc Joffe Chair
Mr. Zach Kincaid
Mr. Shawn Osborne
Dr. Marybeth Yuskavage
Vacant
Email: program@ca.lp.org
Recruitment Committee

The Recruitment Committee shall consist of the Chair and up to seven other members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. Recruitment Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Recruitment Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Recruitment Committee, pg. 14)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Managing the LPCA’s programs to recruit new members.
  2. Prospecting new dues paying members.
  3. Developing and implementing programs and materials for membership recruitment, including but not limited to contacting registered Libertarians and other prospective members, promotion literature, membership application forms, direct mailers, advertisements, and in- person contacts.
  4. Developing and implementing programs and materials for membership recruitment.
  5. Tracking, sharing information and analyzing recruitment progress and the results of recruitment programs.
  6. Working with other LPCA committees as necessary to coordinate activities which involve solicitation of new memberships or dues.
Members: Chair Mr. Adrian F Malagon
Mr. Christopher Kula Chair
Mr. Gary Alvstad
Mr. Graham Brown
Mr. John Due
Mr. Kyle Thom
Vacant
Email: recruitment@ca.lp.org
Strategic Planning Committee (SPC)

The Strategic Planning Committee shall consist of up to five members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. The Strategic Planning Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Strategic Planning Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Strategic Planning Committee, pg. 15)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Developing, and distributing to the membership, a strategic plan containing long-term and short-term strategies for expanding the influence and membership of the LPCA.
  2. Monitoring and assisting with the implementation of the strategic plan on an ongoing basis.
Members: Mr. John Due Chair
Mr. Graham Brown
Ms. Carrie Eiler
Mr. Adrian F Malagon
Vacant
Email: spc@ca.lp.org

   

Website and Information Technology Committee (WITCom)

The Website and Information Technology Committee shall consist of up to five members elected by the Executive Committee within the first three months after the Annual Convention. Website and Information Technology Committee members shall elect the Committee Chair. The Website and Information Technology Committee serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. (See Ops Manual: Website and Information Technology Committee, pg. 15)

Responsibilities Include:

  1. Maintaining and making modifications to the LPCA’s website and information technology (IT) infrastructure.
  2. Maintaining and working with contractors, volunteers and other personnel with the goal of maintaining and modifying the website and IT infrastructure.
Members: Mr. Theodore Gercken
Mr. Sunil Chhabra
Mr. Marcus Schuff
Vacant
Vacant
Email: witcom@ca.lp.org

Email Group

The Party has created an email group which allows the public to see everything the ExCom votes on or discusses which doesn’t contain sensitive information (e.g., members’ personal information, matters members consider private, etc.). Anyone who wishes to subscribe to this group may, and will receive notifications anytime the group is emailed. This group can also be accessed without subscribing.

Public Executive Committee Group Email: lpca-business@googlegroups.com
Public Executive Committee Group Inbox: ExCom Reflector Email Group

Email Lists

The Party has also created several internal email lists which allows members to contact an intended group with ease. These internal lists send forwarded emails to individuals who belong to these respective groups, and only them. These lists are private, and should only be used to communicate with the members that belong to these groups.

Private Executive Committee List

Every member of the Party ExCom is on this list (including the Alternates and the Executive Director). This list should be used anytime a member wishes to contact the entire ExCom for any reason.            

Email: excom@ca.lp.org
County Executive Committees List

Every County Affiliate Executive Committee member, and Chair Pro Tempore across the state is on this list. This list should be used anytime a member needs to pass along important, or time sensitive information statewide that they wish to bring to the attention of county leadership, or that they wish passed down to county leadership’s respective members (e.g., new state bills, activism opportunities, campaign information, calls to action, etc.). This list should not be abused or used for trivial matters.                      

Email: countyexcoms@ca.lp.org
Judicial Committee List

Every Judicial Committee member is on this list. This list should be used anytime a member wishes to bring a case or an appeal for the Party’s judicial body to consider.

Email: jc@ca.lp.org
Committees List

Every member of every Party committee is on this list. This list should only be used in the rare event that all committee members need to be contacted for something that simultaneously affects every committee.

Email: committees@ca.lp.org
Northern Area Affiliated Executive Committees List

Every Northern Area County Affiliate Executive Committee member is on this list. This list should be used anytime a member needs to pass along important, or time sensitive information in the Northern Area that they wish to bring to the attention of county leadership, or that they wish passed down to their respective county members (e.g., new state bills, activism opportunities, campaign information, calls to action, etc.). It should not be abused or used for trivial matters.

Email: northaffiliated@ca.lp.org
Northern Area Unaffiliated Executive Committees List

Every Northern Area County Affiliate Chair Pro Tempore and prospective Officer who is attempting to organize their county is on this list. This list should be used anytime a member needs to pass along important, or time sensitive information in the Northern Area that they wish to bring to the attention of unaffiliated county leadership, or that they wish passed down to their respective county members (e.g., new state bills, activism opportunities, campaign information, calls to action, etc.). It should not be abused or used for trivial matters.      

Email: northunaffiliated@ca.lp.org
Central Area Affiliated Executive Committees List

Every Central Area County Affiliate Executive Committee member is on this list. This list should be used anytime a member needs to pass along important, or time sensitive information in the Central Area that they wish to bring to the attention of county leadership, or that they wish passed down to their respective county members (e.g., new state bills, activism opportunities, campaign information, calls to action, etc.). It should not be abused or used for trivial matters.

Email: centralaffliated@ca.lp.org
Central Area Unaffiliated Executive Committees List

Every Central Area County Affiliate Chair Pro Tempore and prospective Officer who is attempting to organize their county is on this list. This list should be used anytime a member needs to pass along important, or time sensitive information in the Central Area that they wish to bring to the attention of unaffiliated county leadership, or that they wish passed down to their respective county members (e.g., new state bills, activism opportunities, campaign information, calls to action, etc.). It should not be abused or used for trivial matters.      

Email: centralunaffiliated@ca.lp.org

If you aren’t sure which groups you’re subscribed to (LPCA or otherwise) click here to see a complete list and manage them accordingly.     

Areas & Coordinators

The LPCA has divided the 58 counties in California into 3 areas: Northern, Central and Southern. Each Area elects its own Coordinator at the LPCA Annual Convention for what is generally a two-year term (barring special circumstances). The counties associated with each Area, and their Coordinator along with contact information, is as follows:

Northern Area

Counties (32): Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn,

Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, Yuba.

Coordinator: Ms. Elizabeth Stump
Email: nac@ca.lp.org

Central Area

Counties (20): Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera,

Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Monterey, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura.

Coordinator: Mr. Matthew Butts
Email: cac@ca.lp.org

Southern Area

Counties (6): Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego.
Coordinator: Mr. Garrison Ham
Email: sac@ca.lp.org

Your respective Area Coordinator should always be your first point of contact for anything your county affiliate may need. Each Coordinator has a budget of $1,000 over their two-year term to spend on their Area as they see fit, or deem necessary. It is also strongly encouraged that County Central Committee Executive Committee members build relationships, and keep in constant communication with their counterparts for support, as well as practical reasons (e.g., resources, community, advice, etc.).

The Beacon

The Beacon is the official newsletter of The Libertarian Party of California. It was started in December of 2019, and is currently published on a bi-monthly schedule of January, March, May, July, September, and November. It is usually published by the 15th of the month, and often centered around events such as elections and conventions. In 2023, The Beacon will be published on a quarterly basis: January, April, July and October. In 2024, it may go back to a bi-monthly schedule.

The Beacon is a subcommittee of the Communications and Media Committee (CMC). The original Content Editor was Mr. Peter Moulds (he resigned in the Spring of 2021) and the current Content Editor for The Beacon is Ms. Elizabeth Stump, who is also the current Chair of the CMC. The Beacon’s design, layout and publishing is done by an independent contractor. Deadline for submission of content for each edition is the Friday before the planned publishing date. Our contractor sends The Beacon out in batches over 3-4 days via email, and provides a text version which is accessible and archived on the LPCA website here.

While The Beacon falls under the purview of the CMC, LPCA members are welcome to help write articles and submit content. Please review the sections below to see where you might like to contribute.

News Items

The Beacon includes articles about upcoming events for the Party, such as state and national conventions, LPCA Quarterly Executive Committee Meetings, fundraisers, and other news. For conventions, information is provided in advance (i.e., location, dates, packages, hotel group rates, guest speakers, etc.) as well as summaries of what happened at the convention (Executive Committee election results, major changes to Bylaws, resolutions, etc.).

The Beacon also reports on county affiliates (i.e., ExCom elections, significant events, candidates for political office, etc.). Summaries and pictures of how any respective event went, successes and lessons learned, are an important part of promoting localized efforts, and are welcome submissions. The Beacon does not post or include monthly county affiliate casual meetups, hangouts and socials; those are best promoted on your own county’s website, social media accounts and emailed newsletters. If your county has an Annual Meeting coming up however, The Beacon will post notice of that. If members of your county affiliate are appointed to a local city or county board, commission or committee, share the good news by sending notice to the Content Editor, in hopes that it may inspire others to apply or run for similar positions in their community.

During presidential and mid-term election years (as June primaries and November elections draw near) The Beacon will feature Libertarian candidates running for office across California for the May and September issues. A voter guide addressing the Legislative Committee’s recommendations on California State Propositions, and local county affiliate recommendations on county and city measures will be compiled into a September Election Special Edition. If your county affiliate is going to support or oppose any measures or candidates, it is recommended that you have your list ready before the end of August. Please contact the Content Editor for the deadline of that year’s September issue, as deadline issue dates vary from year to year.

Articles

The Beacon accepts content submissions from all dues paying LPCA members. Contributions are usually provided periodically, quarterly or topically. If you would like to submit a regular, or periodic column (or even just a one-off) you are always welcome to reach out to the Content Editor.

There is no limit to the number of articles The Beacon can contain, the aim however is always to keep the topics varied, and relevant. There is also no specific word limit to an article, (a hyperlink to “read more” is provided after the first paragraph or two). It is however recommended to keep articles under 3,000 words given the attention span of the average reader.

If you have never submitted content to The Beacon, and have an idea for an article, please review the past few issues to prevent writing about a recently covered topic.

Affiliate Tip of the Month

The Beacon posts an Affiliate Tip of the Month (similar to the “Affiliate Tip of the Week” featured on LPCA social media). The Affiliate Tip of the Month deals with tips that require a bit more context than a simple graphic can provide.

If you have a tip that county affiliates can use to improve outreach, communication, increase membership (or anything along those lines) please submit your idea to the Content Editor. Committee Updates

The Beacon includes some updates on recent committee work and projects, as provided by those committees. The information shared is not sensitive, and is meant to help members stay informed. If you are on an LPCA Committee and would like to provide information about your committee’s work for The Beacon, please contact the CMC at cmc@ca.lp.org.

Meme of the Month

The Beacon features a meme that is relevant to a recent topical news item, which meets branding and professionalism standards that align with LPCA values. It is up to the Content Editor to pick one, but submissions are always welcome.

Podcast of the Month

The Beacon features a podcast, or a similar audio/video media platform every issue. The podcaster’s subject must be libertarian focused, or cover an issue dealing with libertarian principles (e.g., free speech, gun rights, privacy, foreign policy, the drug war, etc.). If you know of a podcast you would like to recommend, please submit it to the Content Editor.

New & In-Progress Affiliates

Starting an affiliate is no easy feat. It requires a fair amount of time, energy, leadership, and commitment that not everyone has the ability to undertake. While it is the Area Coordinator’s job to assist new and in-progress affiliates with resources, support and information, it is incumbent upon the members of that respective county to do the “leg work” necessary to start and maintain their own organization.

Getting Started

Chair Pro Tempore (Chair Pro Tem)

The first step for establishing a new organization is finding someone who would be willing to take on the role of Chair Pro Tempore. This is generally an individual with the drive and determination to build, organize and lead an affiliate. A Chair Pro Tem is a Central Committee Member who is officially recognized by the Party as the representative for their county. Chair Pro Tems are given access to Neon once they have been officially appointed, and have signed the Party’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) due to the sensitive information they would be privy to. They’re tasked with: early recruitment, finding other Central Committee Members willing to take on Officer roles, and holding proper inaugural elections for their county. Only the Area Coordinator for the unaffiliated county looking to organize may appoint a Chair Pro Tem.

Early Recruitment

One of the most important things, whether your affiliate is in “start-up” mode, or has been established and organized for years, is initial and consistent membership engagement and participation. The best way to achieve this, is by hosting socials that you can invite prospective members to. There are different tiers of prospective members that you want to focus your initial recruitment on, and in a particular order to maximize growth potential and overall success. See the “Recruitment” section under “Organized and In-Progress Affiliates" below for more information.

Officers

Successful affiliates have strong leadership comprised of people willing and able to put in the work. It is incumbent upon the Chair Pro Tem, with assistance from their Area Coordinator, to find County Central Committee Members to run for Officer positions at the aspiring organization’s inaugural elections. Generally the Chair Pro Tem runs for the Chair position, and needs only to find qualified individuals to fill the rest of the county’s leadership team. A full leadership team is generally comprised of a: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. While an organization is only required to have a Chair and a Treasurer in order to be officially recognized by the Party, it’s a good idea to try to find candidates to fill all of the aforementioned roles before holding inaugural elections. This maximizes your organization’s potential for success as far as the consistent involvement and engagement in political activity you’re expected to assume within your county.

County Elections

A county organization is deemed as having selected its officers only if official notice has been given to its members (either via physical mail or email) at least 30 days, but no more than 60 days in advance of their elections. Election notice must also be given to the Party Secretary at least 30 days in advance of the election. The notice must specify the reason for the meeting as well as a time and place reasonably accessible to its membership. The onus falls on the Chair Pro Tem to fulfill the aforementioned requirements, and run the meeting where elections are held. Members running for Officer positions are usually nominated by another member, but they’re allowed to nominate themselves should they wish. Official meeting minutes should be recorded, and the results should be sent to the Party Secretary by the newly elected Chair or Secretary no later than 15 days after the elections take place.

Bylaws

After you have a newly formed Executive Committee for your affiliate, your first order of business should be to formally adopt Bylaws. The most efficient way to do this (if you’re a new affiliate) is to have a draft ready to adopt after your elections (this can happen at the same meeting). If you need assistance drafting them, contact your Area Coordinator and/or use the template provided below under “Sample Documents” and adjust according to your needs.

Post Box

The first action that needs to be taken after your affiliate is officially recognized is securing a post box. You’ll need it to be able to open a bank account, and receive membership dues from the Party Treasurer via check, among other things. Private post boxes generally have more options and are cheaper per annum that those offered by USPS. They’ll also often hold any large packages you receive for no additional fee. In the unfortunate event a private company isn’t an option in your area, you’ll need to look at getting a USPS P.O Box.

Checking Account

The second action that a new affiliate needs to take upon being officially recognized is opening a checking account. You are free to choose any bank that you believe serves your needs best. Most banks will require you to provide:

  • An Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
  • A copy of your election meeting minutes
  • A physical mailing address
  • An official letter proving that you are an official representative of your organization. (The Affiliate Support Committee has a letter it can issue to you upon request, so please contact your Area Coordinator.)

Again, while you are free to choose any bank to hold your affiliate’s funds, you should consider one which doesn’t charge maintenance or service fees. (Credit Unions usually offer free checking accounts.) It is also recommended that the newly elected Chair and Treasurer go and open the account together so that both of their names are associated with the account, making future withdrawals and change of ownership significantly easier. The State of California doesn’t require filings to be made until a political organization reaches the $2,000 threshold during any fiscal year. For any specific questions or concerns regarding financial requirements, please contact Ms. Emily Tilford, LPCA Assistant Treasurer.

Affiliate Starter Kit

If you’re in need of materials for a tabling event that you believe may help “jump-start” affiliate involvement, you may want to consider purchasing an Affiliate in a Box starter kit from the Libertarian Party National website. They start at $100 (before shipping and taxes). Before considering making the purchase, it may be more prudent to ask neighboring affiliates for extra materials first. If one can’t accommodate your request, you can either: purchase this kit out of pocket and consider it a donation for your newly established organization, or you can reach out to your Area Coordinator to see if they have the funds in their budget to purchase it for you.

Shared Documents & Folders

It’s important that you have a shared (but secure location) where you can keep all of your organization’s shared data (i.e., logins and passwords for your website and official social media accounts, templates, letterhead, etc.). The easiest way to do this is to have a GDrive or some other shared medium that only your organization’s ExCom has access to.

Sample Documents

If you are having a difficult time creating documents that you need to get started, please refer to the linked templates below. You can copy each of these Google Docs to use for your organization (after filling in the essential information highlighted in yellow). These documents are compliant with rules of parliamentary order (RONR), LPCA Bylaws/Rules, and general conventions so they can be used immediately. You can however edit them if you would rather tailor them to your respective organization (just make sure that they still fulfill all requirements if you make substantial changes).

Branding

Branding is a critical part of outreach for affiliates part of a larger organization. By using standards utilized by Party across California and even nationally, you can tie your graphics into the larger Libertarian Party brand image, which not only helps you with recruitment and recognizability, but cross-promotes many organizations at once. A good starting place is lpaction, a website created by the Libertarian Party to serve as a repository for branding information that you can draw on. It contains fonts, colors, and images that you can use as a base for your designs. While you are free to utilize whatever logo you want for your affiliate (or make one using the standards found on lpaction yourself), a basic design utilizing the lpaction layout can be found for every affiliate in California here. Different higher quality designs can also be found and downloaded here. Business cards that are customized to your organization are essential to professional outreach efforts, and the LPCA has a store that makes it as easy as possible to get cards with a standard LPCA brand feel. Reach out to the Affiliate Support Committee to ensure you get cards specific to your affiliate. Once you do, you can set up an account for the store at brandly, and follow these steps:

  • On the top left hand menu, select “Dashboard”
  • Under the “Design” box, choose the black back or the grey back by clicking on the arrow
  • Click on “Start Order”
  • Click on the text on the front of the card to amend to show your name, title, cell phone (or alt number) and email
  • Click “Add to Cart”
  • Hover over the preview and click
  • Change the quantity to your desired amount (The other details should be defaulted to Premium Matte Business Cards, Square Corners, Spot Gloss Finish)
  • Click “Cart”
  • Click “Checkout”
  • Fill out your shipping, billing and payment info
  • Select me as the admin to approve your order
  • Click on "Place Order.”

Brochures

If your affiliate does (or is planning) in-person tabling events where physical literature would be beneficial or preferable, having access to brochures on a wide variety of libertarian answers and positions on political topics (which can be modified in Microsoft Word) is important, and are available here. These were initially made for the Libertarian Party of Alameda County by Mr. Jim Eyer, but can be modified to reflect your organization’s branding and logo as necessary.

Executive Committee Role Descriptions

It’s important that members understand the commitment they’re taking on when they agree to run for an Officer position. While a well established organization requires less maintenance, a newly established one requires a fair amount of work early on (depending on the role, it could be anywhere from 3-6 hours a week if not more). Officer roles are always: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. An Executive Committee is comprised of Officers, as well as other positions deemed necessary according to the needs of the affiliate. Additional positions range from the typical At Large role which is generally tasked with a variety of duties delegated at the discretion of the Officers, as well committee chairs tasked with very specific duties (e.g., Activities Chair, Membership Chair, etc.). The following is a general description of what each of the most common roles entail.

Chair

The Chair is the Chief Executive Officer of the Party. The Chair presides at all meetings of the Party, and the Executive Committee.

Vice Chair

The Vice Chair performs the duties of the Chair (1) to the extent delegated by the Chair; and (2) to the extent that the Chair is, for any reason, unable to perform the duties of the office.

Secretary

The Secretary keeps, or causes to be kept, a book of minutes of all meetings of the Party and the Executive Committee. The Secretary keeps, or causes to be kept, a membership record containing the name and address of each voting member of the Party, and the date upon which such voting member joined the Party. The Secretary gives, or causes to be given, notice of all meetings of the Party. The Secretary keeps, or causes to be kept, all other books, records and papers of the Party, and has such other powers and performs such other duties as may be prescribed by the Executive Committee or the Bylaws. The Secretary may appoint an assistant to perform their functions when they are unable to do so. Such an assistant must already be a member of the Executive Committee, or someone the Executive Committee has approved.

Treasurer

The Treasurer receives, expends, and accounts for the funds of the Party under the supervision and direction of the Chair and the Executive Committee. The Treasurer makes an annual financial report to the Executive Committee, and performs all duties required of the office by applicable federal and state laws. The Treasurer is responsible for oversight of all financial functions, including but not limited to: receipts, disbursements, and internal and external reporting. The Treasurer only issues disbursements that are approved by at least two-thirds of the Executive Committee, and can be substantiated by appropriate documentation. The Treasurer timely files such federal and California income tax returns as may be required under applicable law.

At Large Representatives

At Large Representatives inform the Executive Committee of any issues of relevance throughout the county including, but not limited to: activism opportunities, candidate support opportunities, local elections, events in which the Party’s participation could prove beneficial, and expanding membership. At Large Representatives participate in all Executive Committee discussions and debates, and vote on all matters. At Large Representatives may perform other duties per the direction and discretion of the Executive Committee.

Organized Affiliates

Organized affiliates usually have the advantage of being established, and thus not having to worry about the “basics” new and in-progress affiliates do. That being said, organized affiliates often fall into the trap of becoming complacent and set in their ways which consequently leads to stagnation, especially when it comes to recruitment and outreach (i.e., growing their membership, appeal, etc.). No matter how established an affiliate may be, there’s always room for improvement.

Recruitment

Current Dues Paying LPCA Members

This is the “lowest hanging fruit.” Individuals who fall under this category typically hold anything from a Basic Membership ($25 per annum) to a Lifetime Membership (One $1,000 payment to retain paid membership status for life). Their lack of involvement could stem anywhere from not knowing that their county affiliate exists (i.e., they pay dues to the Party, but are unaware that their county operates as its own separate organization), to having at one point been involved but stopping due to personal issues, or having at one point been involved but stopping due to disillusionment in the messaging/direction of the Party, to any other reason. Whatever the case, it’s important to reach out to these individuals and find out why they aren’t engaged or involved locally in hopes of addressing their pain point(s). They should be the easiest to reach out to and convince to help grow your affiliate since they believe (or at the very least did at some point) enough in the advancement of liberty to pay dues to the Party on a somewhat regular basis. Discovery is key here—it’s not about you, you’re already involved, it’s about them; it’s about what you can do to get them excited about getting engaged and involved.

Lapsed Dues Paying LPCA Members

This should be the second easiest lead list to pull members from. Individuals who fall under this category were dues paying members at one point in time (whether it be years or months ago), but let their membership lapse without ever bothering to renew it. The more recent the lapse date, the likelier they are to be responsive. Their lapsed membership could stem anywhere from forgetting to renew, to financial troubles, to disillusionment in the messaging/ direction of the Party, to any combination of the three or something entirely different. Again, whatever the case, it’s important to reach out to these individuals to find out why their respective memberships lapsed. They should be more receptive than most to the idea of helping you grow your affiliate since they believed enough in the advancement of liberty at some point to pay dues to the Party.

Family, Friends & Acquaintances

This can be an incredibly valuable resource to draw from and help you “jump-start,” or even maintain your organization. Often times these individuals are easily dismissed, but they shouldn’t be. Given how the State can’t help but amass more power for itself year after year with absolutely no regard for the individual, chances are you’ve been unable to bite your tongue on more than occasion around family, friends and/or acquaintances over the years. It’s very possible that some of your “libertarian propaganda” may have caught the attention of some of them at some point in time. The only way to find out is by inviting them to socials where they might meet individuals they have more in common with than they realize.

California Secretary of State Registered Libertarians

The Party has access to voter registration data all across the state through a data contractor called L2. This access lies solely with Party Officers and the Executive Director, but the information for your affiliate can be sent to your County Chair at their request. This lead list is a bit more of a gamble than most. Just because someone is registered to vote “Libertarian,” doesn’t necessarily mean that they are one. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this data could be more unreliable than it should be given the ever-changing political climate. Every election cycle breeds more and more voters disillusioned with their own party, often resulting in a registration change to a third party out of “protest.” That being said, there are still thousands of actual Libertarians who are registered as such, and may simply not know about dues paying membership, so they should be reached out to when possible.

Likeminded Local “Liberty-Leaning” Coalitions/Groups

Many counties have formed “liberty” coalitions as a result of the government’s response to COVID. Anecdotal evidence suggests that most of these coalitions are comprised of disillusioned and disenfranchised MAGA and “liberty” Republicans (although some have very moderate Democrats in their ranks depending on the area). While they may not be immediately open to joining your organization (if at all), it would be good to look for and attend these events. Even if you fail to recruit new members, you should at the very least be able to build long lasting relationships for the purpose of building important single-issue coalitions which through this method can be done without compromising overarching libertarian principles.

Events

Event recruiting is high risk, high reward. Tabling at most events such as: farmer’s markets, festivals, parades, etc. usually cost anywhere from $200 - $500 depending on the event and the area. While this method can certainly increase exposure, the money needed to do so, may not yield the results desired to justify the cost. Nevertheless, it never hurts to inquire. While this method may not yield immediate results, doing at least one regular event of this caliber a year may prove beneficial over a longer period of time.

Farmer’s Markets

There’re multiple farmer’s markets associations that operate throughout California. You can find yours here (search by county). Some farmer’s markets however, may be averse to allowing a political organization have a table. If you’re denied, simply try a different one.

Fairs & Festivals

When applying for vendor booth opportunities, many events will charge a lower rate for nonprofit organizations. If you go this route, review what your organization can budget for given that some higher profile events (those with large attendance) can run several hundred dollars per booth, while others will cost less than $50. Be prepared to provide your EIN for proof of your non-profit status. Many events will also require proof of insurance. If this is the case, contact your Area Coordinator first to see if it’s possible for you to get event insurance through the LPCA. If it isn’t, see below. For public outreach opportunities like this, it is recommended that you have some basic materials:

  • A 10'x10' pop-up canvas gazebo along with weights, stakes or rope to tie it down in case of strong wind.
  • 2 6' tables (folding tables would be best for transportation’s sake).
  • Folding chairs.
  • A banner with your organization’s name, and logo (either County, State or National).
  • Table cloths.
  • Literature: (e.g., Party brochures, flyers, voter registration forms for your county, etc.).

You’re also encouraged to create your own brochures/flyers to address local concerns such as, agriculture, water, forest management, decriminalization of drugs, gun rights, rent control, etc.

  • Literature stand/holder (especially if you’re in a windy area).
  • A laminated Nolan Political Survey chart with colored sticker dots and an easel/tripod to display the chart. (Contact Ms. Tilford or the Advocates on their website for assistance.)
  • Printed out versions of the Nolan Political Survey for people to take. (Contact Ms. Tilford or the Advocates on their website for assistance.)
  • Buttons or stickers to give out as “prizes” for taking the Nolan Political Survey or engaging you in meaningful discussion. Examples of popular libertarian catch phrases your buttons or stickers can display include, “Make Orwell Fiction Again,” “Stop Electing Assholes,” “Am I Being Detained?” “Come Back With A Warrant,” “My Governor Is An Idiot,” etc. You can also make some which support Libertarians running

in local elections that say “#VoteGold” or that have their specific name or campaign slogan on them.

  • A clip board with a sign up sheet to take down names and contact information for people interested in learning more about your organization.
  • A makeshift “boothing kit’ which should at the very least include: rope, twine, duct tape, painter’s tape, scotch tape, zip ties, scissors, rubber bands and pens.
County Fairs

Only consider county fairs if you have a sufficient number of members who can volunteer to man it on a multi-shift rotation schedule. County fairs are often 10-14 days, and require any booth to be staffed at all hours of operation every day of the fair.

Festivals

Anything with vendor booth opportunities:

  • Art & Wine Festivals
  • Music Festivals
  • Community/Town Festivals

Be sure to check downtown associations, Chamber of Commerce, and Visitor Bureau websites for opportunities within your city/town and county.

Gun Shows

You can find a list of prominent gun shows that you should consider participating in at the following websites:

Parades

Chances are that there are various types of parades in your community that you can participate in to bolster organizational awareness. The most common tend to be:

  • Rodeo
  • Holiday & Seasonal (e.g., Fourth of July, Christmas, etc)
  • Light
  • Classic Car/Cruise

While optics and professionalism are important to maintain at every event, there’s arguably no more important time for this to be the case than a parade. If no one in your organization has a convertible, classic car, or “special/interesting” vehicle to drive in a parade, you can always rent one. Make sure to plan for 2'x4' banners for both sides of the car in which to advertise your organization. It’s also wise to ensure that your banner has a libertarian slogan (i.e. “All Your Freedoms, All the Time,” “Minimal Government/Maximum Freedom,” etc.). Depending on the type of parade, it may even be more prudent to consider using or renting a flatbed truck.

Event Insurance

Many venues require presenters to obtain event insurance. Thus, your affiliate may be required to show proof of insurance to participate in an event. If a venue requires this, contact an LPCA officer—the Party has a general liability insurance policy that may cover your event. Make sure you understand the specifics of the coverage the venue requires (e.g., the types of liability that need to be covered, the amount of coverage, whether the venue needs to be named as an additional insured on the insurance policy, etc.).

The purpose of event insurance is usually to cover your, and the venue’s, potential liability due to personal injuries and damage to the location that may occur at the event, but sometimes it is also used to cover the cost of canceling or postponing the event, or damage to gifts, wardrobe, and other items that may be used in connection with the event.

If you are unable to obtain the necessary coverage via the LPCA, the following links to event insurance providers may be helpful:

Goodwill, Volunteer Events & Holiday Charity Efforts

“Why Localism Matters Why is it important to involve your community partners? Two reasons come to mind. First, that is where real change takes place. Secondly, to be successful in implementing any national issue, you must engage local media, because obviously they control the medium and the message. As all politicians know so well, social change takes place in the thousands of hamlets, villages, towns and cities that comprise our national fabric. There is a reason why all the most successful non-profits such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Red Cross and hundreds of others have local chapters. That is where they can efficiently deliver services which cater to the needs of their stakeholders. From the media perspective, that is also where their audience is located and the sources of their ad revenues, so the concept of localism is very strong.”

“How to Engage Community Partners in Your Issue" by Bill Goodwill

Early fall is the perfect time to begin planning a county affiliate holiday charity event. Libertarians often preach volunteerism, events like these, especially at the local level, can be demonstrative of how effective our philosophy can be.

The State’s response to COVID resulted in many small businesses having to close (some permanently, and up to 50% in some urban areas). Additionally, California Assembly Bill 5 decimated an estimated two million freelance and independent contractor positions over a variety of industries, meaning people here are in need of help more than ever.

Your county affiliate can either do a charity drive on their own, or they can team up with a trusted local agency or Non-Government Organization (NGO) that already does charity events in your local community.

Popular Charity Events Include:

  • Toy Drive
  • Secret Santa/Angel Tree/Wish Lists
  • Local Children’s Hospital Book Drive
  • Food Drives (Best during November and December)
  • Loose Change Drive (Collecting change at major intersections and donating it to a local private charity of your choice).

Best Organizations to Collaborate with Include:

If you are not familiar with a particular charity, you can always research it here to make sure they are legitimate and reputable. Once you have decided on a charity project, notify your members and local community of the event, and make the appropriate arrangements. (If you are doing a Toy Drive in partner with The Marines Toy for Tots or a local Fire Department, there is often a cut-off date for donations. Make sure to hold your event and deliver the collected items before the cut-off date.)

Notice should be sent to community calendars in your local papers, TV stations (news departments and online community calendars), radio stations, Nextdoor and Patch (specifically the goods you are collecting and the special event date). If you have a popular community center or library that allows local community event flyers to be posted on a Community Board, put one up there. Also try local businesses (barber shops, donut shops, diners etc.) that post these types of flyers in their windows. Be sure to include a contact email and/or phone number for people with questions. Promoting your charity event will help drive donations, and possibly new members to your affiliate. When you do collect items (and before you drop off or deliver them) take a photo with all of the goods, and some of your members for your affiliate’s social media accounts, as well as local media.

Charity events can also be done outside of the holiday season. Back-to-School is a good time to help low-income families with gift cards for: clothes, backpacks, school supplies (notebooks, calculators, pens, pencils, pencil cases, college ruled paper, glue sticks, etc.). Food Drives are also necessary year round.

Board, Committee & Commission Vacancies

Applying for a Board, Committee or Commission (BCC) at the city or county level is an excellent way to begin participation in your local government without being elected, with none of the costs associated with a campaign. In fact, having BCC experience should be your number one priority if you intend to run for an elected position in the future. It helps build a resume for when you do eventually run for office. It is also an excellent way to network within the community prior to running for office.

Many of these BCCs come up with insipid and insidious regulations as to why you can’t paint your shed, or dictate rules regarding fences around your yard, or worst of all, come up with recommendations for cities and counties to put a sales or parcel tax on the next election ballot for some local pet project.

Volunteering for a local BCC gives you the opportunity to halt the encroachment of more government, and tax increases at the local level. Most cities and counties have vacancies on many of their BCCs at any given time. All positions have term expiration dates.

Most cities and counties have their various BCCs listed, along with their current member and term expirations online. Local community newspapers, both daily and weekly ones, will also post when a position is going to be made available on a BCC, especially if a member of the community has reached their maximum number of terms to serve.

Searching For BBC Vacancies

In most of California’s 58 counties (Amador, Colusa, Del Norte, Lassen, Mono, and Tehama being the exceptions) it is very easy to find current vacancies. For the rest of the counties, simply go to the county’s website, and in the search bar, type “vacancies” or “vacancy.” Your number one search result will likely be a web page listing all current vacancies, or a list of vacancies for various BCCs, often under the Board of Supervisors section of the web page. Many County Board of Supervisors (sometimes abbreviated BOS) have the power to appoint these positions.

For the aforementioned exceptions:

Amador: Check under County News for notice postings of vacancies.

Colusa: Contact the Board of Supervisor Clerk, or a Deputy Clerk and ask for a list of current vacancies and upcoming vacancies in which you can apply.

Del Norte: No centralized web page listing vacancies exists. To search for vacancies, when they occur, they will be posted in the local newspaper, or on that particular BCC web page, which is found here.

Lassen: This information is not available on their website, and they have said that they don’t have a system in which to gather it. Watch local newspapers for posting of vacancies (it’s required by law).

Mono: Call the Clerk of the Board, Scheereen Dedman (760) 932-5530 for vacancies, and check local newspapers for posting of vacancies. No web page listing vacancies exists.

Tehama: Go to the Clerk of the Board’s web page and click the latest Appointment List here. The PDF appointment list will show what terms are expiring when, and qualifications.

Applying For A BBC Position

To apply for a BCC, most of the counties also include an application page, and a list of requirements or directions when applying. You can usually find these pages under the Board of Supervisors page for county, and City Clerk page for cities. Some positions may be County District related, and you may have to be a resident of that particular District to apply.

If in doubt, or you need further information or clarification, it is recommended that you call or email the City Clerk, or Clerk for the Board of Supervisors.

Communication

There are several tools you can use to create brand and organization awareness. While it’s important to note that no two affiliates are the same, and what works for one affiliate may not necessarily work for another in this respect (especially if you’re at different building stages, i.e., new vs in-progress, vs established) chances are that at the very least one of the following tools could help you reach “small-l” libertarians, registered Libertarians, those who are “politically homeless,” or those desperately looking for sanity in a world growing seemingly more absurd by the day.

Web Notification Platforms

Meetup: Meetup is a community based event notification platform which also has a mobile app. It can be a great way to let people know about, and find your events. Individuals who sign up indicate that they are interested in local volunteer opportunities, politics, community causes, etc. You can select any number of descriptions to define your county affiliate, especially if your county affiliate decides to engage in local charity or activism work. The biggest problem is that it costs money ($99 per 6 months) and isn’t guaranteed to yield results, so this might not be the best option for newer affiliates who can’t afford to expend their very limited capital. It is however possible to share an account (up to 3 groups are allowed) so it might be prudent to consider partnering up with neighboring affiliates and splitting the costs.

Nextdoor: Nextdoor is a neighborhood network which also has a mobile app. It’s the most localized communicative tool at your disposal. It helps you reach out to literal neighbors, businesses, non-profits and public agencies in your area. You’ll find that many members of your community are very much in-tune with local issues. Posting and commenting on a lot of these threads could serve as an opening to introducing members of your immediate community to your organization so long as you keep things civil and professional. This is a free service.

Patch: Patch is an online newspaper for local neighborhoods. That being said, it does not have a local community page for every city, town, district or neighborhood. If one doesn't exist for yours, you can put in a request with them to create one. You can also select which communities you want to promote your event in. If it’s beyond the area in which you’ll be meeting, that will likely cost money. It is however free to post a notice for an upcoming meeting, and if you so choose, pay to have it promoted on its web page when they send emails out to local community members.

CitySpark: This is an online calendar of event webpages some local TV networks in your area may use to list upcoming events. It’s free to list, but costs money to promote your listing if you’re looking to have one of the top results or have a special notification window link attached.

Local Media Online Community Calendar: Many local TV affiliates (e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.) that may not use CitySpark, likely have on their own Community Calendar Events page on their respective website where you can add your upcoming meeting. Don’t confuse local TV affiliates with national network pages. If you’re not sure which local affiliates serve your region, do a web search (e.g., “all NBC affiliates in California”) and you should find a Wikipedia page where you can search by state and find your service area. There are also independent news stations in your area which should have their own department. Some independent stations may even have a deal with local network affiliates (e.g., WB bringing in a local CBS news broadcast).

Craigslist: This might be a better resource for more rural counties. Visit your local Craigslist page and go to the “Community Section.” There you can choose to post to “Events” and “Politics” when promoting a county affiliate meeting. You may have to change the wording slightly between the posts or Craigslist might cite that your posts are too similar. The “post” link should be in the upper right hand corner. There, you can either use a county affiliate email, or use a Craigslist generated one. If you use your county affiliate email for contact be sure to “word it,” otherwise bots will glean it and likely spam you.

Other Communication Platforms
Newspapers

Even in the age of the internet, physical, printed publications are still a great medium for outreach, especially among older members in your county. More often than not, publications will simultaneously publish physical newspapers in addition to publishing online. While this is particularly true for major newspapers, even smaller, community specific daily or weekly newspapers maintain this practice. You should gather a list of all of the newspapers currently publishing daily and weekly/bi-weekly newspapers in your county. A quick Google search will show you the major ones. For the smaller, daily and weekly newspapers that aren't easily found via online searches, visit barbershops, doughnut shops, restaurants, and other local businesses. These are the establishments most likely to have a stack of local community newspapers given that many of these are free and supported through local advertising. Grab a copy of each one you can find. The masthead will give you information on how to contact the publication as well as their website.

For daily newspapers, you to need to give a little more than a week’s advance notice of your organization’s meeting. (For weekly newspapers, you need to give a little more than two week’s advance notice.) Send notice to whoever edits the local “Community Calendar” or “Event Calendar.” Keep it simple, only include:

  • Who
  • What
  • Where
  • Date
  • Time
  • Basic Info
  • Website or Facebook Page

While it would be wise to include a standing meeting and/or location (assuming you have one), it could be a “double-edged sword.” Often times small, city/town-specific newspapers will not include your event if it’s held in a different city/town that has its own publication. Nevertheless, you may be able to convince any publication to habitually include your event if you explain that your organization services the entire county.

Letters to the Editor: Nearly all publications (even free community weekly papers) have a “Letter to the Editor” section in them where the public can comment in support, opposition, or question the reasoning or motive behind certain current events. This can include anything from government or business actions or policies, to a statement from a prominent individual, to any other number of wide-ranging issues. Before writing a letter to the editor, check their respective policy. Many publications post their guidelines in their print and online periodicals. Most will require you to be a resident within the area of the paper’s circulation, especially if it’s city/town-specific or county/regional-specific. There’s always a word limit (usually between 150-500 words). Writing a letter to the editor will teach you how to write concisely, which will take practice, especially if you’re trying to put together a complex argument.

When writing your letter, keep it specific to the point of the topic (i.e., no name-calling, incendiary claims, or “straw-man” arguments). Have several members of your organization read it over for input and edits before submitting. Keep in mind that when you’re submitting something in an official capacity, you’re not just representing your organization to your community, but representing the State and National Party as well, which means that it’s important to be inclusive, inviting, and provide rational and cohesive thought in the ever growing tumultuous climate of political partisanship and hyperbole.

If the publication elects not to publish your letter on any given week, don’t necessarily take it as a personal slight. Keep in mind that newspapers only have so much room to dedicate to “Letters to the Editor,” and there’s always a good chance that they may prioritize other letters based on factors such as submission date or topic urgency. That being said, there’s always a chance editorial staff may deeply disagree with your position and actively choose not to publish your letter, especially if that particular publication has a history of political bias. Nevertheless, don’t get discouraged; assuming you continue to submit letters, you should eventually get published.

Opinion-Editorials (Op-Eds): The Chair or a member of the affiliate's Executive Committee should introduce themselves to a local paper they believe to be fair and welcoming of “controversial” (i.e., Libertarian) opinion pieces. Some counties with very strong Democratic or Republican leanings may ignore this overture. If your local paper is hungry for content however, they may take in the occasional guest Op-Ed piece. Speak with the editor about writing an Op-Ed piece when there’s something important or time sensitive happening in your county/region (e.g., water management, wildfires, decriminalization of psychoactive plants, qualified immunity, the local sheriff's record on issuing CCW permits, etc.). If you’re successful in getting a few Op-Ed pieces published, talk to the editor about writing a once-a-month guest Op-Ed column.

Radio

The message of liberty is valuable, so it follows that it should be shared with as many individuals as possible, and across as many mediums as possible. You can find great success getting into the booth at radio stations (this is particularly true during election years). Studios and managers are always looking for enthusiastic community members and County Officers to talk about their party, principles, candidates and initiatives. Getting on the air gets you into people's homes, cars, and worksites spreading the libertarian message on a station they’re already listening to. These can be prerecorded interviews, live call-in ‘Question & Answer’ sessions, or on the spot at local events. If the station doesn't answer their phone, walking in is always an option. Some stations appreciate a face to face meeting before doing a segment or show.

Public Service Announcements (PSAs): Everyone wants a radio station to do a PSA for them because it's essentially “free advertising.” As a result, radio stations only allot so much time for them given that they take time away from programming, and paid advertising. If you’re going to attempt to have a radio station broadcast a PSA about your organization, it’s recommended that you only use it for when you’re doing a charity-only focused event (coat drive for the homeless, yearly local waterway/creek clean-up, an annual volunteer event that benefits the community, a change drive for a local children's hospital, etc.).

Good articles on how to write a PSA include: How to Create the Perfect PSA How to write a PSA

As with newspapers, be sure to include:

  • Who
  • What
  • Where
  • Date
  • Time
  • How people can participate
  • Why they should

This article discusses how to find out if a radio station allows PSAs, and how to thoroughly place one: Placing a Radio PSA

Press Releases & Media Alerts

A common misconception is that press releases and media alerts are the same. A press release is what one writes when they announce the launch of a political campaign for office (e.g., a Libertarian running for County Supervisor or Mayor). A media alert informs the press about the event being held to celebrate said launch, and is designed to encourage the press (in all forms) to cover the event. Press releases and media alerts are great tools to inform the press (including bloggers and podcasters) covering certain topics about news worthy events. Needless to say, organization meetings do not warrant a press release—the Libertarian presidential candidate coming to stump and hold a rally, speech, or fundraiser however, does. If an event is particularly newsworthy, you can roll the press release and media alert into one. In this case, you would have the press release on top, and the “Who/What/Where/When/Why” at the bottom.

Standard practice is to send out a press release as soon as the news can be shared, but it is strategically best to have it go out on a Monday or Tuesday (8AM or 9AM local time). “The Cathedral” is notorious for publishing press releases with "bad news” on Friday or Saturday at the end of the day, which means that by Monday it will either be buried, or no longer timely to cover.

Press Release

The whole purpose of a press release is to get coverage, and noticed by a target audience. There is a format to press releases, and you can find templates online. The parts of a press release are:

  • Letterhead and/or organization logo.
  • Contact information: (i.e., who should the press contact for more information or an additional quote?) Include a name, email and phone number.
  • Listing if it’s for “IMMEDIATE RELEASE” or whether there’s an embargo until a certain time to announce. (Try to refrain from submitting a press release unless it’s ready for “IMMEDIATE RELEASE.”)
  • Headline: keeps it brief, and tells the most important detail of the release.
  • Sub-headline: adds additional key information to the headline.
  • Dateline: listing the city, state and date of the release.
  • Body: this is the key information you’re trying to convey to the press. (Follow the journalistic style of writing and put the most important information in the first paragraph. Reporters and editors will usually only skim it over and read the first paragraph. They’ll usually only bother to read the whole thing if they’re interested in covering the story.)
  • Quote: something about the subject. (You can quote the county Chair, or someone who’s an expert in the field of topic. Make sure you get approval if you’re crafting a quote for someone you know, and keep it simple.)
  • Boilerplate: this is a simple paragraph at the end of a press release used to describe your organization, and the LP in general. (Be sure to include a website to either your organization or to the Party.) End the press release with either “-30-” or “###” or “-end-” at the very bottom. It signals that there’s nothing more to the press release.

If you need help or have any questions about writing a press release, please reach out to the Communications and Media Committee.

After the press release is written, the next thing you need to do is get it to press. There’re two ways to do this:

  1. Send it out over a news wire service which distributes press releases to the press. The Party has an account with EIN news wire service which distributes press releases based on geography and industry topics to thousands of newspapers, TV stations, radio, and anyone else watching the news wires.
  2. Create a list of media contacts in your area which you can contact via email. Don’t include your press release or media alert as an attachment, instead write the press release into the body of your email. That way you can include a short introduction and pitch as to why they should bother covering your news. Don’t submit your press release to an online web contact form at a news web page; it’s highly unlikely to get read. Instead, ring ahead of time and ask for the news desk. Once you’re speaking to someone in the newsroom, ask for an email address where you can send a press release. Create a database for all the newspapers, TV and radio stations, and record their email addresses. For newspapers in particular, you'll want to send it to the appropriate reporter covering the topic of your press release (e.g, Cannabis Regulation, Politics, Civil Liberty issues, etc.) If you’re not sure who to send it to, send it to the Deputy Editor or Assignment Desk.

While you don't have to use a news wire service, it’s highly recommended that you send your press release to key media in your area via email. (This is why creating a database of print and online newspapers, TV and radio stations is essential.)

Media Alert

A media alert, like a press release, is a way to inform the local press about an upcoming event of note. Again: don’t do a media alert for reoccurring meetings. They should only be done for something important (e.g., a protest, a rally, a local volunteer charity effort, etc.). Media alerts are much simpler to craft. All they require are a basic headline, followed by the “Who/What/Where/When/Why” the media should bother covering the event. Media Alerts can also be sent out over a news wire service, as well as to the local press via email.

Media alerts should go out via news wire approximately 5-7 days before the event, and sent out same time to newspapers and radios (assuming you have that much time to plan ahead). TV station media alerts should be sent via email two days in advance, and once more the day before. If it’s a last minute event, send is out as soon as possible.

Newsletters

Established organizations should have a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly newsletter that they send out to their membership. If this seems untenable, you should at the very least consider sending out a newsletter two weeks prior to your next meeting. The announcement of your next meeting should top the newsletter, followed by news about upcoming opportunities for people to apply as candidates in elections (e.g., openings on boards for water, sanitation, parks & recreation, etc.) anything in which you can bring libertarian sensibility to organizations that serve the community. Be sure to also include information about upcoming volunteer events, as well as the most recent successes of your past community outreach (with photos, e.g., trash pick up at a local park, foster youth support, loose coin drive for a local NGO charity, etc.) Make sure to keep it brief and to the point; the longer the newsletter, the less likely the recipient is to read it.

Official Email

Domains

Every organized county should have an official email domain for Officers, if not all county affiliate ExCom members. For those of you who don’t have one, they’re generally not actual email accounts, but rather, forwarding addresses that you tie your personal email address to (the latter is significantly cheaper). While there are several places you can register a domain, one of the easiest and cheapest is Google Domains.

Signatures

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the State of California, which is why it’s important to maintain an air of professionalism. Every affiliate ExCom member should create an email signature that they use for all official communication whether it be internal, or external. The signature should at a minimum consist of: your name, your title/role within your affiliate, and the name of your affiliate. Additionally, you might consider adding your affiliate’s logo, as well as your website and maybe even social media links, especially if email is going to be your primary method of reaching out to prospects, as well as local businesses and political figures.

Seminars

While this handbook attempts to go into detail about everything that is integral to running a successful county affiliate, there is only so much that a 50-100 page book can cover. Many issues, or topics lend themselves to demonstrative, rather than explanative, presentation. Thus, the Affiliate Support Committee hosts multiple seminars a month on a wide range of topics, from running a website or using Party tools (e.g., Neon), to appropriately conveying libertarian principles. For each workshop, a google form will be sent out with dates and times for members of County Executive Committees to sign up. Once the date and time have been decided, a Zoom link will be sent out to everyone in case others who missed the first email would like to join. In order to make sure that you are fully utilizing the seminars created by the Affiliate Support Committee, please check your email on a regular basis and fill out forms for seminars that you are interested in. If a topic that isn't being covered would help you or others you know, feel free to email the Affiliate Support Committee to request a specific topic.

Seminars to Date Include:

  • Nationbuilder (Website Building) 101
  • Rhetoric 101
  • Public Relations 101
  • Liberty Speaks

While attending seminars live is preferable so that there can be real-time discussion and clarification, recordings of the aforementioned seminars (which are purposely designed to be evergreen) can be found here.

Web Presence

Affiliate Index (Organized)

Affiliate Index (In-Progress)

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