LWVUS Long Range Plan
Mission Statement (as revised by national board, June 1984)
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. General Objectives
- To establish positions on public policy through member participation and agreement.
- To take concerted actions that secure public policies consistent with League positions.
- To enhance citizen participation in federal, state and local government decisions.
- To increase citizen participation in the election process.
Strategic Directions (as revised by national board, March 1985)
Local Leagues/membership
- Revise standards for Leagues to encourage flexibility of administrative structures. Enforce standards.
- Simplify process for becoming a League and shift focus of activity during formation to advocacy.
- Reform program-making and member-agreement processes by using direct communication to members and direct communication of individual member opinion to appropriate board. Provide meeting-ready materials.
- Conduct pilot projects for LWVUS handling of membership renewals, dues collection and list maintenance.
- Pursue strategies at each level of the League to achieve net membership growth each year.
- Permit individuals to join local League of their choice or become members-at-large.
- Provide funding for field staff to work with state Leagues to strengthen existing Leagues (and), as a pilot project, to form new Leagues in areas with potential to sustain a League.
- Organize Leagues around pursuit of an issue. Advocacy and education
- Implement an advocacy agenda at each level of the League; involve all levels in implementation of national advocacy agenda.
- Revise focus of LWVEF to increase involvement in primary research and future-oriented analysis of public policy issues and to increase activist approach in its traditional activities.
- Reform program-making and member-agreement processes. . . (see Local Leagues/membership).
- Reflect advocacy agenda and LWVEF focus in national publications plan.
State Leagues
- Change council into an effective leadership development opportunity.
- Implement at state level: the program and administrative directions recommended for the national level; use of cost-benefit analyses; budgeting for staff; focus of membership efforts on existing Leagues and members-at-large, not formation of new Leagues; tapping services available from national office.
- Implement national assistance to state Leagues by: targeting field service to state Leagues with specific needs; developing consultant corps; revising and enforcing standards for Leagues to encourage flexibility of administrative structures; promoting regional cooperation by pilot projects; providing funding for field staff work with state Leagues...(see Local Leagues/membership).
Financing the League
- Replace per-member-payment (PMP) system*
- Adopt realistic dues to provide adequate support for all levels of the League.
- Improve national effectiveness in direct mail and other nondues income-generating techniques.
- Aggressively pursue nondues income at national level from new sources and strengthen financial base of LWVEF while targeting grant and contract activities.
Internal and external communications
- Reshape national publications program to further directions in Long Range Plan.
- Use annual publications plan to ensure that: national publications further League objectives; are appropriate for markets; promote membership growth; and are analyzed on the basis of cost and benefits.
- Increase use of radio and TV.
- Market products aggressively. National board/national office
- Develop cost-accounting systems for the national level in order to use cost-benefit analysis in evaluating activities.
- Implement computer capability in the national office with long-term potential to link with Leagues.
- Examine allocation of resources between LWVUS and LWVEF.
- Strengthen policy-making role of national board and reduce time demands on board members.
- Reorganize national board to eliminate individual portfolio assignments.
- Reform and revitalize process for identifying and selecting national leadership.
*The board has no plans to recommend a change in the PMP system at this time.
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May 1985
August-September 1985
Simple Justice (Dorothy Lum)