The Pennsylvania State Democratic Party held its state committee meeting on September 24th and 25th. It was my pleasure to attend the meeting as your elected State Committeewoman. The Franklin County delegation also included State Committeeman, Garrett Blanchet, and the Franklin County Democrats Chairman, Paul Politis. The three of us covered a lot of ground.
Roger Lund, Chair of the South Central Caucus (this is the caucus we belong to) and the Adams County Democrats Chairman, presided over a session devoted to developing revenue streams. All of our clubs could use a little help in this department! Several of the ideas to increase the funds raised did not incur additional overhead costs:
• An annual dinner honoring someone or some special group. This increases ticket sales & donations
• Premium seating. Seating at the table with the honored guest or speaker has a higher ticket price.
• An annual event focusing on raising funds for a scholarship.
• Instead of, or in addition to ad books at events, some clubs have been displaying ads on screens or walls of the venue.
• Have roving photographers at the event and sell a CD of the photos to event goers.
• Remind Democrats to consider giving a donation to their clubs as holiday gifts for their friends & family who are notoriously difficult to buy for!
• Monthly cheese & wine get-togethers specifically to raise funds via a donation basket.
The second session focused on getting out our vote. Bob Kefauver from the York County Democrats presented his club’s “GOOSE” guide. “Get Out Our Supporters Everywhere” (GOOSE) effort helps to more clearly focus on getting out Democrats. The top priority with this effort is to find a volunteer to chair a committee of dedicated people willing to manage such a program. The effort is most intense the 21 days prior to an election. However, the planning & organizing is ongoing all year. It involves identifying supporters, precinct by precinct, canvassing, telephoning, and growing the volunteer base.
Organizing for America (OFA) delivered the third session. The representatives described how OFA has become the Vote 2010 Coordinated Campaign. There was much discussion over the coordination between the county & local Democratic clubs and the Coordinated Campaign. Ryan and Devora will be conducting Webinars on how to use the VoteBuilder system. Also, the campaign will be posting daily talking points on the PA Dems website. To learn more about the Coordinated Campaign effort contact Jeff@padems.com.
Jim Burn, State Democratic Party Chairman, and I spoke at length about the need in Franklin County. He said he feels he has a “a place to hang my hat in Franklin County, I feel at home there.” He is interested in meeting potential candidates. He said he wants to provide as much assistance as he can with growing our number of elected officials. Scott Conklin was very excited to see us, too. He is comfortable with helping our area because he knows what it is like living in the “T.” Dan Onorato addressed our small caucus meeting. He makes a great presentation; very personable & hard-hitting without all the hoopla. He apologized for not spending more time in our parts and attributed that to the money pouring in to the Corbett campaign from the new corporate citizens. Dan needs to concentrate on the areas where he can raise the most money & most votes.
Democratically yours,
Sheri Morgan
Franklin County State Committeewoman
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