Getting involved in your Local Party - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Getting involved in your Local Party

or how to grow your own

Slide2

Getting involved in your Local Party

Louise Venn, Senior Local Party Development Officer

Alex Dunn, Bristol Green Party

Slide3

Getting involved in your Local Party

Louise Venn, Senior Local Party Development Officer

How is the party structured?

The challenge of rapid growth

The roles and teams to choose fromAlex Dunn, Bristol Green Party

The Bristol perspective

How we have won elections

Leafleting, canvassing and other activities

Slide4

Green Party of England and Wales

South

West

Incl

Bristol

West

East

Incl

Norwich

South

North

West

Liverpool

Riverside

Yorkshire

& Humber

Incl. Sheffield

Central

South East

Oxford

& Brighton

London

Local elections 2014, GLA 2016

National Party

GPEW

East Midlands

Wales

North East

West Midlands

approx

230 Local Parties

Slide5

Campaigns Director

Fundraising and Operations Director

GP Leadership

Politicians

GPex and other committees

Party leader

Press &

Comms

Manager

7 X Campaign Coordinators

Digital

Officer and Assistant

Membership

& Database

HR, F

inance

and

office manager

Fundraising& Member Officer

Young

Greens Co-ordinator

Finance Officer and volunteers

Policy

Comms

Manager

Conference Coordinator

May 2014

National Party Staff & Committee structures

Senior Local Party Development Officers

Governance Assistant

Development Officer

Junior Policy Officer

Publications Officers

15 constituency campaign roles

Campaign Assistant

Caroline Lucas Parliamentary Chief of Staff

National Election Agent

TC & GE Campaigns team

2 x Press Officers

Slide6

National Party Campaigns Director

South

West Campaign Coordinator

Guy Poultney

Bristol

West

Eastern

Campaign Coordinator

Spin Pitman

Norwich

South

North West

Campaign Coordinator

Paul Woodruff

Liverpool

Riverside

Yorkshire

&

Humberside

Campaign Coordinator Andrew Cooper

Sheffield

Central

South East RCC

bringing activist support to Oxford & Brighton

London RCC

bringing activist support to London

Constits

and Brighton

National & Regional Campaign Coordinators

West Midlands

Campaign Coordinator

Chris Williams

Slide7

Regional Party Support

Slide8

Local Parties are where the real action happens

E.g. Bristol Green Party, 6 Councillors, nearly 2000 members & a real chance of winning parliamentary seats

Slide9

Local Parties are where the real action happens

E.g. Lewisham Green Party,

approx 700 members, sole opposition Councillor, London Assembly member, part of London Federation, Jean Lambert MEP for London

Slide10

Geography of a local party & electoral boundaries

Lewisham: 18 wards each with 3 Councillors

Slide11

Geography of a local party & electoral boundaries

Constituency boundary overlaps local authority and party boundary

Slide12

The Green Surge: a moment of opportunity

Slide13

The Green Surge: a moment of challenge

Slide14

Engaging new members

Enthusiasm peaks at start: engage earlyWelcome email/calls, member meetings

Identify skills, interests and time availableWhat roles and teams fit: try them out, formal election to officer posts Get creative: build new teams & capacity, organisational change

But..don’t reinvent the wheel!

Slide15

Local Party Structures: Small

Chair/Coordinator

Treasurer

Election Agent

Candidates (for Councillor, MP, Regional Assembly) & Officers

Members

Supporters

Volunteers

selects

Slide16

Local Party Structures: Large

Constituency clusters working with candidates

Ward leads & teams

Policy leads and researchers

Ward leads & teams

Chair

Membership Secretary

Coordinator

Returning Officer

Election Agent

Fundraising officer

Treasurer

Press & Media Officer

Internal

Comms

Coordinator

Website, press & social media team

Fundraising team

Volunteer Coordinator

Campaigns and events

Slide17

Policy leads

e.g. housing, education, health

Ward Teams

Ward Team

Coordinator Councillors

leafleting, canvassing action days

Local Party Committee: Officers & Coordinators

Editorial ‘sign off’

Meetings, strategy, constitution

Campaign & Media teams

Newsletters, Campaigns, Press, research

Constituency Cluster

MP candidates, campaign manager media officers

Structures for a growing party:

Fundraising team

Slide18

Functions of a local party:

Listening and communicating

Influencing & actingGrowing & winning

Slide19

Listening and communicating:

Door-knocking / canvassing

Public enquiries, case workL

ocal community groups, partner organisations, researchWebsite, facebook

, twitter, blogs, photos/videoLocal press, letters and articles

Events and debates, stalls & demos

Leafleting & newsletters, letters to new voters etc.

Slide20

Influencing and acting:

Local campaigns and issues

Influencing council decisions, supporting elected membersParticipating

in regional and national campaigns: legislative and political reformPromoting & informing GP policies & manifesto

Influencing the public & other parties

Achieving real change ‘on the ground’

Slide21

Growing and winning:

Increasing active members and volunteers, and becoming more effective as a local party

Target to Win: more seats on Local CouncilsWinning seats in Westminster

Winning seats on regional assemblies in Wales and London, and MEPs in all regions

Working effectively with International federations of Green Parties

Slide22

What tools and guidance are available?

Members Website: Party in a Bo

x

Slide23

What tools and guidance are available?

Members Website:

Elections, Campaigns, Policy

Slide24

What tools and guidance are available?

Members Website: Forums and Communication tools

Slide25

What campaign resources are available?

Downloadable leaflets and

templates on members’ site

Slide26

What campaign resources are available?

Green Party Shop

shop.greenparty.org.uk

Slide27

Key messages

Moment of huge growth: involve & welcome new members

Make use of the guidance available on the members’ website, and communication tools like CIVI

Grow new teams, training / mentoring

Learn from and connect with neighbouring parties

Don’t reinvent the wheel: guidance and models existBut be creative – try out new things

Feed up to national party:

policy priorities & local issues – inform the manifesto

good practice – share what works well

local party needs e.g. new guidance and tools you want

Slide28

Thank you

And best of luck with growing your own!

louise.venn@greenparty.org.uk