GPCA Budget FY2011-2012 Expense Narrative
0. INTRODUCTION
We are using a three tiered approach in this budget.
Tier 1 Budget
The tier 1 budget is the basic operating expenses of GPCA and the required initial costs to launch our statewide voter registration drive and Green 2012. Basic operating expenses include essential party operations like paying for our PO box, insurance and FPPC filing software. The required initial costs for our statewide voter registration drive and Green 2012 include paying a consultant to help us fundraise, recruit, train and mobilize volunteers, upgrade our website, build a statewide contact management database and virtual phone banking to our voter file. The tier 1 budget includes all of the requisite expenses necessary to expand our fundraising and voter registration drive activities.
Tier 2 budget
The tier 2 budget is the second phase of our voter registration drive and Green 2012. The key new expenditure in the Tier 2 budget is hiring an Executive Director. Tier 2 budget will automatically begin when the income total for Tier 1 (INSERT AMOUNT) is raised. The Tier 2 budget will be revised, if there is a revenue short faill, at the September 2011 General Assembly.
Tier 3 budget
The tier 3 budget is the third phase of our voter registration drive and Green 2012. The key new expenditures in the Tier 3 budget are for voter registration field organizers and voter registration activities like tabling fees and developing voter registration field materials. Tier 2 budget will automatically begin when the income total for Tier 2 (INSERT AMOUNT) is raised. The Tier 3 budget will be revised, if there is a revenue short faill, at the September 2011 General Assembly.
1. BYLAWS COMMITTEE
There was no no FY2011-12 budget draft submitted.
2. CAMPAIGNS & CANDIDATES WORKING GROUP (CCWG)
GENERAL GOALS OF CCWG FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011-2012.
• Continue to meet via teleconference every 2nd Wednesday of the month. • Continue to discuss ongoing issues relating to our mandate via email. • Maintain updated and useful CCWG webpage. • Create documented set of criteria to use when considering candidate funding recommendations • Determine which ONE candidate questionnaire to use as standard, or create a new one. • Recruit new Campaign Fund Support Committee, AND IF THEY DO NOT CONVENE, SEEKS STEPS TO CHANGE OUR BYLAWS TO DISSOLVE THE COMMITTEE REQUIREMENT THEREBY REVERTING THE RESPONSIBILTY OF FUNDING ALLOCATIONS BACK TO CCWG. • Recruit new CCWG Co-Coordinators, as the current term(s) are over as of March 2012. • Recruit potential candidates and make certain they are endorsed by their local for funding purposes. • Provide tools, resources, training, and funding recommendations for candidates. • Conduct County Polling during State Proposition cycle. • Keep informed and share information regarding status of Proposition 14 legality and repercussions if not over-turned. • Continue to work with GROW, Media, IT, and ByLaws Committee(s) to improve GPCA. • Participate in on-going Stragetic Planning with GPCA as a whole.
APRIL THROUGH JUNE 2011
• Assess the success of Green 2012 pertaining to use and results of the CAVoterConnect data management system. • Launch candidate recruiting drive, training for candidates, and assist in voter registration drive launch at Plenary. • Stay in communication with GPUS Delegates as to names for Presidental Primary. • Consider creating a Candidate Sustainer Form for neighborhood canvassing. • Continue to work with other committees on improving GPCA. • Assist in formation of Personnel Policy as it relates to this working group. • Continue assessment of Prop 14 status. • Continue to work on the GPCA Strategic Action Plan.
JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011
• Continue candidate recruitment and training, Deadline for filing is March 9, 2012. • Make certain that the Candidate Fund Support Committee is in process of formation. • Make certain we have created and have documented a set of criteria for CCWG to use in its funding support recommendations on behalf of candidates. • Propose types of and trainors for Candidate and Campaign related training sessions at Stragetic Gathering to be held in Ventura in (potentially) August. • Continue assessment of Marnie Glickman's Green2012 Proposal(s). • Form and propose any CCWG break-out sessions for Fall / Winter Plenary • Start recruiting new Co-Cos for CCWG • Continue communication with GPUS regarding status of Presidential nominee(s) process. • Continue assessment of Prop 14 status. • Continue to work on the GPCA Strategic Action Plan.
OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER 2011
• Continue candidate recruitment throughout the Fall. • Make certain that either the Campaign Fund Support Committee or CCWG is in consistent contact with Candidates and following through with THE Questionnaire and following the criteria established for endorsing / funding candidates. • Create various means and tools for candidate training and support. • Continue assessment of Prop 14 status. • Continue communication with GPUS regarding status of Presidential nominee(s) process. • Continue working on the GPCA Strategic Action Plan. • Start working on goals for CCWG next WorkPlan & Budget. • Continue assessment of Marnie Glickman's Green2012 Proposal • Continue assist in creating Personnel Policy.
JANUARY THROUGH MARCH 2012
• Start working on the new WorkPlan and Budget. • Continue candidate recruitment and training. • Form and propose any CCWG break-out sessions for the Spring Plenary • Continue assessment of Prop 14 status. • Continue communication with GPUS regarding status of Presidential nominee(s) process. • Continue working with other committees to improve GPCA. • Continue assessment of Marnie Glickman's Green2012 Proposal • Continue assist in creating Personnel Policy if still applicable. • Continue working on the GPCA Strategic Action Plan.
3. CLEARINGHOUSE COMMITTEE
No FY2011-12 budget draft submitted).
Office Rent Post Office Box Fax-Phone-Printing Machine Phone Office Supplies Postage/shipping GPCA merchandise (old "paraphenalia") New materials and merchandise (Subtotal Clearinghouse)
4. COORDINATING COMMITTEE (CC)
Insurance Legal CC Retreat Phone Office Supplies Recordings of CC meetings Bank Charge Other CC General Assemblies Hosting Costs
- Site Rental
- Damage Deposit lost (if applicable)
- Equipment Rental (Microphones/Sound System/Power Point/Projection,
Video Cameras, other)
- Food
- Travel Expense Subsidies
- Lodging Expense Subsidies
- Minutes taker(s)
- Video tapes (has been paid separately by state party)
- Honoraria for speakers or workshop leaders or music
- Administrative (copies, other)
- Friday CC meeting (food, copies, space rental)
- Repaying GPCA loan
Participant Payments for Plenaries CC Plenary Dinners Plenary Administration Plenary Travel Support (Hardship) (Subtotal CC)
5. ELECTORAL REFORM WORKING GROUP (ERGS) (no FY2011-12 budget draft submitted)
Materials Media (cds, etc)( Old "Co-co retreat participation") Postage(Old " Education Workshop") (Subtotal ERWG)
6. FINANCE COMMITTEE
Fundraising Coordinator FPPC Software Mail house Bulk mail permit Prospect Mailings Printing Postage (Subtotal Finance Committee) Prospect Mailings Tier II Donor Mailing Coordinator Tier II Treasurer Tier II Treasurer Assistant Tier II (Subtotal Finance Committee Tier II) Fundraising events, donor prospecting materials, postage and travel costs (Green 2012)
TREASURER (no FY2011-12 budget draft submitted)
Bank Charges Data Entry Assistance Legal Merchant Fees Post Office Box Postage Printing Software (Subtotal Treasurer)
There is a fee that we pay each year for the software to file with FPPC. It is true that FPPC has free on-line software. If the GPCA chooses to use the free software, in which each donation has to be listed by scratch, then you will definitely have to find another treasurer. Craftware, our software vender, gives us a special discounted price, which has remained $1250 for some time. That is 50% of the regular price.
7. GREEN ISSUES WORKING GROUP (GIWG) (no FY2011-12 budget draft submitted)
Coalition Building/Project Initiative Costs Green Actions (replaces Convergences) Printing, Copying, Mailing - General Office Teleconferences Research Formatting and Distributing Proposals Writing and Distributing Notices and Minutes Update Organizing Webpages Retreat (Healthy Community Alliance) Requested for all efforts (Rural Organizing) (Subtotal Green Issues)
8. GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING WORKING GROUP (GROW)
Green Focus Green Focus Bulk Postage Green Focus Printing & Shipping Registration support (Old " Voter Registration Drive") Volunteer Coordinator County Council Support County Organization Grant Program County State fundraising (Prospect Mailings) Campus Greens Diversity Outreach Rural Outreach General Grow Funding (Old "Additional Printing") (Subtotal GROW) Organizing and Voter Registration Materials Organizing and Voter Registration Organizers (Subtotal GROW-related Green 2012)
9. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP (IT)
Server Hosting Server Backup Services Voting/Polling Page Staff (Reserve) Contribution to Open STV (Domain Name not expiring) (Subtotal IT) Web redeisgn/CMS Implementation/Misc. projects Tier II (Subtotal IT Tier II)
10. INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOL COMMITTEE (no FY2011-12 budget draft submitted)
11. MEDIA COMMITTEE
Mission
The Green Party of California Media Standing Committee seeks to promote and foster a positive image of the GPCA through media channels. We particularly want to increase our presence in online social media (facebook, twitter, etc.), but will continue to seek coverage in print and broadcast media. The Media Standing Committee seeks to garner the attention of and gain credibility with the mainstream and alternative media. The Media Committee issues press releases and provides spokespersons to help get the Green Party message out to the public through the media.
Objectives
A. Research, write, solicit, edit and distribute press releases, advisories, op-eds, letters, articles, social networking sites, blog posts and press kits for media outlets in California.
a. press releases will usually be written or edited by the GPCA Press Secretary
b. draft releases may also be submitted to the Media Committee by any registered Green; such a release will then be subjected to our Committee's editing and/or approval process: press releases require 2 persons to approve the release before dissemination. Current authorized approvers are Erika McDonald, Lisa Taylor, Bert Heuer, Mike Feinstein, Wes Rolley, Hank Chapot and any GPCA spokesperson, which includes Laura Wells, Chapot, Feinstein, Derek Iversen and Susan King
c. any registered Green may seek the advice of the Media Committee on where to place an op-ed/article written about any given issue; these are not subject to approval unless the op-ed/article claims to explicitly speak for the GPCA
d. press releases submitted by Media Committee members shall be posted to our Committee's list serve for editing/approval
e. press releases submitted by registered Greens not active in the Media Committee shall be submitted to a Media Committee Co-Coordinator and/or Press Secretary
f. the Media Committee may also solicit press releases/op-eds/articles by requesting that a Green "issue expert", official, or candidate write a draft
g. distribution of press releases via fax and/or email; this duty will typically be performed by our Press Secretary, but media committee members and local GP media contacts are welcome to assist with distribution and add contacts to our distribution list.
B. Promote Green blogs such as California Greening and green social networking sites such as GreenChange.org.
C. Post thoughts on the news of the day/week/month on the cagreens.org home page. Use a Twitter account for the Green Party of California for microblogging.
D. Build relationships with editors and reporters through phone and personal contact with our spokespeople, media committee members, press secretary and local media contacts
E. Organize press conferences and media events as needed
F. Provide resources, training and support to local GP media contacts and candidates; this may include advising local Green candidates about media relations by phone and/or in person; participating in candidate training workshops; providing media lists to candidates and local Green Party chapters
G. Maintain effective Media Committee organization; conduct quarterly (at least) conference calls; post press releases and articles on the web site at cagreens.org.
H. Recruit and develop spokespeople for the Green Party of California.
The Media Committee acknowledge monies are not yet available to fund the bulk of the Visibility Campaign – which is crucial to our fundraising, voter registration, candidates and overall visibility – and will be willing to adjust spending as the monies become available.
- Fax & email distribution - Phone & fax allowance - Press Secretary/Communications Director Compensation and Expenses - $3600
Press Secretary compensation and office allowance: $300 monthly, the same as 2010-11, and nearly half what was charged in 4 previous years: includes phone/fax distribution costs, travel and misc. expenses. In addition to writing and disseminating news releases statewide, and coordinating media for GPCA, NEW additional duties will include: Writing, creation, design and coordination of the GPCA fundraising appeals (in conjunction with Finance Committee) and writing, editing and design of Green Focus, and scripting and production responsibility for "Visibility Campaign" as noted below. Press Secretary will also be lending his assistance to GPCA candidates on statewide, and local ballots, including helping formulate all earned and paid media strategic planning, writing and disseminating releases when possible.
- Green Party Visibility Campaign (Television and Video Spots) $25,000
This project will benefit the party in its presence to the voting public, which will assist GPCA candidates, fundraising and major donor campaigns and a plan to launch a massive voter registration drive. The 15 and 30 second television spots – to run on CNN, Headline News, MNBC and other cable networks - will be placed in strategic geographic areas, and will seek to take advantage of voter apathy with the current Dem and GOP parties. It will reinforce the GPCA name, enabling us to raise more monies, register more voters and expose our candidates and campaigns to the voter. The spots/ads could also be used as active content for our online presence. We spent $3,300 in 2010-11 on this program.
LENGTH OF AD: 15-30 second spots. WHO: Comcast Cable (they have active advertising programs unlike Direct TV, etc.) WHAT SHOW: Recommend targeting as follows: • News Shows (regular voters): CNN, Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.) • Shows for people of color (varies) • Shows for those who are Dems but should be Greens: Comedy Channel, etc. FREQUENCY: What we run is based entirely on budget. MARKETS: Suggest 2-3 zones in SF Bay Area, LA, Sacramento, and others as strategy dictates. We could focus on zones where we have, or will have, active voter registration efforts and/or viable candidates around this. SMALLER MARKETS: We could, in above and in smaller markets, work a deal with local Greens in any market - the state will pay HALF of the cost of running the spots if matched by locals. This would work well in rejuvenating counties. COSTS: Depends on zones. SF zones (there are at least 8 in the Bay Area) cost as little as $5 per 30 second spot for prime-time CNN (the most expensive of the news shows. Average probably about $15-20 per :30 spot. *We could double our buys by having a shorter : 15 second spot. It increases frequency but not the cost. - which I believe we could do with this campaign TOTAL BUY: $25,000 could hit most of California, especially the coast, inland, SoCal and NoCal, including Sacramento (which would reach political reporters, etc. at the Capitol). We could also do a SPECIAL MAILING to our donor list to pay for all or part of it and use that for a second round. ADDITIONAL: When we put together the campaigns we should be able to get free media (example: In Alameda recently 5 TV stations, radio, etc. covered the unveiling of a spot where the total buy was only $800).
- Online Media Advertising
3. $5,000 Green Party Visibility Campaign - Online. Similar to the television campaign, this budget item will do much as the same but will be focused only on online advertising, such as Google and Facebook. Work Plan 2011-12
- CMS System
- Letters to Elected Officials/Candidates
- Videotapes
- Backdrop for Press Conferences
- Teleconference Expenses
- GPUS List Service
(Workshops) (Subtotal Media)
BUDGET LINE ITEMS: Donations to campaigns
12. GPUS DELEGATION
GPCA Delegate Support to GPUS ANM (National Meeting Travel Support)
Advance Discounted 2010 ANM Registrations
Advance Discounted Repayments
Presidential National Nomination Convention Registration
GA Plenary Travel
ANM subsidy for 2010 (Old "Polling Software")
QPNC Subsidy for 2012
Planning Honorarium for Web Page Assistance
for all GPCA Committees and Working Groups
(Subtotal GPUS)
13. PLATFORM STANDING COMMITTEE
PLATFORM WORKPLAN FOR 2011-2012
A. Platform Planks to be Submitted
1. California Tax Reform
2. Revision of GPCA platform planks as needed, for example, the language of the Disabled and Violence in Society planks
3. New planks as these arise.
B. Other Anticipated Activities 1. Revision of the election brochure for any 2011 elections. This will not require funding. Making copies will. 2. Participation in monthly Co-Co telephone conference calls. Funds may need to be allotted for this activity 3. Participation in any Strategy Retreat. This may require funding 4. Production of brochures on platform topics. The creative effort will not require funding but producing copies may. One request is already fulfilled: Earth Day 2011. 5. Participation in any prioritization of 2011-2012 election issues 6. Respond to Platform list serve requests 7. Increase Platform Committee membership and participation C. Requested Budget/Justification
1. Updating Full Platforms and Platform Summaries
The reserves hold 258 copies of full 2002 platforms, 258 copies of the 2005 addendum to the full platform, 158 copies of the 2006 platform summaries, 545 copies of the 2008 platform summaries, and 800 copies of the Addendum to the 2008 Platform Summary.
1. 258 copies of updated full platforms should be sufficient in the form of 258 updates from 2005-2011 at a cost of $200. The 2002 platforms would need a page indicating which planks in the 2002 platforms were revised and where to find them in the updates. This alternative is much less expensive than getting 258 full 2011 platforms as one volume.
2. Transport costs to Co-Cos’ Strategy Retreat $100.
3. IT costs for posting and maintaining Platform Website: $200.
Grand Total Requested: $500
Printing and Supplies (Old "Full Platform printing") Platform Summaries Updating Full Platforms and Platform Summaries IT costs for posting and maintaining Platform website Travel to Retreats (Subtotal Platform)
