[statecom-discuss] Part-time work to build GRP local chapters using WSGRP model

[Ron Francis]

I didn't receive this message that I sent yesterday....is anyone else having problems with statecom-discuss ?... anyway message below for those like me who did not receive it.
   
  Ron Francis <ronwf777 at yahoo.com> wrote:
  Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 15:39:07 -0800 (PST)
From: Ron Francis <ronwf777 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Part-time work to build GRP local chapters using WSGRP model
To: statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org

Dear GRP folks,

If anyone knows someone who would be interested in part-time work over the next half a year ($12) to kickstart, or start anew, Green-Rainbow chapters by doing phonecalling work, mailings, some door to door work and other types of outreach work (see below), then please let me know.

The work would be for 12 +/- 2 hours and would take place over the next month and a half.

The person should have good positive energy about organizing, be organized, be committed to GRP values, and be comfortable on the phone and in reporting progress on a regular basis.

The person would look to replicate the steps indicated below (See WSGRP outreach model including student intern comments on improving the model), or a very similar set of steps.  Included in this email are two of the flyers used to do some of the WSGRP mailing effort from Dec 2005 WEst Somerville outreach effort culminating in a kick-off meeting of 13 people and two subsequent meetings of 10 people each.

The outreach work would culminate in three to four meetings beginning three to four months from now in a given community for which an "anchor" can be established.  If the work goes well then further part-time work is possible.

Persons of color and people from other oppressed backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

If you know someone who is interested, then please forward them this email and ask them to send a brief cover letter explaining (1 paragraph each please) 

1) why she/he  would be good for this position 
2) what her or his commitment is for GRP values.
3) experience doing local municipal level organizing

for more info call
Ron Francis
617 230-2835

background:

  Various Chapter-building modalities have been tried by the GRP including the West Somerville Model summarized below:
   
  This work was done by a student for a Service Learning
  Project at Shrewsbury High School to rejuvenate the Somerville GRP chapter.

The student wrote this report in concluding the work.

   
  A) Time spent:  
  The total time for outreach was 9 hours.   To put stamps on 230 envelopes: < 1 hr. Return labels on 460 envelopes (230 being the recipient envelopes) & stuffing the 230 into the bigger envelopes: 2 hrs. Put name labels on 230 envelopes: < 1 hr. Stuffing envelopes three times (three separate pieces of paper): 1 hr.15. 130 initial phone calls: < 2 hrs. Second, third round of phone calls: 30 minutes. Additional time spent counting/recounting, reworking Excel database, adding additional columns to database, and driving.   The process in its entirety of reaching 230 people by mail and 37 people by phone took about 8 hours for me, plus about an hour or so from Ron Francis helping with flyers and a few calls and emails. Total 9 hours.  
   
   B) Money Spent  
  Total money spent was $172 dollars. I spent $12.58 on a box of 500 no. 6 envelopes, even though I only used 230, and I am returning the remainder. I spent $85.47 on 230 stamps. I spent $73.66 at Staples for the three pieces of paper included in the envelopes to be copied and folded.   The grand total is $171.71. (Note: In order to raise money, perhaps at the meetings for each chapter, they could pass a hat around to collect donations. Or maybe the membership committee would cover some of these one-time costs, if this method proves workable for jump-starting other chapters)  This cost of 172 was offset by $90 raised by the group at the meeting in small donations.   
   
  C) The mailing.   
  There were 543 names of Green-Rainbow Party Somerville residents. 130 had phone numbers, while 413 did not. Of the 413, I sent out 100 of the flyers to random residents in the 02144 area code (close to meeting location). In total 230 pieces of mail were sent out. (It will be interesting to see if there is any difference in the turnout between those who received phone calls and those who did not. At the meeting we will ask how people heard about the meeting)   
   
  D) The phone calling   
  Of the 130 with numbers, I tried 115 of them, while Ron Francis tried 15. Our results were:   93 whose phone numbers were disconnected, not in service, had moved, were a wrong number, etc.,   8 who clearly stated they were not interested,   15 who clearly stated they were interested, 5 of whom said they were planning on attending the meeting,   And 14 who did not return the phone messages.   A day before the meeting I reminded all 15 interested, and all 14 in their messages, to come to teh meeting. and return the survey. The number of these returned surveys is yet to be determined.   Numerous phone calls revealed that some people had misplaced or not seriously looked at the flyer they received, and a few said they had not received it at all. The 93 whose numbers were not good will serve the same purpose as the additional 100 in the random sample to see who shows up at the meeting without having been reached via the phone.   Of the 8 who said they were no longer
 interested, the responses were: two because of a change of party, one woman changing to democrat, two because their English was not very good, one because she was finishing grad school, one because she had just had a baby, one because he was too busy, and one because she thought the use of the mailing list would go better to saving a tree instead of being sent to her.   Of those who were interested but could not come, most reasons were because of a conflict in date or because they were generally interested but didn’t feel like putting in the specific effort for this event.   The general response I received was uncertainty in the strength of the party. One particular initial response I got was “I got no money.” People seem to feel as if the party is always asking for money, and in that sense, most people don’t seem very optimistic about giving. Another man said how he preferred to give money to the local chapter instead of Green Party USA . One person asked why the
 Green-Rainbow Party didn’t join the Progressive Democrats to double the strength into one party. Another man said how he found that many advocates for the environment were then guilty of not recycling, etc. themselves. He thought that the party should concentrate on the environment more.   One woman mentioned how she used to receive the Green-Rainbow Party e-mails until she blocked them.  She found them very irritating because they often only stated a reminder that she was a member, and she recalls that they never really included very important information. One man found the survey to be very rigid and formulated, so he didn’t fill it out. He is however coming to the meeting, so we will definitely be able to hear his two cents.   One man is disabled, and rarely leaves the house. He was not sure if he would come or not, especially due to his low energy and low capability to take in a lot of information. He said he thought he could be helpful with phone calls, if we needed.
 He has a big problem with the government, social security, the court system, and the way it is run, and said if anyone had a problem with the court system, he would be on the front line to help them. He also had strong interests in animal rights, including cats, dogs, and other animals, such as raccoons, the environment, and the education system. He works in an after school program a few days a week. One man was concerned about the dinner being a vegetarian meal, which of course, it was.   Two people we called said that they would not respond to telephone calls, and one at the meeting said the same, and that he’d prefer to be contacted via mail or email.   My feeling is this: Of all these various and specific concerns comes a party with a lot of potential, if only it could encourage its members via some tangible evidence. I told all of those willing to listen about the win in the Cambridge school committee, and the ballot question win in Waltham about land development.
 Many people were excited and interested, but those were the people who were already interested.   However, beginning with GRP members gaining recognition in other committees and winning election questions / candidacies, perhaps real change can begin to occur, eventually having with low-income families beginning to speak out in favor of the GRP.  
   
   E) What could be done better:   
  Phone numbers: We will need to try the phone book more often in order to get more phone numbers. (It will be interesting to see if using peoplepages.com will yield more correct phone numbers than the ones provided by Dan through that phone service.)   I think that sending members a copy of the GRP newspaper would encourage them more, sending those on the borderline of interest over to the side of interest. (Ron was supposed to do this but he got busy and didn't)   Other than that, I don’t know how much you can improve communications with each member without having their telephone number. The success of solely sending mail will be proved at the meeting.   Perhaps door-to-door contact would be the next step.  Also, at the door, there should be a sign-in sheet, along with a list of members who do not have phone numbers, so those who attend the meeting can look over the list for people they know whose numbers they could give us.   The only other way to get the numbers of
 those who do not attend the meeting would be to specifically send them letters asking for their numbers, and wait for responses.  
   
   F) Overall results of the outreach part of experiment:   
  Out of 37 people contacted by phone numbers, 5 people said that they would show up at the meeting, although typically only 50% will actually come so that may be 2 people but perhaps those 2 will bring others. Still these 5 could be counted as being interested and may come to future meetings.   Of the 10 who said that they were interested but could not come, perhaps some will show up in the future. It may also be that some folks bring other folks (some said that they know people who may be interested)   It is encouraging that 15 out of 37 people that I talked to were interested. If we can figure out a way to turn that interest into participation then that would be very good. There are already some active GRP people in Somerville who may bring some people to the meeting. Ron said that his friend Bob Cable from Somerville Divestment Project is coming (didn’t come but called and was very interested and even upset that he couldn’t make it) and Jamie did some outreach as well. 
  Other cities may not have as many active GRP’s, proportionately to their size, although they might, so this should be factored in determining the net effect of this experiment. It was cold and snowy on Sunday so that might have affected the meeting results. The meeting is being held at a place that has public transportation so that is another variable.   Personally I would like to stay involved with the party, and maybe other students could be encouraged to take on such a project in another city.  
   
   G) Results of the Meeting:
   Eleven people were there, 5 women and 6 men. (plus jamie's little son)  Of seven people (including Ron and me) who said they would come, five showed up, so the additional six who came had not been contacted via the telephone. They told us they had heard about the meeting via e-mail, or had gotten the mailing (I think 3 and 3). The total cost for the meeting was $170, but we raised $90 by passing a cup around.  Surprisingly every member at the meeting said they would show up for the next meeting January 15th.  Everyone agreed to take a look at the phone list and identify people that they knew and could contact by phone (since many numbers were missing).  One man agreed to get information about energy usage issues in Somerville . Another man agreed to get information about military recruiting. Two people volunteered to organize an activity for youth interested in GRP to make events more family friendly.  Others seemed generally willing to participate. Lot of discussion
 about climate / traffic and how that is interconnected to need for oil based foreign policy.  For about 90 minutes the group discussed issues important to members and how to go about them.   There is a copy of the minutes from the meeting listed below, which gives some detail about every issue discussed.