[Lnc-business] Seeking Co-Sponsors For a Motion to Give Staff the Authority to Select the number of issues of LP News

Tue Jun 20 19:38:21 EDT 2017

A quick follow-up: I will not be upset regardless of how the LNC votes 
on this. I'm a bit flattered (for the organization) that many of you 
would feel like you were missing out by missing one issue of LP 
News--glad you all want to keep it going and many thanks to Carla who 
has served as editor for a couple years on that.

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict at lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership

On 6/20/2017 7:32 PM, Wes Benedict wrote:
>
> The short answer is "everything I do except LP News." But let me 
> elaborate on some of the things I need to get done that I've had time 
> giving enough attention to:
>
> Interviewing prospects and hiring: Press Secretary, Candidate Support 
> Specialist, Members Services manager (we have a temp member services 
> manager, Mat, who I want to get back on phoning for renewals).
>
> Working with those new people to insure good integration into the 
> organization.
>
> Our website still needs plenty of improvements, like our current list 
> of candidates.
>
> Well thought-out facebook prospecting ads where we monitor closely the 
> R.O.I. (you don't want to just spend money and count views and 
> clicks).  Eric produced profitable facebook membership ads for us in 
> the past. Others haven't been able to do that for me.
>
> More press releases on current issues.
>
> We've done some prospecting to the Johnson for President 2016 list, 
> but need to do more of that via email, facebook, and snail mail. Our 
> contract for that data makes the process a bit more cumbersome than 
> would be obvious.
>
> Better integration or at least syncing between Raisers Edge and our 
> email blast service.
>
> Our attorney is waiting on me for some info a ballot access case.
>
> A state affiliate is waiting on me for some helpful registered 
> libertarian data that I'll also make available to other states if I 
> have time to let them know about it.
>
> Membership numbers are going down. Need to work on that more.
>
> Take the time to respond to Andy, the petitioners, collecting of names 
> for us to send membership invitations to to say "thanks, we'll send 
> membership inquiry packages--of the 60 or so that we've sent in recent 
> years that were legible enough, we raised $10, so worth doing when we 
> have the names, but not worth making a top priority compared to just 
> getting our petitioners to focus and do good work getting signatures."
>
> Eric's a big help to me on a lot of important things I need help with 
> (he's already started making website fixes that used to take me long 
> to describe in detail--now I can tell him real quick in person and 
> he's getting things working better).
>
> But seriously, I'm overloaded with many major things. Outside help is 
> sometimes helpful, but not always so easy to use--I've spent quite a 
> bit of time lately explaining FEC rules and regulations to people who 
> are helping--takes time with new folks--some outside help from 
> volunteers ends up taking a lot of time perhaps counter-intuitively.
>
> When I can't give staff the attention they need to make themselves 
> helpful, it hurts their productivity.  I think I'd be better off 
> having staff work on other projects than that 6th issue of LP News 
> this year.
>
> I do try to prioritize. There are 4 major inputs that affect my 
> prioritization: 1) my thoughts of course, 2) the chairs, 3) the LNC's, 
> 4) significant opportunities that pop up out of the blue that are 
> worth taking advantage of.
>
> We can do all 6 LP News issues if that's what the LNC requests. It's a 
> minor decision for you all regardless of which direction you go and 
> will have a minor impact--not a major decision in my opinion.
>
> Thanks for asking.
>
> I am unable to answer all the emails and calls I get.
>
> Wes Benedict, Executive Director
> Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
> 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
> (202) 333-0008 ext. 232,wes.benedict at lp.org
> facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
> Join the Libertarian Party at:http://lp.org/membership
> On 6/20/2017 7:06 PM, Starchild wrote:
>>
>> Before voting on this, I'd like to hear what Wes wants to spend staff 
>> time on that would otherwise be spent producing an issue of LP News. 
>> I don't see how we can make an informed decision on the merits of the 
>> motion without that information.
>>
>> Love & Liberty,
>>
>>                                      ((( starchild )))
>> At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
>> RealReform at earthlink.net <mailto:RealReform at earthlink.net>
>>                                    (415) 625-FREE
>>                                      @StarchildSF
>>
>>
>> On Jun 20, 2017, at 6:32 AM, Daniel Hayes wrote:
>>
>>> Once somebody objected this was inevitable. Here comes a request for 
>>> cosponsors of a motion by email at the bottom of this missive .
>>>
>>> Our staff has asked for the discretion to cut an issue of LP news 
>>> this year.  The rationale seems to be with lots of transition in 
>>> staff and some other projects there isn't the time to do it well.
>>>
>>> I was the main driver of reducing the number of physical issues of 
>>> LPNews at the December meeting.  That said, Lauren Daugherty our 
>>> Head of Development was not in favor of that.  She likes to have 
>>> more touches in between "asks" for money.  It's part of cultivating 
>>> donors. Nobody likes to feel like an ATM.  I totally get that though 
>>> I think there are other ways to do it and still believe we should 
>>> start to transition to an all digital format. That said I believe in 
>>> giving our staff the tools they ask for to succeed.
>>>
>>> In this case, the person tasked with raising our donation levels and 
>>> maintaining and increasing our dues paying members prefers more 
>>> touches.  Our executive director who has a good understanding of 
>>> what a can of worms the LPNews "issue" is has asked us to cut an 
>>> issue.  I don't think he would do that without good reason.
>>>
>>> Nick has the authority to direct staff(or let our executive director 
>>> do it).  From the technical aspects Joshua mentions, there doesn't 
>>> need to be a motion for Wes to do this, especially with Nick's ok. 
>>>  Caryn Ann objects because of underlying arguments made in the 
>>> unsuccessful attempt to limit the number of LPNews issues to 4 
>>> during the December 2016 LNC meeting.  That motion failing didn't 
>>> mandate more issues. It just did not set a limit of 4. I may be 
>>> wrong on the specifics but it becomes moot either way if this motion 
>>> passes.
>>>
>>> If we don't amend the budget line, that leaves the funding there for 
>>> 6 issues.  Let's say things go smoother or other things shift and 
>>> Wes changes his mind on being able to put out 6 well produced 
>>> issues. By giving him discretion to select between publishing 5 or 6 
>>> issues that removes at least the objection of going against the 
>>> sentiment that may or may not have been codified in December. It 
>>> also lets him do his job we hired him for which is to allocate staff 
>>> resources with the chair's guidance.
>>>
>>> I can already sense that while we may not technically need a motion, 
>>> despite how painful email motions can be, not having one is going to 
>>> be made much more time consuming and painful by cries of "foul".
>>>
>>> So I am seeking cosponsors for the following motion:
>>> *"Move to allow staff the discretion to choose between publishing a 
>>> total of five or six physical issues of LPNews for the year of 2017, 
>>> subject to the approval of the Chairman."*
>>> *
>>> *
>>> Daniel Hayes
>>> LNC At Large Member
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Lnc-business mailing list
>>> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org <mailto:Lnc-business at hq.lp.org>
>>> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
>>
>
>
>
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