Stephanie Williams-Rogers’ Notes from 2019 CA LWV State Convention

I.                    Organizing for Dollars: How to ask for what you want

• Each league should sign-up for the League update
  • There will be 5 videos for fundraising added to the update
  • It’s important to share your impact
    • People don’t give to you, they give through you.
    • Focus on the impact to the donor
      • Understand their interest, impact on them
      • Can find this information doing research via social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
      • Identify the best person to “make the ask” for money
        • Break the ice
        • Engage with the problem: use open/ended question, talk only 20-30% of the time
        • Present the vision: what are our programs, priorities and successes
        • Be clear and concise
        • Pause after the ask: don’t step on the ask
        • Confirm and close
          • Provide details and logistics
          • If someone can’t make the donation, ask:
            • Would $___ be a better stretch?
            • Is there someone else I can meet with?
  • Follow-up: Thank you card or email. Set date for next check-in, and follow-up with any additional info
  • Act as good stewards and provide updates on how the money was spent
  • It’s easier to get grants if you know somebody involved in the decision-making process

II.                  Housing and Homelessness 

• There’s an increase in criminalization of homelessness
• Money goes towards police enforcement
• There’s an increase of “Not in my backyard” mentality
• Encampment raids remove the homeless person and sends their belongings to sanitation where they often times never see their items
  • Court fees of $400 are assessed for not showing up for trial
  • Public housing can take nearly 6-8 years
  • Shelters refuse homeless who suffer from addiction
  • Talk with police about homelessness and what they currently do to support homelessness
  • AB302 allows community college students the right to sleep in their cars on their college campus
  • 80% of homeless women were victims of domestic abuse
  • Citations for people sleeping in their cars
  • “Homelessness is no longer a symbol of decline, it is a product of prosperity