Earlier this year, I was honored to be the commencement speaker at Ohio Wesleyan University’s graduation ceremony. In my remarks, I encouraged the graduates to go out in the world to find their community — “the one where standing on the sidelines feels unthinkable to you...the one that challenges you to grow and to engage…the one in which you feel valued, respected, and compelled to contribute to something bigger than yourself.”  

While graduation speeches can sometimes feel like platitudes, in this case, I felt very confident in the advice I was giving. That’s because I know the power of finding your community. I found mine in the League more than 25 years ago when I joined the LWV of Ohio as a citizen education and advocacy coordinator.  

This week, as I leave my role of chief of staff at LWVUS and wrap up my tenure at the League, I am so grateful for that community — for the people who live the mission of empowering voters and defending democracy day in and day out (often behind the scenes), who center voters, who fight for what is right, and who work together to create a more perfect democracy.  

The League’s Internal Transformation 

Over the past two and a half decades, that community — our community — has grown in so many ways.  

In the 2010s, the League’s Membership & Leadership Development program, our innovative train-the-trainer model, leveraged our great volunteers to bring focus to our organization's development needs. Thanks to their efforts, along with our amazing programmatic work, the League was able to stop a long trend of membership decline. For the first time in decades, our membership grew.  

To help ensure further growth, in 2022, the League started revamping its membership model for the first time in 50 years. This week, a new membership system was launched that allows people to join any League from one link. With a focus on simplifying and standardizing the new member enrollment experience and alleviating administrative burdens, it is poised to help our community grow even more.  

This is part of a larger, ongoing transformation journey. Behind the scenes, we have been working on an internal roadmap to ensure that the League remains a relevant and impactful organization. That work started eight years ago (almost to the day) with a gathering of local, state, and national leaders, all committed to setting the League’s second century up to be as strong as its first 100 years. While there are many facets to this plan, at its core is the League’s commitment to an inclusive, multiracial democracy.  

This transformation has meant revamping internal processes and policies, deepening our relationships with partners, especially Black and brown-led organizations, engaging with students, and looking beyond our democracy space. To expand our community, we are committed to creating a more inclusive organizational culture, showing up as allies to racial and social justice, and modeling what we want to see in our democracy.  

League Member Commitment and Impact 

Our community is relentless and tireless in pursuit of our mission, and it's that commitment that makes it so special. Individual members and leaders give their time, talents, and resources in pursuit of a stronger democracy. In fact, our data shows that the volunteer time given to the League each year, if monetized, would amount to more than $20 million. That’s almost equal to our organization’s budget!  

This commitment means we make a greater impact via more voters protected and engaged, and more progress toward an inclusive and truly representative democracy. Some examples of this impact from 2024 include: 

• Protecting 9.38 million voters through voting rights litigation; 
• Providing election information to 9.3 million people through VOTE411.org; 
• Providing personalized information on more than 55,000 candidates for nearly 30,000 federal, state, and local races; 
• Sending more than 45,000 letters in support of the Equal Rights Amendment; and 
• Recruiting 12,000 poll workers! 

Of course, impact is about more than the numbers. It is about the people. In state and local Leagues across the country, our dedicated members engage in real-time with local and state officials to advocate for policy change on behalf of every voter.

They also talk with voters. In 2024 alone, we can quantify nearly 70,000 conversations with individual voters!  

That is people power — the power of the League community, a space that allows members to grow, engage, and contribute directly to ensuring the health of our democracy. 

Our democracy needs constant care and attention, especially now. While I may be moving away from my staff role at LWV, I am not stepping away from this amazing community. I am a member, and I will stay engaged in our important work through my local League.  

If you are already part of our community, thank you for your engagement, your commitment, and your leadership. If you are not yet a member, I encourage you to join our community today.