All about Program Planning

What is Program Planning?

Program Planning is the League’s way of engaging the grassroots members in setting the vision and direction of the League.  Each year, members are asked to review all our position statements and make recommendations: to retain the positions, update them, or take on a new study to form a position about a topic we don’t yet cover.  Program Planning discussions also help local leagues elevate themes that they would be interested in hearing about in community education that year, or topics that would be important for local advocacy.

Why we do Program Planning

There are many important issues on which the League could have an impact. With program planning, League members decide where we could be most effective and which issues most deserve our time and efforts.

For the League, “program” means “those issues impacted by government and chosen by members for concerted study and action.”

Program planning is a member-centered multi-step process

Members recommend which issues to address, new studies to undertake and changes to LWV advocacy positions.

The program planning process begins in December or January. Groups of members discuss the important issues that the League should focus on in the next League year, which begins the next summer. Every year, members consider what the League should do at the local level. Every other year, they make recommendations for the state LWV. In the alternate years, they make recommendations for the national LWV. In program planning, members review the LWV’s advocacy positions, to decide how they can be used for action at the local government level, as well as in the Oregon Legislature or with the U.S. Congress. If new advocacy is needed, members may recommend an in-depth study of the issues. They can also recommend restudies of some issues, if our advocacy positions don’t fully address current problems.

The process ends in May or June, at the annual meeting of the local membership or the biennial convention of LWVOR or LWVUS. There, members vote on the proposals they developed earlier for the League at each level. By clicking on the links below, you can read about how this process will work in 2025.

Program Planning for 2025-26

In January, Discussion Units 2, 3, and 4 will participate in the Program Planning process with a focus on local and state positions.

We encourage all members to participate in any or all of these Program Planning discussions, as your input will help shape LWVOR and LWVPDX in our upcoming programs. If you wish to participate in Discussion Units 2, 3, and 4, register in advance to get a secure Zoom link. 

Details will be forthcoming. In the meantime we hope you will plan to attend one or all of these Program Planning meetings!

• DU 2 — Monday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. on Zoom — Environmental/Climate Change focus
  • Discussion Unit 2 will focus on positions relevant to environmental justice and climate change,
• DU 3 — Monday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom — Behavioral Health focus
  • Discussion Unit 3 will focus on positions relevant to behavioral health.
• DU 4 — Thursday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. on Zoom — K-12 Education
  • Discussion Unit 4 will review the LWVOR concurrence recommendations and its proposal for a study both on the topic of K-12 education.
  • Resources for this study and discussion:
    • LWVOR K-12 Proposed Study
    • LWVOR K-12 Concurrences

To join in any of these conversations, email our Office Manager at info@lwvpdx.org and they will get you registered for any and all meetings you would like to attend.