Program Planning is how the League engages our grassroots members to set the vision and direction of the League. All League action and advocacy is based on our policy positions. Each year, members are asked to review our position statements and make recommendations: to retain the positions, update them, or take on a new study of a topic we don’t yet cover with our positions. Program Planning discussions also help local leagues elevate themes for community education events or topics that could be important for local advocacy.
Why We Do Program Planning
The League can have an impact on many important issues. Program planning enables League members to help 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.”
A Member-centered Multi-step Process
Members recommend which issues to address, new studies to undertake and changes to LWV advocacy positions.
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- LWVPDX’s 2020 study on city government
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- 2020 City Government advocacy position: click for a larger view
The program planning process begins in December or January. Members discuss the important issues for League focus 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 League. In the alternate years, they make recommendations for the national League. In program planning, members review the League 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. At that time members vote on the proposals they developed earlier for the League at each level.