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 2026-27

Members can share their voice in the League’s Program Planning process in multiple ways this winter:

All-member In-person Conversation and Program Planning Kick-off

Friday, December 19 – 4:30 – 6 p.m. at Leikam Brewing, 5812 East Burnside, Portland

Members meet in-person at the monthly Happy Hour to socialize and share initial thoughts on priority issues.

Discussion Units, Interest Groups, Action Committee

Meet with your group in January to discuss a subset of our League positions and make recommendations about updates or new studies needed.

Member Survey Online

Take our online survey before January 20. Members will receive the link via email in early January.

Visit our 2026 Program Planning webpage to learn more. Contact info@lwvpdx.org to join one of our meetings in January.