Creating a Chapter Political Plan

Your Battle Plan

A Political Plan is one of the most important ways you can strategize for the coming year; it is your plan of attack and what separates you from your disorganized counterparts. In your political plan you will think of effective ways of putting your skills in fundraising, tabling, publicizing, and hosting events to good use. It will contain a list and timeline of achievable goals for your club and a rough plan of how you intend to achieve them.

Strive for excellence, not the impossible.

It is easy to get excited and over-ambitious when you are in the planning stages of your club, but be careful that the goals you set for yourself and your executive committee are realistic. The goals you are setting are a series of promises to others and yourself - we all know it is not your ability to make plans and promises, but your ability to turn them into reality that counts. The last thing you want to do is fail immediately; not because you didn’t give a good try, but because you set impossible standards for yourself and your club. Start with small, achievable goals. Once you begin to excel in meeting those, it is okay to change your political plan to suit your club’s growth.

Outline

Your political plan may include many sections, and take on many different forms. This outline will give you a rough idea about what you might consider including in your plan:

Overview: Where are you?
This section should include an assessment of your club: it’s strength, location, opposition and past achievements. Be honest. You can’t possibly think of ways your club can improve, unless you know where it needs improvement!

Outlook: Where do you want to go?
What can you expect of your club this year? Do you have a targeted race nearby? Is there a special event you would like your club to host? What will help your club this year, and what might impede it’s growth? Would you identify your club’s surroundings as hostile or favorable.

Goals:

Goals may be general or specific. If you list a larger goal such as “increasing your clubs communication with outside organizations”, list a series of goals you will meet in accordance with this general plan such as inviting press to your club’s events or sending out a monthly e-newsletter. It is ok and often preferable to set your goals last. Some general goals you might consider projecting.

Targeting:

Are their any special races in your area? Is there a specific organization, such as your student government, that you would like to have better relations with? Is there a specific demographic, such as college football spectators, fraternities/sororities etc. that you would like to reach out to? Does your school newspaper need a more conservative influence? Make sure you recognize your club’s greatest potential. You’re County may be the most targeted in an upcoming election or there may be a protest scheduled that you would like to counter protest. This section should have a strong influence on your list of goals and should be just as realistic.

Calendar:

Plan it! The best way to execute your programs, host events, and meet your goals is to simply plan them. Get a calendar and fill them up with tabling dates and times, meeting dates, events, fundraising and recruitment goal deadlines etc. Often we think “I’m going to do XY&Z”, but never get to it because time flew by. By planning your year out in advance (and keeping it elastic), you will be in a better position to accomplish all your goals.

Budget:

Your club will incur expenses throughout the year. Individual CR clubs across the state have raised anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars annually; only YOU know your prospects. If you are just starting out, don’t count too heavily on receiving a lot of money your first year. If you are fortunate enough to find one or several donors, remember that a little money can go a long way if spent appropriately. Here are some basic, legitimate expenses you might consider budgeting for:

Food and beverages:

It may sound cliché, but sometimes the most effective way to reach out to new members is through the stomach. Food and drinks are a great way to attract people to your meetings and events. When your club’s effectiveness is rated on its ability to turn out volunteers, the methods you use to attract members become the most important components of your plan.

Flyers:

Flyering is a great (often expensive) way to demonstrate your club’s presence on campus, inform others and attract new members. Although posting fliers one time can be relatively cheap, when it is done consistently over a long period of time it can become your largest expense. Also, keep in mind that hippies will tear them down often.

Tabling:

Be sure to budget money to have attractive, updated and relevant items on your club’s table during a tabling event. This is the first introduction many students will have to College Republicans and to your club; budget money to make sure it’s a good one!

Events:

Most CR clubs have to pay for events you will host on school. While some schools provide some funding (check with your AS) you will need to consider the cost of sound equipment rentals, stage setup, promotion materials etc. into the cost of hosting an event that you might be planning.

Allow your plan to grow with your club:

Unlike a constitution or a set of rules, your political plan should be elastic and subject to change as the political climate and your club change throughout the year. It should be reevaluated quarterly or at least once a semester. You may want to make your goals more realistic if you were overachieving when you originally wrote the plan, or you may want to add to your list if you were under achieving. Either way, your political plan shouldn’t be like a credit card bill you are afraid to open; constantly refer to and revise it. It’s your map and a tool for you to use during the year.

Remember: Don’t waste time making your plan flashy- people will be impressed with what you accomplished, not at how great those plans looked on your 32lb high-gloss paper.