Letters to the Editor: Barely 16 and standing his ground!

Well I was already hyped up after last night's JJ and seeing so many good friends from around the state. Then I got this awesome response in the Dalton Daily Citizen from our Whitfield County Chair, John Anthony.

http://m.daltondailycitizen.com/TDC/db_265590/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Q9Z4O2Ae&full=true#display

Christian Hurd is not even 16 yet and he's already calling out the Republicans for their foolishness and double-talk. This is exactly the kind of response we need to push for in every county. Heading into 2014 elections, we've got to call them out for every lie and half-truth.

I'm already making moves to get Christian down to the Young Dems Convention in Atlanta April 12-14. I challenge each of you to send a young Democrat from your county to this event. Great job Christian! rj

RJ Hadley, DPG Vice-Chair of County Parties

rj4dpg@gmail.com

Make the Most of It!: Strategic Planning for County Parties

Let's face it - as a county party leader, you're working with limited dollars and a constantly shifting volunteer base to find/elect good Democrats. Often you're working in a very challenging political environment and, by the way, you only have a 2 year term to get it all done!   You need something that will help you set priorities and focus your committee's energies on common goals. You need a Strategic Plan.

If you haven't already discussed it, please make this a topic of your next Exec. Committee meeting. If your next Exec. isn't scheduled until after March 31st, call a meeting. County parties rarely engage in strategic planning and it lessens our statewide effectiveness.

You'll find lots of resources on strategic planning, but some of them are a little cumbersome. Check out this County Party Strategic Planning Resource as a starting point. The breakdown of steps:

1. Identify Who Should be Involved with the Planning (Stakeholders)
2. Establish Short and Long-Term Goals
3. Determine the VISION and the MISSION to Achieve It
4. Analyze your Internal Strengths/Weaknesses
5. Analyze your External Opportunities/Threats
6. Develop your Strategic Objectives
7. Writing the Draft Strategic Plan
8. Communicating the Plan for Feedback
9. Writing the Final Strategic Plan
10. Execute and Constant Evaluation for Effectiveness

Of course, you will adapt these steps to the needs of your particular county. The important thing is to at least begin the discussion. We'll dive into each step over a series of future posts. rj


RJ Hadley, DPG Vice-Chair of County Parties
rj4dpg@gmail.com