PWN is committed to making sure the voices, perspectives, and priorities of people living with HIV are well-represented in the 2020 election cycle. Together, we can ensure that protecting and expanding health care, LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, and more are critical issues in local, state and federal elections.
As part of our Organizing for Power: Road to 2020 (OFP) strategy, we are recruiting teams led by women and people of trans experience living with HIV who want to help elevate issues important to the HIV community in the election cycle between now and November 2020. OFP teams will be trained and supported to lead Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts in their cities, congressional districts, and states. OFP teams must be able to commit to participate in GOTV activities from August 2019-November 2020.
Specifically, between now and November 2020, we will coach and support Organizing for Power: Road to 2020 teams to:
elevate key issues throughout the election cycle (through bird-dogging, educating candidates, building relationships with campaign staff, and voter education on ballot measures and initiatives);
conduct assessments of candidates to see where they stand on important issues and share the results;
analyze ballot measures, initiatives, and policy proposals related to the 2020 election cycle;
run voter registration, voter contact, and GOTV programs; and
use technology, social media, and digital tools to support these efforts.
Organizing for Power: Road to 2020 teams will be recruited through an application process. Information about the application process and eligibility criteria is below. Applications are due on May 31, 2019, but we encourage teams to submit earlier if possible.
If selected, OFP teams commit to participate in all of the following:
Participate in a six-part electoral organizing basics webinar series from August 2019-October 2019;
Send 4 core leaders to attend an in-person 4 1/2-day organizing bootcamp in Atlanta in fall 2019 (likely dates are October 27-November 1, 2019, including travel time).
All training, accommodations, and food costs will be covered by PWN during the training. Childcare stipends will be provided for those who need them in order to attend.
However, teams will be responsible for securing transportation to get their core leaders to the training. PWN will develop materials to support teams to fundraise to cover and offset these transportation costs.
Participate in ongoing web-based coaching from November 2019-November 2020. Web-based trainings and coaching will happen approximately monthly, with increased frequency around the primaries and general election.
Research, develop, and implement a GOTV field plan through November 2020. We will help teams develop this plan, but team members will have to lead some of the research and all of the implementation on the ground. We anticipate this will require a minimum commitment of 5-7 hours per month per team member from August 2019 to November 2020.
You get to influence the future of health care, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, LGBTQ safety and dignity, and more! This is a critical moment in our history; our actions over the next 582 days will determine whether we have a planet to live on, the future of reproductive freedom and health care for low-income communities, whether people of trans experience will have legal protections from discrimination, protecting food stamps and Medicaid, and more.
But you can also expect to gain a range of other tangible and personal benefits:
Free intensive training and coaching on the electoral and political process;
Skills that will benefit you as an organizer and professionally;
Relationships with key stakeholders in your community, including organizations, candidates and elected officials, that will help advance future campaigns and wins;
PWN’s national office will fundraise in collaboration with teams to support you in getting financial resources to implement your field plans. We expect to be able to provide some financial resources to support teams with strong plans in implementing their goals.
Increase influence and build lasting political power for people living with HIV in your community
Applications must come from teams, not individuals. Applications are due May 31, 2019.
So what does an OFP Team look like?
To be eligible for consideration, a team must have at least four members from the same geographic area (city, county, metropolitan area or state). Note: we will give preference to teams with at least 4 designated core leaders on the project and at least 6 identified members on their team.
Successful OFP Team applications will demonstrate the following:
A minimum of four core team members, of whom at least two have a history of involvement with PWN;
Commitment to PWN values and policy priorities;
Relationships in their community;
Interest in community organizing and election work;
Involvement and leadership by PWN priority constituencies: Black and Latinx transgender and cisgender women living with HIV;
Understanding of their local and state level political landscape;
Ability to commit for the entire project period;
Track record of follow-through on commitments;
Ability to use technology for participation in web-based learning and basic digital organizing: specifically, ability to use email, Google docs, and to join webinars. This is important because training and coaching will be provided through a combination of web-based and in-person training. PWN will provide training on any other technology and media tools needed for implementation.
Please read the instructions through carefully with your team before beginning the application, and refer back as needed.
This is a two-part application. Both sections should be submitted together as a Word document or Google doc in a single email to [email protected] with the following subject line: OFP Application: [Team Name] by May 31, 2019. We encourage early submission.
Part I is your Project Description, which provides information about your proposed OFP team members, your team’s goals, and plans. The Project Description must be submitted as a Microsoft Word attachment or PDF. We recommend downloading the application and instructions early, meeting with your team to go through it together, and responding to the questions together, then submitting as a joint plan. Download the application and instructions here.
Part II of the application addresses Team Capacity. OFP team applicants have the option to answer the Team Capacity questions either in writing or as a video of 5 minutes or less. If you are creating a video to respond, we recommend conducting that video as a mock interview to make sure each of the questions get answered. We will be looking for responses to all of the questions. There are a couple of easy ways to record a video; here are a few suggestions:
If you are in the same location:
the video can be recorded on a cell phone and uploaded
Facebook live provides an opportunity to record a video.
Many webinar services such as Zoom offer a recording option. You could record your video on a tool like Zoom and submit the recording.
Here are some examples of what videos answering the questions:
Tips for uploading your video to share (if the file is too large to attach to the email):
Dropbox: Go to www.dropbox.com and follow the instructions to create a free account. In your account, at the top of the page you’ll see an icon that looks like a blank sheet of paper with a plus sign in the lower right-hand corner; if you hover over it, it says upload. Click there and upload your video. Then right-click on the file once it is uploaded. Click “share.” Then click “create link.” Copy the link to your clipboard and paste it here.
Google Drive: Go to drive.google.com. Click the blue button on the left-hand side of the screen that says “NEW.” Click “File Upload.” Select your video file and upload it. Once it has been uploaded, open the file. It will appear in a preview window. Click on the three vertical dots in the top far right-hand corner of the screen; click “Share.” At the top of the dialogue box that opens, click “Get shareable link.” Copy the link that appears in the box and paste here.
YouTube: Go to youtube.com and follow instructions to create a new account or log into your account. Once you are logged in, at the top right-hand corner of the screen you will see an icon of an arrow pointing up. When you hover over it, it says “Upload.” Select your video file and upload it. When it is finished uploading, copy the link for the video. Please make sure the video settings allow for people with the link to view the video. Alternatively, if you are using a laptop with a webcam, you can upload directly to YouTube from your webcam.
