Build a Community of Democrats

We need Precinct Committee People to help us build a community of Democrats in each neighborhood. Many of us remember when we felt like the only Democrats in Douglas County, and then discovered we were wrong. Thousands out there still feel isolated and need us to reach out to them.

What's a Precinct Committee Person? A PCP is the neighborhood representative of the Democratic Party for each individual precinct, usually having a couple hundred Democrats. We have 138 precincts in Douglas County, and each one gets 2 PCPs. PCPs elected now would serve until the next Democratic caucus in early 2010.

The main job of a PCP is to stay in touch with the Democrats in your precinct, building a sense of community. Over the next year our District Captains and Team Leaders in Highlands Ranch, Parker, and Castle Rock will be organizing community, charitable, and fund-raising events where you can help and invite your Democrats. You can also organize your own neighborhood events, anything you want as often as you want: potlucks, picnics, food drives, movie excursions, play dates, etc.

Our goal is to shine a positive light on the Douglas Democrats, attract more memberships, and get organized to win some elections. This is how we build an army of Democrats!

Communications

The Communications Committee promotes the visibility of the Douglas County Democrats through the media, conveying the activities, policy, and positions of the Party to the press and public. This is accomplished formally through press releases, announcements, and publicity, with the chair of the Committee acting as Press Secretary for the DC Dems. It is done informally by developing contacts with the local media.

It publicizes Party activities by maintaining contact among the different Committees and other internal groups such as HR Dems, Parker Dems, and CR Dems. The Committee pursues the branding of the Douglas County Democrats through the development of promotional materials such as bumper stickers, buttons, and tee-shirts. The Committee assists Membership and Finance by designing promotional materials for fund raisers and promoting the "Tens for Dems" program among others.

The Communication Committee will also work to use the best technology available for communicating with the DC Dems, to ensure the rapid and accurate dissemination of information. The Committee will also solict volunteers to review press publications and media broadcasts, select articles or programs of interest to the DC Dems, and provide responses for support or rebuttal through letter-writing or blogging.

Membership

We welcome and value people willing to invest some time to improve their community. Our Membership Committee expresses this every day by recognizing valuable volunteers and making sure new people quickly feel at home and find fulfilling ways to help.

We keep track of the Party's member list, maintain up-to-date contact information, and send out regular emails to make sure everyone is "in the loop." We're developing an orientation packet to explain to newcomers how the Party works, what we do, and where people with all types of background and skills can fit in. We help the Party recognize significant events in our members' lives and help them build connections. We recruit Precinct Committee People and other volunteers. Our goal is to never turn away anyone who wants to help.

Community Involvement

The Community Involvement Committee gains visibility and works to improve our quality of life through participation in community activities and public events, promoting goodwill in the community. Examples of such activities are parades, booths at trade shows and festivals, Chamber of Commerce events, races and charity events, and highway and park clean-up. We will organize and promote these activities to engage our DC Democrats in helping, servicing and having fun in our communities.

We are also looking for Douglas County Democrats from the business community to represent us at the monthly Chamber of Commerce Meetings in Highlands Ranch, Parker and Castle Rock.

Event Planning

The Event Planning Committee schedules and recruits working groups for our large events such as the Clinton-Carter Dinner, Fiesta, and Fete. If you like throwing a party or have been a guest who's noticed the details that have made the party even more fun, come join us! Long term commitment is not necessary since we constantly have something new to work on, and we have fun working as a group.

There's a wide variety of things to do: advertising friendly local businesses...shopping for flowers to be used for centerpieces...planning the written program...making chocolate donkeys...selling tickets...scheduling entertainment.... This is a great time for creative people to come forward as we set out to create an event that will leave people happy they came and eager to come back to the next one.

Finance

The Finance Committee fuels our growth by raising funds and applying them to the many projects we continually have in motion within the Party. It also assists local candidates with their own accounting and compliance needs.

The committee keeps the financial records of the Party. It deposits and disburses funds, administers fund raising programs, and produces and files financial reports. It keeps the Executive Committee informed of the organization's financial status, and prepares the annual budget. It ensures that the Party remains in compliance with state and Federal laws.

This group is also responsible for all non-event fund-raising including one-time and recurring donations programs.

Strategic Planning

The planning arm of the Party looks ahead to make sure we are ready as our rapid growth increases our influence in the community. Within the Strategic Planning Committee, people experienced in politics and campaigns help new candidates to learn the ropes, get organized, and hone their skills. Anyone wanting to run for public office can look here for help and guidance.

Strategic Planning also includes research on issues affecting the community, developing solutions that make our candidates attractive to the voters, and that drive our communications strategy. We build relationships with state and local leaders to bring ideas and resources into the county. Anyone who is adept at research and issue-driven, will find a welcoming home in this committee.

Affirmative Action, Outreach, and Rules

The Democratic Party reflects the complex structure of governance in Colorado, with overlapping geographic areas and responsibilities at the Federal, state, and local levels. Each level has a set of rules to keep it organized and to make sure its actions are valid and supported by a democratic process. The Rules Committee keeps track of changes in these institutions and their rules, to make sure we work smoothly within the larger Democratic system.

Our Party organization has legal responsibilities that make it a critical part of the functioning of our Democracy. The Rules Committee makes sure we understand and flawlessly execute these responsibilities, that our ethical behavior shows the community a prominent example of our values. This responsibility includes the development and implementation of our affirmative action plan.

The Affirmative Action Committee strives to enrich the Party base by reminding community participants of the contributions of all genders, races, and religions to our world and by ensuring that activities equally represent all aspects of American life and culture.

The Outreach Committee strives to further enliven the Party by extending an invitation to all persons desiring to make a difference in their community. The main goal of the Outreach Committee is, indeed, to "reach out" to everyone and to include anyone desiring to participate in the democratic process.

Campaign Committees

In 2010 we have seven county offices (Commissioner, Clerk and Recorder, Treasurer, Assessor, Sheriff, Surveyor, Coroner), six state offices (Senate, House, Board of Education Dist. 6, and CU Board of Regents at large), and two Federal offices (Senate and Congress) at stake. Each office has its own committee to recruit candidates, get them ready, raise funds, manage all the legal issues, and celebrate the victory. While things may appear quiet now, this is actually a critical time for campaigns. We need your help to get them started and to build a war chest for the coming election.

You can help the candidates directly by joining their committees, help us recruit and nominate candidates by joining the district committees, or join our central Political Campaigns committee to help train and prepare candidates.

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Douglas County Democratic Party
PO Box 2857, Parker, CO 80134, 303-539-9048
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