Chapter 1. Friend of the Caucus Designation and Mentorships

FRIEND OF THE CAUCUS DESIGNATION

Mission Statement

·       The purpose of the Friends of the Caucus delineation is to create the opportunity for the NWPC-STL to:

a.     Expand our membership with additional elected officials

b.     Begin to build and then maintain relationships with those politicians

c.     Ensure these politicians understand and value the causes and values we stand for

d.     Support more candidates

Who is eligible and how is a Friends of the Caucus status awarded?

·       All Saint Louis metro area candidates for April elections may apply for Friends of the Caucus status using an online form. Training Institute attendees are encouraged to apply. Outreach to these candidates is at the discretion of the Friends of the Caucus chair.

·       Upon local election results in April, the Friends of the Caucus committee may invite first-time local election winners to be Friends of the Caucus

·       These elected officials qualify to be a Friend of the Caucus if they are Pro-Choice and Pro-Equality, and they identify as a woman. These requirements will be specified in their invitation.

What do they get?

·       Candidates running for office receive a Friend of the Caucus logo for use on campaign materials and are publicized on the Caucus website and/or Facebook page.

·       Elected officials receive free membership to the NWPC-STL for 6 months, including invitations to all free events and membership meetings, as a non-voting member

·       NOTE: additional benefits may be added if finances or resources allow.

Disclaimer:

·       Friends of the Caucus status is not an endorsement. However, Friends of the Caucus are encouraged to apply for endorsement when running for State Representative, State Senate, or City / County elected positions as defined by the NWPC-STL endorsement process.

Budget Information:

·       A budget for invitation letter postage and space for 1 event will be needed each year. Free venues are preferred.

MENTORSHIPS

Mission Statement

·       The purpose of the Mentorship Program is to support a candidate for local office (mentee) in a personal one-on-one manner.

·       This support is defined as 1) helping the candidate understand the mission of the Women’s Political Caucus, 2) helping set directions for the campaign, 3) enhancing the candidate’s ability to run and organize their campaign, and 4) providing moral support.

Program Description:

·       A candidate is provided with a mentor, which is an individual who will personally engage by phone, video conference, or in-person with a mentee on 2-3 occasions in order to accomplish the above items.

Who is eligible and how is a candidate awarded a mentor:

·       Candidates running for local office in the St. Louis metro area who have completed a training with the Training Institute, who are pro-Choice and pro-Equality, and identify as women are eligible to apply for a mentorship.

·       The Chair of the Mentorship Program shall coordinate with the Training Institute to invite candidates to apply for membership upon completion of their training and connect mentors and mentees within approximately 2 weeks of any application deadline put in place each election cycle.

·       Each election cycle (April election / November election), mentorships will be awarded to a maximum of 5 candidates.

o   NOTE: additional mentees may be added at the committee’s discretion if additional mentors are available.

Disclaimer:

·       The mentor position is a supportive role and not designed to take the place of the candidate’s own volunteers or staff. The Mentor acts solely as an advisor the relationship between Mentor and Mentee is not a personal endorsement of the candidate by the Mentor and should not be construed or presented as such by the candidate.

Budget Information:

•       There is no budget required except for the printing of the application to be provided to the Training Institute.

Chapter 2: Procedure for Short-Notice Endorsement Requests for Special Elections & Appointments

NWPC of Metro St. Louis may endorse a candidate for a special election or appointment on short notice if the following requirements are met:

·       A Policy Council member must request the vote

·       The candidate has an endorsement questionnaire on file and a verbal affirmation from the candidate that her views still align with the questionnaire and that they are interested in receiving the Caucus’ endorsement

·       The President of the Policy Council must call the vote via email or at an in-person meeting

·       A majority of Policy Council members must vote to endorse, via email or in person, within the time period set by the President

Chapter 3: The Renee Marver Scholarship Fund

Language is currently being evaluated and updated.

Chapter 4: Endorsed Candidates

·       VP of Endorsements will create an Endorsement Committee of no fewer than seven Caucus members in good standing that strives to reflect a diversity of age, ethnicity, and gender identity.

·       The Committee will review all candidate questionnaires, research each candidate, if necessary, interview candidates, and create a slate of vetted candidates.

·       The slate of vetted candidates will be presented to the Policy Council for validation and approval by a majority vote to send to the general membership via email.

o   The endorsed candidates slate will be sent to the general membership for review no less than 2 weeks prior to a membership meeting where all members in good standing may vote for or against the vetted candidates.

o   The results of the membership vote will be made public and candidates and the EMPAC committee will be notified of their endorsement (or non-endorsement) within one week of the membership vote.

o   Members must have their dues paid at least 1 week prior to the membership vote.

o   VP of Endorsements must include a reminder that member’s dues must be up today/paid in order to receive a ballot.

·       NWPC-STL shall not make any early endorsements.

·       If there are more than 1 equally qualified candidates who apply and meet our requirements, the Endorsement committee may endorse one, all, or none of those candidates

·       Endorsement, being separate from financial support by EMPAC, does not guarantee financial support from the Caucus. If dual candidates are endorsed for the same office in the same district, neither shall receive financial support from EMPAC during the primary election. However, the endorsed candidate who wins the primary, may receive financial support during the general election.

·       Logo Use: An endorsed candidate may be granted access to the NWPC-STL logo for use in their promotional material in that election only.

·       The NWPC-STL membership lists will not be made available to any candidates or campaigns.

·       Candidates should not be speakers at events in an election year, as this effectively makes the event a campaign event for that person.

·       NWPC-STL will publicize campaign events in monthly newsletters requested by endorsed candidates

·       Endorsed candidates will be publicized on the Caucus website and social media.

·       Caucus endorsement does not guarantee financial support, which is allocated at the discretion of the EMPAC committee.

o   EMPAC shall distribute funds to endorsed candidates in an equitable manner that strategically strengthens Caucus impact toward our values.

5. Maintenance of Financial Information and Membership List

Currently, membership payments are made two ways and membership reports are held by Local, State, and National Caucuses. The information below reflects the current STL processes for tracking and maintaining up-to-date records at the Local level.

Membership List Procedures

·       Membership payments are received two ways:

1)    SquareUp receipts via the STL website. STL Treasurer downloads this information each month.

2)    Receipts via National website. STL Pres receives a report from National - usually once a month.

·       Each month:

o   STL Treasurer sends monthly report of STL's new/renewed memberships including updated expiration dates and email addresses to VP of Membership and STL President

o   STL President receives and forwards the monthly report from National to STL VP of Membership

o   VP of Membership adds new members and updates renewed member information in the master STL Membership Grid

o   STL President (or whoever is coordinating the STL Constant Contact email list) adds all new membership emails from the Treasurer’s report and the National report to the Constant Contact email list

·       Quarterly, VP of membership shares the updated membership grid with the VP of the State Caucus for cross check/verification and to the Treasurer for her information re: expiration dates

·       Periodically, VP of Membership and President work together to remind expiring/expired members to renew and identify ways to attract new members

Financial Information Procedures

·       Membership dues money is received and distributed by the STL Caucus in two ways.

o   SquareUp deposits directly into our account for STL; STL Treasurer sends checks for appropriate dues amounts to National and State based on what STL received directly.

o   National sends a check for dues money owed to STL to the State Caucus Treasurer; who then sends a check for the appropriate dues amount to the STL Treasurer who deposits into the Caucus bank account.

6. Community Agreements

·       The following community agreements shall be available on the Caucus website:

Community Agreements

Our goal is to make Roots & Remedies a fun, welcoming, and safe environment for all participants. To work collectively towards this goal, we ask that all participants adhere to the following community agreements:

§  Be curious, open minded, and respectful: approach each activity with an open heart and mind and show respect to your fellow attendees.

§  Contribute to our collective leaming: think about what knowledge, skills, and experiences you can bring to the environment; and think about what you can learn from others' knowledge, skills, and experiences.

§  Assume the best in everyone: if you don't understand or agree with something someone says, ask clarifying questions or share your own perspectives in a respectful way.

§  Take care of your physical and emotional needs: stretch, eat, drink, rest, use the restroom, or step away for a few minutes if you need to; and be respectful of those around you who are taking care of their needs

§  Respect confidentiality: only share what others have given you permission to share; be sure to honor the safe space we have created to allow participants to share their thoughts, experiences, and feelings without fear of those outside the convening finding out.

§  Create space for all participants: avoid taking up too much time with your statements, and make sure anyone who wants to speak can.

§  Speak with accessibility in mind: make sure your language is inclusive to all by avoiding jargon, industry speak, or other words or terms others in the room may not understand.

§  Share time: be mindful that speakers and facilitators may need to move on from a topic to make the most of our short time together.

§  Speak from your own experience: use “I” statements and avoid speaking in generalizations about groups, communities, or populations.

§  Be aware of your intention and your impact: regardless of your words' or actions' intentions, you are responsible for their impact on others.

§  Be safe: If you choose to leave the convening location, use safe practices and your best judgment; we encourage you travel in groups and look out for one another.

7. Ally of the Caucus Designation

Women candidates are, and will remain, the priority for the caucus.

“Ally of the Caucus” designation may be assigned to qualifying candidates who do not identify as a woman only in the case that a Pro-Choice, Pro-Equality woman is not running for the same office in the same district.

• To be assigned this designation, candidates must complete an Ally Application and be vetted by the VP of Endorsements and/or the Endorsement Committee.

Vetted candidates who receive Ally of the Caucus status:

• Will not receive any financial support from the Caucus or EMPAC

• Will receive an Ally of the Caucus logo for use on their campaign materials for that campaign year only

Being assigned Ally of the Caucus shall not constitute an endorsement but will signal that the candidate's values align with that of the Caucus.