First off, we need a realistic assessment of where FCDC stands in terms of our minority membership. You’ve pointed out the demographic composition of the County, but we really don’t know the composition of FCDC. We can make some assumptions based on our own anecdotal stories, but we need to survey our members and find out where we stand. I believe in gathering information and making decisions based on facts.

Next, we need to develop a message that actually penetrates the communities where we feel we need to increase membership and we should recognize that not every community responds to an identical message. We should talk to our current members and people within those communities to understand why they support the party and join it. We need to craft our points carefully; it’s not helpful to simply take a stab in the dark.  My plan is to use segmentation to create messages for volunteers based on real data and research about what appeals to each community. This gets us much closer to their core issues than the standard, “We’re Democrats, join us...”

FCDC also needs to treat our outreach program as seriously as we do our other initiatives. I intend to empower the Vice Chair - Outreach and actually devote time and resources to his or her efforts. I do not, of course, intend to personally recruit every new member, although obviously, having a Latino Chair may help in and of itself. Rather than assuming I have all the answers, I plan to ask the Vice Chair  - Outreach and the Executive Director to draft a real plan. I will offer suggestions such as direct mail and canvassing of minority neighborhoods, not to speak about campaigns alone, but to actually talk about the value of our Committee and the fact that we need their help to grow, be effective, and protect the values that THEY hold dear.