LWV-Wake Update 11/27/23

Dear ~~first_name~~,

Greetings from LWV-Wake.

The holiday season is here! While we take a pause from League work to recharge, the Membership Committee invites members to drop in at the Daily Planet Café on Wednesday, December 6th from 11:30am - 1:30pm to relax and unwind (details and registration link below). This is a great time to connect in-person with Leaguers before busy holiday preparations begin. We'd love to see you!

TOMORROW IS GIVING TUESDAY - PLEASE SUPPORT LWV OF WAKE COUNTY

Please scroll down to read our call for support from our last League Update. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of all our members who have donated. We are so grateful! THANK YOU!!

Alamo Drafthouse GOTV Event - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

LWV of Austin, through a partnership with Alamo Drafthouse, has invited LWV-Wake to participate in a multi-city GOTV/fundraiser on March 27th, 2024. The goal is to energize voters for the 2024 election in a fun environment while raising money for local Leagues, and includes a private screening of the 2020 movie Irresistible.

Written and directed by Jon Stewart, it stars actors Steve Carrell and Rose Byrne. The film is a political comedy and centers around questionable campaign tactics by both political parties when a Democratic strategist persuades a retired veteran run for mayor in a small, conservative Midwest town.

While details are still being confirmed, the run of show will include a 15-minute pre-show film about LWV, with local League content, and possibly a recorded post-movie interview with Jon Stewart. Ticket prices will include dinner/2 drinks and a swag bag. The ticket price is set by individual Leagues at each location. LWV of Austin is reaching out to several companies (Tito's vodka, Bumble, etc.) who are headquartered in Austin to ask for financial support for the event.

Seven Leagues in the following cities were chosen by Alamo and include: Los Angeles, San Francisco, NYC, Chicago, Austin, Denver and Raleigh. While most of the organizational legwork is being completed by LWV of Austin and Alamo, in order for our League to be successful, we need volunteers who are willing to assist in promoting ticket sales for the event and to obtain local business/corporate sponsorships and swag bag donations.

If you are willing to assist with this event and/or have contacts with businesses who may be willing to provide sponsorship support, please reach out to me ASAP. If we do not have enough volunteer interest, we may need to withdrawal from the event.

YES, I'LL HELP WITH THIS EVENT

Last League Update for 2023

As the holidays are a time for relaxing with family and friends, our League Update will return on January 8th.

ICYMI: A Personal Message
As we near the holidays, gratitude is an important theme. I am extremely grateful for all of YOU, our members and supporters who have chosen our grassroots, volunteer-driven organization for which to share your time, talents, and resources to advance our mission of Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy. I also have a favor to ask, and I’ll get to that in just a bit.

Our organization is at a crossroads. We have largely sustained our membership levels that surged in 2017 and continue to seek ways to attract and engage members and most importantly, advance our mission. Nonprofits are judged by their impact. One glance at our 2022-2023 Annual Report demonstrates the power of our programs and our “boots on the ground” efforts. However, while we want and need to do more, we simply lack the capacity to grow beyond the volunteer efforts of a small, but mighty group.

The operations of a nonprofit organization require the assistance of paid professionals for some areas of compliance and effective governance. We now require a CPA firm that specializes in nonprofits for tasks that used to be manageable for a volunteer treasurer. To remain relevant and attract younger members needed to sustain our organization, we must constantly create meaningful programs and content for our community. This is beyond what our pool of volunteers can achieve and our social media content is now being provided by a paid contractor.

Ensuring compliance and executing successful programs that reach our Wake County community takes resources beyond our dues structure, and we must fundraise amid a national decrease in charitable giving, not only by individual donors, but foundations as well. It is challenging and we are competing with so many worthwhile organizations.

And Now the Ask
Yes, I’m asking you to support LWV of Wake County and share our call for support with others during Giving Tuesday. With an important election year ahead, our work has never been more important. Our right to vote and the security of our elections continues to be threatened, not only by those on the outside, but within our own government.

LWV of Wake County plays a vital role in election and voter protections, and we are one of the few organizations that routinely monitors our state and county boards of elections, and many other government meetings. We also remain one of the most trusted sources for nonpartisan voter and election information, with our VOTE411 website continuing to serve Wake County voters. Our 103-year history is rich with examples of civic engagement in Wake County.

In the year ahead, we must continue to advocate for increased election funding and protect early voting, same-day registration and absentee voting options, as well as advocate for the appropriate number and locations of polling places. We must also engage young voters and explain why their vote is powerful.

We must fight back on continued attacks on women’s reproductive rights, and not just the right to abortion, but also the right to contraception (who would have thought?!?) and black maternal healthcare. The list goes on.

We are once again participating in Giving Tuesday, a day of global giving and asking for your continued support during our end-of-year fundraiser. Our goal this year is to raise $10,000.00. This is realistically what is needed to ensure compliance for our organization and to carry out our mission, and yes, it is more than we’ve ever raised for Giving Tuesday, but the stakes heading into the 2024 election have never been higher.

I encourage you to read our 2022-2023 Annual Report and visit our website to learn more about our impact and reach out to me with any questions and how to support our organization through charitable and donor-advised fund accounts. We maintain a platinum level of transparency with Guidestar, and our 2023 IRS 990EZ tax return will be available for review soon.

You do not need to wait until November 28th to support the League! All donations made now through December 31st will count as part of our Giving Tuesday End-of-Year Fundraiser. Remember, your donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the IRS. Donations made online will receive a donation confirmation email that can be used for tax purposes.

Lastly, thank you for your continued support of LWV of Wake County and for your passion for our mission.

GIVING TUESDAY 2023 DONATE HERE

Upcoming LWV-Wake Events

November 28th GIVING TUESDAY ALL DAY -You've celebrated Thanksgiving, started your holiday shopping, and NOW it's time to support your favorite nonprofit organization! Please donate here.

December 6th 11:30am-1:30pm - Meetup at The Daily Planet Café Join our Membership Committee members and meet new and old friends at our next LWV-Wake casual get-to-know gathering. For more details and to register, click here.

January 25th 5:30pm - Timely Topics: Meet the New Director for Wake County Board of Elections-Join us as we introduce Ms. Olivia McCall and learn about upcoming changes to the election process and how the League might help with educational efforts. Register here.

February 7th 12noon - Timely Topics: Affordable Housing & Homelessness in Wake County - Problems & Solutions. Join us as we welcome Lorena D. McDowell, Director, Housing Affordability & Community Revitalization for Wake County and Ashley Lommers-Johnson, Chief Executive Officer for the Raleigh Housing Authority. Discussion will focus on homelessness and lack of affordable housing in Wake County, how their respective organizations address these issues, the challenges they face, and potential solutions. For more information and to register, click here.

LWV-Wake is grateful for YOU!

On behalf of the LWV-Wake Board of Directors, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year and let you know how much we value each of you and appreciate your support.

Whatever your level of involvement with LWV-Wake, it is our shared belief in the mission of Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy that brings us together and provides a sense of community.

As we head into 2024, we look forward to new events, meetups and GOTV opportunities where we can serve our community and encourage civic engagement.

If you'd like to get more involved, think about attending an upcoming League 101 and/or event, or just drop me a line indicating your interests. We'll find a spot for you!

Looking for information from a past newsletter? Previous League Updates can now be viewed on our website's home page. Look for the "League Updates" blue tab on the top menu.

Thank you for continuing to support the League of Women Voters of Wake County.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Tung

President

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The League of Women Voters of Wake County is a designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization by the IRS. Donations and membership dues are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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LWV-Wake Update 11/27/23