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Transcript of InnovateCRNC Platform
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8/7/2019 InnovateCRNC Platform
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Introduction
There are a few fundamental realities that exist for todays College Republican leaders.
First among these is the reality that we have come far from our days as a subset of the
Republican National Committee, and arguably even further from our days struggling to self-
govern as a newly-minted 527 organization in the early years of the last decade. We have today
a College Republican National Committee that is beginning to emerge as a go-to partner among
Republican groups in the nations capital, brandishing a new image as responsible young
conservatives interested in two things that matter: winning elections and developing the next
generation of Republicans. This has resulted in a present circumstance where we can, as a
National Board, engage in a debate of ideas for the future of our organization and qualifications
of those who seek to lead that future, coupled with this is the stark reality that many members at
the chapter level are unaware of the CRNCs activities, or even its existence. In some cases,
chapter members arent even aware of their very own state federation. We also face growing
challenges on the horizon; in particular, the fragility of our donor base. Moreover, we are an
organization that has largely ignored the political education of our members since the CRNCs
famed Fieldman School program was unceremoniously dropped before the 2006 election cycle
began in earnest. There also remains great potential for growth in our communications efforts,
online outreach, social media utilization, and developing operating standards and practices for
our organization nationwide. Without question there has been much to celebrate in terms of
progress since 2008, but we simply cannot ignore these issues during our internal elections. We
can easily lose the ground we have gained much faster than we won it in the first place. Despite
recent success, the College Republican National Committee is in a precarious position entering
the coming years.
This platform of ideas has been created with one prevailing mentality: There is always a
way to improve upon existing practices and policies. With long-term stability in mind, we will
innovate in a calculated way, taking smart risks. We considered every idea put before our team,
and will continue to do so as we strive together to create what we believe is the necessary path
forward for the College Republican National Committee. We are confident that this plan will
increase innovation within the CRNC and lead it into the next decade. It will be the most
complete and thorough plan for our organization, as well as the most appropriate course of action
over the next 30 months and beyond. This is an election about ideas and the ability to execute
them. Managing what was until this election cycle the second-largest Republican-leaning 527
organization is no small task, and it is a great mantle to bear. Within this platform you will find
our ideas, coupled with the path to implementation for each. Where we may not address an
issue, we are not simply ignoring it. In addition to this basic outlay of principles, there will be
further releases of full plans for a political education programming, elements of our fundraising
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and visibility planks, field program plans, and other issues we believe deserve their own time and
consideration. We recognize that rhetoric is one thing, and results are entirely another. The team
of people who will be tasked to put this plan into place at CRNC, too, will be results-oriented,
with a record of achieving results themselves. As famed Buckeyes Coach Woody Hayes was
fond of saying, You win with people, and this is the same approach we have taken in Ohio.
The Ohio Record
Being the consummate perennial battleground state, we in Ohio know close elections.
Democrats and Republicans alike pour in millions of dollars to the Buckeye State in the hopes of
victory and many elections come down to the quality of a partys voter turnout operation, where
College Republicans can make the largest impact. From August 20-November 2, 2010 alone,
College Republicans in Ohio made over 225,000 documented volunteer phone calls and knocked
on over 42,000 doors. Our team knew that past elections with comparable CR efforts went awry
in the final weeks as Ohios College Republicans tried to wage the battle in all 18 CongressionalDistricts or all 99 Ohio House Districts.
To address this problem, we created and implemented a tiered targeting plan for 2010 that
narrowed our targets to 12 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives, four seats in the US
House of Representatives, the three statewide offices that make up the Apportionment Board
which draws district lines in Ohio (Governor, Secretary of State, and Auditor), and the open US
Senate seat. Chapters were systematically paired with races in their vicinity starting shortly after
2010 began, and our political and field teams worked to foster these candidate-CR relationships
in a manner that would not only ensure maximum volunteer turnout capacity in the fall, but alsoto engage our voter base in unopposed primaries and throughout the summer when door-to-door
efforts in leaning Republican precincts can lock-up support for candidates early. We partnered
with organizations like OHROC, the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee, and the
Ohio Republican Party to work hand-in-hand on targeting our efforts and getting resources in the
hands of College Republican volunteers.
We also knew that we had to fix CR apathy in Ohio and directly engage chapter leaders
and average members in this process. Our team worked hard, implementing various social media
strategies based on the underlying thought that just posting a status or having a Twitter account
are not actual strategies. We knew that we needed engagement and conversation, and our current
social media analytics rival that of any state-level student political organizations metrics in the
nation. We have not leveled off in our analytics of following and readership either, continuing to
improve and push ourselves in the area of message reach. In Ohio, we use tools that are
available to everyone and utilize them to our greatest advantage. It is not just a state effort that is
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top-down, but grassroots in addition to bottom-up effort that incorporates our chapters and
members explicitly to stay on, and distribute the message.
Prior to my election as Chairman, we had credibility and visibility problems with our
chapters, with other Republican groups, and with donors. In the year prior to the election of my
team in 2008, OCRF had not contacted or returned contact to the Ohio Republican Party in
nearly nine months. We now work out of an office in our state partys headquarters and we work
closely with them year-round, having taken part in both ORPs past Infrastructure Committee
and the Coalition Advisory Board. To solve the visibility issue with our chapters, we have
actively engaged in travel directly to campuses, sending our team on the road almost every week
to a different campus that has an event planned or need for assistance. Both in 2009 and 2010,
we embarked upon multiple campus tours, during which we would spend days at a time traveling
the state, racking up thousands of miles in the process, in
an effort to recruit new members. Our board meetings
and political education events have been regionalized,
restoring a level of trust and cooperation among College
Republicans in Ohio. We also have revamped our donor
outreach, understanding that in order to continually
engage current and prospective donors there must be a
plan in place for updating them and keeping them
engaged in what we do. There also must be a multi-pronged approach to reach out to them at the
outset, and in both areas we have excelled.
Due to the sheer size and outreach capabilities of the Ohio College RepublicanFederation, we have worked hard to spread conservatism to as many campuses across the state as
possible. While there certainly are for-profit campuses, small branch campuses, and specialized
career & technical schools hindering full coverage, we have grown from just 31 chapters in the
spring of 2008 (when I took over as Chair) to 59 chapters in the fall of 2010. The most
important indicator to us though is that chapters we helped to found in 2008 and 2009 are still
active in a large part. We understood that chapters started by field representatives are often even
more susceptible to the phenomenon of disappearing as quickly as they started. Our in-house
field team has been aggressive in ensuring there is no vacuum of support once a field reps term
is complete.
All of this has culminated in a current reality for Ohios College Republicans where more
students than ever are involved daily in the organization, where we made unprecedented gains at
the polls for Republican candidates, and where we are recognized as the best Republican
organization in the state of Ohio. Over 7,500 new CRs joined the ranks alone this past fall, and
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we recognize our partys performance among young voters here is at a much higher percentage
now than we found it. In 2010 we were an integral part of the effort that swept every statewide
executive office and held a contested open seat in the US Senate, beating an incumbent
Democrat Governor AND an incumbent Democrat Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the
process. We won back a majority in the Ohio Congressional delegation by picking up five seats,won back a majority in the Ohio House of Representatives by picking up 13 seats, and won a
super-majority in the Ohio Senate by stretching that bodys makeup to 23 Republicans and just
10 Democrats. In 2010, we were honored by the Ohio Republican Party as the Ohio Republican
Organization of the Year, and we have been unanimously endorsed by our State Central
Committee in this race. We have a record that speaks for itself, and it should give confidence in
our ability to replicate these results at a national level.
Ohio Congressional District Map: GOP now holds 13 seats
Innovating our Fundraising Apparatus
The donor program is in a tenuous position and to say otherwise is completely false. This
should be no secretto pore over finance reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission
by the CRNC would tell you that a small, select group of donors fund the non-essential
operations of our organization. Our organization is more
susceptible to outside circumstances and influence than mostothers as well, for decisions made by Republicans in
Congress or even at the state and local level can turn potential
donors into detractors simply because we, too, carry the
Republican torch. Such a fragile community of large donors
means that when Republicans are successful, we can grow
our operations, but when we are not, these operations must
retreat just as quickly as they expanded. The picture painted
may seem bleak, but we can do better, and together we WILL do better.
Our plan is wide-ranging, and does not focus on any one element more heavily than it
does another. We will target achievement in all areas discussed as proposed below, realizing that
in some areas, we may fall short. To counter that likelihood, we will implement a variety of
tactics and strategies to broaden our donor base, find new donor markets, and innovate via
entirely new fundraising methods never used before by the CRNC. There are common-sense
steps to take, and we will take them. There are steps that require a bit of faith and risk, but they
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have worked for other organizations and can work for ours with the right implementation.
Finally, there are steps that will seem like leaps, for we will be the first to take them. All are laid
out for you here, because merely using the phrase expand our donor base is far too nonspecific
for such an important component of the CRNC. We believe these ideas will help to bring results
in November, and not rhetoric in January.
Here are our tactics, starting with the simplest, cannot miss approaches.
-Bring Ohio donors back into the fold
While it is certainly obvious that any candidate or team of candidates should have the
capital to bring their own states resources to bear while in office at the CRNC, this should not
dissuade us from using this tool. We will leverage our existing relationships and connections
here in our home state; and in addition, we should plan to do the same in the home states of our
other team members. This is the low-hanging fruit if you
will, and can serve as a stop-gap while the CRNC
transitions between old leadership to new. Our robust
local donors can serve to make sure our organization does
not miss a beat as we prepare to recruit and deploy
College Republicans in the fall of 2011.
-Partnership with allied organizations, such as fellow 527 groups
There are certainly greater opportunities for the CRNC to team with like-minded organizations
than in fundraising only; but, we should certainly leverage existing relationships with provenpartners like the Republican Governors Association to continue the funding of specific programs,
such as the Operation Red November Field Program. CRNC can serve as an important partner
on the ground with such external groups, and they have shown willingness in the past to do so.
We should also seek to partner with such groups as we begin to target Congressional seats in the
upcoming election cycle, and seek funding from groups and individuals also working in those
districts. These funding partnerships should also be expanded to include organizations working
in the same area as CRNC on issue advocacy.
-Develop vendor stability with mail and phone solicitation programs
With an eye towards more continuing long-term relationships for CRNC, it should be the
organizations express goal to seek an extension of relationships with current fundraising
vendors, like InfoCision, where there can be an extension that is favorable to CRNC in terms of
real list growth. Recognizing the challenges of this, we must continue to grow our dependable
revenue streams via InfoCision and seek list stability in the long-range future rather than
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immediate boosts in the near-range future. We can also work with InfoCision to continue the
honing of CRNCs donor pitch, and to utilize their network of relations with larger donors via
other political clients. In addition to continuing the current relationship, there should always be
an eye towards improving the terms of our relationship, both in terms of the cost of raising
money for CRNC and in terms of positive revenuecoming in from the deal. Tools such as list swaps,
when feasible, ought to be pursued as well as a
method of acquisition and prospecting that has a
much higher success rate than cold prospecting earns.
-Establish relationships with consultants and
organizational advocates on a regional basis
Being that one of the largest challenges in
growing the base of high-dollar donors to CRNC(generally termed as $5,000 or above) is the lack of a
connection to them, CRNC must expand the practice
of having organizational advocates and paid
consultants working to open such connections for us. We simply do not have decades-long
interaction with the type of donors who write sizable checks, so recognizing that others can
better achieve the initial meeting setup on our behalf is a must. Currently, CRNC employs one
gate-opener, and it is highly likely that he and his firm will be moving on to work on other
projects in this calendar year. Generally, these folks are not going to remain with CRNC for
more than 2-4 years, because there comes a point when they are unable to acquire new donors forthe organization. Keeping in mind the CRNCs past history of outside groups making less than
tasteful fundraising solicitations, we will certainly be sure to keep approval of any and all
solicitation pitches are ethical, moral, and legal, and that no organization promises something of
the CRNC that we are not aware of.
-Alumni giving online via recurring small dollar donations
Pitches that you hear on television, such as, for just the cost of a cup of coffee a day,
consistently work well because they equate a small sacrifice with making a big difference. There
are a large number of (initially) small-dollar donors who could potentially be acquired by the
CRNC, and this is our alumni community. Our alums currently do not get rolled over into a
fundraising database of any sort, yet they are a natural community of donors for us to work
towards. This is also not a huge immediate revenue stream, yet if tapped correctly, could be a
steady stream that one day gives CRNC expanded operating revenues. We must employ both
targeted email campaigns and targeted online advertising, including web videos featuring
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prominent alumni. There is also the potential to utilize CR alums that have went on to work in
the political field as fundraising conduits, as well, and we ought to identify this group of alumni
specifically in addition to the everyday CR alums who can simply be engaged in our efforts
tangentially. Alumni fundraising has been talked about in the past, but is often abandoned due to
the time and effort it takes to build the list. However, if we choose not to start now, we willsimply be in the same position in two years time.
-Partnerships with state federations to revenue-share
We have a natural resource in the area of donor research and relationshipour state
federations. State federations have an endemic problem in approaching most donorsthey are
unable to tap into that donors resources at the same level a larger organization could. CRNC
must engage state federations in a process of utilizing the state federations relationship with that
donor while the federation takes advantage of the greater ask that can be made by a group like
CRNC. 50/50 splitting of any donations that arise as a direct result of a state federationsinvolvement makes sense, and is not in any sense a welfare program.
There are some inherent issues that arise with this possible approach, and we intend to
fully address them as more research becomes available. To this end, we must also continue to
foster a trusting, two-way relationship with each state federation to enhance the comfort level of
any such cooperation, because this should not be construed as an attempt to poach donors. In
fact, during any direct contact with the donor, the state federation should be present and actively
engaged in said process. Moving forward past the initial joint contact with a donor, the CRNC
and state federation would continue a cooperative engagement in that relationship.
Website, Social Networking and Unique Tools Innovation
Over the past several years, the CRNC has done a reasonable job in regards to utilizing
social networking tools, as well as effectively running a somewhat interactive website for the
2010 election cycle field team. OperationRedNovember.com was a great way for the field
representatives to blog about their interaction and experiences during the most pivotal election of
our generation. However, there are several things that can be done to make
the CRNC as well as our election field team run smoother, more efficiently,
and offer the most technologically advanced tools in the grassrootsmobilization effort. Our underlying thought must be that there is always a
better way, with a mind toward direct engagement and long-term stability, as
well as moving to a model where we find College Republicans with
technology, rather than the reverse. We have to look at technology as one of
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the most important tools in making consistent the CR experience from chapter to chapter, state to
state, while allowing for the customization and local ownership of CRs at the same time.
Our technology plan is simple, yet savvy:
-Website Rejuvenation
While the current CRNC administration has worked hard to create a website that caters to
the college campus grassroots movement, it could be improved dramatically.
Creating a Central Point of Information (CPI) is crucial in order to have the national
organization run smoothly from the top-down. The most effective way to achieve this is by
creating an all inclusive CRNC website, which allows each state federation to have a webpage,
branded under the CRNC site. Branding in such a manner would be one of the most powerful
tools in the CRNC arsenal in terms of franchising the CR experience, and it still allows for
local control while achieving a consistent access point.
For example, the state of Ohios page would be under CRNC.org/states/Ohio. By
restructuring each state to utilize the CRNC site, this will continue the rebranding process that
was started under Zach Howells administration.
The contents of each state federations page would be decided by their own executive
board and technology departments (Subject to Terms & Conditions: no profanity, etc.).
At the national level, we would provide the service of embedding each states Facebook
and Twitter share buttons, as well as photos, videos from YouTube, and other items which willallow each state to promote their own activities more efficiently across the national spectrum, not
just in certain states.
There are also several benefits (incentives) for states to switch to this platform:
-Rebranding through CRNC.org will create a quicker way for potential new membership to find
each states federation, without referring to Google to search.
-The site hosting would be covered through the current CRNC name-servers, which would
eliminate the cost of developing and maintaining a website. It would be handled through thenational technology department, dissipating the burden of these tasks from each state.
-By putting all state federations under the CRNC.org site, it allows the ability to feature blog
posts from each state on the national blog page. This is an outstanding way to promote each
states activism in a more seamless manor.
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Moving forward, we would work to implement the same pieces of this plan at the chapter
level, and it should be noted that this plan differs from past iterations of CRNC technology
policy, notably Operation Big Trunk or STORM, in four key areas:
-Both past initiatives offered subpar products with little opportunity for customization or cutting-
edge tools. Our plan calls for full local control (except in the case of posting any profane or
illegal content), as well as a Content Management System (CMS) that would allow the
incorporation of the latest and greatest interactive web tools to be used.
-Both past initiatives suffered from a lack of follow-through in training and maintenance. It is
not enough to simply offer a toolyou must teach how it is used. In addition to this, CRNC has
not fully utilized local leaders with expertise in a given area, such as technology. We would aim
to create a team of CRs throughout the nation that can operate as point persons in implementing,
maintaining, and fully utilizing the CRNC web platform.
-Both past initiatives tried to completely replace existing online outlets for a state or chapter. We
are not advocating the elimination of local web domain addresses currently held by chapters or
federations who are successful in this area. Initially, these existing platforms can be used as a
redirect of a chapter or states CRNC-specific domain address. Also, our goal again is to create a
Central Point of Information, and we are seeking in turn to link existing Facebook Pages and
Twitter accounts rather than replace them with a new system, a la STORM.
-Finally, this would not turn into a money pit, especially as STORM did. With this project,
there is no huge production cost, and the hosting costs can be handled through existing contracts
without the need for drastic cost growth.
-Social networking: Facebook
Establishing a dialogue on Facebook is essential. It is imperative that Facebook be not
considered just a feeder website or launch pad to get users to CRNC.org.
It is crucial that we establish a HTML type atmosphere to market our efforts in a unique way
other than a standard wall post or link sharing. While these methods are helpful, they typically
do not compel someone to visit our site, and learn about our organization.
Embedding events, photos, and videos on Facebook as well as to the CRNC.org site
simultaneously is detrimental in our message being relayed across the World Wide Web. The
goal is to captivate the curiosity of a Facebook user to visit our page, and contribute to our efforts
somehow, which can be done in several ways to be explained in a later section.
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-Social networking: Twitter
Twitter is the Power Strip of the social networking structure, while the CRNC utilizes
this tool in a mediocre fashion currently, it needs to be used more frequently, rather than the
current perception of an RSS blog feed.
All of the CRNC social networks (Facebook, YouTube, Flickr) need to be
integrated into the Twitter platform, as a vehicle to get our message out to
users of this vital social network. By integrating these networks to twitter,
sharing is almost instantaneous, without the need of manually sending out
messages. It happens automatically.
CRNC needs to promote the hashtag (#CRNC) in a more aggressive manner, as well as embed
the #CRNC discussion onto the CRNC.org website, with an eye toward content monitoring to
avoid repeats of liberal activists hijacking the hashtag. Each federation needs to be able to
effortlessly share their message/activism by utilizing Twitter, as well as being able to RT
messages from the CRNC, which could potentially expand our audience on twitter by 47 times
more than the current reception!
Twitter should also be used as a way to not only effortlessly share your message and activism,
but to interact with other people, ultimately keeping them engaged in the cause.
-Social media: You Tube
YouTube is a great tool in which the CRNC has done an outstanding job using to get our
message out. With over 92,000 views of The Break Up TV ad, there is not much more that can
be done to promote our message using YouTube, with exception given to creating a more
constant schedule of new content.
We will work with every federation to make sure they have a
YouTube account as a way to share their videos, a simple step
that must be taken.
Beyond creating an account, the YouTube page will be
seamlessly integrated to the CRNC.org federation page to allow greater interactivity and keepbrowsers on that states page longer without needing to spring to an external site.
-Social media/live events: UStream
It is no secret that UStream has become a very useful tool in political campaigns. In Ohio,
Governor John Kasich and his outstanding new media team used UStream regularly to produce
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and broadcast live town hall events from all over the state, so that constituents could interact
with the candidate. We feel this will be the most favorable tool to use under our administration,
in an effort to interact with College Republicans from across the United States.
-Producing LIVE professional town hall events with Congressional members, as well as state
officials.
-Sharing live events seamlessly on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook through integration, so they
can be viewed at a later date.
-Producing a biweekly webcast where state federation chairs take time to reach out nationally
to discuss their efforts, take questions, and feature their events.
-Social media/live events: MetaChat/Live Chat
While broadcasting events live is exciting, it cannot be done without utilizing a chatsystem in order to take questions, and allow viewers to converse while the production is taking
place. Using a chat service, namely CoverIt LIVE!, is an effective way to moderate, discuss,
share, and take questions during an event to create an interactive atmosphere.
We can also utilize this tool by:
-Using this feature during meetings, web casts, town halls,
or special events where video isnt allowed to be taken to
keep people on the web informed while the events are
taking place.
-Integrating this platform into each federation page to have the ability to utilize when they would
like, for events they choose to use this for.
-Social media/analytics/integration: HootSuite
One of the most essential tools when tracking the
response to your activism and cause is the use of analytics.
A majority of systems do not allow you to track each site,
blog post, tweet link, or Facebook post in an all-in-oneway. One of the most widely used tools in Ohio is a
seamless integration platform called HootSuite. Our goal
is to provide each federation with the tools needed to track
the reaction to their posts in a simple, all inclusive manor. HootSuite will allow authorized users,
by each federation, to track, share, and synchronize all social networks to share the same
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message simultaneously, with a trackable URL or link. HootSuite also can be used for the
following aspects:
-Integrates Google Analytics for your CRNC.org page, as well as Facebook Insights, so
federations can monitor all statistics in one location.
-Using an analytical tracking tool such as HootSuite, it allows for a great way to track activism,
which can influence donations through fundraising as well as membership.
-Social activism/location based networking: Foursquare
With the rising use of smart phones amongst college age students with GPS service, it is
imperative we be ahead of the curve, and utilize Foursquare, a location based check-in
application available on all major smart phone operating systems.
Foursquare is also useful for:
-Creating Badges for Political Rallies, GOTV efforts, Conventions
and Summits as an incentive for members to document their activism
in an interactive way.
-Sharing the locations of College Republican members nationwide on each federations page
once they receive a badge (Only when they receive a badge, no other locations would be shared
on the page). By documenting the activism by way of Foursquare on a map, we would be able to
show our strength in numbers.
-Foursquare can be linked to Facebook, where users can find friends using the application andrequest them as friends. This is a unique way to create nationwide networking.
Innovation through Mobilization: Creating Mobile Applications
Smart phones are now the most effective way of reaching our targeted age group. Thus,
the need to spark innovation within the organization in a unique way to keep members engaged,
as well as informed.
-Membership mobility: iPhone/Andriod CRNC application
Due to the restructuring of the CRNC.org website to be all inclusive with state
federations, the ability to create a mobile platform that can be
utilized as a CPI for our membership can now be obtained.
Each federation will be able to upload their information
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to the CRNC.org website, which will automatically carry over to the mobile application.
Features would include:
-Videos, photos, blog posts will be viewable on the application.
-The ability to share each post via Facebook, Twitter will be integratedinto the application.
-The iOS (Apple) application platform will be compatible with iPad
and iPhone.
-Push/Alert notifications will be embedded into the application, to be used for GOTV efforts, as
well as events taking place within each state and nationally (by using this, it eliminates the need
to spend money on a text message alert system).
-Push/Alert notifications will be able to be used no more than three times per month, to avoidannoying users (this will be the only limitation, controlled nationally).
-In-application donation abilities will be added eventually (negotiation with application stores
will need to take place before this can be integrated).
-Eventual integration of event sign-up built into the application.
-Possible incentive program. Starting a points system for each time they share something within
the mobile application for items from CRNC.org (shirts, hats, etc.).
-The ability to make a profit by embedding iAds within the application.
-Operation Red November field team mobility: iPad mobile application
One of the biggest negative issues we noticed with the CRNC field program was
inefficiency, specifically in the turnaround time and work time spent by field representatives on
data management. Beyond efficiency, we feel a mobile application for a field team will create
accountability, responsibility, and attract attention to our cause. We feel we have the most cost
efficient, innovative solution that will make the CRNC the most technologically advanced
political entity in the United States.
With such an iPad application, we would look to include the following features, with an
eye towards creating a catch-all system for field representative-gathered data that would be more
stable in the long-run than currently available databases:
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-Quarterly trainings via webinar and regional district visits discussing the incorporation of new
media and technology into state federations and their chapters in a effective way.
-Creating PowerPoint presentations, tutorials, and workshops that the national board technology
team will use to teach federation executive boards, with the intention of having the curriculum
take back to their states to educate chapters.
Increased Visibility of the CRNC
Under my guidance as Chairman of the OCRF, our team has created one of the most
visible state federations in the country. We have focused on creating a federation that is here for
the chapters, and not the other way around. We have made great strides to ensure that every one
of our 59 chapters feels included and involved in the activities of the state federation. During my
tenure as chair, I have put over 35,000 miles on my car driving to different College Republican
chapters across the state. This year alone I visited over 40 of our chapters engaging the average
College Republican and showing them that the OCRF was here to support them and their
endeavors.
Through this approach, initiatives that count on chapter participation can be built.
Furthermore, my team and I traveled over 2,500 miles during the final 96 hours of the 2010
election cycle, rallying CRs at each stop along the way to continue to push hard through the
waning hours of the election. OCRF has also used technological innovations such as webcasting
state board meetings and live blogging election results to give every CR in the state the
opportunity to participate in OCRF events. We truly believe that the visibility we have created in
Ohio must continue and grow on a national level in order to have a strong organization that
engages every single College Republican in the nation.
-Our vision for the future
As Chairman of the College Republican National Committee, I will ensure that my team
and I will place the upmost importance on increasing the visibility of our great organization. As
we travel across the country talking to average College Republicans, one of the most unnerving
questions we receive is, what is the CRNC? This is why one of our goals for the CRNC is to
increase the visibility of the organization so that there is never a question as to what the CRNC
is. We can do this by focusing on strategies that have worked in Ohio, as well as finding new,
innovative strategies that will allow our organization to become even more publicly known. As
with technology, the approach must be driven by the idea that we must go to CRs, not make them
find us. An important element of this plan that you will see more from our team about is our
plan for increased use of the National Officers as ambassadors of the CRNC.
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-Media appearances
One of the easiest ways the CRNC can increase its visibility is by continuing to grow its
media appearances. This has been one of the greatest strengths of the Howell Administration,
and we have a great foundation to build on. As Chairman, I would make it my obligation to
make more media appearances by filling in regular guest spots for television shows, targeting
younger demographic shows like Red Eye, making more radio appearances and continuing to
write opinion pieces and editorials in the nations leading political newspapers and blogs. We
must also continue to develop content worthy of publishing, which means a renewal of the
current research efforts at CRNC. Selling a story is much easier done when that story has a
unique angle, or original data. A strong media presence is important to maintain the public
image of the organization and generally is worth more than even paid advertising.
-Reaching out to the average CR
We believe that the CRNC can increase the interaction with the everyday CR by visiting
more states and more chapters. The implementation of the "mobility through technology" portion
of our platform (located above) will give our team the opportunity to more efficiently operate the
national office from the road. Allowing us to operate from the road is essential to bringing our
message to more universities. The increased use of technology will also allow our team to
interact with the average CR much easier. By broadcasting live webcasts and live town hall
meetings, the average CR will be able to easily interact with the national board in the comfort of
their own home in their own state, and we can redouble our efforts through partner organizations
to offer such opportunities both via the internet and in direct appearances. We also must focus on
the increased availability of chapter box materials throughout the calendar year, and availability
in proportion to campus and chapter size.
-Continued use of paid advertisement and web-videos
An important aspect involved in increasing the CRNC's visibility is the continued use of
paid advertising and web ads. Last year we witnessed the development and deployment of two
advertisements for the first time in our history. We feel these advertisements helped our
organization reach out to more students in a way that is traditionally different than we as CRs
have recruited in the past. Having the ability to help local chapters recruit through using an "airwar" is critical to reaching out to a group of students that traditional tabling, flyers, and emails
cannot. Furthermore, web videos may be even more critical to the continued recruitment of
college students. The Republican Governors Association showed the large benefits of producing
exceptional web videos. The CRNC would benefit from longer web videos similar to the
Republican Governors Association's videos that could help engage more college students to join
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our organization, in addition to the 30-second ad format already being employed. Students are
becoming more visual, and our communication with them must take that into consideration.
Video blogging should be used in addition to print blogging whenever possible. These
communications tools would help give local chapters the air war they would need to pair with
their ground recruiting on their campuses.
-Micro-targeted communications strategy
Finally, the CRNC needs to create a micro-targeted communications strategy. While
there is a need for CRNC to be part of the conversation on national issues, we should also branch
out to aid our federations and chapters on local issues. State federations and local chapters need
the help of the CRNC to gain recognition with local media outlets. For example, when state
federations or large chapters achieve a significant feat (making a large amount of calls, hosting
an event with a popular speaker, etc), the CRNC should be working with those local chapters and
state federations to write a press release, or release comments from the national office about thesignificance of what these local organizations were able to accomplish.
It is important that the CRNC use some of its national clout to better recognize the
achievements of state federations and local chapters. This approach would give the national
organization more recognition within that state or university by showing that the CRNC is not
just focused on being a beltway insider, but is truly concerned with what is going on at the
chapter level, a luxury we can begin to take as our position within the nations capital becomes
more solid. This approach will ensure that no matter how large the national organization
becomes, that we as College Republicans remain concerned with the local, grassroots
campaigning we are so good at.
Moreover, this micro-targeted approach would allow for the CRNC to target different
messages for different areas of the country, tying in local sentiments when possible to help
illustrate the point of the national message. By doing this, the CRNC would ensure that the
messages we are sending to every university fits the messages that will best help those chapters
and state federations recruit more members.
Partnerships with other organizations
The CRNC has benefited greatly from partnerships with other political organization such
as the Republican Governors Association in the past election cycle. The RGA essentially funded
the entire field representative program in 2010. We in Ohio realized the benefits of these
partnerships 3 years ago, and have since then worked on creating better relationships with all of
our Republican organizations. When I was elected to lead the OCRF, our organization had gone
months without returning the Ohio Republican Party's phone calls. I took office with the
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objective of working with the party in a mutually beneficial partnership. Today speaks volumes
as to where we have come in this partnership. We now have one of the best relationships with our
state party in the country: housing our office in ORP headquarters and having an open door with
our Chairman. This relationship has significantly benefited the OCRF in similar ways as the
RGA partnership has benefited the CRNC.
Furthermore, in the last election cycle we partnered with the Ohio House Republican
Organizational Committee. Through this partnership, we were better able to strategically use the
assets that College Republicans bring to campaigns. There were several points during the
campaign cycle in which we were easily able to deploy CRs into strategic areas of the state for
literature dropping and phone calls in areas that were 1-3 point races. Moreover, because of this
targeted deployment strategy, CRs were able to focus on races that were close enough for our
efforts to affect, rather than wasting efforts in an area already won or lost. We were able to pull
out of races that had large leads, and move to candidates that were down by a couple points or
had shrinking advantages. This proved to be an incredibly beneficial component of taking back
the Ohio House of Representatives where we won ten of the twelve races we targeted, a big
change from our 2008 efforts where the Ohio House of Representatives was lost by four seats
and just 1,933 votes in a state of about 8 million voters.
-Continued partnerships that foster investment in CRNC
We believe there is a need for continued investment in consulting firms such as Frontier
Strategies. Our partnership with this firm has led us to these relationships with the Republican
Governors Association and many more direct fundraising contacts. As College Republicans, it is
important that we realize we cannot do everything ourselves and need the advice and input of
professionals who have been involved in campaigning for many years. These partnerships open
doors for our organization that no college student could open themselves.
Our campaign for CRNC Chairman has taken the same approach I will take as Chairman
of the CRNC. We have enlisted the advice of many professionals, including our senior campaign
advisor Jo Ann Davidson. Jo Ann was the first female Speaker of the Ohio House of
Representatives, Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee, ran the 2008 RNC
Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and currently works as the Director of American
Crossroads. Her advice has been invaluable to our campaign, and will continue to be beneficial
to us at CRNC.
It is important to have working relationships with these organizations, as Chairman
Howell pointed out in our annual board meeting in New Orleans. He stated the importance of
working with organizations such as American Crossroads and the Republican Governors
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Association for the continued growth of our organization. We believe that by enlisting advice
from Speaker Davidson, we will place the CRNC in a good position to continue creating new
contacts and even more beneficial partnerships in the future.
-Partnerships with intellectual organizations
In addition to having partnerships with groups such as RGA, NRCC, and American
Crossroads, we ought to pursue further partnerships that enhance our ability to provide
programming, intellectual content, and opportunities to all College Republicans. Relationships
with other organizations like AIPAC should be continued, and expanded to include closer
relations with like-minded groups in that arena, for example Christians United for Israel. It also
makes sense to partner with organizations like The Heritage Foundation in an attempt to better
inform college students of conservative principles. Making tools like Heritages Virtual Think
Tank available to CRs on a broader basis is a must, whether through Heritage, another
organization, or our own program.
Educating the massesa fresh take on Political Education
It is our intention going ahead that we will unveil a comprehensive plan for Political
Education throughout the coming term. Here though, are a few guiding principles this plan will
embrace. Political Education has to be a consistent effort, enhanced with user feedback, and
improved in terms of content, access, and take-home quality. We can continue to directly engage
state federations at their events, take greater advantage of opportunities when large groups of
CRs gather, and utilize the technological tools available to us in order to create more training
opportunities. We can also take the approach that it is generally more beneficial to teach
methods and practices commonly used in running a CR organization than it is to continue taking
on these tasks from a top-down standpoint. Finally, we should recognize success within our own
organization, and like any good franchise-modeled business, share best practices amongst CR
leaders.
Conclusion
This platform will continue to evolve, as these serve merely as our core beliefs. As we
often have said both in direct conversations and while publicly campaigning, there are two
realities we must embrace in terms of innovating CRNC. First and foremost, there must be
specifics and a focus on detail. Rhetoric is easy; results are not. To address this, we will be
giving detailed plans in several key areas of operation in the coming weeks. In order to lead this
organization, there must be a plan, not just platitudes. Secondly, this is the type of undertaking
that deserves input from all CRs, at all levels of our organization. We want your input, your
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states input, and your chapters input. Whether you intend to cast a vote to innovate CRNC or
not, or whether you hold a vote or not, we want to hear from you. Visit our website and submit
your ideas for innovating CRNC. At the end of the day, this movement does not end with an
election, or revolve around any single person. This is a team effort, and we need everyone
pulling in the same direction to see it through.
A special thanks goes out to all the people who helped the Innovate CRNC team
formulate this platform, and to those who will help it evolve during the course of
this campaign.
The Future of the CRNC: Presented by Zach Howell, November 20
New Orleans, Louisiana
The following is a checklist of issues presented by Chairman Howell, which illustrates his vision
for the future of the College Republican National Committee. His opinions are located in
quotations, with Jonathons record and platform initiatives listed below each checkpoint.
A diversified fundraising base
As this platform has addressed earlier, one of the main goals of Jonathon Snyders administration
would be to diversify the fundraising base. This can be accomplished by reducing the age of
donors, and by instituting an innovative alumni-tracking program that can target previous
College Republicans into adulthood.
Partnerships with other 527s
As discussed in the platform, the CRNC has benefited tremendously by partnering with the
Republican Governors Association in this past election cycle. Jonathon is intent on continuing
this fruitful partnership and growing it with other large 527s. One of the largest 527s in the
2010 election cycle was American Crossroads. Jonathon has already opened the door to a
partnership with American Crossroads by reaching out to its director, Jo Ann Davidson. Jo Ann
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has joined Jonathons campaign as its Senior Advisor, a relationship that will be sure to continue
into the CRNC. Jonathon has also shown his ability to partner with the Ohio Republican Party as
chairman, having an office at ORP head quarters and an open door policy with the ORP
Chairman Kevin DeWine.
The 1 percent standard
Under Jonathons leadership, many Ohio chapters have exceeded the CRNCs 1 percent standard
and have helped create the goal of a 3 percent standard of CRs on Ohio campuses. These
colleges include The University of Akron, Ohio State University, The University of Toledo, Ohio
University and many more. Furthermore, Jonathons ability to add 28 chapters to the federation
under his tenure as chair has given the opportunity for more chapters to reach the CRNCs 1
percent goal and continue to work toward the Ohio 3 percent goal.
Improved communication
Jonathon has increased the Ohio College Republican Federations communication abilities in
many innovative ways. The OCRF has used Twitter, Facebook, live streaming, two websites, and
live blogging to increase the visibility of the OCRF to the average CR. He will continue to
promote these innovative answers to target the average CR and communicate the goals and
strategies of the CRNC to all College Republicans.
Making the CRNC the go-to organization
Through his innovative communication and visibility strategies, as well as an effective political
education and field representative plan listed in the platform above, Jonathon will increase the
CRNCs ability to help assist any College Republican chapter or state federation with their
problems. He believes the CRNC is here for the state federations and individual chapters, and not
the other way around. Furthermore, in Ohio, the OCRF became the go-to organization for all our
candidates, making over 250,000 voter contacts in the 2010 election and partnering with the
Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee to strategically target districts in which CRs
would be most effective. He will continue this proven leadership as Chairman of the CRNC.
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