Pasadena, CA – CAUSE held the second CAUSE Political Institute workshop on March 18, 2017 at the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute.
The first portion of the day revolved around the mechanics and money needed to campaign successfully. Speakers Mike Shimpock, Principal of SG&A Campaigns, and Genelle Buchert, Fundraiser of Buchert Development, gave an overview of how to build a winning campaign. Mike focused on the importance of developing a narrative – to show what a candidate has done and hopes to do in office.
Genelle shared her perspective on fundraising and stressed the importance of relationship-building to build a reliable, sizeable donor network.
Gregg Irish, Executive Director of the Los Angeles City Workforce Development Board, rounded off the morning with a policy roundtable on workforce development. The cohort engaged in a thought-provoking discussion about his work in bringing the city’s prominent industries and economy into the 21st century and beyond.
Lunch was held with Tracy Hernandez, President and CEO of BizFed. She spoke on the robust political work of her organization and the importance of gaining support from businesses at the local level.
The afternoon was capped off with a discussion on the media with Alice Walton, Associate at Ek, Sunkin, Klink, & Bai. Her insight as a former reporter helped our cohort understand how to best develop relationships with the media, as both a candidate and elected official.
The day ended with an interactive messaging workshop with Dan Schnur, Professor of the University of Southern California. He helped the cohort understand how to utilize each of their narratives and experiences to develop personal platforms for their future candidacies and/or advocacy work.
We are well underway with our program and want to thank all those who helped make this day a big success! Stay tuned next month for more updates!