Thanks for volunteering. HERE’S YOUR BILL.
I’m hearing from quite a few NCGOP activists about some interesting mail they’ve received from NCGOP HQ in Raleigh: a bill seeking payment of “dues.” One activist, whose sole involvement with the party has been serving as a precinct chairman for multiple election cycles, sent me a photo of his “bill”:
This is likely a too-slick-for-its-own-good fundraising ploy. (I’ve heard stories about the party treasury being bled dry during the Hayes regime.) I see inquiries are to be directed to Todd Poole — the party’s new executive director.
Supporters of the decision to hire Poole were heaping praises on him about his fundraising prowess. But is THIS the right way to go about raising money — making people think they OWE this money to the NCGOP?
If you’ll examine the invoice carefully, it specifically says “Executive Committee” Annual Dues. I don’t know why a Precinct Chairman would receive this because according to the NCGOP Program of Organization, a Precinct Chairman is not a member of the State Exec Committee. However, County Chairmen ARE members of the executive committee and for years have been expected to pay $120 annually….not sure when this custom came into being but its been the rule for a long time.
Here’s the problem….a lot of County Chairmen haven’t been paying up and supposedly the amount of revenue the State Party makes from the EXComm members paying up constitutes a small but significant fraction of the Party’s total projected Annual budget.
Why aren’t the County Chairs coughing up the dough? You’d have to ask individual Chairmen, reasons may very. But one Chair who happened to be at the last NC-01 District Executive Committee meeting put it like this….
1. While the District Chair said we should pay the dues for the “privilege” of being County Chairmen, the fact is that I’m doing the State Party a favor by taking the Chairmanship….nobody else wanted the job and the County might very well have become Unorganized if I hadn’t stepped up.
2. The current State leadership doesn’t understand how badly the previous leadership undermined the trust of the rank and file, and we have no idea how the money will be spent.
3. The State Party apparently has forgotten that individual Counties have to fund themselves which is a tough enough task without diverting funds to the State.
4. And lastly, all County Chairs pay the same but don’t get the same treatment. You need a favor from the State Party? You’d better be Chair of Wake, Mecklenberg, Forsyth, or New Hanover Counties….otherwise, they’ll get back to you…some day. Unless of course its to ask for money of course, then they’ll be calling you regularly.
My guess is that if the Chairs won’t pay up at the annual ExComm meeting, the State just wasted postage and thus revenue, to send out these “invoices” to try and recover the dues by mail.
It is not true that “executive committee [members] for years have been expected to pay $120 annually.”
The folks on Hillsborough Street have been pleading for $10/mo donations for a while, but it has never been a requirement or “dues,” and most Members of the State Executive Committee have refused to pay it.
I don’t have a problem with the State Party asking for donations, but it is not honest to imply that a donation is required.
The State Party leadership does not have the power to impose such a fee. That could only be done by a revision of the State Plan of Organization, which could only be enacted by the Party’s delegates meeting in State Convention. That will certainly never happen: the rank-and-file would certainly never support such a fee.
It was wrong for the State Party to call this fundraising letter “dues.”
If my 2008 Resolution had passed, this misleading letter would also be a violation of the official policy of the NC GOP, as set by the Executive Committee. But my Resolution was opposed by Chairman Daves, and failed to get majority support in the Executive Committee.
I know that many hard-working volunteers felt very disrespected when they received this ‘invoice’ in the mail. I think there is a much more respectful way to get your voluntary excomm to help fund the party – you could send them a letter saying, “As an elected member of our ex comm, one of your expected duties is to help the party in multiple ways, including financial operations. Would you consider helping the party by holding a fundraiser within your county, for the proceeds to help the NCGOP? If you are unable to do this, would you consider instead sending us a donation?” This way the people who don’t have the money but ARE active & well-liked within their local GOP (hence them being elected to the position in the FIRST place) can do something so simple as passing the hat around or holding an event or raffle at their next GOP meeting & send it to the state – THEN they also are leaving the experience feeling useful, appreciated, a valued member of the organization that acknowledged that it needs them in order to be successful, & they don’t feel all of the things that this letter left them feeling – especially since most of the decisions of the party are now made by the central committee, or the weekly district chairman’s conference calls with Pope, and the state ex comm only meets what… twice a year? This is no way to treat your most active volunteers. It makes people feel that while their input is not all that important, they are expected to pay their dues simply to carry a “title.”
The party has always had the worker types, the contributor types, and those who do both. The dollar value of the volunteer time of the party workers is often more than the dollar value of what many of the contributor types put in. To expect all worker types to all be contributors at the sustaining member level will probably run off some worker types, and the party will end up with net fewer resources. This is a DUMB fundraising move.
The GOP’s fund raising slogan could use some work also. “Give us your money, then shut the hell up!” doesn’t exactly leave one feeling all warm and fuzzy about their investment .
I gave over thirty times the amount the NCGOP is ”billing” people for during the last election cycle, but I gave it mostly directly to the candidates I support and to organizations I feel totally comfortable with. I will continue to give directly to such candidates, not to NCGOP. As long as there is an establishment Republican tilt at NCGOP, my comfort level is not met. Things like the game playing at the NCGOP convention where Tillis was given a prime speaking slot and Brannon shunted off to a spot with little attendance just suck. My goal in contributing in 2014 will be to take out as many squishy establishment Republicans as possible in the primaries, and then helping the dependable conservatives beat the Democrats in November.
Why would they do something this brusque or ‘dumb’ as someone said? Well, the answer is more obvious than most think. Don’t mistake dumb or insensitive for flat out arrogant. The GOP is turning on its own people. Their newfound power and strongarm tactics are commonplace now. They are so big and bad and full of themselves especially after this nazi style legislative session, that they now feel empowered to do whatever they want. Wait don’t get mad at me, I’m a lifelong Republican! I used to take up for these monsters. I used to try to indoctrinate my kids with some of their pablum.
Tillis, Apodaca,Berger and Pope are running the whole show. From the media to the voting, from the iron fisted caucus meetings to the coverups.
What these tunnel visioned, powermongers don’t realize that the people are sick of it. Not just the people that they stepped on, but their own party, and the rank and file Republicans. We are sick of them being out of touch, and forgetting how they got there.
While we are at it, we are sick Burr, yes Justin too, but Richard Burr acting like he’s the almighty and knows that defunding Obamacare is dumb. It is dumb? Or is it a tactic that others have used in the past or your opposition would use if given the chance. Burr you are a disgrace about Obamacare AND 2nd amendment issues. I hope you will be thrown out. McCain ….same thing. Turncoat, traitor, sellout.
Back to the local state level, I know I am not the only one shaking my head at our state Republicans. They are so far up their own press clippings, they cannot see it. They are only surrounded by folks exactly like them, and if they do meet with their constituents its a sham town hall meeting designed to promote instead of protect. I think NC has taken a public relations beating, and our folk are really suffering because of a callous leadership. I hope that leadership is going to be turning to each other next election and saying in disbelief..”What happened? How come we did all that good and the people didn’t support us?
Since you spew the false Blueprint narrative about the legislative session, you must be part of Blueprint yourself, or else naïve enough to read the false partisan propaganda spewed out as ”news” by Big Media in North Carolina. There is no substance whatsoever to the Orwellian lies by the media and their liberal puppetmasters about the last legislative session.
You do have it right about BOTH Burrs being dumb as bricks, however.
Fly referred to, “this nazi style legislative session.. these monsters… etc.”
That’s outrageous nonsense. You obviously have no idea what the Legislature did, no idea what the Legislative leadership used to do, and no idea what the NAZIs did, either.
Fly also sad, “Richard Burr acting like he’s the almighty and knows that defunding Obamacare is dumb.”
Pay attention. I’ll write this slowly:
Richard. Burr. Voted. To. Defund. ObamaCare.
Burr has voted over and over to defeat, dismantle, and defund Obamacare. He’s used every means available to try to stop it.
What’s dumb is believing scam artists like Matt Hoskins and Eugene Delgaudio, and the Ron Paul crowd, posing as conservatives, when they lie to smear Republicans.
Fly asked, “Why would they do something this brusque or ‘dumb’ as someone said?”
Sad to say, this was a mild compared to what State GOP HQ used to do. Why do you think I felt the need to introduce a href=”http://www.burtonsys.com/2-16-2008/resolution_requiring_honesty3.pdf”>my Resolution?
May I suggest that you read the NCGOP Plan of Organization before you submit such incorrect information? It says that all district executive committees are members of the NCGOP Executive Committee–not just the chairman? Also, the NCGOP Executive Committee passed a resolution several years ago that each NCGOP Executive Committee member make a yearly contribution of $120 per year. After all, it is a self-support organization, and we all have to work together to elect conservatives. Note, WORK TOGETHER, not like the trash you send out by pushing and publishing EVERY party disagreement in the state. You just give fuel to the Democrats with your negative comments.
Exactly which “conservatives” to which are you referring? Burr? Tillis? Ellmers? Or another one of the “conservatives” who spout the Constitution and campaign for limited government and then get elected and do just the opposite?
Working Together means both sides…not just the so called leaders telling the worker bees what to do and think.
Just because someone is in a position of power due to the efforts of those who worked to put them there does not mean selling out our principles. And a pox on the Democrats. If I wanted to belong to a party in lockstep with each other, then that’s where I would be headed. But as an individual who believes in the liberty promised to us in the Declaration, I will work within the GOP to make those we elect to learn and stand by principles…not just give it lip service.
Susan wrote, “NCGOP Plan of Organization… says that all district executive committees are members of the NCGOP Executive Committee–not just the chairman”
Not all, Susan. Just the elected Members.
Also, I think Brant was talking about County chairmen, not Congressional District Executive Committee chairmen.
Susan wrote, “Also, the NCGOP Executive Committee passed a resolution several years ago that each NCGOP Executive Committee member make a yearly contribution of $120 per year.”
Really? Are you sure? Do you have that resolution?
Only the State Plan of Organization can set requirements for membership on the State Executive Committee, and only the State Convention delegates can change the Plan of Organization. (Also, it might run afoul of the legal prohibition against poll taxes.)
There might have been a resolution encouraging Members to contribute, but I’m sure there was none purporting to require contributions.
Dave,
Sorry, I did not finish–Note, I said contribute NOT required. No, I do not have a copy of the resolution but I was a guest at the meeting in which it was passed. Maybe 15 or so years ago and maybe when Cobey or Daves was chair, not sure. Point is that if we want a state party, we must all contribute whether it be small or large.
While I do not agree with some of the decisions in the past few years, I would not want to have an election without a state party. Do you?
Thank goodness the #RINOsaur Susan got us straightened out. Otherwise some might actually believe all the rhetoric about what the real story is here ie NC’ians are fed up with the Establishment and it’s beginning to show in the bank, volunteers and will be very evident in #2014. #ABT
This is my bill , I am just a precinct chair. the Haywood County GOP is charging me $120 , and now I get this Bill from the State for $120 now I am in hock for $240 just because I wanted to Volunteer and try to help save my county and my country from this mess its in. What will be next from these RINOs ? will by bill for serving be $400 next year? Will soon only the rich be able to serve or to vote on local issues? Will I be removed as Precinct Chair when I don’t pay up? If not then is this bill a fraud? If I was to send out to you a bill for $120 and you did not owe it would that not be fraud? Would I not get Jail time for pulling a stunt like this. What happened to my America?
I haven’t received my bill yet, and don’t expect one. I’m sure this was a mistake. I know the people at HQ follow the Haymaker. How bout it your Eminence.? Care to splain it to us common folk?
I come from a different country, and although I have spent many years in the US, I have no vote, I don’t count. I’m an impartial observer – perhaps one of the few.
I also don’t know all the laws, so, laugh away.
However, in my country, to send an invoice, without having received a ‘Purchase Order’ officially sanctioning the Invoice, an Invoice is called Fraudulent.
Before you scream, if I sent you an invoice for reading this… wouldn’t You think it was fraudulent?
The Bill is in the mail!
The GOP is in charge. The money flows to those in power. I got my $120 bill. The NCGOP helps all candidates. Why don’t those successful candidates pony up to keep the NCGOP going. Phil Berger has $500,000 in his campaign coffers. Tillis moved his thousands to his Senate campaign. Have those in power put the strong arm on fat cats/corporations and leave me alone