We welcome all members to bring your curiosity, talent, expertise and passion to  our vital committees. You can choose to join us in our unrelenting effort to reach, register, and engage new voters! Or you may like to work behind the scenes and observe public meetings! No matter where your interests and talents lie, we are happy to have you on board and we will help you find your niche in LWVCYC. You can contact any of the Committee chairs to express your interest by emailing lwvcyc@gmail.com

LWVAZ Advocacy and LWVCYC Public Policy Review

Are you ready to take action to make a difference? Advocacy team members are involved in a range of high profile and behind-the-scenes, nonpartisan activities to educate our members, the public, and policymakers. This action may involve monitoring compliance with a law, observing public meetings, hosting public forums, forming coalitions with other organizations, lobbying at the local level, or writing letters to the editor or to public officials. (While this effort is political in the sense that it seeks to affect the outcome of legislation or policy, it is nonpartisan because it is based on League positions and not on party affiliation.)  The Advocacy committee also develops public policy briefs that analyze issues and provide detailed information and recommendations for addressing them through specific reforms.

Communications

As a Communications team member, you have the opportunity to unleash your creativity, graphics skills, and word prowess! We are responsible for the dissemination of information to members, so we write, edit and format the monthly newsletter, coordinate website updates, create awareness campaigns, and manage our social media programs. Current opportunities include expanding our social media presence by creating content to support LWV initiatives. We meet virtually and in person when needed. Most of our work is done via email. 

Events

If you love festivals, this is the team for you! The LWVCYC is active with a presence at numerous public events throughout the year. We host tables at these events to distribute educational materials and register voters. Occasionally we organize events focused on local issues such as climate change, voter suppression, and other issues on which the League has taken a position. We also host members and annual meetings.  

Finance & Fundraising

Our Finance team provides oversight and review functions that strengthen internal controls over League assets. This includes quarterly oversight of the League’s financial accounting, annual reviews of financial records, annual review and creation of the budget, and consultation regarding insurance as needed. If you have experience in accounting or are interested in assisting with these important oversight functions, we would love to have you join us! Fundraising is critical to support the work of the League; without fundraising, we would not be able to provide voter education and advocacy on issues. If you have experience in development or are interested in planning fundraising programs, we are the team for you!  The time commitment for involvement on this committee varies by interest and task, and we’re happy to work with members who want to engage at varying levels.

Forums, Public Programs & Debates

LWVCYC holds public forums throughout the year. The goal is to educate the community about our democracy and to empower attendees to make democracy work. We bring together leaders from diverse communities to join a public education event that explores the key pillars of a healthy democracy: Voting Rights, Strong and Fair Elections, and a Citizen’s Right to Know about local issues.  The issues selected for forums and public meetings are based on League priorities and positions. In addition to local issues, we partner with the state to host and co-sponsor events to address issues that have a statewide impact.
 

Forums: All forums are nonpartisan informational public meetings to either advocate for a position on a given issue or provide balanced information to citizens, with the understanding that they will use that information to make their own decisions. 

Debates:  During the election years, LWVCYC hosts candidate debates for municipal races. All candidates are invited. The League does not host any empty chair debates, where only one participant or, in partisan races, only one party is represented. 

There are many ways to get involved in the Forums, Public Programs & Debates committee. You can volunteer to help in the design or the implementation phase. The design team develops the format and the details of the event, including topics and speakers. The implementation team handles the logistics of organizing and staging the events.

Membership

The Membership team maintains the membership roster and provides an orientation for new members. The LWVCYC is a grassroots organization, meaning that what we accomplish comes directly from the involvement of our members, so we help match members from various backgrounds and skill sets with the work of the League. Being a League member provides you the opportunity to learn about government, educate others, and take action on public policy at the local and state level. We welcome you to join us in helping connect new members with the many volunteer opportunities within the League. 

Scholarship Committee
Elisabeth Ruffner Scholarship Committee

Technology

Voter Services 

Voter Services provides League members with the experiences, activism, and training to engage with the public in support of the League Mission, through committee meetings, webinars, and public events. We actively reach out to voters with education materials and register new voters at various festivals and events throughout the quad cities and adjacent areas. The only skill required is a desire to ensure our democracy continues with strong citizen participation. Join us to provide nonpartisan election information to help people understand and participate in the election process. Voter Services is an excellent team for new members to join. You’ll quickly learn about the League and work with the community to make a difference. We encourage all League members to join Voter Services.