Operation JUMPSTART targets tomorrow’s Libertarians today.
They’re not real attached to Democrats or Republicans. They don’t like Social Security. They have yet to fall in love with a major government program. They believe the police target them for harassment. Their 4th Amendment rights are routinely abused. If they’ve had any direct contact with government, it’s been negative. They’re the future of the Libertarian Party, and our best chance for quick growth by November 2000.
They are college students, and we’re reaching out to them with Operation Jumpstart. It establishes a special fund to cover reducing student memberships to $10. Students are often “fiscally-challenged,” but they have plenty of energy for protesting and circulating petitions. Recognizing this, Ken Bisson of the LP National Committee instituted Jumpstart and pledged $1,500 in seed money, with $150 for the Ohio LP.
To use this $150, we must raise $300 from our existing membership. For the first 30 Ohio students recruited, the funding breaks down as follows:
Our top priority for 1999 is membership growth. College students were a key part of Jesse Ventura’s third party win in the Minnesota governor’s race. Ohio is loaded with public and private colleges, and our LP region has its share.
We must refine and build Operation Jumpstart to reach politically-unattached
students, and we need everyone’s help. Please take a few minutes
to help us shape this student recruitment project by giving your input
on the next page.
OPERATION JUMPSTART - LP Student Recruitment Project
The college audience is easy to target and inexpensive to reach. Two-inch ads in college newspapers average about $15. For free, we can post flyers in college student centers, and promote events with Public Service Announcements on college radio. Our six-county Northeast Ohio LP region has plenty of colleges. Initially, we can target one or two area colleges and then move on to others. Obviously, what we emphasize to Cleveland State commuters is not what we’d emphasize for Oberlin students. The first step is to define our target audiences and determine our goals.
- How would you prioritize these area colleges as targets for LP recruiting
efforts?
(Rank 1 to 8)
___ Baldwin-Wallace ___ Case Western Reserve
___ Cleveland State ___ Cuyahoga Community
___ John Carroll ___ Lakeland Community
___ Lorain Community ___ Oberlin
- What kind of events should the LP have for attracting college students?
- In the spring, we could team up with Northcoast
NORML to promote a free concert at some area college. Are there
other organizations/groups we could work with in promoting an event on
an area college campus? (Speakers, petition drives, etc.)
- What issues should the LP emphasize in reaching out to students?
(Please turn in at the end of tonight’s meeting. Thanks.)