Advice for New Leaders

Welcome and thank you for joining us as a leader in Democrats Abroad!

Please feel free to reach out to any member of the Global ExCom and to your RVC and Deputy RVC with questions you might have, and below, you'll find a list of first steps and resources we thought might come in handy.

New Leader Orientations 2021

The EMEA and AP regional teams hosted New Leader Orientation sessions in April and May 2021 to help newly-elected leaders understand the basics of Democrats Abroad and how we work.

The program was designed to give new leaders a basic DA foundation by providing information on:

Our purpose, our organizational structure, and how we conduct business (45 minutes)
Our IT Team and key resources (30 minutes)
Our Comms Team and how we share our messages (20 minutes)
Our other teams and committees that support leaders and Country Committees (40 minutes)
Upcoming and regular regional and global meetings (20 minutes)

You can stream the recording of one New Leader Orientation session at this link: https://democratsabroad.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/democratsabroad/recording/98575c4dcb8b459d9a686763e5133f80/playback

The slides and documents from the sessions are available here: New Leader Orientations 2021

Let us know your meeting results

As a new leader, one of your first responsibilities is to send your country committee's Annual General Meeting minutes and election results to the International Secretary (secretary@democratsabroad.org) and Regional RVC. You have two weeks to email those in, but we are always happy to hear from you sooner

. Be sure to send in contact details (email, phone number, skype id) about everyone on your executive committee.

Let the world know you've been elected

You've just got elected - let the world (or at least your country committee) know!

Send out an email to your members with the election results and meeting minutes. (Ask the outgoing team for help on this if you aren't yet certified. Go here to get trained and certified).
Make sure you have a signed confidentiality agreement. (Instructions and form).
Send out a press release to the local press with your results. Here is a/wiki/spaces/CommsResource/pages/944408074.
Update your leaders' list on your committee's webpage. This short guide explains how. It can also be found on the training materials page.
Post a news story on your committee's web page. (Again, ask the outgoing team for help on this if you aren't yet certified.)
Once you've posted on your web page, share the link on your committee's social media channels.
Use our widget to make your business cards!

Stay Connected Globally

Make sure to keep in touch with what's going on at a global level.

Join your monthly regional call, and join our regular Town Hall meetings. Both are great ways to hear what other committees are up to, meet other country leaders and ask questions.
Add your name to the leadership mobilize list and listserv and keep up with global business in the DPCA. We'll be updating the listserve shortly but for now you can join by using the join form here: https://demsabroad.mobilize.io/registrations/groups/9447
Check with your RVC to make sure you are a member of your regional emails group. (RVC emails are rvc-americas@democratsabroad.org, rvc-ap@democratsabroad.org, and rvc-emea@democratsabroad.org)
For press and media questions, please get in touch with us at press@democratsabroad.org. Do also explore /wiki/spaces/CommsResource/pages/920128159 and our regularly updated /wiki/spaces/CommsResource/pages/931762355
Have a question about your email, database or website? Ask our wonderful volunteer IT Tech Support Team at HelpDesk@democratsabroad.
Interested in keeping track of when global emails will go out? Check out the global email calendar.
If you would like to make use of our WebEx conferencing account, visit the WebEx Help Pages or get /wiki/spaces/WebEx/pages/4900519938.
Make sure your chair and vice chair are both admins on any social media assets run by your country.

Other Resources

Below you'll find a short list of resources we recommend to help you jump in feet first to DA.

wiki.democratsabroad.org = you are here! The DA wiki is a treasure trove of information, and our online library of documents. Ask your RVC for a login and start exploring. (RVC emails are rvc-americas@democratsabroad.org, rvc-ap@democratsabroad.org, and rvc-emea@democratsabroad.org)

Great places to begin:

Hot topics - we recommend always being familiar with the hot topics at the top of the home page. They change regularly so check them out.
DPCA Core Documents - on the home page, this list includes leader contact details, the charter, handbook, compliance requirements, etc.
Communication tools - logos, print materials, banners, press advice, and social media guidelines.
Activate your membership ideas
Get out the vote (GOTV) tools
Web site training and helpful hints
WebEx call scheduling and help pages
Presentations from past Global meetings
/wiki/spaces/CommsResource/overview
/wiki/spaces/BPvoteForum/pages/438373267
and much more, do explore!!

VoteFromAbroad.org = our online voter registration tool. Here you can find information about overseas voting with details about each state elections, election offices and more.

DemocratsAbroad.org= our news and events website, plus the entryway to our membership database. Visit the DA Website Training and Certification pages and contact the DA-IT Team Help Desk HelpDesk@democratsabroad.org to get set up with the correct permissions for working with your country page and membership database.

Do reach out to the DA International Secretary (secretary@democratsabroad.org) with any questions you might have.