"Welcome to the League!" | Member Onboarding Resources

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Introduction to LWV
• VOTE411
• Sample Language: Emails & Social Media
• Sample Language: Member Introduction Survey
• Additional Resources

Overview

This guidance includes sample language and tools for Leagues to use when welcoming new members. 

League experience is broad and diverse, and the welcome process for new members is unique to each League. This resource serves as a template: Leagues are encouraged to pick and choose relevant guidance from this page and copy/paste language directly into their own onboarding materials. Leagues can customize any language or content to fit their needs.

Introduction to the League

About the League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit dedicated to empowering everyone to fully participate in American democracy. With active Leagues (chapters) in all 50 states and more than 700 communities, we engage in advocacy, education, litigation, and organizing to protect every American’s freedom to vote. The League is a federated membership organization that is proud to be women-led and over 100 years old, emerging directly out of the women’s suffrage movement in 1920.

Mission, Vision, Values

Mission: Empowering voters. Defending democracy.  

Vision: We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.  

Value: We believe in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy.

History

The League was officially founded in 1920, just six months before the 19th amendment was ratified and women won the vote. Formed by the suffragists of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the League began as a "mighty political experiment" designed to help 20 million women carry out their new responsibilities as voters. 

Since its founding, the League of Women Voters has evolved into a nationwide, nonpartisan, grassroots political organization that is a recognized force in molding political leaders, shaping public policy, and promoting informed civic participation.

TIMELINE OF LWV HISTORY

Within any exploration of the League’s history, it’s critically important to understand that the suffrage movement was not inclusive of all women, and neither was the League. Black suffragists were forced to walk at the back of parades. The League deliberately created barriers for women of color to join and lead the organization. The white women who achieved power through the passage of the 19th amendment were shamefully reluctant to extend that power to other women who didn’t look like them. 

History cannot be left in the past — it must inform what we do today. As the League moves into our second century, we must do better.  

The League today is more diverse, more inclusive, and more equitable. We know our work is stronger when all women’s voices are heard. As we look to our next 100 years, we aim to build power for the next generation of women leaders and voting rights activists. 

Federated Model

LWV operates at three levels: local, state, and national.  

The federated structure of LWV comprises a national League and affiliated state and local Leagues that are separately incorporated. The local and state Leagues work in cooperation with the national League under rules incorporated into their bylaws. 

Those who join the League become members of their local League, their state League, and the national League.

Member Rights and Responsibilities

Individuals who join the League of Women Voters become part of a highly trusted, 100+ year-old organization comprised of a large grassroots network of activists, with Leagues in 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and Hong Kong. LWV is committed to providing opportunities for members to amplify their individual political power by participating in local, state, and national League actions. Read the LWV Member Rights & Responsibilities to ensure a unified understanding of the responsibilities of being a League member as well as what members can expect from LWV.

READ MEMBER RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES POLICY

Nonpartisan Policy

The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate. 

As an organization dedicated to both voter education and advocacy, the League takes strong stances on policy issues relating to voting rights, civil rights, and other issues of importance to members and the public. To learn more about our nonpartisan stance, read this blog post from LWVUS CEO Virginia Kase Solomón. 

The League of Women Voters operates in both a 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) capacity. Our 501(c)(3) entity is the League of Women Voters Education Fund, which operates our voter information work. All issue advocacy work falls under our 501(c)(4) arm.

DEI Lens

LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policymakers in creating a more perfect democracy. Read LWV's DEI policy below:

Discrimination or harassment of any kind will not be accepted within the League, including but not limited to race, socio-economic status, age, ability status, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, or marital status. The League is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging for all people. The League is an organization that respects and values the richness of our community and our members. The collective sum of our individual differences and life experiences represents not only our culture, but our reputation and the organization's mission/achievements as well.

A commitment to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy is enshrined in our organizational bylaws. This means that we are committed not only to following our DEI policy but to viewing all our activities through a DEI Lens. 

A DEI lens is a way of examining a program, a process, a product, etc. with regards to how it is perceived by a variety of communities, voices, and perspectives, and what, if any, barriers may exist that is preventing it from being equitable or inclusive of everyone.

READ ABOUT OUR DEI LENS

 

 

VOTE411

Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF), VOTE411 is a one-stop-shop where voters can find all the election information they need to cast their ballot. VOTE411 is virtual, nonpartisan, and available in English and Spanish.

VOTE411.ORG

Features

With VOTE411, voters can: 

• Check voter registration status, deadlines, election dates/deadlines 
• Find their polling place 
• Make a voting plan 
• Find out what is on their ballot, from candidates running to ballot measures 
• Compare candidates in various federal, state, and local races 
• Review voter guides and watch candidate debate videos 

Our blog on VOTE411 describes in depth the tools and features available to voters.

Sample Language: Emails and Social Media

Below Leagues can find sample language to use around email signups and Facebook groups. This language serves as a template, which Leagues can copy/paste and customize to fit their needs. We encourage Leagues to add any relevant email lists or member-specific communications to the list below: 

Examples of Email Lists, Listservs to Share:

• General member communications (regular email blasts, upcoming events) 
• The Voter (your League's regular newsletter)
• State League communications 
• General election communications (your Department of State/local election office newsletter)

Sample Language: Emails & Facebook Groups

Stay up-to-date with our League work! The League of Women Voters of [LEAGUE NAME HERE] regularly communicates with members via email. Get League updates, membership information, and more using the link below: (list out email lists, listservs, with links to subscribe) 

Additionally, we share League information and member updates in our [NAME OF GROUP] Facebook Group. This group is for our League members only and not open to the public. New members can join this Facebook group here: [LINK]

Sample Language: Social Media

Follow Us on Social Media! The League of Women Voters of [LEAGUE NAME HERE] promotes upcoming events, local election information, League highlights, and more on the following social media platforms: 

• Facebook: [LINK] 
• Twitter: @[HANDLE] 
• Instagram: @[HANDLE]

Sample Language: Member Introduction Survey

A member introduction survey is a great way for your League to get to know new members, and for new members to get to know your League! A survey is a great tool to gauge new member involvement, capacity, and interests. Below Leagues can find general survey guidance and sample questions to use in member introduction surveys.

This guidance was created with the support of the League of Women Voters of the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Thank you LWVPGH for your expertise!

General Survey Guidance

• Keep it short and concise 
• Utilize ranked choice questions to determine areas of interest  
• Use a platform that your League is familiar with: If your League has used Google Forms, Survey Monkey, etc. in the past, stick with what you know! 
• Organize your survey by section

Response Rates

The average survey response rate is about 30%. To increase your response rate, Leagues can send reminders. For widespread or League-wide surveys, plan to share the survey two to three times. For a targeted survey with a specific audience, Leagues can send our reminders regularly through the survey platform or via email.

Online Survey Platforms

Online surveys are an easy, accessible way to reach new membership and collect data. Below is a list of online survey tools. Each platform offers a free plan or service. We recommend that Leagues use a survey platform they are already comfortable with. 

• Google Forms | Learn More 
• SurveyMonkey | Learn More
• Alchemer | Learn More
• JotForm | Learn More

Should our interest survey be online or printed? 

Leagues can have new members complete the survey online using the platforms outlined above or build the survey in a Word document and print it out. We encourage Leagues to do what works best for their League and their membership. However, hosting the survey online makes it easy to share and keeps responses all in one place. 

Sample Survey Questions

Name, address, email/phone number, pronouns | These questions can be asked using short answer/open-ended responses. Questions like phone numbers or pronouns do not need to be required.

Membership activity & availability | This question will gauge membership involvement. These questions can be asked using closed-ended or pre-populated answer choices (ex. Multiple choice, checkboxes). 

Example: “Participation in the League of Women Voters of [NAME] is on a volunteer basis. We recognize that members have other commitments and varying capacities to volunteer. How involved would you like to be in the League? Please select below:” 

• Somewhat involved (ex. Support the League at voter outreach events) 

• Regularly involved (ex. Participate in a committee)

Volunteer opportunities | A space for new members to select opportunities in your League that they are the most interested in. Questions about volunteer interest should be asked using a multiple-choice checklist question or ranked-choice question. 

Example: “Below are a list of various LWV [NAME] volunteer opportunities, broken down by category. Members can make as many selections as they like. More information about these opportunities can be found here: [LINK].

Voter education 

• VOTE411; LWV [NAME] Voter Guides 
• Candidate Forums 
• Voter registration activities 
• Voter outreach (ex. Community groups, college students/young voters) 

Communications 

• Emails/newsletters 
• Social media management 
• Website management 

Advocacy 

• Health care; Reproductive Justice 
• Criminal Justice Reform 
• Education 
• [City/Town] or [State] legislation 
• Climate change; environmental justice 
• Redistricting; fair maps 
• Gun safety 
• Other

Committees (list out your League’s committees here) 

League operations 

• Membership 
• Fundraising; Development 
• Events and Trainings 
• DEI 

• Finance

Additional Survey Questions

• Languages “What languages are you fluent in?” 
• Skills "Are there any specific skills that you could bring to a volunteer role? Examples include grant writing, photography, accounting, graphic design, etc. ….” 
• Transportation access/additional needs 
  • Example: “Do you need any accommodations? Examples include childcare, transportation, closed captioning for virtual events, etc.” (Answers can be open-ended/short response) 
• “Anything else we should know?”

LWVUS Member Resources

Leagues are welcome to share the following resources with new members to learn more about LWVUS: 

• League Management Site | An internal resource hub for League members that is distinct from the public part of LWV.org. Please avoid sharing LMS pages with the public. 
• League Update: Newsletter Signup | LWVUS sends a bi-weekly (every other week) email newsletter to all state and local League presidents, and other engaged League leaders may sign up to receive this newsletter using the form below. Includes important information about grant opportunities, communications resources like graphics and talking points, information about upcoming webinars and trainings, surveys for Leagues to give feedback to help LWVUS better serve them, opportunities for action around priority issues, and more. 
• League Lingo | Glossary of terms that are unique to the League of Women Voters 
• Calendar | Upcoming events and trainings from LWVUS 
• Guide to LWVUS Services | Description of services LWVUS provides for local and state Leagues and the work LWVUS does at the national level
• Introducing League in Action by OutreachCircle | League In Action is the League’s digital organizing platform where anyone who believes in our mission and values at a click of a button can directly connect and take action on issues impacting their communities on the local, state, or national level.
• Impact on Issues 2022 – 2024 | Help League members use LWVUS public policy positions effectively at the national, state, local, and regional levels. The intention is to inspire Leagues to use national positions to act in their own communities. 
• LWVUS Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation
• DEI Policy | Updated by the LWVUS Board 1/21/2024
• Member Rights and Responsibilities | A policy that defines what it means to be a League member. 
• LWV Transformation Journey | A multi-faceted, long-term initiative to address the League’s organizational capacity at all levels. Framing the Future is the current phase of the League’s transformation journey.