Neighborhood Council Board elections is the most significant outreach opportunity for Councils.  From identifying community partners to enlisting great candidates, the elections put the focus back on engaging stakeholders and telling the Neighborhood Council story. This is the time to communicate clearly to the community and to City Hall the relevance of Neighborhood Councils and the power of community advocacy.

We are supporting the upcoming Neighborhood Council elections with a citywide outreach campaign and with outreach strategies for the regional election events.

In addition, we encourage the Neighborhood Councils of each region to form Regional Election Committees. Both these committees and individual Neighborhood Councils will work with our Election Coordinators to assess the current outreach strategies and to design an Election Outreach Plan.

Therefore, it is imperative that Neighborhood Council Boards act quickly this month to determine their outreach budget for elections, to form an Outreach Committee, to name an Outreach Chairperson, to connect with their Region's Election Committee, and to work as a group on a Regional Outreach Plan.

Election Coordinators will work with the Regional Election Committees during May to develop an outreach plan for elections that includes templates for mailings, newsletters, flyers and brochures. It also includes strategies for connecting with partners, identifying great candidates, and employing the full spectrum of social media.

EmpowerLA's Leadership Academy also features sessions that focus on outreach opportunities, from Wordpress Websites and Email Campaigns to Social Media and Power Mapping, which are great tools for supporting a successful outreach campaign.