Planning Meeting 2025

grassroots4gvp.org

Agenda

​

Welcome

Year in Review by Team

Looking to the Future

Team Strategic Planning for 2025

What will it take to get YOU active?

Group Photo

​

​

​

​

​

Welcome!

• Thank you
• Mission - We are grassroots volunteers harnessing everyday people-power to free all communities from gun violence. We act to increase awareness, center survivors, amplify partners, and elect leaders who will champion gun safety legislation.
• Vision - All people are free from gun violence.
• Dream big!

​

Year in Review - By Team

• Public Education
• Elections
• Legislation
• Operations
• Strategic Partners
• Communications

​

Public Education

Secure Storage Notification Resolutions: 4 more school districts and at the statewide level (MASC). Implementation actions across several school districts, including participation in Wear Orange.

​

Letters to Editor

​

Secure Storage Tabling at farmer’s markets, schools, library, churches, Health and Wellness Fairs, National Nights Out, 2 School Nurses Conventions, Town Days, Social Services Fair, Stone Zoo, Annual MASC /MASS Convention (at least 20 events)

​

Secure Storage Presentations at Mystic Valley Regional Behavioral Coalition, Arlington Parent Forum, Hopkinton Board of Health, Boston Consulting Group, Melrose PTO, MA Health Officials Association, MTA Government Relations Council, MASC Annual Conference.

​

Podcast in Melrose

​

Postcard created for the Hopkinton Fire Dept.

​

ERPO Awareness-Raising with MA Attorney General’s Office

​

​

​

​

​

MASC Panel Feedback: (10 Nov, ‘24)

​

It was truly an outstanding team effort!

​

I think the real reason it [MASC RESOLUTION] passed was because we had a gun enthusiast and safety trainer in the audience who said, “this, to me, is a no-brainer.” …Boy did he sway the folks concerned about the 2nd amendment.

​

Barbara Malkas

Superintendent, North Adams Public Schools

​

​

Elections 2024

We Took Actions - more than:�40 Social Media posts

447 doors Canvassed

2,497 calls made

5,155 postcards sent

39,777 texts sent

​

Elections 2024

We Impacted some VERY Close Elections:

• Riley (NY) for Congress
• Ryan (NY) for Congress
• Dylan Fernandes for state Senate
• Scarsdale for state House
• Decker prevailed in the primaries

​

Legislation 2024

​

• We Testified
• We advocated
• We Called, wrote, met with legislators
• We attended hearings
• We witnessed votes
• We wrote Letters to the Editors
• We spoke to the Media and public

Legislation 2024

WE DID IT! We Helped PASS a comprehensive OMNIBUS GVP BILL

Operations Team

• Created our team and developed short-term goals
• Developed G4GVP banner and other materials and purchased them
• Supported 27 tabling and other events
• Developed process for pre and post event reporting
• Changed the intake form on the website to include location and worked with Communications to get lists of new people to develop a database we can search by location.

Communications Team: 2024

• Designed, built, and launched the G4GVP website, with over 2,500 views as of today
• Grew our subscriber list to over 500 people
• Sent dozens of email campaigns with an average open rate of 62%
• Launched the G4GVP newsletter and Facebook group
• Created G4GVP logos, graphics, brand kits, templates and style guides
• Advertised dozens of actions and events
• Published 20 blog posts

Strategic Partners Team 2024

“WE show up, WE pitch in, WE come back.”

Priority Community Partner Events: Participated in and volunteered, including:

• LDBPI’s Mother’s Day Walk for Peace and Peace BBQ
• We Are Better Together’s Annual Women’s Retreat
• Love Life Now’s Heel-a-Thon
• Live for Liv’s “Live Free” Run/Ride
• DLJJRC’s Save Our Streets event

Strategic Partners 2024

“WE show up, WE pitch in, WE come back.”

Attended Strategic Partner Conferences and Events

• Mother’s for Justice and Equality Annual Conference
• DLJJRC Press Conferences
• Uvalde Garden of Remembrance
• Gun Violence Memorial Project Artist’s Talk
• SHVAM Opening Ceremony

​

​

Supported Survivors’ participation in

• Gun Violence Memorial Project
• 2024 National Vigil to #EndGunViolence

​

​

Worked with strategic partners to carry out projects, including the DLJJRC Survivor Resource Guide.

Highlighted the importance of our Community Partners’ work to reduce gun violence.

Looking Towards the Future

• Leadership change announcements

​

​

Teams Strategic Plans

Now we’ll hear from each team on their thoughts for 2025 to help kick off our discussions.

• Public Education
• Elections
• Legislation
• Operations
• Strategic Partners
• Communications

Public Education

• Recruit new volunteers and event helpers!
• Presentations, Tabling, Networking, Partnerships
• Bigger, more impactful, and non-traditional audiences
• Raise awareness, educate:
• Secure firearm storage
• ERPO (NEW!)
• An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws (NEW!)

The sky is the limit. We are restricted only by numbers of volunteers!

Resolution passed in Lenox

School staff wears orange at Walsh Middle School, Framingham

Nat’l Night Out in Stoneham

School Nurses Convention, Plymouth

Panel at MASC Convention

• MASC Resolution / Implementation
• Promote Sen. Jason Lewis’ bill for a new secure storage notification law in MA.
• NAA and Sandy Hook Promise collaboration

​

Elections 2025

Low Key Off-Year

• VA state elections including Governor
• Special elections
• As needed basis

​

Legislations 2025

​

• Gear up and organize to protect the Omnibus Bill - Work with the MA Coalition et. al. utilizing our position as the largest grassroots GVP
• Community advocacy
• Public education
• Visibility in Media
• Promote in Social Media
• Recruit more to the task
• New Legislations
• Secured Storage
• Industry Accountability
• As needed to protect MA from federal orders
• Federal Legislation (Defense?) - with NAA
• Team Building

​

Strategic Partners 2025

• Enhance existing partnerships
• Relationships first! Continue liaison/point-person model.
• Regular check-ins and plan ahead for volunteers to support partners’ needs.
• Focus on supporting key partner events.
• Support the efforts to defend the Omnibus bill by raising awareness among community partners.
• Prioritize and support survivor-focused initiatives.
• Amplify partner impact by featuring them on our platforms and advocating for our shared priorities.
• Build our team by focusing on our volunteers’ interests, skills, and availability – PAIRED WITH the partners’ needs. Demonstrate the appeal and personal satisfaction that accompanies this team’s work.

“WE show up, WE pitch in, WE come back.”

Operations 2025

Overall Goals: Recruit more members and move members to greater action

• Recruitment:
• In Person “Chats”--advertise to reach new (and old) people
• Tabling and events for Visibility–ParticularlyNational Night Out
• Develop a Welcome package for new members
• Moving Members to Greater Action
• In Person “Chats”--discuss how people can help, try to identify leaders
• Consider developing a gentle “on-boarding” for people stepping up
• Support for Teams
• Supplies–identify needed supplies for tabling and visibility
• Create/expand handouts, especially around the referendum
• Create “tabling in a bag” bags

Upcoming Chats–Drop In!

January 24, 10-1130, Newton Library, 330 Homer St, Newton

January 26, 2-330, B Sister's Cafe, 680 Worcester Road, Framingham

January 26, 1 pm - 2pm Starbucks at 222 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge

​

Communications Team: 2025

• Grow the communications team (including establishing a new Team Lead)
• Gain consistency in our processes and task assignments
• Grow our social media presence

READY TO ENGAGE?!

• Public Education - Kathleen Berry - ksberry.ma4gvp@gmail.com
• Elections - Rina Schneur - rinars.ma@gmail.com
• Legislation - Rina Schneur - rinars.ma@gmail.com
• Operations - Kristen Bauer - kristenb.ma@gmail.com
• Strategic Partners - Ann Haaser, Amy Clark - ahaaser.ma@gmail.com, amyclark.ma@gmail.com
• Communications - Evie Granville - egranville@gmail.com

Grassroots4GVP is fiscally sponsored by Newtown Action Alliance

grassroots4gvp.org�grassroots4gvp@gmail.com

grassroots4gvp.org�grassroots4gvp@gmail.com