We're looking for a few people with marketing talent to work in aninternational team to promote www.VoteFromAbroad.org. This is key towinning the overseas vote in 2008! You would also lead the local marketing effort to promotewww.VoteFromAbroad.org in Ukraine. It's mid-May and it's time to get the ball rolling for the 2008 elections.Marketing will play a key role as we reach out to new voters, follow-throughwith our members, and engage them all. For those of us who were inHeidelberg, we had the opportunity to take a first look at the marketingconcept developed by Mitch Wolfson. I am very pleased that Mitch will bethe Advisor to the Marketing Team, and I know we all look forward to workingwith him. A few points. In 2006, we had success in leveraging www.VoteFromAbroad.org to build ourmembership by some 40%, we built on a base of skilled volunteers (who wecould not do without), developed an accessible toolkit, and the overseascivilian turnout was pretty good for a midterm election. We could have done a few things better - started earlier, developed a solidmarketing plan, raised and spent more on marketing, and reached out way, waybeyond our membership base. So we are starting earlier, and we have the outlines of our Marketing Team.Now we need to fill it. This year, the focus will be on who our voters areand the tactics we can use to reach them. We have four key groups ofvoters: short-term (students, business expats who are abroad for up to 3years); permanents (may or may not return to the US, most of our DA members,retirees); integrated (well-integrated into host country, long-term, rely onlocal media); military and dependents. The tactics include print andinternet advertising, search engines, grassroots, direct mail, earnedmedia,branding, and events. In some cases, the tactics overlap, but inothers, for example, our outreach to college students on junior year abroadprograms will be a lot different from outreach to voting-age dual nationalswho have grown up abroad. It is an aggressive model, and it does need a lot of people, both locallyand internationally. Can you help? If you have the experience, the skillsand some of the time, please come on board. Specifically, we are looking for the following at the international level: - managers for each of the four voter groups: short-term, permanent,integrated, military - leaders for each of the remaining tactics groups: events, grassroots,advertising, internet, list building - marketing plan coordinator The team developing the marketing plan will include the six tactics leaders,including Sharon Manitta for earned media, John McCreery, and the plancoordinator. We'd like to complete the Team by June (this June). The full Marketing Planshould be developed by October 2007, the Marketing Toolkit updated byOctober 2007, and everything in place by November 2007. By 2008, we'll beable to focus our energies on implementing the plan, on making adjustmentsas needed, on already knowing what works and what doesn't, on what ads wecan place when we have extra money, rather than developing our plan in themiddle of a critical election year. In 2006, we made the difference in a few close races. In 2008, we can makeeven more of a difference, and just how much will depend on our Get Out TheVote efforts. Thank you - in advance - for your early commitment to our marketing efforts. ChristineChristine Schon MarquesInternational ChairDemocrats Abroad Make it happen in '08.

Please contact Dems Abroad Ukraine President Geoff Berlin if interested!It's mid-May and it's time to get the ball rolling for the 2008 elections.Marketing will play a key role as we reach out to new voters, follow-throughwith our members, and engage them all. For those of us who were inHeidelberg, we had the opportunity to take a first look at the marketingconcept developed by Mitch Wolfson. I am very pleased that Mitch will bethe Advisor to the Marketing Team, and I know we all look forward to workingwith him. A few points. In 2006, we had success in leveraging www.VoteFromAbroad.org to build ourmembership by some 40%, we built on a base of skilled volunteers (who wecould not do without), developed an accessible toolkit, and the overseascivilian turnout was pretty good for a midterm election. We could have done a few things better - started earlier, developed a solidmarketing plan, raised and spent more on marketing, and reached out way, waybeyond our membership base. So we are starting earlier, and we have the outlines of our Marketing Team.Now we need to fill it. This year, the focus will be on who our voters areand the tactics we can use to reach them. We have four key groups ofvoters: short-term (students, business expats who are abroad for up to 3years); permanents (may or may not return to the US, most of our DA members,retirees); integrated (well-integrated into host country, long-term, rely onlocal media); military and dependents. The tactics include print andinternet advertising, search engines, grassroots, direct mail, earnedmedia,branding, and events. In some cases, the tactics overlap, but inothers, for example, our outreach to college students on junior year abroadprograms will be a lot different from outreach to voting-age dual nationalswho have grown up abroad. It is an aggressive model, and it does need a lot of people, both locallyand internationally. Can you help? If you have the experience, the skillsand some of the time, please come on board. Specifically, we are looking for the following at the international level: - managers for each of the four voter groups: short-term, permanent,integrated, military - leaders for each of the remaining tactics groups: events, grassroots,advertising, internet, list building - marketing plan coordinator The team developing the marketing plan will include the six tactics leaders,including Sharon Manitta for earned media, John McCreery, and the plancoordinator. We'd like to complete the Team by June (this June). The full Marketing Planshould be developed by October 2007, the Marketing Toolkit updated byOctober 2007, and everything in place by November 2007. By 2008, we'll beable to focus our energies on implementing the plan, on making adjustmentsas needed, on already knowing what works and what doesn't, on what ads wecan place when we have extra money, rather than developing our plan in themiddle of a critical election year. In 2006, we made the difference in a few close races. In 2008, we can makeeven more of a difference, and just how much will depend on our Get Out TheVote efforts. Thank you - in advance - for your early commitment to our marketing efforts. ChristineChristine Schon MarquesInternational ChairDemocrats Abroad Make it happen in '08.