Field Office Report: Networking across states the key to success

Covering campaigns in NJ, PA, MD, NY, and DE

The Field Office’s second year started off strong with a multi-state tour of the Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing, which came through Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in April. To share ideas and get a jump-start planning the tour, Field Organizer Celeste Fitzgerald facilitated a conference call with organizers from all three states. This allowed them to work together by splitting the cost of the speakers’ travel expenses, exchanging flyers, and sharing press releases. This cooperation between the states saved time and money and helped facilitate their working more closely together in the future.

Networking has also paid off in other areas including fundraising, organizational development, legislative strategy, and media planning. A volunteer from Pennsylvania Abolitionists United to Abolish the Death Penalty, for example, attended a recent planning session for the Maryland Coalition Against State Executions (MD CASE) to facilitate an organizational workshop. In the months that followed, state organizations in NJ, NY, and PA have shared ideas on everything from fundraising to organizational strategy with the MD CASE steering committee.

The coming months will provide many more opportunities for the state organizations to work together, and the Equal Justice USA Field Office will be right there working along side them.