VIRIGINANS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO THE DEATH PENALTY
Tides DPMF 2014 Application
(2) Proposal Narrative
a. Goal:
VADP’s policy objective is to achieve abolition of the death penalty in
Virginia through legislative action by 2020. We seek to achieve this goal
through incremental steps over time to reduce the number of executions
and new death sentences until capital punishment is regarded as an
unsound, ineffective public policy in conflict with a fair and competent
criminal justice system.
b. Program & Activities:
1) Program Description
VADP plans to further reduce executions and death sentences over the
next two years by (1) continuing to work with our allies to defeat efforts
in the General Assembly to expand eligibility factors for capital
punishment and to defeat attempts to make the electric chair the default
method of execution if lethal injection drugs are unavailable; (2)
continue sponsoring reform measures such as:
¢ A full cost study of Virginia’s capital punishment system
¢ Making those with mental disabilities ineligible for capital
punishment
¢ Tightening the proof required for capital conviction
¢ Enacting a moratorium on executions until and unless a
transparent and judicious lethal injection procedure can be arrived
at
VADP’s organizational goal for the next year is to build its capacity to
enable the staffing of a full-time employee (at this time VADP has one
part-time employee, an Associate Director, and a volunteer Executive
Director), an Executive Director, who can build on the successes of the
past, meet the short-term goals described above, and position VADP to
be the robust and influential leader that the anti-death penalty
movement will require as Virginia comes within striking distance of
abolition. The grant VADP is requesting from Tides DPMF/Themis Fund in
this proposal is to assist in achieving this near-term institutional capacity
goal.
2) Campaign Strategy & Specific Activities
VADP’s campaign strategy to achieve the goals described above includes
three primary activities: grassroots organizing, fundraising, and
legislative advocacy in the General Assembly.
Grassroots organizing:
Grassroots organizing is increasingly and inextricably linked to new
emerging technologies as the most effective means to mobilize support.
In 2012, VADP built a new website and acquired an online database
system, both of which exponentially increased our direct outreach
capacity to supporters - enabling us, through site posts and email blasts,
to disseminate information on news developments, events, executions,
and legislation in real time. At the same time, VADP began to develop a
now robust social media presence on facebook and Twitter, allowing for
an ongoing dialogue with supporters. Social media also provides VADP
the opportunity to engage with new communities and extend our
message beyond our existing support base. We update our website and
social media feeds regularly; our digital footprint continues to expand as
our online support community becomes more engaged. These tools - our
website, database, and social media community - have been enormously
successful at galvanizing constituents to contact their representatives at
key times to influence death penalty legislation.
VADP has the necessary technological tools at its disposal, but lacks the
capacity to take full advantage of them at this time. One of the
necessary ingredients to a successful social media campaign is a leader
that can lend a personality and a strong point of view to an organization,
and who can be a consistent and guiding voice within their network of
supporters. If VADP is able to hire a full-time Executive Director with the
aid of Tides funding, we will be able to devote far more time and
ingenuity to further develop our online community and also to raising
awareness outside of the extant abolition movement.
Fundraising:
Although VADP’s fundraising capacity has been hampered in the past
three years by the loss of a full-time Executive Director, our core of
support from individuals and communities of faith remains strong and
our fundraising efforts continue to garner an average of 15% new or re-
engaged support each year.
After the loss of funding from our largest individual donor two years ago,
it became an imperative that VADP identify and recruit support from new
major donors. In an effort to begin building these relationships, VADP’s
Board of Directors have pledged to host “friendraisers” in the four major
geographic regions of the state in 2015. These events are designed to
gather potential major donors in an informal setting, allow them to
become acquainted with our work and our mission, and enable VADP to
begin the hard work of earning their financial support.
VADP sends two fundraisers by post each year and engages in online
fundraising throughout the year. Online fundraising has little to no cost,
but only accounts for 5% of VADP’s income. At the same time, printing
and postal costs continue to increase, making anything but the most
targeted fundraising efforts prohibitively expensive. One step VADP
recently took was to set up a new donation portal on our website,
thereby allowing supporters to contribute directly via credit card in
addition to the PayPal service previously offered. While this has
facilitated the donating process, determining how to better take
advantage of online revenue potential will be an important area of focus
in 2015.
Legislative Advocacy:
The Virginia abolition movement achieved an important victory last
February at the General Assembly. VADP led the effort to defeat the
Electric Chair Default Bill (SB 607), thus saving Virginia from becoming
the only state in the country with the power force an inmate to be
electrocuted. The Code of Virginia currently gives prisoners the right to
choose between lethal injection and electrocution. Under the Electric
Chair Default Bill, if the Director of the Department certifies that the
execution method chosen by a prisoner is unavailable “for any reason,”
then the “remaining method of execution shall be employed.”
The debate over drug availability and efficacy for lethal injections is
being waged in many states, with some states introducing new and
untested protocols that have led to horrific instances of prolonged
suffering and to legal challenges. Electrocution is an especially
gruesome and brutal method of execution which most capital
punishment states have abandoned as inhumane and which the Georgia
and Nebraska Supreme Courts have outlawed as “cruel and unusual
punishment.” VADP representatives testified to the Senate that using the
electric chair as a forced alternative to lethal injection would be an
egregious affront to human dignity as well as a step backwards for
Virginia public policy. VADP led an email campaign throughout the
legislative session encouraging our supporters to call and write their
senators; the robust response aided significantly in the effort to defeat
this legislation.
Besides the successful effort to defeat SB 607, the 2014 General
Assembly session featured the introduction of two notable progressive
death penalty reform measures: (1) Del. Scott Surovell of Fairfax
introduced HB 942 to remove the electric chair altogether as a method
of execution, and (2) Del. Patrick Hope of Arlington introduced HB 1133
to make persons with mental disability and impairments ineligible for the
death penalty. Although these bills did not make it out of committee,
they are the right direction for Virginia and we will continue to support
legislation that limits the scope of the death penalty.
In preparation for the 2015 General Assembly session, VADP has been
building relationships with key stakeholders and holding meetings with
legislators and organizational allies to lay the groundwork for a proactive
reform agenda. One bill we are working on would tighten the proof
required for capital convictions. This would be similar to the legislation
enacted in Maryland before they successfully abolished the death
penalty altogether. The American Bar Association’s Virginia Death
Penalty Assessment Report, released in August 2013, was critical of
Virginia’s procedures regarding eyewitness identifications and custodial
interrogations in the context of the frequency with which erroneous
identifications and false confessions appear in known cases of wrongful
convictions. The sobering statistics on wrongful convictions and woeful
inaccuracy of eyewitness testimony make common-sense reform in this
area an important step forward for which we believe we can garner
significant support in the General Assembly.
VADP and our allies are also currently engaged in an effort to persuade
Governor McAuliffe’s administration to impose a moratorium on
executions until the Commonwealth develops a safe and reliable method
of conduction lethal injections. During the past three years, the
Governors of Washington and Oregon have imposed moratoriums on
executions and the Governor of Colorado recently granted a reprieve in
language that indicates concern with the entire death penalty process.
While recent economic factors have lately affected VADP’s ability to fully
engage in a robust abolition campaign, national momentum away from
the death penalty has been unflagging over this period and there are no
indications that Virginians are out of step with this trend. There is
substantial grassroots enthusiasm and support for abolition in Virginia,
but many in the General Assembly remain severely out of touch with
their constituent’s evolving attitudes. This is a prime moment for VADP
to launch a renewed campaign to build on the considerable strategic and
organizational progress we have made over the past six years, and for
us to make the hard-won transition from a defensive to an offensive
legislative strategy.
3) Timeline of Activities/Outcomes
In September, VADP’s staff and board are meeting for its annual
Strategic Development Meeting. The primary goals and outcomes of this
meeting are to lay out a specific fundraising strategy for 2015, increase
board member diversity and engagement, and to develop strategic
frameworks for the organization based on the contingencies of whether
VADP is awarded or denied funding through this grant. The following is a
rough timeline of activities and outcomes which will be fleshed out
further at our fall meeting (note: in addition to the fundraising and
legislative activities below, VADP engages in educational events at
schools, churches, and community centers around the state, throughout
the year):
Activity Outcome
Fall Board and staff meet for Detailed strategic
2014 annual Strategic Planning framework is adopted for
Conference 2015
VADP applies for grant from Awarded funds go to
RESIST
defray overhead cost of
monthly online database
subscription
Winter Hire a full-time Executive Supporters are engaged
2014/1 Director with aid of Tides by announcement and
5 DPMF funding subsequent messaging
from new E.D.
Lobby for reform legislation, Begin paradigm shift at
against death penalty GA away from DP
expansion at General expansion toward DP
Assembly reform
“Friendraiser” event in Encourages support for
Richmond hosted by S. legislative agenda,
Northup, introduces new builds relationships with
E.D. potential major donors
Spring Spring fundraiser details Donor support is
2015 outcomes of the legislative invigorated by positive
session outcomes
Friendraiser in Northern Legal community is
Virginia hosted by former introduced to or
VA ACLU E.D., Kent Willis reminded of VADP’s
work and relevance
Summe Friendraiser in SW VA Gathers support from
r2015 hosted by Prof. Mary Atwell educational communities
at Radford Univ., Virginia
Tech, and James
Madison Univ.
Friendraiser in Tidewater Increased financial,
area hosted by Rev. Lauren grassroots support from
Ramseur communities of faith and
color
Fall Year-end fundraiser Fundraising and
2015 promotes VADP successes friendraising activities
in 2015 and bolsters
support for 2016 legislative
agenda
over the year result in at
least 20% revenue
growth over 2014
4) Ways Proposal Addresses Racial Justice and Engages Communities of
Color
The racial disparity in the application of capital punishment is a central
argument against the death penalty and a core component of VADP’s
public message. Racial diversity is also a key component of VADP’s
internal structure. Two of the twelve members of our Board of Directors
are African-American, one of whom, Jerry Givens, is the former
executioner for Virginia. Because of his experience with capital
punishment, Mr. Givens is a frequent subject of media coverage and has
become for many Virginians the face of the abolition effort in our state.
Cc.
External Assessment:
Virginia has continued a downward trend in executions and death
sentences over the past several years. There has not been an execution
in Virginia in a year and a half and there has not been a new death
sentence since ???. There are now eight people on Virginia’s Death Row,
a notably small population for a state with a punitive reputation and
notorious execution tally. These facts in combination are evidence that
the table is set for an aggressive abolition campaign adhering to the
incremental reform strategy we have put forward.
STEVE
. Internal Assessment:
Advantages
In spite of VADP’s financial ups and downs, the organization has retained
its bedrock of individual support initially attained in 2009 with a two
person, full-time staff. Fall-off in financial support from individual donors
has been relatively minimal thanks to new communications tools, the
core strength of our message, and the dedication of the organization’s
board and staff. The exponential growth we saw after being awarded
Tides grants in 2008 and 2010 will commence again if we are able to
attain funding commensurate with our staffing needs.
VADP’s influence and stature in the General Assembly has grown
steadily since 2009 through skillful relationship building with allies, key
stakeholders, and legislators. This, again, is evidence that, with
increased organizational capacity, VADP is well-positioned to become a
more powerful political force over the next two years.
As we have stated, new technologies are enabling advocacy
organizations to do more with less. VADP’s investment in a robust web
and social media presence, and the decision to move to a client-server
database, mean that our communications capacity on the web is
virtually limitless. A concrete understanding of these tools and their
outreach potential will be a prerequisite for any candidate VADP fields
for the roll of Executive Director.
Challenges
Fundraising is inextricably linked to organizational capacity and they
continue to be the greatest challenge for VADP. Over the past six years
VADP has had a staffing capacity ranging from a maximum of two full-
time employees to the current capacity of a single, part-time employee.
This fluctuation has largely been determined by whether VADP has been
successful at acquiring funding from the Tides Foundation ($80,000 in
2008 and $50,000 in 2010), but other factors have played an important
role. VADP came within shouting distance of achieving financial
independence (sustainable organizational capacity without significant
outside funding) when, amid an already depressed economy, we reached
the end of a four-year commitment from VADP’s largest individual donor.
This resulted in a significant budget reduction and the preclusion of
employing a full-time employee - the first necessary component for
VADP to be able to achieve its goals.
Due to budgetary limitations, VADP’s Executive Director since 2010,
Steve Northup, has been volunteering his services without pay for the
past two years. Steve plans to step down as E.D. at the end of the year,
while continuing to offer consultation and advice, particularly on
legislative advocacy. The loss of Steve's dedication, experience, and
talent make this a particularly acute moment for VADP to be able to hire
a full-time director with the leadership qualities, knowledge-base, and
passion that are necessary for VADP to succeed in achieving its goals in
the future.
Board diversity is also an important task facing VADP in 2015, and is one
of the main agenda topics of our Strategic Planning Meeting this fall.
Though we have made consistent effort to diversify our board of
directors since a total reorganization in 2008, it remains a challenge to
procure prominent conservatives to our ranks. Diversity of background,
ethnicity and political philosophy are central to the internal health of
VADP and affords us the authority to promote our message to a wider
audience.
. Evaluation:
Success will be measured by hitting or exceeding benchmarks in the
following categories:
Capacity - VADP has the internal resources to employ a full-time Executive
Director, achieve stated near-term goals, and adhere to the timeline of
activities in our program.
Legislation - Death penalty expansion bills continue to be defeated and the
reform measures discussed above are introduced and supported in 2015.
Fundraising - VADP is on track to becoming financially self-sufficient, with
fundraising growing at 20% per annum from small, large, and organizational
donors.
Support - Educational programming and communications outreach produces
an average of 25 actively engaged new supporters per month and VADP is
effective at meeting their needs.
Relationships - VADP continues to build relationships with members of the
General Assembly as well as key stakeholders such as: members of law
enforcement, former prosecutors, and murder victims’ family member
communities.
Executions/ Death Row Population - Executions continue to decline and fewer
people are prosecuted for capital murder in Virginia.
VADP’s board of directors will evaluate these benchmarks at regular
intervals at board meetings with staff. Programmatic adjustments will be
made to keep the organization in accord with these principle objectives.
Fundraising:
As discussed in Section 2 above, effective fundraising is a baseline
necessity for VADP to achieve strategic success. The schedule and form
of our fundraising via postal mail has remained consistent over time, but
we are investigating efficacious ways to eliminate unnecessary overhead
for print materials without detrimentally affecting our ability to reach
supporters (many of whom prefer more traditional fundraising appeals).
As such, we are working to discover and employ models of online
fundraising that will initially mitigate and eventually more than
compensate for any revenue loss incurred from decreasing our print and
postage expenditures.
Our fundraising goal is to achieve a 20% year over year increase in
donations from small, large, and organizational donors. This goal has
been exceeded during each period in the past six years when VADP has
had at least one full-time Executive Director. Success in this aim would
enable us to employ and hold on to a talented full-time director while
restoring VADP’s progress to financial independence. However, VADP will
only realize its goals if organizational capacity is complemented by bold
and intelligent leadership, a total commitment from our board of
directors, a strict adherence to our timeline of fundraising activities, and
a full accountability in evaluating our benchmarks of success.
