By Dwight Baker

[Editor's Note: This was written in response to a recent discussion the Libertarian Party of Virginia state committee had about demanding professionalism from volunteer party staffers. Anyone managing activists might consider Mr. Baker's words carefully. ]

1. However impressive the title you give them may be, unless you are paying someone a salary (or are volunteering to do the job better yourself), you don't have the right to criticize their performance. If you do criticize (especially publicly) be sure to have a replacement available. If performance discussions are needed they should done by the responsible officers face to face, not in a public forum.

2. You frequently get more done by asking people what they WANT to do and then putting them in charge of it than by shoehorning people into an arbitrary organizational structure. The structure may be useful in it's own right, but don't confuse it with getting activism done.

3. Activists are busy people. If you think something isn't getting done, a private note or call asking if anything is going with the project will usually get the desired results. It also has the advantage of being encouraging, rather than implied criticism.

4. Events, rather than the calendar, tend to be a better indicator of the best time to change task leaders. Always be on the lookout for new volunteers who have an interest in a particular area. If someone better than the leader you currently have comes along, that is the time to (diplomatically) make a change.

5. Unless you do have someone better, you shouldn't remove a committee chair or member unless they are doing more harm than good. That is a relatively low bar. Trying to find something else they may be more interested in doing is a good tactic here. People are usually not happy doing things they are not good at.

6. Activists are very valuable, since the free labor they provide is more valuable than the dues they pay. Most people tend to quit doing things they get negative feedback from. The leadership needs to be sure activists (especially relatively new ones) perceive they are appreciated. An atmosphere where they see other activists being criticized tends to scare them off.

Dwight Baker is a former state chair of the Libertarian Party of Missippi.