Silicon Valley Action Network

Who we are

Silicon Valley Action Network is a Palo Alto based non-profit organization formed by the volunteers of Silicon Valley for Obama, the 6,000 member grassroots Obama organization for the South Bay and the Peninsula.  We translate the ideals, energy and spirit of the presidential campaign into ongoing action on the local, state and national levels. Our goal is to further the progressive movement through rational public discourse and activities that serve our community.

Why we’re here

Silicon Valley is home to a large progressive community. As was evident in the presidential campaign, these like-minded individuals are eager to work together -- irrespective of party affiliation, professional background, or other individual differences that can be barriers to collaboration. 

After the campaign many volunteers hoped to continue their work in order to further their vision, particularly with regard to environment, education and health care, but there was no formal structure to do so. While numerous local political and/or service organizations abound, none of them offers the opportunity to work alongside campaign friends who made history together. This particular progressive group of friends and colleagues, who staffed one of the most productive campaign offices in the country, needs a locally based organization that reflects the unique aspects of the community-based, spirited campaign office that closed after the election. In short, we are a proven “tour de force” that seeks to continue our commitment to the progressive agenda. 

Although there are a number of progressive advocacy organizations that have been active since the campaign, they are not focused on helping community members address issues in the unique and constructive way that we do. Our research shows people want to understand an issue from many perspectives before they fully engage in advocacy.

Our philosophy

We are fortunate that we learned important lessons for community organizing during our experience with presidential campaigning. We’ve also benefitted from market research conducted with both active and inactive campaign volunteers.

We've concluded that the best way to accomplish our goals is to offer our community multiple programs that combine the critical, synergistic ingredients of education, service and advocacy. As a result, we want to provide citizens with:

• multiple channels to obtain information
• multiple opportunities for community service in order to gain a “hands on” understanding of the issues, and finally
• multiple options for taking action to advocate for policy changes 

People often want to tackle problems but aren’t necessarily sure how to do so.  They are also concerned about how much time they have to commit. By offering our membership numerous ways to get involved, from brief, one-time projects to longer term participation, we help our members become active participants in the change that they seek. 

We also believe that it is critical to extend our reach to other organizations in order to serve a wider community. Through partnerships with existing and emerging organizations, we will optimize resources and expertise in order to broaden the impact beyond our present service area.

Why we're different

Our non-partisan, knowledge-based, community-building approach distinguishes us from many other advocacy organizations.   We try to build consensus by educating our members and our community, focusing on common values that bring us together. We rely on basic progressive principles, careful analysis of facts and arguments, and lively but respectful dialogue. We reject appeals to partisan political expediency.

We fulfill this unique role in the community by basing our organization on a foundation of three critical elements:

1. Community building: First and foremost, we understand that the best volunteer experience is that which is fun and shared with those who appreciate and care about each other. We provide both a physical space and an online presence for members to feel connected, gathering volunteers for social events, educational forums, candidate debates, and policy discussions. We always encourage our members to suggest and then take responsibility for new community initiatives.
2. Values based organizing: We also know that people join us only when we capture their passion and their hearts. So we create a volunteer environment that is optimistically focused on the future, yet realistic in its view of the present. We understand that addressing critical issues can be challenging, so we strive to provide our volunteers with the resources they need to be effective organizers and advocates.
3. Non-partisan approach: We know that our members are issue driven and are not motivated by partisan politics. Therefore our focus is on the broad progressive agenda, as opposed to that of a particular party. At the same time, we believe in respectful dialogue with those who hold views contrary to ours.

Our activities

We have an ambitious agenda for 2010. The following is a sample of some of the activities we plan to offer in the coming year.

• Education: 
  • community forums to furnish basic information and policy positions about critical issues
  • candidate debates: we bring candidates to our audience with the understanding that we are a progressive organization, but one that recogizes that there are often no simple answers to complex problems
  • movie nights to foster community gathering, topical information, and discussion
  • webinars to reach a wider audience to provide critical information
  • tabling at local events such as farmer’s markets
  • lecture series for senior centers and other local organizations
  • house parties focused on emerging topics
• Service: 
  • dinners for local shelters
  • local screenings and health fairs
  • sponsored tours of local non-profit organizations
  • food drives 
  • school cleanups and community gardening for students
• Advocacy: 
  • monthly meetings with local congressional representatives
  • phone-banking and letter-writing campaigns
  • membership on school, hospital, and environmental agency boards
  • participation in regional policy-related marches, rallies, etc.
• Other community-building activities:
  • Saturday meet-ups at our office to bring volunteers together for conversation, food, and relaxation
  • Monthly no-host dinners at local restaurants

Each of these activities is carried out with the understanding that partnership development is critical to broadening our efforts. Therefore we will co-sponsor them with other non-profit agencies and educational entities whenever possible. In addition, we will publicize our partners' events through our newsletters and website and respond whenever possible to team up with them to multiply their service and advocacy efforts.

Issues that we plan to focus on for 2010 include:

• California constitutional reform legislation
• Marriage equality
• Next steps in health care (CA single payer, supporting local uninsured) 
• Clean economy (including global warming legislation) 
• Financial reform 
• Support of local candidates and initiatives

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