How Richmond Liberal Democrats avoid making one of the five common errors

In my list of Five of the most common mistakes that Lib Dem campaigners make there is the love of inappropriate secrecy:

Keeping social and fundraising events secret

It’s fairly rare for a local party to deliberately set out to make one of its events a secret (though these days with ministers in government and resulting security issues, there is sometimes an appropriate level of discretion). Rather, it is that obvious groups of people who would like to attend the events are not told about them; i.e. the events are kept secret from them.

Group one are those who help but who are not members. Too often the invitation list for a local party social event is the members and not the wider pool that includes people who help without having joined.

Group two are members and helpers in neighbouring local parties. Particularly in urban areas, there are often many such people within easy travel distance of the event, if only they knew it was happening.

Why keep your events secret from people who would want to come, would help fill the room to make the event feel successful and who would hand over money for raffle tickets?

It’s a mistake that South Richmond Liberal Democrats don’t make, as demonstrated by their invite to me to their social with a very fine set of raffle prizes. Here’s Robin Meltzer explaining it: