Title: RC Role Manual 2024
Original CoS Document (slug): rc-role-manual-2024
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Attached File: RC-manual-2024.pdf
RC 3/20/2
Created: 2024-05-08 01:29:59
Updated: 2024-05-08 01:30:03
Published: 2024-05-08 01:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T20:20:22.853951568
Regional Captain Training Manuel
Table of Contents
**Welcome to the Team.....................................................................................................................2\\ ****Responsibilities...............................................................................................................................3\\ ****Building and Leading Your Team.................................................................................................4\\ ****Growing your District Captain Base............................................................................................5\\ ****Teaching District Captains How to Talk To Their Legislators.................................................. 7\\ ****Legal Limits On Your Volunteer Activity....................................................................................9**
**Organizational Information....................................................................................................9\\ ****How Does This Affect You?...................................................................................................10\\ One More Limit: No Campaigning under COSF!.............................................................. 10\\ ****Who Do I Contact If I Have Questions?.............................................................................. 11**
**Continuing Education..................................................................................................................11\\ Personal Development................................................................................................................. 11\\ ****Commonly Used Acronyms.........................................................................................................12**
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Welcome to the Team
A Word of Welcome!
Congratulations on being selected as a Regional Captain (RC) for Convention of States. Your
willingness to step into this important role and become part of your state leadership team will
help fulfill the mission of COS by recruiting and activating a District Captain (DC) in every
district of your region.
The mission of Convention of States is to “Build an engaged army of self-governing grassroots
activists.”
We aim to grow a grassroots army large enough to not only call the first-ever convention of
states but also to drive the political and cultural narrative across all 50 states. We want to see
self-governance and liberty flourish in our nation and we believe the only way this will happen is
if good people like you get involved in the political and cultural battle. We want to train you how
to do this as effectively as possible.
If we fail to pass the resolution one year, we just keep growing the grassroots team and training
more activists until we have enough influence to effect the change and pass the resolution. Every
additional person we educate, train, and get involved is one person closer to victory! We often
say, “There is no political problem that more grassroots can’t fix.”
All of this is not done by one. It is a team effort. You will be working closely with your State
Director and your Grassroots Coordinator. Good communication with your team will be the key
to your success.
Here, you will find a wealth of information to equip you to handle most situations. This manual
is not intended to be all that you need. Rather, it should give you basic guidelines and principles
for you to use as your template. Your State Director and Grassroots Coordinator will work with
you to create a state strategy that will fit within your leadership style and fulfill the mission of
Convention of States.
There are three aspects to your training:
1. Personal mentoring.
2. Written training consists of this manual and other files, videos, and documents.
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3. Upcoming training will be provided in our COSUniversity on topics such as technology,
legal and operational.
Responsibilities
As a Regional Captain, you are responsible for leading the grassroots growth in your region.
Work closely with the Grassroots Coordinator and State Director to lead and activate the
volunteer teams in your region. You will be in frequent contact with the District Captains to be
sure they have everything they need to grow support within their district. You will also help
welcome, on-board and train new volunteers.
Here are your basic responsibilities:
1. Complete the Grassroots Coordinator Leadership Training course in COS University
within 2 weeks of being assigned. Continue to further your education by completing the
following courses:
a. COS300 Convention of States Culture\\ b. District Captain Leadership Training\\ c. SGC100 State Grassroots Coordinator Training\\ d. SGC200 Grassroots Secrets\\ e. COS400 Leadership and Activism
2. Oversee the recruitment, training, and activation of a District Captain in every district in
your region. Work with every District Captain to develop a customized strategy with
goals for their district.
a. Make sure that applicants in the Leaders Management Tool (LMT) are personally
contacted within five days of making their application.
b. Work with your Grassroots Coordinator to fill out a full roster of all roles in your
region. Work to inspire, train, and activate the volunteer leadership team.
c. Make a regular assessment of the status of the grassroots growth within each of
your districts and make adjustments as necessary. In order to assess the
effectiveness of your team, you should become familiar with the job description
for every role.
d. Learn about Article V and Convention of States to help educate and build
awareness with your District Captain team members. The more they know, the
more confident they will be as they work within their districts to grow their
grassroots army.
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e. Participate with your Grassroots Coordinator and State Director in-state
conference calls to communicate with the state volunteer team.
f. Attend the monthly national call for Grassroots Coordinators and Regional
Captains to collaborate with other state leaders from across the country.
g. Work closely with your State Director and Grassroots Coordinator. When your
SD or GC reaches out to you, you should be able to respond within 48 hours on
workdays unless you have made prior arrangements or he/she knows you will be
unavailable for a certain period of time.
h. Work with the Grassroots Coordinator to develop grassroots growth goals for your
region.
i. Learn the basics of using each technology tool in order to oversee the training and
development of your District Captain team.
j. Train the District Captains how to build and develop a personal relationship with
the state legislators for their district (usually a state senator and a representative or
assemblyman). To help them know who their legislators are, you can look them
up here. See that they are provided with educational material to take to their
legislators when they go to visit.
k. Make sure that your District Captains know how to enter reports about meetings
with their legislators into the Legislative Management System (LMS) or
COSAction mobile app.
l. Expect to spend approximately 7 or more hours per week as a Regional Captain.
m. Become part of your state Slack workspace, along with the national DC and
national GC Slack workspaces to network with other DC’s and RC’s from across
the nation to learn what is working for others.
n. Work with your Grassroots Coordinator and State Director to plan and hold an
annual surge dayat the state Capital. This will involve all of your District Captains
and their volunteers. This should be promoted to all supporters throughout the
state.
Building and Leading Your Team
The best teamwork can’t be developed in microwave time. Teams grow strong in a crock-pot.
The time and effort required to develop team members doesn’t change the team overnight, but
developing them always pays off.
It is vitally important that you be in frequent personal contact with the District Captains in your
region to mentor and assist them in their role. Respond to communications in a timely manner.
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Please let your team know your preferred contact method (phone, text, Slack, etc) so that they
can reach you when needed.
Here is a directory of your state team and the various members that you will be working with.
As a Regional Captain, you are part of your state team, but also the team leader of the District
Captains in your region. You will be in contact with the District Captains to help train, equip and
mentor them. Schedule the training for new District Captains within 2-3 days of being assigned.
Train them in the following tools that will enable them to do their job:
● CitizenBuilder
● Follow Up Tool (FUT)
● District Dashboard (DD)
Welcome them to the COS team and help them get to know your State Director and Grassroots
Coordinator. They can be a great asset to assist you with training, and to support your District
Captains in their role.
It is important that you and your team participate in your state’s regularly scheduled conference
calls. Your State Director will notify you of these state calls. These are there to guide, empower
and help you and your District Captains with what they need to succeed.
● Invite and encourage your DC’s to attend the weekly Tuesday DC Training webinar at
9:00 pm EST. They can also view past webinars at the site.
● Invite your new DC’s to your state Slack team and the national DC Slack team. They too
will benefit from the communication on your state team and will have the opportunity to
network with other DC’s across the nation.
Growing your District Captain Base
We are a unique organization with many new supporters joining every week. These supporters
are placed in a database for your state and in each district for your DC’s to access. This enables
them to contact, teach, and activate those eager volunteers that are under their leadership.
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Nothing excites and motivates people more than receiving a personal contact from those in an
organization where they can put their efforts to work. Train your DC’s on how to access the
database and personally reach out to the supporters, volunteers and petition signers in their
district.
Your personal training for the tools will come from your State Director, or the individual
delegated to do training from your team. It will include using the Leaders Management Tool
(LMT), which will help you find those who have applied for a role. The LMT should be checked
no less than four times a week. New applicants should be contacted within two business days,
preferably within 24 hours, of applying for their position. Capturing them when they are excited
and motivated is essential to their success and yours.
When making the first connection, always contact them by phone. Emails are not reliable. The
national average open rate for email is less than 18%. Personal phone calls and/or texting are the
most effective ways to communicate.
a. If you make a phone call and they do not answer, leave a voicemail and then try
again later. Always leave a note in Citizen Builder documenting every attempt to
make contact.
b. Make a second call within 2-3 days. If necessary, leave another voicemail,
followed by a text message. Log a note in CB for every contact or attempt that is
made.
c. If no response after two calls, follow up with a text and email telling them that
you are reaching out to discuss their application. Ask for a good time to set up a
phone interview. Again, be sure to make a note of this in CB.
d. If there is still no response, send a second text and email. Thank them for their
application, and let them know that since you have not heard from them, you
assume they are unable to volunteer at this time. Let them know they can reach
out to you when things change. Then “reject” them in the LMT. Always
document all attempts for communication as well as the results of the
communication.
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When you reach out to existing District Captains, you may find that they have received little or
no communication from their state team. You may have to win them back by assuring them that
they will receive the help they need along with the encouragement and support required for their
success.
Personal contact (face to face or on the phone) is essential to building a relationship with your
District Captains. When you spend personal one-on-one time with your DC’s, you will build
confidence in you and your leadership.
Your job as Grassroots Coordinator is to reach by recruiting, teach by personal contact and
activate by guiding, directing and encouraging them. Your job is to equip and develop them.
There is a difference. Equipping them is to impart information, the how to’s of their job.
Developing them requires your time investment in them with personal one on one help and
encouragement. You become their mentor. You raise them up to do more than they ever thought
they could.
Always end a conversation with a call to action. Give them something to do. The best way to
assure that they will do it correctly is for you to do it with them, and allow them to watch you.
Then, you watch them do it. Then, they do it alone.
Always follow up with any assignment you have given them. Don’t assume they will come to
you for help if they have a problem. People often fail to ask for help due to not knowing what to
ask or feeling insecure to ask about what they don’t know.
Your District Captains will look to you for their vision and understanding of the mission. Their
goal is bigger than they are. They are participating in something greater than themselves. Keep
that before them and they will fly!
Teaching District Captains How to Talk To Their Legislators
It will be important for your DC’s to know how to start building a relationship with their
legislator. Some will come to you with experience, but most will need training and guidance on
how to make that connection.
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Whenever possible, it is ideal if you can meet them at the capitol and go with them the first time.
In most states, that is not realistic so your instruction will be vital to their success. Here are
some helpful hints to give them when they talk with their legislator.
● Meeting, calling, or sending a handwritten letter to your legislator is probably much
easier than you think! Let your legislator know that you support Convention of States.
One person often makes the difference in how a legislator votes, so do not undervalue the
impact that you can have. Phone calls to your legislator are helpful and necessary, but
face-to-face visits or handwritten letters are priceless.
● Your first point of contact will likely be a staff member. The staffer will play a major role
in whether you are able to speak with the legislator as well as the success of your
meeting. Staff help shape a legislator’s agenda and position on issues. Cultivating a
positive relationship with the staff will have a tremendous impact on the success of your
contacts with the legislator. Always be polite and respectful to the legislator and staff,
even if they disagree with you.
● Schedule an appointment ahead of time rather than walking in. Arrive on time and dress
appropriately (casual business).
● Prepare what you will say in advance. Do your best, but do not worry about saying every
word perfectly. You are simply asking them to support Convention of States. Give them
several personal reasons in your own words why you support COS and feel it is
important. For example, a parent or grandparent may be concerned about the debt, a
farmer might mention the negative impact that the EPA has on his farm, a business owner
may be concerned about the overreaching federal regulations imposed on businesses.
● Most legislators respond well to concerns about fiscal issues and overreach from the
federal government. Stay on topic and only discuss Convention of States. Some
legislators who oppose Convention of States can be clever about trying to change the
conversation to other topics.
● If the legislator or staff has questions, answer them if you are able. If you don’t know an
answer, tell them that you will be happy to find out and get back with them (be sure to
take a business card to know who to email or call). A member of your state team will be
happy to help you provide the answers you need.
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● When you get home (before you have time to forget), write a brief thank you note and
mail it to the office. A handwritten note will be very impactful and will be noticed much
more than an email. Thank your legislator for taking the time to meet with you regarding
Convention of States. If a staff member was especially helpful, you might compliment
them by name. They will hear about it, and you will likely win a friend in the office!
● After any phone call or meeting, be sure to keep personal notes and enter a report in the
COSAction app or LMS detailing how your meeting went. Pay particular attention to
describe any comments that the legislator may have made to indicate concerns or support.
● If your legislator does not support Convention of States, do not give up! Keep going
back, and teach others to join you. Most legislators will eventually support when they
hear from enough supporters in their district. If your legislator does support, you still
need to remain in frequent contact to let him/her know that you appreciate the support
and to encourage the legislator to be an advocate with other legislators.
Legal Limits On Your Volunteer Activity
Convention of States represents a significant threat to the established powers in Washington,
D.C. They would love nothing better than to shut us down and silence our voices. We need to
keep our activities clean under the law to ensure they can't do that. As part of this, COS requires
all state leaders to complete the Legal Training Course at COS University.
Organizational Information
Who Are Citizens for Self-Governance, Convention of States Foundation, and Convention
of States Action, and How Are They Related to Convention of States?
Mark Meckler, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, founded Citizens for Self-Governance
(CSG) to promote the ideals of the Tea Party beyond the partisan divide. CSG encourages the
principle of self-governance by educating citizens about their constitutional rights and defending
individuals and groups unjustly targeted by the government.
In August 2013, CSG founded the Convention of States Project to educate citizens about a
little-known but very potent power in Article V of the Constitution. Convention of States Action
(COSA) was created a little over a year later in late 2014 when it became clear that Convention
of States would require a massive legislative effort to get applications passed in 34 states.
In 2018, CSG filed to operate under the name Convention of States Foundation (COSF) to
establish more consistent messaging and make it clear how CSG was connected to the
Convention of States movement. CSG and COSF are just two names for the same organization.
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CSG/COSF continues to be involved with COS by promoting the idea of a convention and
educating citizens about their constitutional power in Article V. Most of the COSis now under
COSA, which works to get the COS application passed in 34 states.
Why Have Two Different Organizations?
We have two different organizations because of how the IRS regulates nonprofit organizations.
The IRS allows different types of nonprofits to engage in different kinds of activity. According
to the IRS, COSF is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization, which means that it can educate people
about their constitutional rights but can’t promote legislation to protect those rights or get
involved in supporting or opposing candidates. COSA is a 501©(4) nonprofit organization
which can promote legislation and support or oppose some candidates as long as it does so in
accord with state and federal laws .
There are all kinds of technical differences between 501©(3) organizations like COSF and
501©(4) organizations like COSA. However, the main one you need to understand is that COSF
can’t promote legislation and absolutely can’t promote or oppose candidates, but COSA can.
COSA can talk to legislators about the COS application, collect petitions, host legislative
strategy sessions, and engage in other activities to promote the COS application. COSF cannot.
How Does This Affect You?
Most of your volunteer activity will be for COSA, so you won’t have to worry about the limit on
promoting legislation most of the time. But every so often, you may be asked to support or assist
with an event or activity sponsored by COSF. When working on a COSF event or activity, you’ll
need to remember that you can’t collect petitions, discuss legislative strategy, display COSA
materials or banners, or otherwise try to persuade people to support COSA’s specific application.
When working for COSF, you can educate people about their constitutional rights, including
those in Article V, and respond to frequent objections like claims that a convention would “run
away.”
One More Limit: No Campaigning under COSF!
Promoting or opposing political candidates is strictly prohibited for COSF and is only allowed
for COSA if specifically approved by the COSA National Legal Team. COSF cannot do any
campaigning ever. COSA can only campaign if it complies with many state and federal laws and
regulations governing campaign activity. As a COS volunteer, you can only tell people how they
should vote in the next election if you receive explicit permission from the national legal team.
You can’t send out an email to our volunteers in your district asking them to support a candidate,
oppose a candidate, volunteer for a candidate’s campaign, or join a political party. You should
not do anything even close to the line–don’t do anything that could be construed as supporting a
particular candidate or political party without checking with COSA’s Legal Team. The
prohibition against expressing a political view is an absolute rule that we strictly enforce because
any violation will jeopardize the organization’s nonprofit status.
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If you want to do a limited campaigning effort in your state through COSA, please contact your
RD. The COSA Legal Team will check the laws in your state and determine if you can proceed.
If the Legal Team approves campaigning in your state, they will issue detailed instructions about
how to comply with the law. Make sure you carefully review these instructions before engaging
in any election-related activity
This restriction only applies when you actively volunteer for COS or use COS resources
(including the CitizenBuilder database). You are entirely free to support any candidates or
political parties you wish with your own time and resources.
Who Do I Contact If I Have Questions?
If you would like to get in touch with our legal team about specific questions, please reach out to
your State Director or Regional Director, who will be able to direct your inquiry to the right
place.
Continuing Education
We have many resources available. Here are a few to get you started:
● Our Resource Page is the best source to learn more, and we encourage you to visit often.
● Here are a series of short articles on various topics.\\
● We have hundreds of educational and inspirational videos available on our YouTube
● COSUniversity offers online training courses.
● Hundreds of research articles and historical documents can be found on our Wiki site.\\
●
●
The Law of Article V by Robert G. Natelson
Personal Development
“If you want to grow and become the best person you can be, you’ve got to be intentional about
it. Many unsuccessful people who try to lead others have the mistaken belief that people will
follow them because their cause is good. But that’s not the way leadership works. People will
follow you when they believe in you.” - John Maxwell
Suggested reading/resources:
● We highly recommend you join an online small group study of the book “Servant
Leadership” by David Kuhnert which is the cornerstone of our leadership training.
○ To receive more information and learn about the classes being offered, please
email Ginny Rapini: grapini@cosation.com
● “Mentoring 101” by John Maxwell\\ ● More Information about Servant Leadership used by our organization.
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Commonly Used Acronyms
Positions
SD
State Director
RC
Regional Captain
GC
Grassroots Coordinator
FUT
Follow Up Team
LL
Legislative Liaison
DC
District Captain
ML
Media Liaison
VCD
Veterans Coalition Director
SIA
State Information Analyst
RD
Regional Director
SCC
State Communications Coordinator SMW
Social Media Warrior
VCD
Veterans Coalition Director
FBEditor
Facebook Editor
EC
Events Coordinator
DD
District Dashboard
CD
Coalitions Director
CB
Citizen Builder
SV
State Videographer
Tools
CB
Citizen Builder
FUT
Follow-up Tool
DD
District Dashboard
LMT
Leadership Management Tool
LMS
Legislative Management System
COSU
Convention of States University
General
CTA
Call to Action
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COSA
Convention of States Action
COSF
Convention of States Foundation
JBS
John Birch Society (opposition group)
EF
Eagle Forum (opposition group)
BBA
Balanced Budget Amendment
NAGR
National Association for Gun Rights
(opposition group)
Your Signature
You should receive an email link to this manual from your state team. Be sure to sign it
electronically.
Additional Help
If you have a question or need assistance with something that is not covered in this manual,
please reach out to your State Communications Coordinator or State Director. If they are unable
to help, contact the help desk.
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