Neal Morgan was Obama for America's Youth Vote Field Organizer in Northern Nevada for the 2008 general election. As a consultant and educator he has trained hundreds of staffers and volunteers for greater effectiveness in volunteer recruitment, retention, and success in direct voter contact. He served as Head of Organizing nationally for Sister District Project from Oct 2019 to Feb 2023.
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Haas School of Business B.S. Business Administration 2001
Marketing, Managerial Accounting, and Political Economy of Industrial Societies
Designed, taught spring 2001 undergraduate course Mid 20th-Century American High Art
ORGANIZING / COACHING / TRAINING
SISTER DISTRICT PROJECT
Head of Organizing Oct 2019 - Feb 2023
Details to come. . .
Organizing Manager Sept 2018 - Oct 2019
Designed, executed capacity-building growth strategy for 2019/2020 effort
7% increase in new volunteer teams created in first two months
Coached over 20 existing team leaders to improve volunteer recruitment and retention and create cultures of growth; looking specifically at adjusting invitation messages and messaging
Help leaders design team structures and recruit for leadership and partnerships with other progressive orgs
2018 MIDTERMS
Coaching: Volunteer recruitment and retention; best practices in direct voter contact training Sept-Nov 6 2018
Colorado CD 3 campaign staff, candidates, leaders, and volunteer groups
Jenny Wilson for US Senate, UT
Shireen Ghorbani for US Congress, UT
2018 PRIMARIES
WESTERN ORGANIZING WORKSHOP (WOW)
Coaching Director Jan - June 2018 (full-time, salaried)
Through June 5 primary, coached and supported over 500 activist leaders, volunteers, and campaign staff via remote calls, 30 house-party-style and conference call discussions with small groups (5-50 people), and 5 large workshops in DCCC target and expansion CA congressional districts
Coached college and high school student leaders; campaign field staff and volunteers; Dem party clubs; PACs; Swing Left, Indivisible, Women's March, LGBTQAI+, among other resistance groups
Areas of focus working with small groups, among other aspects of field: Volunteer Recruitment and Retention; Creating Cultures of Growth; Campus Organizing; Best Practices in Training, Modeling and Coaching Volunteers for Effective Direct Voter Contact
Feedback from two Field Organizers on a Democratic congressional primary campaign:
"Neal was able to coach our team through a very difficult moment in our field program - we were struggling to retain and recruit volunteers and team morale was low. With Neal’s help via phone conversations and a morning discussion over coffee with our entire field staff, the average number of doors volunteers completed per shift increased from 27 to 43. Neal's training paved the way for an intensive GOTV program, and his organization fundamentally reshaped my outlook on field organizing. My retention is up, my volunteers are happier, and everyone is feeling more fulfilled with their work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
WORKSHOPS
May 2018
CA23 DEM WOMEN OF KERN CO. / LABOR COUNCIL / RESISTANCE GROUPS
Presenter, full workshop: Volunteer Recruitment, Building Capacity and Creating Cultures of Growth
Trainer, break-out groups: Volunteer Retention and Sustainability
April 2018
CA25 ACTION COUNCIL / RESISTANCE GROUPS
Presenter, full workshop: Volunteer Recruitment, Building Capacity
Trainer, break-out groups: Volunteer Retention
Dec 2017
CA49, 45, 48, 39 CODE BLUE / OC RESISTANCE GROUPS
Presenter, full workshop: Volunteer Recruitment and Building Capacity
Trainer, break-out groups: Persuasion Conversations
Aug 2017
Los Angeles CODE BLUE
Trainer, break-out groups: Persuasion Conversations and Canvassing Best Practices
June 2017
Los Angeles WOW Weekend Workshop
Facilitator: two days supporting group of 8 participants
Trainer, break-out groups: Persuasion Conversations
ORGANIZING FOR ACTION
Campus Academy Coach Spring and Fall semesters, 2017
One of 16 national coaches for over 70 college students in a semester-long organizer training program
Guide, support organizers-to-be to properly identify a problem/need/opportunity on campus, define goals, develop strategies, and plan, implement, and evaluate tactics
Particular focus on Story of Self/Us/Now and the use of story-telling as the foundation for connecting with and engaging collaborators, stakeholders, and community members
ELECTORAL ORGANIZING
OBAMA FOR AMERICA
2008 Field Organizer, Youth Vote, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), Nevada General Election
Organized high-functioning, bonded team of 75 college student volunteers and interns
Team registered over 3000 voters in 10 weeks on campus
At voter registration deadline, was 150 voters registered shy of counterpart at UNLV, the NV registration leader. UNR consisted of 61% of the UNLV population and half its student body minority share. My team registered 18.75% of the UNR population to vote, versus 10.81% at UNLV
Led campaign to turn out over 6000 on-campus voters, beating OFA campaign goal by 20%
Responsible for 2915 volunteer hours scheduled on campus in 12 weeks , second-highest in the state
2012 GOTV Volunteer, Ohio General Election
With a team of eight '08 NV organizer colleagues, work resulted in a 73% turnout and 2559 vote margin of victory upset in traditionally GOP stronghold Cuyahoga Falls
10 days on the ground: knocked over 1000 doors made over 1500 calls; trained volunteers and modeled best practices for phone banking; supported Field Organizers cutting turf, routing walks
Created a patronage model to work on behalf of 28 friends and family funders who wanted a more personal connection to the fight for votes on the ground and for 100% of their contribution dollars to go to strengthening the ground game.
2007/2008 Volunteer, Primary Season
GOTV/C field volunteer in Creston, IA; Abilene, TX; Reno, NV; Portland, OR; Nevada City, CA
HILLARY FOR AMERICA / NEVADA DEMOCRATS
2016 OCT/NOV Volunteer, Nevada Together General Election
16 days total for last phase of voter registration and Early Vote in Reno, GOTV in Las Vegas
Recruited, trained 20 volunteers, including three first-time vols, modeled best practices in canvassing/phonebanking
Knocked over 1000 doors, made over 800 calls, recruited 6 volunteers while canvassing, phonebanking
Organized a group of 19 friends and family to fund my 16 days in NV and expenses for 2 first-time volunteers who joined our team for GOTV as we worked on behalf of those who couldn't travel to a swing state and wanted 100% of their contributions to go to the ground game: fundraising page here
SPEAKING
Why Volunteer? Oakland High School Students, 2020 CONFERENCE, Oakland July 2017
Presented interactive, discussion-based Why Volunteer talk to high school students as an introduction to how electoral field programs function, what volunteers do; told through stories of my own experiences, focusing on my first time volunteering in Iowa for Barack Obama in 2007
Philip Guston Talks
Since 2012 lectures/discussions on American painter Philip Guston - www.nealmorgan.info/guston
Book Reading from drumming memoir manuscript at Tell It Slant Reading Series, Portland OR Feb 2014
Spoken Word performances from 2011
On bills with bands or poets, performances as opener for Bill Callahan, Joanna Newsom
see: spoken word album Neal Morgan / Neal Morgan June 2014
sample press: The Oregonian - May 23, 2014
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Organizer, co-Founder, MUSICIANS FOR MEASURE 26-146 Portland Oregon 8/12 - 11/12
Assembled, directing working group modeled after 2011 Move Your Money campaign to assist campaign for an arts tax to benefit school programs and arts non-profits serving kids
Delivered to the campaign public endorsements from 309 musicians, bands, and music-related businesses
Produced campaign promotional video featuring well-loved Portland music figures
Organizer, co-Founder, MOVE YOUR MONEY PORTLAND 10/11 - 11/11
Designed scalable, replicable organizing model for direct contact community advocacy - aimed at closing accounts at big banks
Assembled and directed a four-person working group to obtain pledges from over 150 members of the music community to divest from their big banks and bank locally
Provided education and assistance to those divesting, connecting them to staff and resources and our independent research related to community banks and credit unions in the Portland Metro area
Drafted press releases, phone and email script, designed and maintained recruitment tracking database
As publicist succeeding in getting prime coverage in the Oregonian, the Portland weeklies, OPB's Think Out Loud and succeeded in helping to bring attention to the divestment effort in solidarity with other community activists and organizations
sample press: Willamette Week
MUSIC
DRUMMER, ARRANGER OF DRUMS AND PERCUSSION
Joanna Newsom from 2006, including Have One On Me, 2010
Bill Callahan from 2009, including Apocalypse, 2011
Four solo records from 2007-2017
See Wikipedia page
ARTS ADMINISTRATION
SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (SFMOMA)
Program Evaluation Consultant - Olafur Eliasson exhibition 11/5 - 12/1/07
Authored IMLS-grant report on visitor experience and usage of in-gallery interpretive offerings
Collected, analyzed five times data volume requested due to process efficiencies
Provided ten manageable recommendations to enhance awareness, increase usage, and improve functionality of interpretive resources for future exhibitions
Education Resource Specialist, Koret Visitor Education Center 8/10/05 - 12/1/07
Increased visitor awareness and utilization of Center programming by improving signage throughout the Museum and working closely with front-line staff to recommend Center programs
Designed and initiated an informal group discussion education program to engage Center visitors in dialogue about art, highlight works on view, and generate awareness of resources
Interim Intellectual Property Associate 12/4/05 - 7/10/06
Secured permissions for reproductions of copyrighted works with written and verbal proposals; negotiated fees and terms of use; reviewed and edited contracts
Managed requests for reproduction of SFMOMA works; arranged imaging, fulfilled asset loans
Program Evaluation Consultant - Discovery Interface, Spotlight Tour Program 7/10 - 11/4/05
Initiated, designed, and managed evaluation of the Museum's pilot docent tour program and new on-site computer-based interpretive application
Developed custom evaluation databases, designed instruments for quantitative and qualitative research, trained research assistants, analyzed and interpreted data
Authored and presented three comprehensive IMLS-grant reports that included resource-appropriate recommendations to improve the interface and docent programming
Interim Manager, Educational Technologies Audience Services 10/1/04 - 7/25/05
Managed audio tour program including financial forecasting, budgeting, and accounting; development of new initiative proposals; improvement of on-site sales procedure
Re-negotiated audio tour contract, resulting in a net lease fee reduction of 32%
PR and Marketing Assistant 1/7/02 - 6/23/04
Drafted press releases and worked with editors and journalists to secure coverage
Developed direct marketing campaigns for small-budget public programs, exhibitions, events
Managed sfmoma.org/press - responsible for all aspects of press release process including targeted delivery to editors and journalists, image and materials fulfillment, interview scheduling
Wrote, edited, designed, distributed monthly marketing e-news email
Managed, trained over 20 volunteers and interns
COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTING
For YU Contemporary, Portland Oregon
Directed strategies to expand donor base, build YU brand, increase membership and attendance
Drafted, distributed press releases, built relationships with editors and journalists to secure coverage
Wrote and edited executive communique to donors, government, and community leaders including the 2011 Year in Review Director's Letter, and Directors State of YU speech fall 2011
Managed public relations for the departure of director Sandra Percival, January 2012
ALSO
WRITING - including 2015 completed draft of manuscript on drumming and supporting in music
CURATING - 2015-2016 Spoken at Pickathon, curator and organizer of spoken word program at OR music festival
CUSTOM ART FRAMING - since 2010, see www.nealmorgan.info/framing
TRADES - Carpenter's Assistant, Swan Building - East Bay Area, CA 2015-2017; 6 residential remodels - - rough framing, finish carpentry, door and window installation. Electrician's Assistant - Bay Area, CA 2016; 5 residential remodels and repairs - - new service whole-house re-wiring, basic troubleshooting and remediation
ART DOCENT - 2003/04 SFMOMA Private Tour Guide of the Museum, collections, and special exhibitions