For a full description of the following infrastructure needs, please see the 2006 Progressive Roundtable report.
| Top Priority Infrastructure Needs |
| Rank |
Score |
Title |
Category |
| 1 |
44 |
Progressive Media Lab(s). This component of infrastructure would integrate progressive messaging with both new and existing media technologies. Its aim would be to explore ways of testing emerging technological capacities, reevaluating or reapplying current media strategies, and fostering creative approaches to communications technology. |
Communications |
| 2 |
41 |
Marketing and Communications Research and Coordination Center. The activities of such a center would include: Market segmentation for messaging; testing the effectiveness of framing & language; evaluating communication effectiveness; aggregating polling data & other research; coordination & sharing of research. |
Marketing |
| 3 |
35 |
National Progressive Strategic Working Group. This working group would develop a strategic plan for progressives, including a funding plan, as well as developing strategies for winning elections and legislative battles and coordinating issue selections. |
Strategy |
| 4 |
32 |
Investment in Human Capacity. Activities: identifying talent, mentoring and training young activists, retaining established leaders, offering executive and mid-level management exchange programs, supporting roving management consulting, and providing fellowships and resources to leaders. |
Coordination |
| 5 |
25 |
Progressive Convener(s). Conveners would be organizations that bring together progressive groups on a regular, sustained basis to promote coordination on both long-term strategy and specific issues. |
Strategy |
| 6 |
20 |
Building Connected Capacity. Three forms: group-to-group, staff-to-staff, and people-to-people. To promote situational awareness, to build up internal capacity in the progressive movement, and strengthen social networks. |
Communications |
| Additional Infrastructure Needs |
| Rank |
Score |
Title |
Category |
| 7 |
16 |
Brand Development and Management. Progressive branding would focus on how to communicate underlying progressive values and ideas in striking, memorable, and appealing forms, both visual and verbal. |
Marketing |
| 8 |
10 |
Progressive Google (“Poogle”). The progressive variant of the famous Internet search engine, this information management system would promote “virtual coordination” on the Left. |
Coordination |
| 9 |
9 |
Online Progressive Social Network. Based on the idea behind the popular “MySpace,” this component of progressive coordination would provide a forum for both individuals and organizations to share ideas, personal profiles, information, strategic advice, and even music or video through a secure network of linked websites. |
Coordination |
| 10 |
5 |
Broadening Audiences. Development of strategies to reach and to motivate a broader spectrum of the public, particularly younger voters, ethnic communities, and people of faith. |
Communications |
| 11 |
4 |
Long-term Research & Development Center. To generate new research focused on long-term strategic initiatives, and to tap into much of the intellectual work that has been published academically but has not crossed over into the policy world. |
Strategy |
| 12 |
2 |
Idea Translation. Taking policy ideas and values, translating them for various audiences, and putting them into formats suited for those audiences’ needs. This function overlaps with several of the above, and would combine framing and language development, market research, and testing. |
Marketing |
