The Virginia Civic Engagement Table is a coalition of left-of-center advocacy groups that functions as a hub for environmentalist anti-conventional energy organizations, expanded voting rights, expanded abortion, and protection of illegal immigrants. The organization is the Virginia branch of State Voices, a nationwide coalition of left-leaning nonprofits that has created a voter mobilization infrastructure for supporting liberal causes.

History

The Virginia Civic Engagement Table (VCET) was formed in 2008 and designed to connect its 35 partner advocacy groups and help them grow and speak to more voters through leadership development and by acting as a hub for its partner organizations and activists. ¹

While VCET claims to be a “non-partisan” organization, its stated values and leadership tilt left-of-center. The group advocates for left-wing economic policies, environmentalist energy policies, liberal voting and elections policies, ending regulations on abortion, and protecting illegal immigrants. Further, the organization states that its members are committed to “creating [a] progressive leadership model that works to address structural and racial inequities.” ²³

Originally formed as a group to help its partners coordinate their activities, VCET has since added more self-directed programs like the Virginia Progressive Leadership Project, the Citizen Training Academy, advocacy training, and the Virginia Counts Coalition. ^{4 5}

Partner organizations include the radical-left-leaning New Virginia Majority, the labor union SEIU Virginia 512, the left-of-center Spread the Vote, Voto Latino, and Planned Parenthood. ⁶

Leadership

Margie Del Castillo is board chair of Virginia Civic Engagement Table, vice-chair of the board for the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and director of field and advocacy at the left-of-center abortion and reproductive rights organization National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. ⁷⁸

Irene Shin is the interim executive director and member of the board for VCET and board member at the Competitive Commonwealth Fund, an organization dedicated to recruit and fund Democratic candidates of office in Virginia. Previously she worked as political director at Crowdpac, a for-profit fundraising platform that bars Republican candidates and as campaign manager for Liz Jaff’s campaign for Democratic National Committee Chair. ⁹

Sookyung Oh is a board member of VCET and the American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation’s Capital (ACLU-NCA). She serves as area director of the left -of-center National Korean American Service and Education Consortium of Washington D.C. (NAKASEC D.C.), where she leads efforts for racial, economic and social justice. ¹⁰

David E. Broder serves on the board of VCET and is President of Service Employees International Union Local 512. He has worked for Planned Parenthood Action Fund in Washington D.C. and is executive board secretary for the left-of-center New Virginia Majority, an organization that seeks left-of center change in the areas of climate, economic, criminal and immigrant issues. ^{11 12}

Harrison Wallace, board member, is Virginia director of left-of-center Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), an organization that seeks the elimination of conventional energy use. ¹³

Funding

Revenue grew to $859,261 (40.8%) in 2017 from $609,284 in the prior year. Expenses rose in 2017 to $766,902 (73%) from $442,388 in 2016. Total assets were $284,676 at the close of 2017. Salaries and employee benefits accounted for $299,768 of total expenses, or 39% of spending. ¹⁴

1. Virginia Civic Engagement Table, Return of Organization Exempt From Taxes (Form 990), 2017, Part I, Line 1
2. “Mission & Goals.” Virginia Progressive Leadership Project. Accessed February 6, 2020. https://vaplp.org/mission-goals.
3. “Virginia Civic Engagement Table, P.O. Box 8586, Richmond, VA (2020).” , P.O. Box 8586, Richmond, VA (2020). Accessed February 6, 2020. https://www.govserv.org/US/Richmond/157156024340503/Virginia-Civic-Engagement-Table.
4. “About.” Virginia Civic Engagement Table. Accessed February 6, 2020. https://engageva.org/about/.
5. Virginia Civic Engagement Table, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part I, Line 6
6. “About.” Virginia Civic Engagement Table. Accessed February 6, 2020. https://engageva.org/about/.
7. Margie Del Castillo. Linkedin. Accessed February 6, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/margie-del-castillo-3233273b/
8. “What We Do.” National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, September 4, 2014. https://www.latinainstitute.org/en/what-we-do.
9. “Irene Shin.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 28, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/irene-shin-6b0bb8148/.
10. L. Sookyun Oh. Linkedin. Accessed February 6, 2020 https://www.linkedin.com/in/sookyungoh/
11. “State Board.” VCCS David E. Broder. Accessed February 6, 2020. https://www.vccs.edu/state_board/david-e-broder/.
12. “New Virginia Majority Education Fund Board (501c3).” New Virginia Majority Education Fund. Accessed February 6, 2020. https://www.nvm-educationfund.org/c3board.
13. “Mission.” Chesapeake Climate Action Network. Accessed February 6, 2020. https://chesapeakeclimate.org/mission/.
14. Virginia Civic Engagement Table, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part I, Lines 12, 18, 20, 15.