volunteers
TRANSCRIPT
Recruiting Volunteers
September 10th, 2008Listen live on:
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AIM: DFA Night School Paid for by Democracy for America,www.democracyforamerica.com, and not
authorized by any candidate orcandidate’s committee.
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DFA Chair
Jim Dean
Tonight’s Trainers
Matt BlizekNight School Host
Democracy for America
Bryan HagenyDeputy Training DirectorDemocracy for America
3 Questions? [email protected]
Susan Smith, Tampa DFA
Sandra Verthein, Northside DFA
‘People’ powered campaigns
Volunteers are the “soul of a campaign”
Volunteers build long term progressiveinfrastructure
Why We Need Volunteers
Never question the value of volunteers.Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers, theTitanic was build by professionals--Unknown
4 Questions? [email protected]
You Have to Ask!
You will never get what you do not ask for
Not asking for favors, but giving opportunities
Embrace the No!
5 Questions? [email protected]
Announcements don’t recruit volunteers
What is a potential volunteer’s relationship to thecampaign?
What’s My Motivation?
6 Questions? [email protected]
Candidate
Social
Issue / Ideological /Partisan
Relational
Antipathy for Opponent
If you aren’t sure why someone is volunteering, then ask!
Higher response rates all around
Details about the campaign aren’t asimportant
Make it about you
Make it fun
Network, Network, Network – Build asnowball!
Who to Ask: Relational
7 Questions? [email protected]
Campaign Lists
Voter File
Allied issue advocacy organizations
Labor Unions
High Schools & Colleges
Community Organizations and FaithCommunities
Everywhere!
Who to Ask: Usual Suspects
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Remember, busy people aremore likely to say ‘yes’!*
*Why do you think they’re so busy?
How to Ask: Basic Tactics
The more personal and interactive the ask the better the response
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High Response rates
Low Response rates
High TimeCommitment
Low TimeCommitment
Canvassing
Emails Tables
Meetings
Posters
House Parties
Phones
Volunteer Referrals
Stories from the Field
11 Questions? [email protected]
• Northside DFA Issue Forums
• http://my.barackobama.com
• Networking – Make business cards
• Be visible & aware
• Don’t be ashamed to talk politicswith people!
How to Ask: The Five Cs
Connect – Establish rapport and trust
Context – Explain how they are helping us win
Commit – Get a solid commitment to volunteer
Catapult – Get them invested
Confirm – Remind them of their commitment
12 Questions? [email protected]
Crunching the Numbers
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Question: How many volunteers would be needed toreach 500 voters with a weekend phone bank?
Step 1: Calculate the number of hours needed:500 voters / 12 (contacts per hour) = 41.67 hours
Step 2: Calculate the number of volunteers per shift to recruit:42 hours / 2 shifts / 3 hours per shift = 7 volunteers per shift
Answer: You will need to recruit 7 volunteers willingto work a 3 hour shift each day
Homework
• Make a List of 15 possible volunteers fromyour social network and ask them
• Sign up together for the ‘Million Doors forPeace’ campaign next weekend!
www.milliondoorsforpeace.org
15 Questions? [email protected]
Next Week on Night School
Canvassing & PhonebankingSeptember 17th, 2008
www.democracyforamerica.com/canvass
www.democracyforamerica.com/trainingrequest
Request a DFA Campaign Training in 2009!
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