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Beginner’s Guide to Grassroots Campaiging
Joe Garecht
Today, we present The Beginner’s Guide to Grassroots
Campaigning, the third installment in our “Beginner’s Guide”
Series. (If you haven’t already, be sure to check out The Beginner’s
Guide to Political Communications and The Beginner’s Guide to
Political Fundraising).
Working the grassroots is a vital component of any campaign, no
matter how large or small. For local campaigns, grassroots
politics takes on added significance as one of the main ways to
communicate with the voters. No matter what office you are
running for, no matter how much (or how little) cash your
campaign has, follow these tips to make sure your grassroots
campaign gets off to a great start:
Building Your Campaign Organization
5 Secrets of Successful Grassroots Organizations – Tips for
making your grassroots organization shine.
The 2 Most Asked Questions About Grassroots Politics – Do you
know the answers? They may surprise you!
Finding and Managing Volunteers
How to Find Volunteers for Your Political Campaign – Where to
find great volunteers to help you win.
Creating Volunteer Superstars – Figuring out how to best use
each and every volunteer.
How to Manage Political Campaign Volunteers – Soup to nuts,
getting your volunteers on track and on task.
Door to Door Campaigning
Why Your Campaign HAS to Go Door to Door – The top reasons
why your campaign – and your candidate – has to start knocking
on doors.
How to Run a Great Door to Door Campaign – Now you know you
need to get out there… here’s how to do it!
Grassroots Events
How to Hold Successful Town Hall Meetings – Get out there and
meet the crowd. How to use town halls to build your name
recognition and benefit your campaign.
How to Plan a Candidate Tour Event – Using candidate tour
events to build local support.
Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots
The Right Way to Hold a Voter Registration Drive – Don’t just set
up a table and hope for the best… use this guide to help you
target your efforts.
Successful Absentee Voter Drives – Reaching (and persuading)
absentee voters with your campaign’s message.
Get Out The Vote (GOTV)
Winning Your Election by Getting Out the Vote – Your strategy
guide to running a GOTV operation.
Do You Know How to Set Your Get Out the Vote Goals? – Setting
GOTV goals that will have your team celebrating on Election
Night.
A Guide to Making GOTV Calls – How to run an effective get out
the vote phone bank.
Advanced Grassroots Topics
Linking Your Campaign with a Grassroots Movement – How to
connect with outside grassroots movements to help you win.
Running a Grassroots Contribution Campaign – Raising money at
the grassroots.
Building Political Coalitions – One of our most popular (and
longest) articles ever.
Beginner’s Guide to Political Communications
Joe Garecht
After an exhaustive recent conversation about setting up his
political campaign, a first-time candidate for public office asked
me, “What’s the most important thing I need to know that I
haven’t asked you about yet?”
I thought about the question for awhile… He had asked about
fundraising (he knew he needed to know about raising money),
and he had asked about grassroots strategy. He had also asked
about finding a campaign manager, how to craft his campaign
message, and how to find volunteers.
The one thing he hadn’t asked about, and that he needed to be
thinking about, was how to communicate his campaign’s
message to the voters.
I realized after the fact that most first time candidates ask about
fundraising and grassroots strategy, staffing and volunteers.
New candidates think about the issues, they think about the
money, and they think about the manpower. If they’re on the
advanced track, they also think about their message. But what
most novice candidates don’t spend a lot of time thinking
through is how they are going to effectively and efficiently
communicate their message to the voters.
In response to that candidate’s question, I presented him with an
organized list of some previous Local Victory articles that
combine to form a Beginner’s Guide to Political
Communications. These articles, linked below, offer you a
complete overview of the communication process, and will put
any candidate in a much better position to work with the press,
advertise, and otherwise spread the word about your campaign.
Communications Strategy
A Guide to Raising Your Name ID -How to make sure everyone
knows your candidate’s name.
3 Best Ways for Under-Funded Candidates to be Heard –
Communicating effectively without a lot of money.
The Top Three Principles of Political Design – The basics of
creating well-designed communications pieces.
Campaign Slogans
Political Slogans: Creating a Compelling Campaign Slogan – How
to make sure your tag-line moves the voters.
Why Some Campaign Slogans Fail – And why some succeed.
Dealing with the Press
The #1 Rule for Getting Press Coverage for Your Campaign –
How to get earned media coverage for your candidate.
Communicating with the Media… Plan to Succeed – A
comprehensive guide to dealing with the press.
How to Deal with Bad Political Press – It happens to every
candidate at some time or another.
Political Yard Signs
How to Design Great Political Signs – Make sure yours are
readable, well crafted, and remarkable.
What’s Your Political Yard Sign Strategy? – Have a plan and stick
to it.
Campaign Literature and Direct Mail
Political Direct Mail that Sizzles! – A guide to creating
phenomenal direct mail.
Does Your Campaign Have Effective Get Out the Vote Literature?
– If you’re running a get out the vote operation, make sure it is
communicating the right message!
Designing a Phenomenal Candidate Walk Piece – Writing and
designing a great palm card.
Online Political Campaigns
How to Find Political Success on the Internet – How to set up
your campaign website the right way, and how to use e-mail in
your campaign.
The Right and Wrong Reasons for Using the Internet in Your
Campaign – Develop the bets strategy for winning the online
political battle.
Using Social Media in Your Campaign – How to use social
networking sites to help you win.
Political Speeches and Debates
The Best Ways to Prepare for a Political Debate – Should you
debate? If so, how should you prepare?
How to Prepare for a Political Speech – Getting ready to give the
speech of your life!
There you have it – a compendium of the best Local Victory has
to offer on developing a great communications strategy for your
campaign. These articles are in depth, so no matter how much
experience you have in politics, you’re sure to learn a lot about
effectively communicating your campaign’s message.
Beginner’s Guide to Political Fundraising
Joe Garecht
Several weeks ago, we posted the first in our “Beginner’s Guides”
series: The Beginner’s Guide to Political Communications. We
got lots of great feedback and requests for more.
Today, we continue the series with The Beginner’s Guide to
Political Fundraising. This article brings together the best
fundraising advice from the Local Victory Archives to walk you
step by step through the most important facets of political
fundraising. The articles below will present you with a complete
overview of political fundraising, and will help you answer that
age old question: “How do I raise enough money to win my
campaign?”
Political Fundraising: Start Here First
Political Fundraising 101 – The basics of political fundraising,
including why cold calling rarely works, and why you should
always ask for more than you think you will get.
Advanced Political Fundraising: How to Make an Ask — Step-by-
step system for the scariest part of all: asking people for money.
Finding the Money to Start Your Campaign — How to raise the
seed money you need to launch your campaign.
Fundraising Plans
Why Your Campaign Needs a Fundraising Plan – Every campaign
needs a fundraising plan, no matter how large or small.
Writing a Political Fundraising Plan – Here’s how to write a great
political fundraising plan.
Fundraising Events
The #1 Tip for a Successful Fundraising Event – The number one
tip for raising more money through political fundraising events.
10 Steps to a Successful Fundraising Event – The step by step
guide to holding a successful event.
Online Fundraising
How to Raise Political Donations Online – How to raise money
over the Internet.
Building Fundraising Networks
Political Fundraising Networks – How to build and motivate your
supporters to raise money on your behalf.
Fundraising Direct Mail
7 Tips for Writing Political Fundraising Mail — Surefire
strategies for raising money through political fundraising direct
mail.
Minor Donors
How to Set Up a Minor Donor Program — Those big checks are
important, but smaller donations add up. Learn how to create a
scalable system for reaching smaller (“minor”) donors.
Raising Money from Political Action Committees (PACs)
What Are PACs? — What PACs are and what they do.
Raising Money from PACs – How to raise money from political
action committees.
Advanced Reading
7 Creative Political Fundraising Ideas — Seven tried and true
advanced fundraising ideas for your campaign.
The Best 5 Ways to Raise More Money for Your Campaign —
Learn how to increase your profit and decrease your fundraising
expenses.
The Complete Guide to Getting Your Campaign Off the Ground –
This premium kit from Local Victory comes with Raising Money
from High Dollar Donors, an 18 page report on how to raise big
donations from big donors.
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5 Secrets of Successful Grassroots Organizations
Joe Garecht
Everyone involved in politics is involved in setting up grassroots
organizations, one way or another. Whether you are building a
grassroots effort for your campaign for public office, running a
political party organization, or involved in issue advocacy, you
can and should be setting up effective grassroots organizations
to advocate for your cause.
Very few grassroots organizations are “moderately successful.”
In general, these groups, be they single-issue advocacy groups or
arms of a campaign for public office, are either very successful or
very unsuccessful. Successful grassroots organizations are easy
to spot: they’ve got lots of members / volunteers, get on the
news (a lot!), and you know them by their brand. How do these
organizations become super-successful?
1. Plan for Success
Successful grassroots organizations have a well thought out, and
well-written plan. Many people think groups like this simply
sprout up organically, without much forethought, but nothing
could be further from the truth. Most uber-groups started with a
written plan.
2. Have a Hierarchy
Grassroots groups without a hierarchy usually devolve into
anarchy. Again, this may seem counterintuitive for a grassroots
organization, but the group will need a leadership structure with
defined responsibilities if it is going to succeed at a very high
level.
3. Build a Brand
The most successful grassroots organizations out there are
recognizable by their brand (including their logo, their message,
and their spokespeople). This is true for campaign-run
grassroots operations as well (just think about the Obama
campaign’s grassroots army in 2008 or the Bush/RNC 72-hour
Election Day corps in 2004). Your group needs a consistent look
and feel for its marketing materials, one or more well-versed
press spokespeople, a logo, and a defined and consistent
message (just like a standard political campaign).
For more information on building a political brand, read Political
Slogans and How to Craft Your Campaign’s Message.
4. Use Every Tool
Well-run grassroots organization use every tool at their disposal
to get their message out: press releases, press conferences, a
political website, volunteer activity, direct mail, door to door,
rallies, etc. Write a plan that uses lots of different grassroots
techniques to make your voice heard.
5. Ask for Members
One of the biggest reasons why small grassroots organizations
stay that way is because they become insular “cliques,” where
members are jealous of their role in the club and don’t really
want outsiders coming in to ruin their good time. Your group
will never get big enough to have clout using this mentality. One
of the primary functions of your organization should be to
grow… and that means going out and actually asking for new
members… all the time, everywhere you go.
Grassroots organizations are a great tool in the arsenal of
successful issue advocates, political campaigns, party
organizations, and more… use these five secrets to help you build
a strong and sustainable grassroots organization.
The 2 Most Asked Questions About Grassroots Politics
Joe Garecht
I recieve a ton of e-mails every month asking questions on
winning local elections. The majority of these questions deal
with grassroots politics – organizing a district, conducting
canvasses, etc.
In this article, I’m taking a look at the two most frequently asked
questions I receive:
1. How early should I start campaigning?
This is one of the most common questions for first-time
candidates and campaign managers. The short answer is: it’s
never too early to start. There are always activities you can
carry-out to help your campaign or future campaign. Even if the
election is four years away, you can be out meeting people,
talking with leaders and activists, building an organization and
writing your campaign plan.
Of course, you don’t want to announce your candidacy or run
advertisements too far in advance of the campaign. While the
best time to start these activities varies by place, election and
strategy, they generally should never take place before the last
election before yours is complete (November of the year before
the your election) and in all but the biggest and/or best funded
races should not take place before January of the year of your
election.
When deciding when to start running advertisements, remember
to wait until people are paying attention to the campaign or
ready to start paying attention – if you run ads and no one cares,
you are wasting your campaign’s precious fundraising dollars.
2. Shouldn’t I just stand outside grocery stores and factory
gates shaking hands and seeking people to vote for me?
If there’s one concept that is overlooked by most campaigns, it is
targeting. Campaigns operate with limited resources – limited
amounts of time, money and manpower. These resources must
be used wisely if the campaign is to be successful. The way to
make sure that these resources are used the best way they can be
is to target – pick which voters you need to concentrate on
delivering your message to and use your resources to do it.
Standing outside stores and factories shaking hands is a risky
proposition – not only do you not know if the people you meet
there are registered to vote or if they even live in the district, but
if they are mostly supporters of your opponent, campaigning
there may wake sleeping dogs and propel your opponent’s
campaign to action in that area.
Simply put, don’t conduct these activities unless they are
targeted and targeted well. Only campaign at malls, factories and
stores when you know that most of the people there are from the
district and open to voting for your candidate. Most times, you
won’t be able to be sure of this, and thus shouldn’t campaign in
these places unless you have so many volunteers that it is either
let them campaign at the mall or send them home because you
have no work left for them.
For more great articles on grassroots politics and tactics, check
out Winning Your Election by Getting Out the Vote and How to
Run a Great Door to Door Campaign.
How to Find Volunteers for Your Political Campaign
Joe Garecht
The backbone of any local campaign is its volunteers. After
recruiting a volunteer coordinator, the campaign should set its
sights on recruiting capable volunteers — people who are loyal,
interested, willing to work hard, and able to successfully perform
the tasks they are assigned. Listed below (in no particular order)
are the top 8 sources for volunteers to staff your local campaign.
Some you may have heard of, others not, but all should be mined
for members of your volunteer army.
1. Family and Friends
No one knows the candidate better than his or her family and
friends, and they should be the first source of local campaign
volunteers. These individuals are typically easy to recruit, loyal
to the candidate, and willing to work hard.
2. College Students
One of the best and often overlooked sources for campaign
volunteers is at your local college or university. Political Science
majors are usually eager to get real political experience —
students with other helpful majors, such as Journalism, History,
Information Technology, etc. are also quality potential
volunteers. School political science departments, student
governments, and political clubs can serve as easy points of
contact.
3. Association Members
Is the candidate an active member of any civic, community,
church, or other group? If so, members of those groups may be
willing to spend their free time working on the campaign.
Members of such organizations are often knowledgeable about
local issues, and have large networks of civic-minded
acquaintances.
4. Local Political Parties
Your local political party may be able to provide you with names
of people who have volunteered in the past, or who have asked
to volunteer for this election. Check with party leaders to see if
such lists are available.
5. Unsolicited Offers
Few people will call a campaign or stop a candidate on the street
and ask to donate money. But many campaigns are surprised by
how many people offer to volunteer their time and talents to the
campaign without being asked. Be prepared for unsolicited offers
to volunteer: always carry small, pre-printed cards for potential
volunteers to fill out, and make sure to follow up and involve
them in the campaign.
6. Volunteer Networks
Campaigns can also utilize the friends and families of the existing
volunteer corps. Ask your volunteers to recruit their own friends
and family to help with the race, and provide a creative
opportunity for them to do so: hold a pizza party for volunteers
and ask them to bring their interested friends, have volunteers
who aren’t busy call their friends from campaign headquarters to
ask them to join, etc.
7. Campaign Events
After asking for votes and/or donations at campaign events, the
campaign should ask anyone interested in volunteering to fill out
an information card. This recruitment can be done at all kinds of
events: the kick-off rally, fundraising functions, coffees, etc. If
such a solicitation threatens to detract from the main purpose of
the event, the recruitment can take place on the way out, by
placing tables or staff at the back of the event.
8. Paid “Volunteers”
Most campaigns utilize a small paid staff as the core of the
campaign, and use volunteers for work such as literature drops
and phone banks. Sometimes, however, the campaign simply
does not have enough qualified volunteers to perform the tasks it
needs to get done, and must hire college students, senior citizens,
or others to perform the work usually done by volunteers. Such
workers are usually paid by the hour and are most often utilized
for election day get-out-the-vote efforts. If the campaign decides
that it must use “paid volunteers,” it should make sure that their
work is carefully supervised, to ensure that the work that the
“volunteers” are paid to do is actually completed.
Creating Volunteer Superstars
Joe Garecht
Volunteers are the backbone of any local campaign. National
campaigns have tons of paid staff, and use volunteers only to fill
in the gaps — but for the local campaign, most of the work is
going to be done by volunteers. Of course, there are two type of
volunteer teams that a campaign can assemble. The first is
unenthusiastic, chaotic, and ineffective. The second is energetic,
focused, and successful. How can you make sure that your
volunteer team ends up looking like the latter?
1. Find the Right Volunteer Coordinator
The volunteer coordinator’s job is a difficult one. He or she must
be both a smart, active manager who can head up a small army of
volunteers, and a real people person who can soothe egos and
ensure peace in the volunteer corps. The single most important
factor in ensuring a successful volunteer organization is choosing
the right volunteer coordinator.
The volunteer coordinator must be someone who will be able to
motivate the volunteers to complete tasks on time, without
hurting their feelings or bruising their egos. This is doubly hard
when you consider that volunteers, by their very nature, are
unpaid — there ‘s nothing holding them to the campaign but
their own desire, and the coordinator’s skills. The coordinator
must also be comfortable delegating responsibility, and doing so
in an orderly fashion. Except for the most local of elections, the
volunteer coordinator will not be able to personally manage
every volunteer operation, and must be able to recruit and
appoint other leaders within the volunteer organization.
2. Keep Your Volunteers Informed
The worst feeling for a volunteer is to feel “uninformed.” If a
volunteer is giving his or her time to the campaign, he or she
expects to be a real part of the action. Volunteers should be
regularly brought up to date, either by meetings with the
campaign staff, newsletters, or emails. Even if a volunteer isn’t
really the most important person in the drive to election day, he
or she must feel like they are.
3. Keep Your Volunteers Happy
The second worst feeling for a volunteer is to feel bored. Always
use your volunteers, even if there is nothing for them to do. If the
campaign simply has run out of work (which should rarely
happen) or if the volunteer isn’t particularly competent (more
likely,) he or she should still be given some task to keep them
busy. Volunteers in local races talk – to neighbors, friends,
relatives, etc. The last thing you want on your hands is a
disgruntled volunteer . If a volunteer is having a bad experience
at campaign headquarters, everyone they know will hear about
it. If the volunteer feels like a part of the team, however,
everyone he or she knows will hear what a great campaign they
are involved in. A busy volunteer is a happy volunteer.
Similarly, always thank your volunteers, even before election
day. Throw inexpensive “volunteer parties,” send thank -you
notes, schedule some time for the volunteers (as a group) to
meet with the candidate. If your volunteers feel appreciated,
they’ll work extra hard to make sure your campaign is successful.
4. Give Your Volunteers Defined Goals and Defined Tasks
Finally, it is important that your volunteer team has a sense of
direction. Before delegating tasks, the volunteer coordinator
should sit down with the campaign manager or other staff and
decide just what goals the volunteer teem will pursue. Some
common tasks include registering voters, helping with literature
drops, making or receiving calls at campaign headquarters,
assisting with get out the vote operations, and helping with
fundraising events. The coordinator should set numerical goals
wherever possible: The volunteer team will register 100 new
voters, assist with the get out the vote effort by taking making
sure 2% of our needed votes get to the polls, etc. The volunteer
team should perform these goals in conjunction with the
campaign strategy, as laid out by the campaign manager. The
strategy is always fluid, so the volunteer team must be ready for
changes mid-campaign.
Once the goals are laid out, the volunteers should be given
defined responsibilities to achieve these goals. Volunteers should
be organized by task (e.g. volunteer voter registration team) or
by geography (e.g. the 25th precinct volunteer team) and a good
leader should be appointed for each group. The groups should be
given its defined goal, and taught how to accomplish that goal.
The groups leader and volunteer coordinator should continually
ensure that progress is being made.
Use Them or Lose Them
In a national campaign, volunteers may be an afterthought
(though some may debate the wisdom of that strategy,) but in
the local campaign, volunteers are crucial. In order to ensure that
your volunteer team moves you closer to success each day, you
must not only use them, but use them smartly. By recruiting the
right volunteer coordinator, keeping your volunteers informed
and happy, and defining goals for them ahead of time, you are
well on the way to creating your own team of volunteer
superstars.
How to Manage Political Campaign Volunteers
Joe Garecht
Volunteers are an integral part of almost every political
campaign. Whether you’re running for the School Board or the
Senate, chances are that a good portion of your campaign work
will be performed by volunteers.
Your volunteers are a great resource for your political campaign,
but they also pose additional issues for you: they’re not being
paid, so they can’t be fired, and they’re helping you (usually) out
of the goodness of their hearts (and because they believe in you),
so you have to be careful how you manage them. That being said,
most campaigns need volunteers to do the work, because they
couldn’t afford to hire enough staff to do all of the work that
needs to be done.
Recruiting Volunteers
The first step in using volunteers in your campaign is to recruit
them and get them on board. For more information on how to
find volunteers, read How to Find Volunteers for Your Political
Campaign and 5 Tips for Recruiting Political Volunteers.
Setting Expectations
Once you have your volunteers on board, be sure to set
expectations for them. The most important expectation to set is
one of professionalism. You’ll want to make it clear to your
volunteers that you consider them a part of your team, and that
you expect them to represent your campaign well.
The best way to set this expectation is by creating a professional
atmosphere. Treat your volunteers like your staff whenever
possible: give them a decent place to work at your office, invite
them to events, and set a good example in the workplace.
Another expectation you should set with your volunteers is what
type of work you envision them performing. I often suggest that
campaigns give titles and defined job responsibilities to their
most trusted volunteers.
When a volunteer signs up to work a couple of hours each week,
shows up on time for a few weeks, and works diligently, bring
them in for a meeting with the campaign manager and offer them
the chance to “take over” a project (even if it is only answering
the phones or sending thank you letters) during the hours they
are there. If they agree, give them a title (“Evening Receptionist”
or “Afternoon Mailroom Supervisor”) and a written job
description.
Making Team Players
It’s in everyone’s best interest to make your volunteers feel like
part of your team. Your volunteers will feel motivated and
grateful for the opportunity, and your campaign will reap the
benefits of good work product and happy volunteer staffers.
Let your paid staff and consultants know that they should make
the volunteers feel like part of the team. Of course, you may not
want your volunteers to be privy to everything that your paid
staff knows or has access to, but it generally does no harm to
invite your volunteers out to lunch, cc: them on some innocuous
notes and e-mails, and invite them to participate in some off-site
events or other perks.
For more information on making your volunteers part of your
team, read Creating Volunteer Superstars.
Tracking Performance
To get the most of out of your political campaign volunteers,
track their performance, just as you would with your paid staff.
Hold regular meetings with your volunteers to check on their
work, answer their questions, and offer guidance on coming
projects.
Also, be sure to thank your volunteers often. Remember, they
aren’t being paid to do this job… they’re doing it because they
believe in your cause.
How to Run a Great Door to Door Campaign
Joe Garecht
In local campaigns, often one of the most cost-effective and
beneficial activities is door-to-door campaigning. While national
and even statewide campaigns tend to shun door-to-door as a
way to reach voters and will use it only sparingly as a way to
generate media attention, candidates for local and county office
can set up effective door-to-door programs that reach most, if
not all of the campaign’s targeted voting base.
Where to go Door-To-Door
The first task for a successful door-to-door program is to
determine the precincts in which the candidate or staff should
use door-to-door campaigning. This is essentially a question of
time. While door-to-door campaigning is one of the most
effective ways to get voters to support a candidate, it is also one
of the most time consuming campaign activities. Campaigns
should start going door-to-door in swing districts: those districts
the candidate has a possibility of winning, but which are
undecided. These should be followed by districts that are most
likely to vote for the candidate. Finally, if there is time, the
candidate may go door-to-door in precincts he is probably not
going to win. Campaigns must be careful, however, about going
door-to -door in hostile precincts. While the candidate may pick
up a few votes, such campaigning has the potential to incite
hostile voters to be more involved in the opponent’s campaign.
Often, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Who Should go Door-To-Door
The most effective way for a campaign to generate votes with
door-to-door campaigning is for the candidate to go himself. The
success of the appeal flows from the candidate. The candidate
can generate more votes and goodwill than his spouse, who in
turn, can generate more support than the candidate’s friends,
and they, in turn, can generate more than his staff, and so forth.
Some campaigns who need to cover a lot of ground can’t have the
candidate visit all of the precincts they would like to cover, and
thus must use staff and volunteers to go door-to-door. While this
is less effective, it can still be very successful if the right
procedures are followed.
Before You Go
Before knocking on doors, the campaign should locate a copy of
the “street lists” for the precincts that are going to be walked.
These lists contain the names of all registered voters, with party
affiliation (if applicable), arranged by street. Such lists are
available at the local election office, county clerk’s office, or other
election board for the campaign area. Occasionally, a small fee is
charged for this information. The campaign should decide in
advance who will be visited… Is the candidate going to target just
voters of his own party? Or is he going to visit independents, or
perhaps even members of opposing parties? Non-voters,
however, should not be visited. The street list will not contain
the names of people who are not registered to vote — thus, if no
one is listed as an eligible voter at a particular address, the
candidate should not waste time knocking there — there is too
much to do and too little time to do its. In strong precincts, these
people can be targeted with a voter registration campaign by the
campaign’s staff, but the candidate should pass these houses by.
The campaign may also want to think about sending out
postcards the week before the candidate will be going door-to-
door, with a short message like “I’ll be in your area on (give the
specific day) and hope to be able to talk to you regarding the
upcoming election.” The postcard can also contain a picture of
the candidate. This way, voters will know who the candidate is
and why he is there before he knocks on the door. If postcards
are sent, the candidate must show up to campaign on the day
listed — rain or shine. Nothing damages credibility like telling
people you will be somewhere and then failing to show up.
The Big Day
On the day that the candidate goes door-to-door, he should not
go alone. At least one aide should visit each home with him. This
aide can cut off talkative visitees, take names and hand out
literature. If the candidate is held up at any one door, the aide
should step in and explain, “I’m sorry, we must move along.”
Thus, the candidate is spared from having to cut the voter off.
When the candidate knocks, he should have a piece of literature
(palm card) handy to give to each voter. The aide who is with
him will take notes and write down what, if any, issues the voter
is interested in. If the voter is particularly supportive of the
candidate, the aide can take down the voter’s name and number
to be a volunteer or put up a yard sign. The candidate must never
argue with the voter– if the voter does not support the candidate,
the candidate can simply move along (the aide can facilitate this).
The candidate should never, ever argue.
If the person being visited is not home, the candidate or his staff
should place a door hanger or other note on the house’s door
with a short note, something to the effect of “I stopped by but
you weren’t home. I hope that I can meet you sometime soon to
discuss the issues that are important to you.” The staff should
already have added a short, handwritten note to the card, with a
“personal” message for the voter, something like “I hope to see
you soon — John Smith”
Afterward
After going door-to-door, the aide who went with the candidate
should write down all of the notes he took during the trip (enter
into the computer, if applicable). He should also make sure that
any yard signs or literature the voters asked for is mailed out or
delivered. Every voter who was actually home when the
candidate knocked should get a note the following week
thanking them for their time. This way the single door-to-door
campaign has produced at least three contacts per voter — One
note saying “I’m coming,” one visit from the candidate (or staff)
and one note saying “Thanks for having me.” The door-to-door
experience is also sure to gain a few extra yard signs, and maybe
even some volunteers.
Door-to-door campaigning, especially in small districts, is one of
the most cost-effective methods for garnering votes. With a
dedicated candidate and staff, and a plan in place, the campaign
can be sure to make the experience enjoyable and successful.
Article Archives
Categories:
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How to Find Amazing Volunteers and Use Them to Win
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Developing a Campaign Message that Voters Actually
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The Ultimate Guide: Successful Door-to-Door
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How to Use Voter Blitzes to Build Excitement for Your
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Exploding Common Myths about Raising Political Money
4 Tips for Raising More Through Political Direct Mail
Fundraising
Beginner's Guide to Political Strategy
Your Fundraising Calls Start in 30 Minutes
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Why YOU Should Run for Office
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Tips for Local Candidates Preparing for the Next Election
Cycle
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Last Minute Political Advice
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Standing Up for What You Believe In
Winning a Run-Off Election
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Beginner's Guide to Building a Strong Political
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Running for Office When You Have a Day Job
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3 Cheap Ways to Get Your Campaign Message Out
Overcoming Your Biggest Roadblocks to Running for
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Beginner's Guide to Grassroots Campaiging
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The Best Political Campaign Strategy for You
You Won Your Primary Election Campaign: Now What?
5 More Secrets for Winning a Political Campaign
Beginner's Guide to Political Fundraising
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Your Guide to Writing a Great Stump Speech
Winning Political Tips: An Interview with Political Author
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How to Manage Political Campaign Volunteers
Guide to Using Voter Lists in Your Campaign
Thinking Big in Politics
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Political Robocalls: Do’s and Don’ts
Beginner's Guide to Political Communications
The Pros and Cons of Starting Your Own Political Action
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Why Some Campaign Slogans Fail
Great Websites for Political Candidates
The Negative Campaigning Debate
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How to Win a Multi-Candidate Election
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Political Careers: Finding Your Path to the Top
Advanced Political Fundraising: How to Make an Ask
Political Fundraising 101
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How to Get Elected Even if Nobody Knows You
The Question of the Election
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How NOT to Win Election Campaigns
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Political Slogans: Creating a Compelling Campaign Slogan
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The #1 Tip for Republicans Running in Urban Districts
Strengthen Your Local Political Party
How to Get Involved with Your Local Political Party
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3 Best Ways for Under-Funded Candidates to Be Heard
Planning Your Campaign Kick-Off Event
What's Your Political Yard Sign Strategy?
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Using the Internet in Your Political Campaign
Political Direct Mail that Sizzles!
The #1 Rule for Getting Press Coverage for Your
Campaign
The Best Ways to Prepare for a Political Debate
How to Design Great Political Signs
Does Your Campaign Have Effective Get Out the Vote
Literature?
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Message: The King of All Political Tactics
Winning Elections in the New American Politics
Running for Office in a College Town
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3 Quick Political Tips
Test Your Message - Early and Often
How to Target Your Campaign Tactics
Keeping Your Campaign on Message
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The Constant Campaign
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Entering the Political Home Stretch
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Ready, Aim, Target
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How to Beat an Incumbent
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The Elected Official's Guide to Getting Re-Elected
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Winning Your Election by Getting Out the Vote
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Bank
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How to Run a Great Door to Door Campaign
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The Right Way to Hold a Voter Registration Drive
Successful Absentee Voter Drives
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Run a Campaign School and Educate Your Team
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How to Raise Political Donations Online
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Following Up on Donor Pledges
Finding the Money to Start Your Political Campaign
How to Set Up a Minor Donor Program
Why Your Campaign Needs a Fundraising Plan
How to Ask for Money for Your Campaign
Top 10 Political Fundraising Do's and Don'ts
10 Steps to a Successful Fundraising Event
Writing a Political Fundraising Plan
Political Fundraising Networks
What are PACs?
Raising Money From PACs