How You Can Help Democrats Win In One Hour
A donated hour allows you to have either a wider range of contacts or a few deeper, more personal interactions. These actions can be taken while listening to music, on a lunch break, or during a small chunk of available time. All of them help boost the chances of Democratic victories.
IN ONE HOUR, YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY:
HAVE A DRINK OR CUP OF COFFEE WITH A FRIEND. Discuss the upcoming election, whether in terms of policies or feelings of frustration, anger, hope, resolution. If the friend is open to the idea of taking action, discuss ideas for volunteerism, either individually, together, or as part of a larger group. Discuss how taking action might soothe unsettling feelings, or give a boost to positive feelings.
WRITE TEN PRO-VOTING POSTCARDS. These can be targeted to a specific state or kept in general language. If you don’t have a list of addresses, don’t worry: You can either bring the pre-written postcards to a postcard-writing gathering or obtain addresses later from an organization that sponsors postcard-writing events. Organizations such as Vote Forward offer names and addresses relevant to specific causes and political campaigns.
PRACTICE YOUR CANVASSING TECHNIQUE. If you are doing live canvassing, ask the canvassing organization’s leaders for resources on effective techniques. Review the resources, familiarize yourself with relevant political issues, and brush up on responsive listening-style interactions. Roleplay with a sympathetic – or even not-so-sympathetic – friend or family member. Get feedback on your presentation style, your words, and your ability to handle out-of-the-ordinary responses.
LISTEN TO SOMEONE OUTSIDE OF YOUR DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP. Discussing the most effective ways (in terms of channels and wording) of communicating with those outside one’s age, gender, race or other identity circles will open new opportunities for potential voter engagement. Send or bring the feedback to volunteer outreach organizations.
ASSEMBLE A LIST OF SYMPATHETIC PERSONAL CONTACTS WHO LIVE IN IMPORTANT STATES OR DISTRICTS. OUR STRATEGY LISTS SOME OF THE CONTESTS ON WHICH WE’RE FOCUSING. States and districts with key political races will vary on an election-by-election basis, but as of 2022 include senate or gubernatorial races in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
When making your list, include everyone, even if they seem obvious. Making the list as inclusive as possible will make outreach easier when “going down the list.” Include name, address, phone number, and email address. Keep this list handy for reminder phone calls, get out the vote efforts, and in-state insight into political races of interest.
POST TO SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTEERING EFFORTS – AND TAG THE ACTION GROUP NYC. Using whichever networks you are on to offer details about your volunteering goes a long way toward expanding the impact of your efforts. These activities also build your network of like-minded people, making your volunteer work more enjoyable. Remember to link to relevant organizations!
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH US. The Action Group NYC welcomes written volunteer testimonials, amusing and intriguing accounts of activities in which you’ve participated, event photos, and suggestions regarding best practices.
DROP PRE-WRITTEN, UNADDRESSSED POSTCARDS OFF WITH A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. You can write postcards encouraging voter participation even if you don’t have a list of postcard recipients! The Action Group NYC is happy to add these to its postcard mailing efforts.
RESEARCH AND FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH RELEVANT CANDIDATES AND ISSUES. Doing so will be very useful if you are doing any sort of state-specific outreach.
IF YOUR WRITING SKILLS ARE SOLID, OFFER TO WRITE UP NOTES FROM ACTIVITIES. Taking this task off the hands of volunteer group leaders gives them timely content for their websites, social media feeds, newsletters, and other information and engagement channels.
BRAINSTORM ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITY: CHECK OUR CALENDAR OF EVENTS for upcoming volunteer activities!
