Monday, January 09, 2006

Motivated Volunteers Are Worth More Than Paid Staff

Given that campaigns are limited in resources, particularly money, it is very difficult to hire enough staff to do all of the work that needs to be done in a campaign. Finding volunteers early and finding the volunteers who will actually do work is critical in helping a campaign get out its message.

The best place to look for volunteers is with the local party organization. The party leaders should know who has worked for candidates in the past and who may be willing to work for the candidacy now. Annotating those names in the database is critical, as one of the first tasks when a campaign gets into an area is organizing volunteers. Saving the campaign time and effort in winnowing down a list will be extremely useful.

Not everybody who wants to help a campaign is willing to do the same thing. The campaign should have a list of potential areas that need help to offer several opportunities for potential volunteers to contribute. Those can include:
  • Making phone calls. As will be discussed in a subsequent article, not all phone calls are alike. Some are information-gathering in nature, some are get out the vote in nature, and some are campaign sales pitches.
  • Hand out campaign literature. This can be at rallies, local public locations, and at the polling stations, as long as the representatives are an appropriate distance from the voting area.
  • Write letters. Letters to the editor show that a candidacy has support among the populace as well as helping to shape the debate and where a candidate stands on issues.
  • Deliver campaign materials. Signs don’t appear in yards through magic. Somebody has to deliver signs. Fliers don’t appear in cubbyholes and mailboxes. Somebody has to put them in cubbyholes or stuff envelopes.
  • Manage the database. Make sure that this person is skilled enough in either basic spreadsheets, database software, or SQL to be a benefit rather than a hindrance to the campaign.

Many other opportunities exist, and it is up to the campaign to determine where the most help is needed and where labor can be applied to the tasks. Some tasks are best handled either by individuals or by professionals.

It is incumbent upon the campaign to identify these volunteers early and put them to work. Even if the candidate has to make personal contact to solicit and enlist volunteers, they will be a force multiplier much greater than an equivalent amount of money, as these are people who are in the community, know their neighbors, have influence, and can bring skills to bear in the campaign. Identify them and keep a record of them so that when the campaign is over, the candidate can send thank you letters for the support, and hopefully can call upon them again as an incumbent in the next election cycle.

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