10 Ways to Be Every Field Staffer’s Favorite Volunteer: Confessions of a Former Campaign Staffer

It’s that time of year again! Campaign headquarters will be popping up in a town near you and young strangers will begin cold calling your home asking if you will be interested in volunteering for a particular candidate or your county party.

I have run more than my share of campaign headquarters over the years and they have been some of the most rewarding and memorable moments in my career. Nothing compares to the relationships you develop with all the wonderful volunteers who start out as strangers and by the end of a cycle become your friends. Even though I don’t run campaign headquarters anymore because I’m busy traveling the state training activist and future candidates, I still keep in touch with many of the volunteers I’ve had through the years across the state.

Volunteers are the backbone of a successful campaign and the very important boots on the ground. I appreciate great volunteers so much! It always amazes me to see the dedication that volunteers offer to a campaign, spending their extra nights and weekends helping contact voters without pay. In order to make the best use of the volunteer’s time and to best help the campaign, here are my top 10 pointers. Keeping these things in mind will make you every field staffer’s favorite volunteer!

1. Sign up for a shift to volunteer:

Even better, make volunteering part of your weekly routine. Drop the kids off at t-ball, dance class, piano lessons and head over to headquarters or stop for an hour after work. When you’re finished with your shift, sign up for another one! Also, just for a reminder, don’t leave us hanging if you can’t make it for your volunteer shift please call your field staff and let them know.

2. Knock on doors often:

Face-to-face contact is the absolute best form of voter contact there is. Ask your field staff to get you a packet and please stick to the people on the list. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had volunteers come back to my headquarters with names scribbled on their bubble sheets because “the campaign missed a lot of people on that street.” Campaigns rely on micro targeting to ensure voter turnout and contact so don’t waste your time (or anyone else’s time) by wasting energy on folks not on your walk list. Please also complete your walk book. We’re stuck holding down the fort so we depend on you to finish your 25 or 50 households.

3. Don’t ask to help with “stuffing envelopes”:

I’ve had countless folks ask to help with tasks like this. Unless it’s a small local race, the majority of mailings are done through companies that handle bulk mail. If phone calls and door knocking aren’t your thing, perhaps putting yard signs together would be a more effective use of your time.

4. Do bring us food:

We’ve been working 85 plus hours a week. We haven’t seen our friends, our families, or a meal that doesn’t consist of Starbucks, energy drinks and pizza in weeks if not months. So if you have a famous meatloaf or an award winning pie you’d like for us to try, bring it on in!

5. Rally the troops:

Are you involved with a women’s group, a Bible study, a homeschool organization, or card club? Rally the troops and bring them by for a night of phone banking or door knocking. Everything is better with a friend!

6. We can have fun but let’s get the work done:

I like to have a laid back and fun headquarters, but I also like to accomplish goals. Talk and joke and have a good time while volunteering but it’s important to not lose sight of why you’re there. There’s nothing more frustrating than when call time becomes social time. When there’s more socializing than phone banking going on, and in an hours time less than 100 calls are made, we have a problem. Don’t be the person who gets everyone off track and distracts them from the task at hand.

7. Haters gonna hate:

Yes, it’s true. We aren’t calling all like-minded individuals and we’ll be visiting homes of folks who may not agree with us, but don’t get discouraged. It’s all in our plan to see who is on board, who is not, and who can be swayed. The “do not call” lists and no solicitation signs don’t deter us. Don’t let the haters get in your head, don’t argue, thank them for their time, and move on. We have hearts and minds to change and votes to secure, so as we say in Central Pennsylvania, make hay while the sun shines!

8. Don’t sign wave:

If it were up to me sign waving would be nonexistent. Standing on the side of the road with a sign while people drive by at 45mph accomplishes nothing. What does have an effect on the outcome of an election is voter contact. Speaking to a voter directly — either on the phone or at their door — has a greater impact than any homemade sign with a name plastered on it.

9. Trust the professionals:

I’m not saying that we always get things right, but there is a method to the madness you’ll see during a campaign. You’d be surprised by just how much thought goes into the script, targeted audience, and areas where doors are knocked. With that being said, if a door or phone script isn’t reading well or people are hanging up on you before you even get through the introduction, then talk to your field staff. We want you to be comfortable and effective!

10. Yard signs and bumper stickers don’t win elections:

Please don’t come in to headquarters demanding yard signs or bumper stickers without doing at least an hour of volunteer work. There are often limited amounts of yard signs and bumper stickers per headquarters. I like to use them as rewards for the folks who are taking the time out of their busy schedules to help reach out to voters. Don’t take it personally — I don’t play favorites, but if you help me, I’ll help you!