| Building The Washington Grassroots Organization |
Canvassing Tips and Techniques
Closing Your Presentation
Hopefully you’ve guided your presentation towards the importance of taking personal responsibility. Especially with those who are demonstrating agreement with this principle, now is the time to see if you can get the people you're canvassing to take personal responsibility themselves.
Among the things you can do to ask the other person to take personal responsibility are:
- Put up a yard sign
- Make a financial contribution to the campaign
- Become more involved in local grassroots efforts for the campaign
- Keep informed about the campaign and attend local events
- Are they registered to vote? If not, we’ll have forms and will mail them in if the person wants to fill them out on the spot.
- Attend the caucus on February 9, 2008, to select our delegates to the nominating convention. (Here you can make the point that Washington uses the caucus system to select delegates to the convention, NOT THE PRIMARY ELECTION. Traditionally only two percent (2%) of the people in Washington State attend the caucus.)
Envelopes for the financial contributions are being provided by the campaign, so please utilize those materials when appropriate. If you don’t receive these envelopes, please carry the Official Financial Contribution Forms with you. (Right click on the link to download a copy of this form.)
For the other items, this is where your sign–up sheets become important. Be sure to get contact information for those people that are interested in any of the other ways of being involved in the campaign. Before you leave the door, be sure the contact information is legible and clear.
By all means, ensure that any and all appropriate follow–up is accomplished.
The campaign has asked that all contact information be forwarded to the Chicago office. (Your event host will take care of this.) However, canvass leaders should be sure to keep a copy of this contact information for themselves, and share that information with others who are actively organizing the local efforts. This is the way that well be able to get more people involved to whatever degree these individuals are comfortable with.
Let’s not be like the traditional canvassers. For those that are interested in becoming more involved, let’s not let this be the last time they hear from someone associated with the campaign. Again, this is a great organizing tool if we use it properly.
As you leave the house that you’re canvassing, be sure to smile, and thank them for their time.