Mobilizing Volunteers: Best Practices

Do you need insights on coordinating volunteers for block walks?

In recognition of #NationalVolunteerMonth, I will share my organizational tips for coordinating volunteers to help knock doors for candidates.

Mobilizing Volunteers: Best Practices

Be Organized

Provide a meeting location for the block walk whether it is at a county party office, a park or at someone's house in the target precinct. Make sure you have block walking supplies for your volunteers to retrieve before block walking. Need a block walk checklist? Please read last week's blog and save this Block Walk Checklist!

Assign A Voter Contact App

Tell your volunteers which voter contact app to download. If they don’t have an account for the voter contact app, be ready to set up an account for them and assign them a walk book. Be brief but clear on your message to voters to convince them to vote for candidates. Don’t overcomplicate the message for volunteers to communicate to voters.

Be Flexible

If you have recruited volunteers to block walk, please listen to what works best for them. For example, some volunteers prefer to block walk only nearby neighborhoods. Other volunteers may be more flexible and meet you in any neighborhood regardless if it is near or far. Most volunteers are willing to help on weekends but you may be lucky with a superstar volunteer who helps you knock on doors on the weekdays!

Provide Contact Information

I recommend making business cards with your contact information to give to your volunteers. It is important for volunteers to have a point of contact if they have questions or requests. I had a volunteer request me to drop off campaign literature to his home so he could block walk in his neighborhood. Provide business cards to each block walk kickoff.

Be Patient

Your campaign will have volunteers who have never block walked before. Fortunately, there are user-friendly voter contact apps, to train your volunteers on how to use. Let volunteers go with you to each door until they become comfortable with block walking on their own. Some may need more time to get the hang of block walking than others so please do not get frustrated.

Write and Deliver Thank You Notes

Show your gratitude to your volunteers for their efforts to take time out of their weekends to help you knock on doors. Write and deliver your volunteers thank you notes each time they help you. You can hand deliver a pre-written thank you note at the block walk meeting location. Another option is to mail your volunteers thank you notes. The best way to get their address is to create a sign-in sheet for them to fill in their address. Writing thank you notes is a lost art and your volunteers will greatly appreciate it.

It is important to make sure your volunteers are comfortable and satisfied. Make sure they have everything they need and answer any of their questions. Successfully coordinating block walks will entice them to come help your campaign more than once.