Canvassing Works

'Changing the world one door at a time'

The Concord Insider, a publication of the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire, ran a glowing feature recently on their local Fund for the Public Interest canvass office. The article focuses a lot on the atmosphere of an office and what motivates its staff, with a cute bit about the start of a canvasser's day:

"Back in the office on Friday, half-drunk Dunkin' Donuts coffee cups mix in with the banter of a crew just getting into the heartbeat of a new day. Like in most offices, people gather in groups, making small talk and entering into the work culture. Unlike most offices, people are exchanging ideas, passions, high fives - while the Red Hot Chili Peppers urge them on from the boom box."

And a nice plug for the office's campaign work:

"The fund has had great success in actually changing laws and making an impact.

A list of accomplishments might look like this: Protect Lake Sunapee from storm runoff, check. Protect the Great Bay Estuary with research and recommended action plans, check. Raise money to fight changes in the Clean Water Act that leave New Hampshire's streams and lakes open to unlimited dumping of toxins, check. Stop childhood obesity in its tracks - well, working on it."

Well-deserved recognition guys!

Read the full story here.

Longtime activist sticks up for Denver canvassers

If you've traveled to or through Colorado by air prior to June, you might have noticed that Denver International Airport was a little different than others. Along with food courts and newstands, the common space was open to canvassers. On the way to baggage claim, travelers often saw representatives from groups like Environment Colorado, Planned Parenthood or ACLU asking for a minute of their time.

Surely some found it a bother, but it was pretty great to see such a thriving marketplace of ideas right in the middle of a major hub of national travel. Sadly, in June DIA decided to ban canvassing. It was an unfortunate decision, but along the way it was great to see people who support canvassing stick up for the practice in the form of several public comments. 

We came across one such comment from Ken Ward, who's been working for 30 years on environmental issues for several high-profile groups, including as deputy executive director for Greenpeace USA. Here's what he had to say (it's pretty great): 

Dear Mr. Hagerty,

Among major US airports, there are really only a handful which stand out. If you aren't paying attention, it's possible to land at an O'Hare, Newark or Dallas-Forth Worth and find oneself walking down the concourse, passing GAPs and McDonalds, with only advertising to tell you where you are ("Phoenix: We Mean Business!"). 

But Denver is different. First, there's the mountains, of course. Then there's the astonishing design of Denver International, with its echos of the Rockies and pioneer tents; nifty in the day, spectacular at night. I might quibble a bit with the marketing decisions – Denver ought to follow Portland's lead, choosing local Powell's Used Books instead of one more Barnes and Noble – but the cool high speed people mover quickly reminds you it's Denver.

Now I'm not going to argue that I'm always looking forward to being hit up by some bushy-tailed college kid, eager to talk about saving the chub or some such, after a long and exhausting flight, and I'll be the first to say that I often wave 'em away without compunction. But here's the thing, the fact that Denver does have it's bushy-tailed, generally young, concerned folks out at the airport, means that Denver stands out from most all the rest of major metropolitan airports in the nation – in addition, of course, to its spectacular design and backdrop – by demonstrating an enthusiasm for civic action that is utterly absent elsewhere. It's possible to fly through most major airports and unless one troubles to buy the local paper, never receive a single impression that people live there. Whether you listen to their pitch or wave 'em away, the do-gooders greeting you in Denver let you know where you are: a place where community matters are debated, public mindedness is respected, and democracy remains vital. 

I understand that Denver International Airport is considering regulations that would restrict such activity. Though I'm sure the arguments for doing so, in terms of security, comfort, cost and ease of travel, are strong, please consider the less obvious, but nonetheless powerful case that by treating its airport as the public space it truly is, Denver presents to travelers a robust civic spirit like no other major city.

I thank you for your attention. 

Best,

Ken 

We were sad to see those canvassers go, but what a great sentiment. And rest assured, those bushy-tailed concerned folks are still out there fighting the good fight.

Ken Ward is a climate campaigner and carpenter with thirty years of experience (jeez!). He is co-founder of the Jamaica Plain Green House and was recently hired as Director of the Apeiron Institute for Sustainability. 

Want people to vote? Knock on their doors.

A campaign veteran and web columnist for Canada's The Globe and Mail recently offered frank advice to those running for public office: Want to win? Knock on doors. 

He cites a prominent Yale study that compared the effectiveness of different voter outreach methods in a 1998 New Haven, Connecticut election. Their findings? Mailings and phone calls had little or no impact on voter turnout. Canvassing did. In fact, face-to-face outreach increased turnout substantially, while calls had no impact and mail had a slight impact. Steele writes:

So the formula is simple.

If you want to win an election, first you have to find and energize a cadre of people who will carry your message. They have to be motivated to knock on doors, not just once or twice but several times a week....

The Obama campaign did a lot of things right.

The thing they did best – and even their top people say this – is motivate their supporters to go out and talk to their neighbours.

They spent their money on a door-to-door ground game of volunteer mobilization, not on splashy TV ads or robo-calls.

So if you care about politics, get off this website and go knock on some doors.

The Yale study took it a step further and hypothesized that sinking voter turnout can be tied to less overall personal involvement and a decline in face-to-face political activism. Sage advice from Mr. Steele as the 2012 election comes barreling our way.

The Globe and Mail, Second Reading blog

Meshawn Ayala, Constituency Relations Director at Friends of the Chicago River

Meshawn is a veteran of canvass offices across the country, and recently took on a key role at the great preservation nonprofit, Friends of the Chicago River. Canvassing Works is proud to call her a friend, and she was kind enough to share some insight into how canvassing influenced her career:

"When I first started canvassing for the Fund for the Public Interest right after college, I thought I wouldn't last long. After two weeks though, I considered myself an expert canvasser - training new staff and training to become a leader in the office. A month later we won our campaign and I never turned back. Canvassing was one of the most challenging things I've done, and one of the most rewarding. I started doing it as just temporary work while I was job hunting, but more than 10 years later I'm still working on these important issues that I first got into as a canvasser. I'm still using what I learned."

Meshawn Ayala is the Constituency Relations Director at Friends of the Chicago River, a nonprofit that works to preserve and protect the health and vitality of the Chicago River. At Friends, Meshawn focuses on organizational development through building coalitions, doing community outreach, and expanding social media. She is currently working on a campaign to remove two of the oldest dams on the North Branch of the Chicago River.

Her career with the Fund started in 1999 as a canvasser in Berkeley, CA, where she thought she would canvass until she found a "real job." One week later she was a Field Manager and one month later she was a Canvass Director. Meshawn directed offices in Berkeley, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego before moving to Chicago to be the Midwest Regional Director in 2005.  

Keep up the great work Meshawn!

Canvassing steals the show in Miranda July's "The Future"

Miranda July's new movie "The Future," is getting great reviews and a lot of buzz, and features a particulary funny scene involving door-to-door canvassing. Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips calls it a "vexing blend of foggy whimsy and observant soul-searching."

The premise involves a couple reluctant to surrender to age, who decide to adopt a street cat named "Paw-Paw" as a statement of adulthood. In the 30 days leading up to little Paw-Paw coming home with them, the couple (played by July and Hamish Linklater) decide this is their time to seize youth. 

"Forty is basically 50 and after 50 the rest is just loose change," says Jason.

His response: become a canvasser, going door-to-door asking people if they have a moment to reduce global warming.

It's a pretty amusing scene. Whether you've knocked on doors or not, check this one out. 

Miranda July's "The Future"

In the future, all canvassers will be robots

Okay, maybe not. But they are pretty cute.

The Chronicle's prospecting blog posted this look at international attempts to introduce robotics to the world of street fundraising. This is DON-8r, a "wee robot" from Scotland. 

He (or she) is adorable and popular with children, but not a great fundraiser. However Dona, a Korean-made "urban donation motivation robot" motivated people to donate at about $30 per hour. Not bad. Saving up for an oil change we can believe in?

Read the whole post here.

Students' letter to the editor: Canvassing is effective, leaves 'huge impact'

The Daily Northwestern, student newspaper at Northwestern University, recently ran an article critical of the Fund for the Public Interest, mostly citing arguments canvass supporters have long-disputed on this site. The article quoted one student who had interviewed for a job, but was missing the perspective of students who had actually canvassed for the Fund.

Fortunately, one current and one former Northwestern student who spent a summer canvassing in Illinois last year weren't about to let the article go unanswered. Garrett Boileve and Jack Marquadt took time from their busy post-canvassing lives to let readers know about their rewarding experiences.

It's a great letter and well worth a read. The following ran in the opinion page of the Daily Northwestern on May 3:

As an NU student who spent a season canvassing with the Fund for the Public Interest, I felt it only fair to represent the other side of the story, the positive experience many people have canvassing each year. I'm writing on behalf of myself and Jack Marquardt (Bienen '10), who also canvassed with the Fund and took issue with the article.

Last year, I looked for a summer job, just hoping for something to tide me over until the beginning of the school year in the fall. I saw an ad online for work where I could make a difference in our community, and I took the bait.

Going into this job, everyone knows one thing: You're not signing up to be a barista. Don't get me wrong, baristas work hard. But the effort that you put into a job walking around neighborhoods all day, talking to people about politics is not the same type of effort you'd see in your average seasonal work.

About that, the article was correct — canvassing is hard work. There are also fundraising requirements canvassers have to meet to keep their jobs. Is that harsh? It may seem that way from the outside. And there is no denying that it is somewhat stressful trying to prove yourself within a limited time. When I first started, I was worried about losing my job.

But it's fair when you consider what it takes financially for an organization to survive and be effective on a local and national scale. Also, our canvass directors provided a great amount of encouragement and training to help us be successful. Not the poor treatment, or forced overtime the article claimed.

So all that said, why did I stick with it and spend a summer doing this kind of work?

Since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, activists have known that the only way to get people involved is to look them in the eye and say, "Are you comfortable with where we are right now?" It's easy to avoid questions like this on a daily basis, especially today with all the niche political blogs and slanted sensationalist TV. And honestly, with caller ID and email filters, it's even harder to get through to people.

But over the years, activists have still found (including during Obama's campaign for president) that looking people in the eyes and shaking their hands remains the best way to get them involved and give them a chance to reach out their own helping hands.

During our time with the Fund, Jack, I and the rest of our team worked to clean up Lake Michigan and protect it from polluters. We worked to give the LGBT community equal rights in the workplace. We worked to fix the school lunch system in Chicago and nationally, to make the food kids eat healthier and safer. That last campaign we were able to see a victory, as the USDA recently strengthened its regulations.

I spoke to people who worked at Google, state senators, and even music composers for video games. You never know whom you'll run into, and that is a big part of what makes the job such a joy.

You work with students and passionate young adults out of college who are ready to tackle larger issues than themselves. People who are willing to admit that the world is not run by independent and selfish people, but people dependent on each other, in search of a fairer and more just world. That is what made this job pretty awesome. You had a chance to see fire in people's eyes every day. Sounds like a pretty sweet summer, right?

There is a reason Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky believes in canvassing so much: It works, and it leaves a huge impact on the people who stick with it. I ended the season with lifelong friends, a new perspective on our city and a wealth of knowledge about our fellow citizens and the issues they care about.

Anyone can say, "It's not worth it." But, you'll never know until you try, and that is true for anything.  As a Northwestern student, you probably figured that out a long time ago.

—Garrett Boileve

Communication senior

Former canvasser

Well said guys, you've made a lot of current and former canvassers proud!

Link to letter and original article.

Judge rejects Target's attempt to ban canvassers from CA stores

A quick update on Target's lawsuit against Canvass For A Cause, the San Diego-based LGBT rights group. San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Barton denied the retailer's preliminary injunction that attempted to ban CFAC's canvassers from all stores in the state. 

The legal case will continue, but this is great news for CFAC and all canvass groups, and director Tres Watson called it “a win for people who believe in free speech.”

The group's lawyer Bryan Pease noted it wasn't a full victory for either side, but the judge rejected Target's overreach. 

“Target was not given the sweeping injunction they asked for, and the decision recognizes both the activists’ free speech rights and Target’s property rights,” he said.

Read the full article and see the judge's ruling at The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Target lawsuit against gay rights group aims to prohibit canvassing

Target Corp.'s courtroom battle with a San Diego gay rights group is endangering the retailer's already-strained relationship with the LGBT community, but it also threatens to strike a blow to the free speech rights of political canvassers. 

The Minnesota-based corporation made headlines all over the country Friday, as a California judge began to hear its lawsuit against Canvass For A Cause, a pro-gay marriage group that has been canvassing outside Target stores. The suit seeks to bar the activists from all Target locations in California, alleging the canvassers are "harassing and cornering" customers, according to the AP.

Target is catching increasing heat from the gay and lesbian community following a controversial $150,000 donation to a group backing a Minnesota Republican candidate who opposed gay marriage. But the retailer insists the lawsuit is not politicially motivated, and seeks only to provide a "distraction-free shopping experience."

CFAC is fighting the injunction:

Canvass For A Cause director Tres Watson says Target wants to silence the 12,000-member group that formed in 2009 because it promotes gay marriage.

"It's very David vs. Goliath," he said. "We understand they're the Goliath in the room. They've got all money in world to get us to stop talking about gay marriage."

Watson says volunteers are trained daily on being professional and polite and their aim is to educate the public about the rights of gays and lesbians.

He says they have a right to work outside the stores and the courts have ruled in the past that shopping centers are today's public squares where freedom of speech should be allowed.

No doubt most groups that canvass are watching this case closely, and we here at Canvassing Works support CFAC's position. It's troubling that Target would pick another fight with the LGBT community, but also disturbing that the retailer is trying to dispense with political discourse as nothing more than harassment or a distraction. 

California courts have ruled in the past that on private property like shopping centers and malls, free speech rights apply the same as in a public forum. 

Judge Jeffrey Barton should rule in favor of CFAC, and in defense of freedom of expression over the corporation's self-interest. Canvass For A Cause is fighting, not just for LGBT rights, but for the basic rights of Americans to engage in free political discussion. 

Target sues San Diego gay rights group

Boston Globe: "For Democrats, door-to-door did the trick"

Here's a cool article that ran in Boston Globe in the days following 2010 mid-terms. It wasn't a pretty election, but some races demonstrated what we all know: good people knocking on doors can still win elections. 

 

The Boston Globe

For Democrats, door-to-door did the trick

By Lisa Wangsness / Globe Staff / November 4, 2010

Michael Kineavy was helping run an extraordinarily intensive get-out-the-vote efforts for Governor Deval Patrick and the Democratic ticket. Turnout in Boston precincts had to approach 45 percent by day’s end, he knew. By 3 p.m., just 23 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots.

Kineavy asked the Patrick campaign if he could do a robocall to drive more people to the polls. No, the answer came back: This was a people’s campaign, and it would be won with personal conversations, mostly through knocking on doors. Kineavy returned to the herculean task of marshaling some 2,700 volunteers to attempt to either call or visit 100,000 households twice on Election Day. Three hours later, turnout was at 36 percent and rising fast.

“It reinforced that the door-to-door, face-to-face is the single best way to do it,’’ Kineavy said in an interview yesterday. “I give a nod to the campaign to have the courage to try all this stuff. . . . They stuck with it to the end.’’

Of all the things that went right for Patrick Tuesday, one big one was Menino’s legendary machine. By the end of the day, more Bostonians had voted than in 2006, supplying Patrick with vital support in the state’s most important Democratic stronghold. Help from labor unions, particularly the Service Employees International Union and the building trades, provided critical muscle on the ground. Neighborhood organizers with decades of political experience lent their expertise and personal networks.

But Menino’s operation did not make the difference alone. A new generation of political activists worked side-by-side with Menino volunteers, particularly in heavily minority neighborhoods, using everything from text messages to fliers on windshields to lengthy discussions to get out the vote.

Together, these groups carried out one of the most ambitious ground efforts ever undertaken in the state.

Read the full article