Facebook Groups & Volunteer Engagement For Riding Associations

"The Amex Card - Membership Has Its Privileges"

A number of years ago, American Express had an advertising program with the tagline "Membership has its privileges." Their commercials featured exotic vacations, multi-course gourmet meals and the like. The ads would end with the tagline "Membership has its privileges" ...... the implication being certain things were only available through your American Express credit card. You weren't a "cardholder". You were a "member" of an exclusive club ......   an exclusive privileged class ...... and not everyone could get an Amex card. 

Facebook And The Advent of Social Media

The advent of social media ..... and Facebook in particular ..... has turned organizations and election campaigns upside-down and on their heads.  75% of everybody is on Facebook.  60% of everybody gets their news via Facebook.  Social media is the new reality.  An organization that doesn't have a strategy for using Facebook is at a disadvantage.  How can we use Facebook to our advantage for our riding association and our election campaign?  

Facebook Organization
Facebook has 3 types of "walls" that are used for different purposes and by different entities.  

• An individual person's Facebook wall is known as a "Profile".  Only people can have a "Facebook Profile".  And your "followers" are known as your "Friends".  
• If you're a corporation, a business, an organization, or a "personality", you can't have a "Facebook Profile" but you can have a "Facebook Page". And your "followers" are known as "Fans".  
• If a group of persons want to have a discussion forum, they can have a "Facebook Group".   And these people are known as "Members".  

Since "Facebook Profiles" are for individuals, there's only two ways for a riding association to organize Facebook - a "Facebook Page".  And a "Facebook Group".  

Facebook Pages For Riding Associations

A riding association's Facebook page is where you post your official happenings of what's going on in the riding, your events, and other items of interest.  You usually set it so that the public can see what is being posted to the Facebook Page.  

But not everybody can post to it.  Posting is usually restricted to those people you've authorized to make posts .... the ones you've named as "moderators".  And if posting by others is allowed, it usually requires approval by a moderator before the post shows up on the Facebook page.  

The "Formality" Of Facebook Pages

And therein lies the problem for your volunteers and supporters.  They want to feel part of the team, a part of the organization, a "member" with those "special privileges", of being able to engage in those social conversations about their experiences in that recent door-to-door canvass, the fund-raiser, the last politics-in-the-pub event or the fun they had at the ag fair display booth.  That's why Facebook is called "social media" with the emphasis on "social" and less on the "media".  

It's those limitations ..... the fact that they can't "socialize" ..... the fact that their post has to be "approved" by a moderator ..... that can turn volunteers and supporters away from the riding association's Facebook page ..... and away from their involvement in the riding association.   Being a "Fan" is not the same as being a "Friend" or a "Member".  

Facebook Groups Are For Socializing
Facebook is "social media" with emphasis on the word "social" and less on the word "media". Social media offers the opportunity of engaging volunteers and supporters in a three-way conversation.  We need to make Facebook part of our riding's ....... and ultimately the election campaign's ..... online social life.  

And that's where Facebook Groups come into the picture.  

A Facebook Group, ..... for example "Our Liberal Volunteers" .... ("OLV") would only be open to those persons we invite to join our group. Only those Facebook "Friends" we invite to join the "OLV" group can make posts to the Group's wall. And since most everybody these days is on Facebook, it's not that difficult to invite our volunteers and supporters to join "Our Liberal Volunteers" Facebook Group. Membership now has its privileges!

It's Now "Social Media" Conversation
The "OLV" Facebook Group is where our volunteers and supporters can now carry on conversations about their involvement with the riding, the adventures they had on the door-to-door canvass, the Liberal convention they attended in Winnipeg, the LPC Ontario AGM.  It's also where the riding can take those extra steps to promote those "Politics-In-The Pub" nights, the fund-raisers, ask for volunteers for the local agricultural fair display booth, immediately post those canvass event photos, and generally keep our volunteers and supporters engaged and informed ..... in an informal way .... on what's going on in the riding.  

It's a piece-'a-cake to post on Facebook!  At the same time, due to the social nature of Facebook, these same volunteers can start conversations with each other. The end result will be a real on-line social gathering that will be totally engaged in the affairs of the riding and, ultimately, in the election campaign.  

The words and language we use in a Facebook "conversation" are entirely different from the formal wording in an e-mail.  On Facebook, it's a 3-way conversation between those who are "speaking" and those who are "listening".  And therein lies the major difference.  

It's All About Creating Momentum 
Remember when you only had 10-15 people in your inner circle sitting around the table in the local library meeting room trying to get the election campaign off the ground?  That was like spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast.  

When you open up the riding and the election campaign to the latent energy of people who want to get involved in what you're doing, it gets to be a lot bigger than you could ever imagine.  The whole process is not just a one-way street of you interacting with your volunteers and supporters.  It's also a case of them interacting with you and with each other and the whole riding association.  And that changes the whole dynamics of the situation. 

Social media ...... such as Facebook Groups ..... is the way to harness that energy so that you end up with a winning team.  It's a way to grow the team to a size that will produce a win ...... whether it's a call for volunteers for that door-to-door canvass, ....... or to bring a large crowd to your social gatherings like politics-in-the-pub, ..... or the annual BBQ.  

It's a way to identify and recruit those people who are willing to take on more responsibility ...... in a way that doesn't require tons of effort with phone calls, letters, pamphlets, or advertising.  

And "Facebook Groups" is an excellent way to make it happen.  

Next Up:  
Organizing your riding association's "Volunteer Group" on Facebook.  What are the rules of conduct.  Who can post and who can't.  Who can see and who can't.  What can be posted and what can't.  What to do with people who don't respect the rules.  And most importantly ...... what works and what doesn't work when making posts to Facebook Groups.  

Door-to-Door Campaigning - Parts 4 & 5 - The Follow-up - Keeping Track of Liberal Supporters and Those Irritating Situations!

Keep Track of Liberal Supporters!
As noted in our introduction, our main objective is to identify people who will vote for Cathy Candidate on election day.

As you go door-to-door and engage the voters in conversation, you should be able to identify those voters who are prepared to support Cathy and vote Liberal.  With "miniVAN", you can easily record this information.  

Put a "Tic Mark" in the appropriate "Check Box" on "miniVAN".

Why?
We have access to the Liberal Party's database called "Liberalist".  This provides us with a list of every registered voter in the riding.  Through Liberalist we are able to provide customized "Walk Lists" sorted by address such as the ones you'll be working on.  

What is miniVAN?
We have an app called "mini-VAN" that can be downloaded onto your iPhone, SmartPhone, iPad, or Tablet.  Your "Walk List" is an inter-active file downloaded onto the miniVAN app.  miniVAN allows us to record our canvass results.  When we return to the campaign office, we can easily sync the results of our canvass (including the supporters we have just identified) back up into our "Liberalist" database.  

(Training on mini-VAN is a separate exercise.  Always make sure that one or more people on your canvass team has the "Walk List" on miniVAN.)  

Sync Annotated miniVAN "Walk List" back up to Liberalist!
Make sure you sync your miniVAN "Walk List" back up to Liberalist before you leave the Campaign Office!  From the notations made on the miniVAN files, we can upload this information back into the "Liberalist" database.  We're then able to follow up with our Liberal supporters on Election Day and ensure that they get out to vote through our GO-TV activities on Election Day.  

Make sure your miniVAN info is sync'd back up into Liberalist!!

Part 5 - Those Irritating Situations!

• Avoid situations that may put you in harms way!! 
• Don't go into an apartment building by yourself.   
• Don't enter houses no matter how persuasive the homeowners are!  
• Don't put yourself in any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
• Keep hydrated.  Bring along water (available at the campaign office). 
• If necessary take a snack with you.  

Start At The Top.  
Whether it's working apartment buildings or in a subdivision, start at the top - 

• the top of the apartment, 
• the top of the street, or 
• the top of the hill.  

Going door-to-door will give you a good workout.  Start on the top and work your way down to the bottom.  It'll save you lots of time and energy.  

Don't Argue.  Don't Debate
You're going to run into people who will definitely not be voting Liberal.  Don't spend a lot of time with them - 30 seconds at most.  You aren't going to change their mind.  Simply note how they'll be voting and move on to the next door.  

You'll also run into households when it's not a good time to have that conversation - the person's tired, they're looking after an irritable child, a children's birthday party is in full swing, they're in the middle of supper.  Simply hand them the literature, apologize, and move on.  Tell them we'll catch them next time around.  

Don't focus on or get upset at any negative reactions you get at the door.  What is important is to win support, to hand over a leaflet, and to determine if they will vote for Cathy Candidate.

What should we do if the person engages us in a long conversation?
When conducting a door-to-door campaign, we should expect to devote about 3 minutes to each person.  If we exceed this limit, we should say "I'd very much like to speak with you further but I've got to visit 30 other people today".  "We can come back to talk to you later?"  "Or you can call us or send an e-mail to our office."  "All our contact details are in the leaflet."  However, in all cases, the call is yours.  If they're a supporter, more conversation may result in a new volunteer, someone who wants a lawn sign, or directions to another supporter.  

Next up:  "When Is A Debate Not A Debate?"  (subtitled, "Boy did I ever screw up on that call, eh!?)

If you don't want to be masochistic, you can skip over the above link and take a look at "Facebook Groups & Volunteer Engagement For Riding Associations".

Door-to Door Campaigning - Part 3 - The Conversation

Part 3 - Conversations Win Elections
The conversation between you and the voter allows us to identify Liberal supporters.  It's the most effective form of  campaigning.

What is a good message?
A good message consists of 7 sentences or less that answers the question: "Why should I vote for Cathy Candidate?" A good message gives a reason to vote Liberal. 

How should conversations be conducted?
Your conversation can be constructed in the following 7 steps:

1. The Greeting  ("Hello!  How are you today? My name is Kevin Kanvasser.")
2. Why Am I Here? ("I'm canvassing on behalf of Cathy Candidate")  
3. The Introduction ("Cathy is our Liberal Candidate in the riding of Main Street - Bankton in the upcoming election.")
4. The Facts  ("Cathy is looking for your support on election day, Monday, February 29th."
5. The Handover ("I have this pamphlet which outlines Cathy's credentials and her values on key issues.")
6. The Ask  ("Can we count on your vote for Cathy Candidate, our Liberal candidate?")
7. Close ("Thank you very much for your time.  We'll see you on February 29th."

To recap:

1. "Hello!  How are you today?  My name is Kevin Kanvasser."
2. "I'm canvassing on behalf of Cathy Candidate.  
3. "Cathy is our Liberal Candidate for Main Street - Bankton in the upcoming federal election."
4. "Cathy is looking for your support on election day, Monday, February 29th."
5. "I have this pamphlet which outlines Cathy's credentials and her values on key issues"
6. "Can we count on your vote for Cathy Candidate, our Liberal Candidate on February 29th??"
7. "Thank you very much for your time.  We'll see you on February 29th."

Your Conversation
The above is a suggested script.  You may be more comfortable in a more engaging conversation.  Or, you may be equally comfortable with the above.  In the spaces below, try writing out your own script that you'd like to use.  
  
The Greeting  ("____________________________________________________________________________________________________")
Why Am I Here?  ("___________________________________________________________________________________________________")
The Introduction ("____________________________________________________________________________________________________")
The Facts  ("__________________________________________________________________________________________________")
The Handover ("_____________________________________________________________________________________________________")
The Ask "___________________________________________________________________________________________________")
The Close ("____________________________________________________________________________________________________")

Messaging (Other scripts)

• Err on the side of "more" rather than "less" - more information, more facts, more connection, more conversation. 
• Repeat, repeat, repeat - Repeat Cathy's name at least 4 times.  Include "Candidate" at least 3 times.  
• A good message is simple and clear. It's delivered in plain language, not in flowery phrases or artificial slogans.  It's a conversation.  Be yourself.  

Additional Messaging?

• Can we count on your vote for Cathy on Monday, February 29th?
• It's an exciting race but its going to be close and your vote can make all the difference.  

"The Ask!!"
Most important.  Our objective is to identify our supporters - people who will vote for Cathy Candidate on election day.  It's therefore very important that we ask for their vote! 

• NOT whether they'll be voting on election day ..... 
• NOT whether they'll consider voting Liberal on election day .....
• NOT their support .....

BUT

• Can we count on your vote for Cathy Candidate, our Liberal Candidate, on February 29th??"

Survey Questions
Part of our campaign effort will include survey questions on key issues of importance to Canadians.  You'll be given a sample script for these questions.  Make sure you include them in your conversations.  They're important to the campaign.  

Up Next?  
Parts 4 & 5 - The Follow-up - Keeping Track of Liberal Supporters and Those Irritating Situations!