Paul Heilbron is Campaign Organiser for Lisa Smart MP (Hazel Grove). Here is how he organised a ‘Pick a Ward and call it’ phone canvassing session.
In Stockport we have game-changing local elections taking place. We need to gain two seats to take majority control of Stockport Council. But with two MPs in the borough, we are also being targeted in our held wards. A huge effort is needed to get the result we need in May.
We organise team phone canvassing sessions throughout the year. We have focussed on volunteer recruitment. A phone session gets through so many more contacts. Here is how we organised our latest ‘Pick and Ward and Call it’ event.
Promotion
All local campaign events need heavy promotion. We got local election candidates to commit to the event and also contacted our keen local party campaigners and activists by email and by calling round members. The aim was to get at 3 callers for each ward.
We are fortunate enough to have a local party office with 11 phones. We managed to get all of these filled. If you don’t have a local party office, a team phone canvassing session also works perfectly over zoom.
We had new activists join us for the event. It was their first time phone canvassing. This is a great environment for first-time phone canvassers as they can learn from others and be supported as they make their first calls.
Organisation
We had 11 phoners and a host. I was the host of the event so I made sure volunteers were briefed and circulated throughout the session to offer any support or advice needed.
A briefing a script was provided for all callers and the script was created on Connect. You can find the briefing we used here.
Phoning is thirsty work so refreshments were provided for all volunteers – including dinner. Your volunteers should be well looked after with teas, coffees, soft drinks and, at our event, pizza!
There were also prizes for the top 3 callers. As we were focussing on recruitment we gave prizes to those who got the most volunteer pledges. You don’t need to go overboard. Chocolate and Wine are fine. But everyone who takes part is a winner and everyone should be made to feel special for the calls they make.
The result
At our last event we recruited 20 new volunteers. Most of these were deliverers and clerical helpers. Absolutely vital for our campaigning as the local election enters it’s busiest period. We also recruited news members and regular donors too.
There was a great buzz in the office and everyone had a great time.
We came out of the event with some of our existing volunteers upskilled – having phone canvassed for the first time. We now have a larger team of experienced phone canvassers for campaigning.
There was a great buzz in the office and everyone had a great time.
Pick a Ward and Phone it events are now an established part of our campaign plan. We focus on recruitment, but team phone canvass sessions are just as effective for voter ID. Why not try some for your local election campaign this year. Whether over zoom, or in person, you get a great team spirit and fantastic results for your campaign.