Campaign volunteers need to be able to self-organize on the web because it is too hard to participate. It is too hard to participate because campaign volunteers spend too much time searching for the details to the questions of WHAT, WHERE, WHO, WHEN, HOW when volunteers want to help a campaign. Volunteers should just be able to go to 1 or 2 connected websites to get calendar information and to get the following details for whatever they're going to do:
1.) WHAT are we going to do? Doorbelling, phone bank, public sign waving rah rah, mailings, leafleting, informational tabling at community events, letters to editor / blog writing, contacting legislators, other?
2.) WHERE is the WHAT going to happen? At the corner of Main and 6th? At the Law Office of SaveEm & SueEm? At the statue of the pig ? Other?
3.) WHO is involved with WHAT? WHO is the coordinator making sure the details are going to happen?
4.) WHEN are we doing WHAT? Every Friday night, Just Sat the 6th, Other?
5.) HOW are we going to do WHAT? Here are the details for the WHAT.
Post as many details on the web as possible, so volunteers are less dependent on any coordinator. The fewer the steps + the fewer the contacts to make + the fewer people to rely on will equal the more likely it is for the event to run smoothly.
EXAMPLE:
1.) WHAT: Sign Waving for Sue Peters for Seattle Public Schools.
2.) WHERE: At the following (proposed) intersections in Seattle:
A. Dravus and 15th Ave NW
B. 5th Ave. North and Northgate Way
C. Franklin High School Walkway over Rainier Ave.
D. Other key intersections in Seattle
3.) WHO: a sign waving coordinator for each intersection will make sure someone is there on time with the signs and someone takes the signs when the sign waving is over. The comment section will have pertinent details for each intersection so that we don't have any information black holes.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: people contacting each other ... I'm still chewing on the details for this... maybe a google group so people can contact each other / be on the same page? As a full time teacher, I haven't the time to monitor and direct 30 or 300 volunteers, and, having 1 or a few people as coordinators, instead of doing it online, is 1 of the critical failings of the lame "organizing" we already suffer with.]
4.) WHEN:
I.) Fri. 18 October and Fri. 1 November, from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. Note - you do NOT have to be there the entire time!! High School, Middle School and Elementary teachers work different times, and we're exhausted at different times!
II.) Sat. 19 October and Sat. 2 November, from 2:00 to 4:00 while people are out doing errands.
5.) HOW: Hold the signs on the sticks, wave the signs around, drink hot chocolate, smile and wave if you feel like it. Don't block pedestrians, don't distract drivers, don't get in screaming matches or fist fights with people from different campaigns, or, our campaign.
Organizing Calendar
To Seattle teachers etc. who've been on the introductory email - let's see if we can organize "OPENLY" by which street corner we'll be at?
ReplyDeleteI will cover the Northgate and 5th intersection, I need people to be the area coordinator (off-the-top-of-my-head-name) for each intersection, and I'll get signs to area coordinator person(s).
NOTE: you can comment anonymously on this blog, they way you can on Charlie & Melissa's blog. However, like their blog, you need to put some kind of real or phake name at the bottom which is unique so that people can refer to you.
HOPE-fully if you're going to be area coordinator for ... Dravus and 15th NW you'll use the same real or phake name so people who want to rah-rah at 15th NW and Dravus can know what is going on!