19 Canvassing Tips to Win Your Campaign! – Raz Shafer

Canvassing is a huge part of any strong campaign but what makes the difference between a good and bad program? These 19 canvassing tips will make all the difference!

I can’t believe we’ve got an entire year of podcasting under our belts! Thank y’all so much for downloading, listening and supporting our work at My Campaign Coach. It’s a whole lot easier to stay motivated and keep producing this with thousands of folks downloading every month then back when we first started with just a hundred or so.

All of our episodes to date have been interviews. They’ve been a great chance to get inside the minds of some of the movement’s best candidates, operatives and volunteers but we haven’t been able to dive really deep on one subject at a time. So, it’s my podcast and I want to experiment a bit!

I want to start out by saying that y’all, as the listeners have a veto, and I really want to hear your feedback! If you don’t like it, we’ll switch it up in some other ways.

We’re going to start doing two interviews a month as well as two where I dive into specific subjects. Today we’re talking about some awesome canvassing tips (otherwise known as block walking) but we’ll cover things like social media, how to beat bad bonds, how to get on the ballot, preparing for debates, etc.

The idea is that in addition to getting the interviews, we can dig deeply into specific strategies for your campaign and focus heavily on areas YOU want to hear about.

To that end, I’m going to need your feedback! If you like it, or not, I want to know. If you like it but have specific ideas for topics you want to hear me cover, let me know!

Links from the Podcast:

Connect with Raz Shafer on LinkedIn, Twitter and  Facebook. Want to know more about effective canvassing? We’ve got you covered! Read Raz’ blog here.

What You’ll Learn from Raz Shafer In This Episode:

[00:00] Podcast Introduction

[02:13] Does Block Walking / Canvassing Work?

[03:04] Canvassing: Just Do It!

[04:17] No, You don’t need a PERFECT script…

08:13 How to write an awesome Volunteer Briefing Document

[12:04] Tips for effective communication with canvassing teams

[14:28] Don’t get caught in an unending conversation with a voter

[18:56] How to use Custom Sticky Notes when block walking (More at [31:10])

[20:44] Tips for following up after canvassing

22:44 Picking the right Voter Contact Software (Hint: Campaign Sidekick)

[24:40] What are the best times to canvass voters?

[26:22] Does it matter if I leave a palm card behind when canvassing and someone is not home?

[27:44] Focus on the conversation, not the script.

[28:52] Should I canvass homes with No Soliciting Signs?

[31:34] What software should I use to analyze my canvassing data?

[32:30] Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

[33:32] Will bringing Children or Dogs out canvassing with me be helpful?

[34:15] Should I deploy canvassers by themselves or in groups?

[35:57] How to upsell voters into attending events, placing a yard sign or donating

[38:56] Can City Ordinances stop me from block walking?

[41:37] Wrapup and outro