Coalitions and Volunteers

Coalition Building

As they say, there is power in numbers. This is no different when it comes to voter registration drives! Working as a coalition and as a community can only assist you in implementing your local voter registration campaign. Many chapters have already been working in addressing other AAPI issues, and for others this will be a beginning of a new relationship with other organizations.

Start with 2-3 strong organizations or coalitions to initiate voter registration efforts, brainstorm, and personally extend invitations via. e-mail or telephone to other AAPI organizations. Take into account your own goals and organizational considerations - build a diverse, representative movement.

Understand and respect differences between organizations. Ongoing relationships are built by supporting each other’s agendas and projects. Each organization will have something different to offer. All contributions are crucial whether they be volunteers, meeting space, publicity, providing funds, exchanging ideas, or other resources.

The strength of a coalition is in its unity. Develop strategy and goals collectively. Make explicit agreements. Make sure everyone understands what their responsibilities and strengths are. Everyone should leave each meeting with responsibilities and a timeline for when projects/assignments should be completed.

Volunteers

Know your Audience! Recruit your organization’s members and encourage them to use their network of friends as a resource for potential volunteers.

• Don’t Assume – each person should be considered and treated as a potential volunteer.
• Sell the activity – asking is not enough. Give reasons why people should volunteer. Tell them how they can help, why the activity is important, and what might happen without their help.

The Approach

Goals:

• Let them know who you are
• Create an engaged audience

Tips:

• Introduce yourself
• Smile, be friendly

Example: 

Hi, how are you doing today?” … “Great, my name is ________ and I’m a volunteer from APIA Vote. Are interested in building the power of the APIA vote around the nation?”

Engaging your audience

Goals:

• Explaining APIAVote
• Relating to your audience
• Getting them interested

Tips:

• Give them the literature
• Find their core and pull them in
• Ask if the issues are important to them

Examples:

• “How do you feel about targeted issues?”
• “Do you feel strongly that….?”
• “Is it important to you to see our community vote?”
• “Why…?”

Urgency

Goals:

• Set up the volunteer pitch by telling them why now is the time to act, and why we need their help
• Stress relevant factors
• Urgency of action
• Importance of our vote
• Attainability of success
• Ease of volunteering

Tips:

• Stress the factor that will be most effective
• Make it tangible: one person can build _____ capacity
• Remember: Urgency, importance, attainability and ease

Specific ‘Ask’

Goal:

• Sign them up for a specific volunteer task.

Tips:

• Incorporate things they’ve said into your ‘ask’
• Be direct
• Ask about a specific shift

Example:
 

“You said earlier that you feel strongly this issue because you think that immigration is a major problem for your community. Immigration is a critical issue to the upcoming elections and one of the most important issues APIA voters vote on. Would you be interested in talking to APIA people about immigration and registering them to vote?”

Push back

Goal:

• Combat anxiety and apprehension with specific information and urgency message

Tips:

• Targeted responses
• Ask questions

Examples:

• Anxiety over type of activity - assurance based on others’ experience
• Fear of time commitment - urgency of action, ease of volunteering
• Don’t know schedule - tentative scheduling, follow-up call

Sign up
 

• Walk volunteers through the voter registration form. Let them become familiar with each line on the form.
• Conduct practice sessions so that volunteers become comfortable with assisting others on how to fill out the registration form.

• Create a Volunteer Database – record the name, phone number, and e-mail of volunteers.
• Remind them of events they volunteered for at least twice, including the day before the event. Follow up with people who don’t show up after events.
  

• Have mid-campaign check-in conversations with volunteers to discuss the campaign from their point of view.
• Talk with them to determine the best recruitment strategies to reach new volunteers and register new voters.
• Gauge volunteer commitment to the campaign and their level of participation.
• Avoid overburdening volunteers by prioritizing activities and assignments. On the other hand, rely on volunteers to be among the most energetic coalition members, and provide them with a means to engage with the campaign with titles and responsibilities.
• Have regular volunteer meetings to update them on the campaign.
• Spend time with volunteers and recognize their efforts. 

Re-sign volunteers for future activities, make sure you have their contact information and commit volunteers to attend.

Resources

Sample Volunteer Training Agenda

Read full version | Download file

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