Planning on campaigning out of your own area?  Some tips from the WC3 team.

TRAVELING OUT OF YOUR AREA TO CAMPAIGN

Are your own local campaigns “safe”?  Or do you have a favorite candidate that lives in another city or state?  If you are in a position to be mobile and to help out a campaign beyond driving distance from your home, here are just a few suggestions.

1. Contact the campaign beforehand and ask if your help would be are welcomed.  While many campaigns will be thrilled to have your assistance, some may not be organized to take sufficient advantage of your efforts to make the trip worthwhile.  (Contact information should be readily available on the candidate’s web site.  A telephone call is your best bet.  But if the person on the other end seems confused, ask to speak directly to the campaign manager, field director, or volunteer coordinator.)

2.  Find out what type of volunteer help they need.  Make sure that their needs fit well with your interests, skills, and talents.  For instance, many campaign offices need someone to staff the phones during the day, or do phone-banking (usually in the early evenings), knock on doors, or drop literature.  If these aren’t your interests and you’d rather help with mailings, computer efforts, graphics, position statements, or something else, clear these differences up before you head out. 

3.  Ask your contact for suggestions for places to stay nearby that won’t break your budget.  Most people on the ground will know the lay of the land better than you.  If it’s a large campaign, they may have an apartment already available to share.  Or local volunteers may have offered a room in their home for out-of-town volunteers.

4.  Consider that the answer to your first or second campaign of choice might be “no thanks” to your offer.  Don’t take it personally.  Some campaigns have everything under control and others may not be organized well enough to take advantage of your willingness to get involved. Keep working through your list of campaigns and you will probably find one that is right for you.

5.  Do let the campaign know that you are a Wes Clark supporter, and that General Clark has asked his supporters to go out and campaign for Democrats in 2006.  Add that you also understand that your job with the campaign is about that candidate. 

6.  Once you arrive you may find that your campaign experience is more extensive than some of the people in charge!  This can be frustrating when you think you know how to do something better than how it is being done.  But resist trying to take over.  Instead, you might want to offer a suggestion very gently and hope someone listens.  Write to WC3@securingamerica.com for advice if you need it.

7.  Try to stay out of any bickering and power plays. See yourself as someone who is there to work and to show the campaign that Clark supporters have integrity and are diligent and responsible helpers.

8.  We hope your experience is a positive one.  But if you find it so unsatisfactory that you cannot continue, disengage respectfully.  (Remember, they will remember you as a Clark supporter and a positive association with General Clark is very important.)

Whichever campaign you volunteer for and whatever you find yourself doing, don’t forget to come back and report on your efforts and findings!  We all grow by our experiences – personally and vicariously!

The Wes Clark Countdown to Change Team,

Tricia Spiegel, Stan Davis, Debby Burroughs, Cheryl Poling