PLAN AHEAD 2017:
CREATING A VOTER ENGAGEMENT PLAN AND TIMELINE FOR YOUR NONPROFIT
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Presented by
ABOUT NONPROFIT VOTE
Founded in 2005, Nonprofit VOTE partners
with America's nonprofits to help the people
they serve participate and vote.
We are a leading source of training, materials
and other resources for nonprofits doing
nonpartisan voter engagement work.
About
Us
Find out more about our mission and partners on our site at
www.nonprofitvote.org
TODAY’S PRESENTERS
Helena Berbano Julian Johannesen
Special Projects and
Field Manager
Nonprofit VOTE
Director of Research & Training
Nonprofit VOTE
Presenters
WHAT WE WILL COVER TODAY
• Today’s webinar focuses on planning your
nonprofit’s voter engagement activities in
2017
• On Feb. 23rd, we will hold “Plan Ahead 2017,
Part II: Nonpartisan Voter Engagement
Tactics.” RSVP at bit.ly/Feb23rdWebinar
• In March or April, we will hold a webinar
focused entirely on how to remain
Agenda
nonpartisan while doing your voter
engagement work. Stay tuned.
WHY VOTING MATTERS
• Our voices are not being heard
• Voter engagement and advocacy work go
together
• Nonprofits have unique access and assets
• When we do this work, we are extremely
effective!
Why This
Matters
WHAT’S AT STAKE
• Local elections are being held across the
country this year. Hundreds of cities and
towns will choose mayors, city councilors,
county commissioners, etc.
• Many states and municipalities will decide
ballot measures on everything from whether
to raise the minimum wage to whether to
fund a new middle school with a
At Stake
municipal bond.
OPPORTUNITY
• The voters you mobilize will have an outsized
impact on the outcome of elections this year
• Voting is habit forming. Voter who voted in
2016, who can be persuaded to vote in 2017,
will be that much more likely to vote in 2018
and beyond.
Opportunity
OPPORTUNITY
BOSTON
At Stake
MAKING A PLAN
DO YOU HAVE BUY IN?
• Buy in from leadership increases odds of
success
• Buy in from leaders and buy in from staff
• What does buy in look like?
• How do you get it?
Buy In
WHO WILL DO THE WORK?
• Who’s going to lead your efforts? Who’s going
to take on this responsibility?
• Do you have close allies or sympathizers on
staff who you can recruit?
• Get staff and volunteers excited about the
work
Leaders
HOW DO YOU INTERACT WITH CLIENTS?
• What are your organization’s points of contact
with clients, consumers, constituents, and
community members?
Client
Interaction
WHAT TACTICS ARE A GOOD FIT?
Broad categories of voter engagement:
– Voter registration & pledge to vote
– Voter education on the process of voting
– Voter education on candidates and issues
– Voter mobilization & Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV)
– Ballot measure advocacy
– Work with candidates
Tactics
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
• What’s a realistic goal?
• What should you measure?
• Establish some intermediate goals!
Goals
DO YOU KNOW YOUR STUFF?
• Learn about voting and elections in your
jurisdiction
• Be ready to refer clients elsewhere
• Meet with and establish a relationship with
your local elections officials
Learning
about Voting
ARE YOU READY TO TRAIN UP STAFF?
• Create a curriculum and gather materials and
resources
• Find out if partners can help with training
• Hold your initial training
• Plan for re-training and refreshers
• Be a model for how to do the work right
Training
WHO ARE YOUR PARTNERS & ALLIES?
• What activities are a good fit for collaboration
with partners and allies?
• How do you find partners and allies?
Partners
DO YOU HAVE A PLAN FOR DATA
•
•
•
•
How will you enter data into a database?
Who will be responsible for data entry?
How frequently do you plan to enter data?
Do you have system for capturing voter
registration information before returning
forms to the elections office.
Partners
VOTER REGISTRATION
PLANNING ON A
TIMELINE
WHEN DOES VOTER REGISTRATION END?
Reg
Deadline
NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY
• The 4th Tuesday in
September is National
Voter Registration Day!
Every year!
NVRD
NVRD!
WHEN SHOULD YOU GOTV?
•
•
•
•
October and November
Focus on the few days before the election
When does absentee voting begin?
When does early voting begin?
[email protected]
617.357.VOTE (8683)
www.nonprofitvote.org
Nonprofit VOTE
2464 Massachusetts Ave
Suite 210
Cambridge, MA 02140
Helena Berbano
[email protected]
Julian Johannesen
[email protected]