Organizing Signature Gathering in Public Venues
Thank you for making the decision to ask the public to sign our petition! We appreciate your willingness to work alongside us toward the shared goal of safety and privacy for all. This guide has been constructed to equip you for success. By adopting this approach you will increase your prospects for success by: ● Choosing qualified leadership for the task. ● Ensuring you use the best venues available to you to the maximum extent. ● Ensuring people are properly equipped for their assigned tasks. ● Tailoring your processes to fit your circumstances by soliciting feedback from your people, adapting the process to work for you, and communicating the changes to your people. Key to Success ● Have a single lead, or leadership team, for this effort. ● Obtain dependable information on which public venues are available. Stick to the rules the managers of the venues give you. ● Give signature­gatherers at least some training, reassuring them that the process is not as hard as it may seem—people typically act civilly; hecklers are rare. ● Be cordial and courteous at all times, in all places. ● Build “learning” into your process, in order to be most effective with the least effort. Watch for patterns, adapt your processes and approaches, and communicate changes. The Process ● Choose your lead, or leadership team.​
(Sometimes you’ll start with a team, and a leader will emerge.) For now, we will assume that you choose a single lead. o Why is this important? ​
Depending on the geographical boundaries you set (see below), an organized approach to the effort will help volunteers avoid “stepping on one another’s toes”—booking the same o
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venue for the same time—or not fully leveraging available venues. Furthermore, it will add discipline to the process, improving results. ​
Qualifications for leader:​
an optimistic personwho knows how to “manage” volunteers; has good organizational skills; values learning and growth; is reasonably good with details. Determine the geographical boundaries for the area in which you will work.​
Do not overlap with other groups. Try to ensure coverage of good venues nearby. Identify and research each likely venue within that area.​
(​
Note:​
there might be one person who feels called to perform this task, and not actually collect signatures. Try to choose someone with a winsome personality and pleasant appearance.) o Choose venues wisely: ▪ Be aware of the demographics of people who frequent the venue; if people are known to be very supportive of the current bathroom regulations, you might want to skip it; signatures will be harder to obtain, and customer complaints to the manager (even if undeserved) can close the door to a venue. ▪ Think grocery stores, malls (especially covered), political meetings/ conventions, gun clubs, fairground events, Christian living groups, senior centers, post offices, gates/doors to Federal installations with lots of foot traffic, etc. o Speak to the manager of the venue;​
do not depend on ​
subordinates. This will ensure that you are “on the same page” with the management, and will allow you to clarify any questions regarding restrictions or limitations at the venue. Be sure to listen to any concerns voiced by the management. We want to show that we do care about them and their business. This is also an excellent opportunity to share any training given, or the code of conduct policies expected of all volunteers. Use these brief interactions with management to develop a rapport (i.e., showing that you care and that you want a “win­win” scenario for the venue) that could be beneficial if or when complaints are made. o Obtain information on​
: ▪ Highest traffic days/times of day ▪ Days of the week/times of day available to you ▪ Whether tables/chairs are permitted ▪ Name/phone number of manager who gave you the information ▪ Any special policies that pertain. ▪ You might have to sign an application or permission form. o
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Create a document​
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for this information. (See example, “Sample Public Venues”) o We found that stores with national chains tended to follow the national policy. So, if a store manager said “no” based on national policy, other stores in that chain were likely to give you the same answer. (This knowledge can save time, exploring potential venues.) o Here is an ACLU publication on gathering signatures on public property: http://www.aclu­wa.org/news/street­speech­your­rights­washington­p
arade­picket­and­leaflet Develop a simple list of venues and dates available to you​
(for sharing with signature­gathering team members) (See example, “Sample Public Dates Available”) Offer training sessions, to prepare team members. Provide them with: o A very concise overview of the ballot issue. o The signature­gathering process…allow them to practice role­playing. o Tips for success Schedule people for the upcoming venues. (Generally, just a week or two at a time.) o Often email works well. Generally, use bcc for the addresses of the team members​
. o Alternately, use a sign­up sheet. o Advise them how to prepare (​
e.g., weather if pertinent, what to bring) Acquire (or arrange sources for) other needed materials/furniture: o Clip boards, or cardboard cut to fit the size of the petition o Pens with good ink flow. (Use a cord to attach them to clip boards, so they don’t wander off…!) o Small binder clips to hold pages to the clip board/cardboard. o Handouts offering concise information on the issue…for use only if requested. o If convenient, a laptop computer linked to WIFI, for online voter registration (or changing mailing address): ​
www.myvote.wa.gov​
o Voter registration forms (available from fire stations, libraries, some post offices, or downloadable/printable from the online web site.); best for you to mail the form. o Petitions o Copies of “Code of Conduct/Instruction Guide” o Tables and chairs o
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Golf umbrellas, if needed. Cell phone for staying in touch with one another, and for recording any interaction with a hostile member of the public, where we want to show [to venue management] that we behaved civilly. Acquire any signs you’d like to use. o
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We’ve used a stand­up sign, a sign that can be clipped to the back of the clip board, and a banner that drops from the table. For each event: o Assign a lead, and have the person show up in advance ​
to ​
prepare​
: ▪ Check in with manager. Obtain a phone number that can be called in case of hecklers. Add this number to Public Venue Sign­up sheets. Train all volunteers to find this number, and when to use it. ▪ Set up tables, chairs. ▪ Set up signs, clip boards, etc. ▪ (Bring sign­up sheet, for contact information.) o Have a back­up plan in mind ​
if you’re outside in inclement weather, or there is a change in the availability of the venue. For each team on each shift, ​
begin and end with prayer​
. o Have a plan for how best to handle any hecklers you may encounter. o Afterward​
: ▪ If the manager has received complaints, s/he might speak with you—either allowing you to continue or asking you to leave. You might take the opportunity to mention the people who thanked you for being there. The more seasoned managers will expect opposition, and might volunteer their security forces to help you deal with it. ▪ Send an email, thanking each member and soliciting feedback. ▪ Make any necessary adjustments to the process​
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and determine how to communicate changes to the people who need to know. This is ​
essential ​
to success. ▪ Determine if the results were worth the effort by applying some form of metric​
. ​
For example, calculate the number of signatures gathered per hour for each event. ▪ Start the planning for the next event.​
Solicit volunteers for ​
events coming up in, say, the next week. ▪ o Be sure to deliver signed petitions to your closest Regional Petition Center, or mail them, ASAP.