Raising Your Voice: How to Maximize Political Impact through Phone Banks

As a political consulting firm, MFStrategies specializes in helping Democratic candidates and progressive causes reach their strategic goals. We understand all the components that go into a successful political effort, from fundraising and communications to research, digital engagement, and grassroots organizing. One of the time-tested methods of engaging voters is the tried-and-true phone bank. Even today, with a startling array of digital communications options, old-fashioned canvassing remains one of the best—if not the best—tools for vocalizing political views, issues, and change.

Phone banks are effective because they allow campaign volunteers to target particular constituencies and speak directly to a person in a neighborhood, creating a more intimate and individualized communication experiment. To run a successful phone bank campaign, significant planning is required before any calls are made. To ensure the smooth process, we suggest mapping out a six step plan:

1. Establish Goals
Before making any calls, it’s important to lay out the goals of the phone bank. Are you attempting to recruit volunteers? Raise money? Turn out voters? Different campaigns require different strategies; for example, a fundraising campaign should be tailored differently than a volunteer recruitment campaign. Once the goal is established, break it down into smaller micro-goals to establish specific benchmarks and track your progress.

2. Create a Calling Script
A clear, concise, and persuasive calling script will help volunteers run an organized phone bank. Include in the script: the goal of the phone bank, steps for completing the call, questions for recruiting volunteers or raising money, and a “call to action” moment that encourages the recipient of the call to take the desired step — whether that is making a donation or volunteering their time.

3. Identify the Recipient List
Once the script is created, the next step is to identify an appropriate list of numbers worthy of being called. This list should be targeted to the goals and objectives of the phone bank. For instance, if you are conducting a voter turnout effort, focus on reaching “likely voters” who live in your particular district and are likely to respond to campaign appeals.

4. Train Volunteers
Volunteers need to be trained on delivering the script, listening to responses, and how to record data. Resulting data should include information on how the script went and what potential outcome occurred from the call. Appropriate data tracking should be established from the onset.

5. Rehearse
Rehearsing the script with volunteers will help them to become more comfortable with the material, and also help to streamline the training process.

6. Prepare for Call
Now that the goals, script, and data tracking are in place, it’s time to make the call. Provide volunteers with all necessary materials, such as call lists, dialing equipment, and real-time feedback and training.

Phone banks are an effective way of getting the message out while giving potential volunteers a more personal connection to your campaign.

Are you thinking of running for office? From fundraising to electoral strategy, the team of political professionals at MFStrategies will help you make an impact in your community!