Volunteers Taking Back Democracy
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In This Issue
● Make the Future ● Recruit Volunteers in PA ● Recruit volunteers in NC
● NH monthly meeting and weekly canvass
● Partners: Donor Organizing Hub.
● Learning Corner: Communication Skills for Volunteer Recruiting; Phone Banking for Introverts;
Zoom for Organizers; Slack Basics
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Last week, activists from across the state met at Clark University in Worcester to get a pep talk from Indivisible co-founder, Ezra Levin. He urged us to be bold in confronting MAGA extremism:
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"There is no playbook to get us out of this. A lot of what we do is going to have to be created by us and to be customized for our particular strengths."
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Want to help make the future that we know is possible? Join us in making phone calls to recruit poll workers and other volunteers in New Hampshire, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. These calls are a joy to make because people are usually happy you're calling, and they expand your volunteer efforts exponentially.
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Ready to take the next steps? We are ready to help you make the future.
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Make the Future in Pennsylvania: Recruit Volunteers
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In Pennsylvania, there are currently no laws that pertain to abortion, so whoever wins power in November will write the laws that determine access for the next generation in PA.
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You can help recruit volunteers in Bucks County, the "swingiest" county in Pennsylvania. This year, Bucks County residents will be voting on an open U.S. Senate seat, a Congressional seat, competitive State House races, and a new Governor. We're working directly with the Bucks County Democratic Committee. Our calls every Friday are to friendly past volunteers. Instead of a "hard sell," we ask exploratory questions, to learn about their past volunteer experiences and their hopes for the future.
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Fri, July 8 @ 2 pm - 4 pm EDT
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Make the Future in North Carolina: Recruit Volunteers
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In North Carolina, abortion is still legal, thanks to the fact that Republicans do not have a large enough majority in the State Legislature to override vetos by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. It is critical to NC Democrats that they maintain or expand their seats, and you can help.
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Join the Swing Blue Alliance/County to County phone bank, Volunteers Taking Back Democracy, Mondays from 4-6 PM (except July 4th). You’ll be making calls to supporters who have volunteered in the past and helping them to get involved again. By recruiting local volunteers you are expanding the power of our partners in this crucial swing state. Callers report that this is one of the most rewarding phone banking experiences they've had.
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Mon, July 11 @ 4 pm - 6 pm EDT
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Make the Future in NH: Save the State from Radical Republicans
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Quiz: Which New Hampshire governing body turned down $27M in federal Covid relief funding? Refused to fund NH family planning and healthcare centers? Approved an education commissioner who belittles public schools? Answer: The Republican-dominated New Hampshire Executive Council.
Join us for our July 11 Monthly Meeting to learn about this largely unknown but powerful body from Shoshanna Kelly, an exciting young Nashua City Councilor vying to flip one of the NH Executive Council's five seats.
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You'll also hear from Craig Brown, Executive Director of AmplifyNH, who will fill us in on their findings about the issues and attitudes that are motivating New Hampshire voters.
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The most effective thing any of us can do to win an election is to ring doorbells and talk to voters. Last Saturday in Manchester, 17 SBA volunteers braved 90-degree weather to canvass for Chris Pappas (shown in picture with SBA volunteers), as well as for Senator Maggie Hassan and Democrats up and down the ballot. We had a great day: knocking on 500+ doors and having 150+ conversations with voters using deep canvassing techniques. Join us to canvass in the beautiful city of Portsmouth NH on Saturday July 9th. Never canvassed before? Not to worry, we can pair you with an experienced canvasser.
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Sat, July 9 @ 10 am - 1 pm EDT
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Donor Organizing for Democratic Victories in 2022 and Beyond:
There is a way you can make a serious impact on our democracy. It’s easier than you think. And it might not be what you expect: asking your friends and family to donate to strategic Democratic candidates and organizations to win elections and build progressive power.
Interested? Swing Blue Alliance is working with Haley Bash of Donor Organizer Hub to help you get started. Whether it’s to connect you to another group or just figure out next steps that fit with your schedule and goals, Haley can help.
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Communication Skills for Volunteer Recruiting
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Asking open-ended questions as a way of exploring the person’s own reasons for change is one of the tools used in motivational interviewing, or MI for short. In this class, you'll transform volunteer recruiting from a transactional request to an empathetic engagement that may give both you and the person you are calling something to think about.
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This 60 minute workshop is required for anyone making recruitment calls with Volunteers Taking Back Democracy. The training will include one-on-one practice and handouts.
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Activism Training: Slack for Activists
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This class, taught by Sonali Tambe, presents Slack basics and gives everyone a chance to practice using Slack. In this class you will learn:
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- Why use Slack
- Basic features of Slack
- How to find and connect with your team on Slack
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Phone Bank Training for Introverts
(& Friends!)
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Phone banking is the most effective way to connect with voters besides canvassing. But what if you're not very comfortable calling strangers?
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Graduates of this supportive workshop say it's one of the best trainings ever. Led by three introverts-who-phone-bank, it begins with key skills that introverts already have and shows you how to build on them.
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In this workshop you will learn:
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- How to make use of key skills that you already have, such as the ability to listen thoughtfully and understand other introverts
- How to make meaningful one-to-one connections
- How to deal with common phone banking challenges
- How to make phone banking fun, even for introverts
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Weds, July 13 @ 8 - 9:45 pm ET (5 - 6:45 pm PDT)
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Where's the Link? Zoom Invitation Training for Organizers
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Zoom has become an essential part of our routines, but there's still a lot of confusion surrounding how to use it most effectively. If you're looking to learn about the basics of creating and sending out Zoom invitations, this is the class for you. In this class, you will learn
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- Different ways to create Zoom links and send invitations
- Pros and cons of different Zoom features for invitation creation
- How to troubleshoot when your attendees can't find or don't receive the Zoom link
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Tues, July 19 @ 7:30 pm ET
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Learning Corner sessions are co-hosted by Indivisible Acton Area, Swing Blue Alliance, and Indivisible Mass Coalition in collaboration with volunteers at the MAssachusetts Grassroots Information Center, a Slack workspace for exchanging information, encouraging connections among groups, and building activist momentum across the state. Join the News-MAGIC Slack space today.
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Our Mission
Swing Blue Alliance (formerly Swing Left Greater Boston) is the largest all-volunteer Democratic grassroots organization headquartered in Massachusetts. We use proven methods to protect our Democracy, work on competitive local and national elections, and strengthen the Democratic party at the grassroots level.
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Your contribution will help fund the operations of this volunteer-produced newsletter, which goes out to over 15K subscribers.
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