The First Week

I am starting this blog a week into my experience. On Monday, July 26, 2004 I entered the New Haven office of Grassroots Campaigns, unaware of how impactful my experience would be.

All I knew is that I was going to be training in how to be a Canvassing Director in the next weeks, living at home in Trumbull and commuting to New Haven.

Right away I knew I was in a friendly place. The office was decorated with John Kerry paraphernalia and various quotes from George W. The whole operation reminded me of my Appalachia Service Project (ASP) offices, where newsprint was used for office postings, markers were the pen of choice, and furniture was whatever you could find at that moment. It was obvious that money wasn't going into the budget for office supplies.

I was welcomed by friendly faces - April, Shaun, Athas, Anne, and Dave - each a director themselves. They were enthusiastic to see me, even though they hadn't really received word that I was to be arriving. But in this type of job, there are countless surprises, and my presence was a more pleasant one as surprises go.

I started off like everyone does - learning how to canvass. Canvassing is how we fundraise and it consists of going door-to-door, armed with clipboards and water bottles. We don't go to just democrats homes, we go to every home. I learned how to approach people and how to start conversations about our campaign to get the word out on George Bush's record. I learned how to ask for money, which was new for me.

I thought this would be the most difficult part of the job - asking for money, but it turns out to be one of the easiest. On the surface that can seem sketchy, but there is more to it than just asking someone to fork over some loot. We want to identify supporters - people who feel as strongly as we do, that there needs to be a change in our executive branch. So, when we do ask for money, it is from people who feel the same way we do, who care about the future of our country's government. It is really exciting to meet people who are not only wiling to verbalize their feelings about the politics of today, but back it up with contributions.

It is a lot easier to ask people for money when you are passionate about your cause. It is completely unlike telemarketing or door-to-door magazine drives, I know that people's contributions are going to causes in which they and I believe.

So, I will knock on anywhere between 40 and 100 doors in an evening. The responses are wide-ranging and really very interesting. They are perhaps the best part of the job, as I am really getting a sense of what people in Connecticut and this country feel about the state of politics today.

There are Republicans who scowl and shut the door. There are independents who aren't sure what they are going to do yet. There are folks who insist on not voting. There are Democrats who invite you inside for cookies and a bathroom break. There are Democrats who don't want to give money because they cannot afford it.

All in all, I'd say regardless of how people feel, I have been overwhelmed by people's general well-wishing. Almost regardless of party affiliation, people always wish me the best. It's a bit odd when Republicans do, because in doing so they don't realize that they are encouraging their own opponent, but I think it says something more important as us in society. It doesn't matter what you believe in, but if you are willing to sacrifice and work hard at a cause in which you believe, people tend to respect that.

The other set of people that I get to engage with on a daily basis are the canvassers. These are folks who are there to canvass and raise money as a job. They get paid a very small base salary, and tend to be around the college age. (Note: our paychecks come from Grassroots Campaigns and not from our contributions. All of the contributions are sent directly to the DNC the next day, and none of it is ever seen by the folks working the office.)

These folks, these canvassers are awesome - in the true sense of the word. The inspire awe in me. They are committed, passionate people. They tend to be well versed in the politics of today. There are always discussions surrounding this election and general political theories and ideas. They are willing to listen, as well as state their own opinion. But they are young. Some aren't even citizens yet, but they care about the issues. As April, our lead director, would say, "We're a scrappy bunch!"

And we are... it's a great way of describing this bunch of people. They are a small group of committed individuals, who in all respects should not be able to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. No one is really very wealthy and most are downright poor. We have varied levels of education, experiences and cultural backgrounds. There is nothing that says this should succeed. But together we are organized and focused, trained and professional.

We have met our nation-wide goals already and we continue to break into new ground. The goal is to identify 10,000 new contributers to the DNC each month and to raise $1 million dollars for the DNC's voter mobilization efforts. We identified 30,000 contributers last month and I think, to date we have raised over $10 million.

So, there are good things happening here, and around the country at our 50+ offices.