Ask An Election Nerd: From Field to Finance

Hello Nancy,

I am writing because I was wondering if you had advice for folks who were looking to make the jump from field to fundraising. I've used NGP before, and I'm having a finance friend of mine teach me the in's and out's of the program again. I have a lot of friends in campaigns, and I think that I could make the transition. I've always been fascinated by fundraising, I enjoy planning events, and I love working with and meeting new people. I know that field offers the same opportunities on some level, but I'm thinking long term. I love it, but 80 hours a week is too much at this point. I like to work a lot, but I'm 25 and I want to see what life has to offer outside of work too.

Any suggestions?
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Honestly? No. The one time I put the Nance in fi-nance it was on a very backwards campaign and I sort of just fell into it. Luckily, I am a huge proponent of delegating and I have an entire network at my disposal! Tumblr followers, remember when I said I know your bosses? I wasn't just whistling Dixie. Below are responses from two senior level Democratic operatives who have made the transition from field to finance. Looks like you can kiss your dreams of a shorter work week goodbye. I can tell you, they are both friends of mine and they've both made incredible social sacrifices to the campaign lifestyle, even/especially since moving over to finance.

They've asked to remain anonymous since they are involved in campaigns this cycle. Big thanks to them and I hope you find their advice useful!

-Nance
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Response 1:

First and foremost I would say that moving from field to finance doesn’t mean the 80 hour week goes away, it just means you cannot wear jeans and a t-shirt to work anymore. Like field you’re still hustling but you’re not working towards GOTV. Finance has different deadlines similar to field but the deadlines occur every three months at the end of the quarter with a lot of late night. There are a lot of similarities between field and finance, which a finance person will never truly admit to a field person’s face. Simply put asking for a “vote” is similar to asking for “money.” There’s targeting and research involved and understanding who you’re asking and what you’re asking for is a big part of fundraising.

If you’re serious about moving into fundraising I would recommend looking for a finance assistant or call time manager position on a campaign. These positions are base level but key to any good fundraising operation and you’ll learn a lot in either of these positions. Check the usual list serves and pay close attention to the ones that focus on fundraising (like EMILY’s List). After the election cycle is over I would also recommend attending fundraising trainings that groups like the DCCC, EMILY’s List, and so on offer. It’s a great way to not only network within the finance campaign world but the trainings also offers volumes of information that help create winning campaigns with strong money behind them.

Best of luck from an original field organizer who’s still trying to a have a life outside of work, that’s a goal I think we all strive for.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Response 2:

All of us that have come up through field have all said it, “this is going to be my last phone call.” And some of you may think you need to get out of field so you can leave the office while the sun is still out. I hate to disappoint you, but it only gets tougher.

Field makes you tough and ready for anything, that’s why a vast majority of the better operatives and consultants I know have a field background, but eventually it comes time to move on and try something else. Some readers have asked advice about moving on from field, and to be quite honest some think that leaving field means you can explore opportunities outside of work. I hate to disappoint you, but you work on a campaign you have to make sacrifices.

Finance. You think dealing with volunteers was difficult? Say hello to donors. Finance staff all over the country can tell you stories. Though we do love them because they keep us in a certain luxury we campaign staffers are accustomed to, there are things you are asked to do for donors that you have to do, whereas can simply tell a volunteer no. Oh, and if you think the VAN was trouble, say hello to NGP (or NGP/VAN, or NGP/VAN with Facebook or whatever it is now). NGP is a great database, and they do have great customer service (especially come reporting deadline time), but it has so many bells and whistles sometimes you just don’t know what to do with it.

I've also worked in research. Coming from field, research can be an interesting transition. In field you interact with voters, volunteers, kids, seniors, and every day Americans otherwise known as “folks.” In research, you spend most of your time on a computer reading documents, or in a library reading documents, or in a courthouse reading documents, or sometimes in hostile Republican territory with a camera (always fun times). Research can have kind of a nerdy spy feel to it in that you don’t really interact much with other departments because the stuff you are looking it can be quite damaging (not just to your opponent).

That being said, I love what I have been able to do on campaigns, and I love that field is where I got it all started, and I encourage all the young, upstart organizers to broaden their horizons and try other departments, just don’t think you will be working any less than you did as an organizer.

There you have it, straight from the finance staff's mouth! Thanks again to my friends who took time out of their busy actual-campaign-working schedules to offer us their insight!

Because I Said So...

A friend alerted me to this study and I thought it was a great lesson for volunteer recruitment. The jist: people are way more likely to do something if you follow it with "because" and then a reason. If it's a little favor it doesn't even have to be a good reason.

"Behavioral scientist Ellen Langer and her colleagues decided to put the persuasive power of this word to the test. In one study, Langer arranged for a stranger to approach someone waiting in line to use a photocopier and simply ask, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” Faced with this direct request to cut ahead in the line, 60 percent of the people were willing to agree to allow the stranger to go ahead of them. However, when the stranger made the request with a reason (“May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), almost everyone (94 percent) complied. This kind of boost may not seem very surprising. After all, providing a solid reason for the request justifies asking to jump ahead.

Here’s where the study gets really interesting: Langer tested one more version of the request. This time, the stranger also used the word because but followed it with a completely meaningless reason. Specifically, the stranger said, “May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?” Because you have to make copies? Who doesn’t? You’re certainly not going to use it to sharpen your pencils, are you? Despite the hollowness of the “reason” the stranger provided, it generated nearly the same elevated levels of compliance as when the reason was wholly legitimate (93 percent)...

The requester told a group of participants that she needed to make twenty copies... Besides the longer wait time, anyone who has ever used a copy machine knows the likelihood that the machine will jam seems to rise exponentially with each added page.when the stranger simply made her request without providing a reason or using the word because, only 24 percent complied. And for those who gave a bad reason (“…because I need to make copies”), there was no increase in compliance at all. However, when the larger request was made with a goodreason (“…because I’m in a hurry”), the response rate doubled. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that when the stakes are low, people are more likely to take mental shortcuts. On the other hand, when the stakes are high, people really do take the strength of the requester’s reasoning into consideration when deciding how to respond to the request."

So let's practice:"Would you take a yardsign, because I don't want to deal with them?" Or with a bigger ask, "would you host a house party because Republicans are attacking our access to healthcare?" How will you use "because?"

Only In New York...

New York News | New York Breaking News | NYC Headlines

I debated whether to post about this story at all because of the wonderful young female candidates who are positive role models for girls and are much more deserving of our time and attention. Then I thought that that was a good reason to post about them, but a bad reason not to post about Mindy Meyer the self-proclaimed "Orthodox Jewish Diva" candidate for State Senate.

While there is nothing wrong with liking pink or trying to bring a sorely needed fresh face to the New York State Senate, Meyer's ignorance combined with arrogance makes every part of my Jewish/female/young/politico body cringe. Her website banner boasts (in sparkly diamond print) "I'm Senator and I know it" and also blares the LMFAO song that inspired the slogan. Meyer says,"My campaign manager just spoke to Kim Kardashian's publicist because she's a diva and everything, so they're getting back to me because we're trying to get her endorsement because, you know, she, whatever, my website is literally like her." She also told GoodDay New York that she was "unfamiliar" with New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Seriously Mindy? This is why we can't have nice things!! That and the rule of the patriarchy.

Speaking of Facebook...

I've been meaning to post about this. From Huffington Post:

Facebook users in Washington state will have something else to brag about to their online friends: that they registered to vote on Facebook.

The secretary of state's office said Tuesday it will have an application on its Facebook page that allows residents to register to vote and then "like" the application and recommend it to their friends.

We live in the future, guys!

The VAN just got EVEN AWESOMER

I am actually speechless over how amazing this is. Watch this video. I am without speech.

"Using Social Organizing, supporters can log into your website, match their Facebook and other friends to the VAN voter file, and then make the right contacts with the right friends, like calling persuadable friends and targeted voters, or emailing friends fitting the profile of a donor as part of a grassroots fundraising effort. Social Organizing then encourages supporters on to greater activity through game dynamics like points, achievement badges, and supporter leaderboards. As the only such tool integrated with the VAN tool used by almost every Democratic campaign and progressive political organization, Social Organizing enhances the voter file clients use for the rest of their field and voter contact work by adding valuable relationship and other codes."

Everything I Need to Know About Dating I Learned As a Field Organizer

I was recently on the phone with a fellow Political Operative mining him for career advice and catching up on life in general. When the conversation turned to our love lives I remarked, "That's how I am. I either don't care or I care a hundred and crazy percent...it makes me great at campaigns and horrible at dating."

I do think there's some truth to that. I can make any event happen, recruit any number of volunteers or raise any amount of money through what is more or less sheer force of will. I set a goal, I make a plan, and I achieve it. The great disappointment of my adult life has been that dating does not work this way. No matter how hard you try, no matter what you do or say, you cannot organize your way to finding your soul mate. From what I understand, these things tend to happen when you're not trying at all, which can be maddening to the organizing mind.

Reflecting on my latest romantic misadventures, I realized I’m learning the same lessons I learned years ago as an organizer, only this time in my personal life. I’ve often written here as if campaigns were my primary romantic interest and I have to own that it’s easier that way. When it comes to campaigns, I know what I’m doing. Although, walk lists are notoriously bad kissers.

I’m always hesitant when I post something so personal. Curse words and innuendo notwithstanding, this is a professional blog. God knows who could be reading this. However, as my blog becomes more popular, I endeavor for this to be first and foremost a resource that I wish someone had created for me. Plus, I like rules, and like all advice columnists before me this is as much about figuring my own stuff out as it is helping anyone else. So without further ado, seven things I know about field organizing that I am still learning about relationships:

1) It's a numbers game. When you have a string of crappy phone calls, it is tempting to give up, call it a night and pour yourself a beer. Instead, you double down on your recruitment efforts because you know you’ll have to make that many more phone calls to meet your goal. When I think about my very deserving single friends, one of the main barriers to their romantic success is that they don’t meet new people. It becomes increasingly difficult and frustrating to make new friends after college, and I’m certainly finding that life in the big city doesn’t forge the same bonds as 14 hours workdays in the wilderness. Campaign people know better than anyone just how mind numbingly average the average person can be. Getting out there, even non-romantically, can be frustrating and draining. It’s tempting to spend your evenings on your own or with people you already know you like and who like you, but you’re certainly not going to meet anyone sitting alone on your couch.

2) If they're not going to vote for you because you called them during dinner, they weren't going to vote for you in the first place. When a relationship doesn’t go my way, I almost want it to be my fault. I want to be able to pinpoint exactly what I said or did to shoot myself in the foot so that I can be sure not to make that same mistake again. The flip side is that it can leave me replaying conversations over and over in my head wondering what I could have done differently. In both relationships and campaigns, outside of violence and affairs, if things were going to work out there is no one action that will mess the whole thing up. It’s convenient when we’re breaking up for both parties to have a concrete excuse as to why it didn’t work…it absolves the breaker of blame and it gives the breakee a sense of closure. The truth is, if someone was going to be there for you, they would be there regardless of the grammar you used in your text message or the way you asked them to call you again.

3) Make your expectations clear. Every good organizer knows that if you want your volunteers to finish their packets, you need to set goals. “Most people do about 80 calls per shift” or “It’s important that you finish your packet.” Sure, volunteers may or may not live up to your expectations, but they are a lot more likely to disappoint if they don’t know what you need from them ahead of time. The same goes for relationships. I’m never afraid of coming off as needy or demanding by stating my expectations in a professional context, yet I crumble when it comes to my personal life. We’re so afraid of being rejected that we don't ask for what we want and in the end we end up living with both the fear and the disappointment. As one of my friends pointed out recently, needy isn’t saying “If you’re going to be late, it would make me feel better if you called me” needy is not telling someone what you need and then getting angry when he doesn’t do it.

4) Think about what you have to offer. When we’re recruiting volunteers we want them to come in and help us meet our goals, but (except in the cases of very special volunteers) we don’t call someone up and say “Hi, I need you to help me with my job.” We focus on what we have to offer them, whether it be the excitement of a campaign office, an internship opportunity, or the feeling of fulfillment one gets from being part of a greater effort. Though I’m not suggesting you need to market yourself to your future someone, I have learned that it’s best to focus on how you can enrich each other, rather than how that someone can fill a need in your life. As Bob Proctor, puts it “you want to leave everyone you come in contact with with the impression of increase.” As a friend put it, “we spend all this time looking for someone to complete us, but ultimately when we find someone we wind up completing them.” It turns out all the cliché advice that you need to love yourself before you can love someone else and that you’ll only find someone when you’re comfortable being alone is true. (See also, rule number 7.)

5) People are selfish liars. It’s not necessarily bad, so much as it’s just true. People act in their own self-interest and do not often think about how their actions impact other people. This is one of the basic truths you learn about humanity in the course of being a field organizer. Volunteers make a commitment and decide not to show. I have to say this drives me crazy even in a professional setting. I’ve listened to this song on repeat after many a disappointing canvass. My personal pet peeve is people wasting my time. Maybe they forgot, maybe they had something more appealing to do, or maybe they just said yes to get you off the phone. I guarantee you they don’t consider the time you spent the night before cutting turf and map-questing directions so that they could have a walk packet. When a someone stops calling or a boyfriend breaks a promise, we have a tendency to feel tricked. Our first (and oft recurring) thought is “how could they do this to me?” The truth is, they probably weren’t even thinking about you. Maybe they became overwhelmed at work, maybe they just weren’t feeling it anymore, maybe they had something else going on entirely. Very rarely is someone engaging in an evil plot to break your heart just for the fun of it. Like volunteers, you make your expectations clear but in the end you have to accept that people can only give what they are capable of at any given point in time.

6) Learn from failures, predict success. Sometimes (and you won’t hear me admit this often) I do make mistakes…like failing to follow rules 3 and 4 or printing out a walk packet with the wrong script on it. Part of the Type A, pitta, field organizing personality is that I tend to be my own worst critic, which I suppose also makes me guilty of breaking rule number 2. It’s natural to beat ourselves up, especially when we care passionately about something, but it’s so much easier for me to forgive myself at work than in my personal life. I’ve never sent my field team the wrong list, snapped at an organizer or for that matter lost and thought “I ruined the campaign!!!” or “I’ll never have a shot at winning a campaign again.” In the first place, it’s ridiculous and in the second place, it’s not productive. I think “that was a mistake and I’m embarrassed” then I do what I can to rectify it and vow to use better judgment next time. I can tell you in my ripe old age of 27 that even when you think you should know better, it doesn’t mean you do. Sometimes you need to shock your system into knowing emotionally or instinctively what you already knew intellectually. And then you learn it, and then you move on. As Oprah says “when you know better, you do better.” Rather than dwell on the past, better to learn from it and move confidently into the future.

7) Wisdom is wisdom for a reason. I get a lot of messages on my tumblr about baby organizers trying to reinvent the wheel. “Sure I’ve only been doing this for five years but you tell me how to recruit volunteers/raise money/build for an event.” Classic methods like calltime are classic because they work, even if they’re a tough pill to swallow. I’m a big believer that asking for advice when you need it is a sign of strength, not weakness. People who know are more than willing to share. Heck, I’ve made a blog out of it. In my ongoing quest to become a non-campaign-nomadic adult, I’ve become insatiably hungry for advice. Sure there’s a lot of crappy and conflicting advice out there when it comes to dating, but the basics “you need to love yourself first,” “it always happens when you’re not looking,” “the right one won’t make you cry” always seem to rear their ugly heads…I just might not want to hear them at the time. I’ve come to realize that that’s exactly when I need to hear them the most.

Obviously, there are some key differences between dating and volunteer recruitment. I’m not suggesting that you phone bank someone until they fall madly in love with you. When it comes to recruitment the goal is to get as many volunteers as possible, quality is nice but it’s not a prerequisite. When it comes to love exactly the opposite is true. However, if we release ourselves from the clawing suspicion that we have one chance and we blew it, the way we do at work, we free ourselves to accept our limitations and ultimately be more resilient.

There you have it! Who thinks I could be the Carrie Bradshaw of field organizing?

Hoping to leave you with the impression of increase,

Nancy

Fun with Electoral Maps!

Wanna see which states are considered swing states? How about how many different combinations Democrats could win with in the fall? 270 to Win has every possible combination of electoral outcome you could want to see. Check it out!