JeffMCS’s Recent Comments

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  Hi Erik,

  What I think you miss in this article is that canvassing doesn't have to be this way; in fact, it's much, MUCH more effective without the traditional goals.  Bringing people together to have that discussion, and empowering activists to go door-to-door doesn't require the pretext of fundraising, and it is more potent without it.

  I'm volunteering this summer with Massachusetts Climate Summer, a group of 20 students going across Massachusetts to canvass, hold presentations and media events, and find leadership for continuing the pressure on Congress into the fall.  And, I should add that we're traveling entirely by bike, and we're volunteers.

  The lion's share of what we do is canvassing - five days a week, for four hours a day.  We don't ask for money!  We don't get paid!  Instead, we gather support on the Repower Campaign goals, invite people to our events in each town along the way, and recruit leaders for the fall campaign and beyond (October 24!  Copenhagen!).

  And while I agree that it would be nice if we were makin' some dough for ourselves, I think it would also detract from the authenticity of the campaign.  We truly care about these goals, and I would gladly stand in front of anyone's door and explain why they need to get involved NOW to help stop climate change. And to tell them that I have no personal stake in these issues, beyond carrying out my civic duty to engage the public on an issue that I believe is really important.

  Raising money for the sake of raising money is silly, unsustainable, and tarnishes the goals of a program.  I understand that it is necessary to support many institutions that are doing important work, and I don't mean to badmouth the many who are involved with money-raising canvass projects.  But if we don't look beyond the established model for canvassing, we might miss some big opportunities.

  If you want to see what we're all about, I encourage you to come out and join us - you can find our route maps on our website.  Or, read this blog post for an encounter between one of our groups and a MassPIRG canvass team.

  My take-home from this summer: you need to be a model for the change you're asking others to make.  And if you treat them as real people who care, and who want to get involved, rather than just hitting them up for money, we have a chance of getting the kind of change we really need.

  Read more:

  Massachusetts Climate Summer.org

  Climate Summer Blog

  Massachusetts Power Shift, our coordinating group

  Thanks!

  Jeff Gang

  On Making change, one door at a time posted 4 months, 1 week ago 6 Responses