14 Reasons Summer Canvassing Rocks!
Get Your Step Count Up!
NOTE: FOR A LIST OF CANVASSING OPPORTUNITIES, CLICK HERE
Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer. If you haven’t already, you can start wearing sundresses and white shorts with confidence that you aren’t making a fashion faux-pas.
Whether you call it Late Spring or Early Summer, this is a great time to be canvassing in much of the US. In states where the temperature stays below 95’F, canvassers often find people are less rushed and stressed, so it's easier to get people to talk.
Yay for canvassing in the summer when:
Your fingers aren't stiff, making it hard to handle literature
You can eat a fresh juicy peach or pick mulberries off a tree (just try not to get the lit sticky)
Your feet don't go numb from the cold waiting for someone to answer the door
The person who answers the door isn't tempted to shut it immediately to keep the heat in and the cold out
You find open doors and windows where you can ask "Is anybody home?" and people inside hear you
You can shed a scarf and wool hat in favor of a jaunty cap or stylish straw hat
People can see the messages on your t-shirt (not covered by a down jacket)
The days are longer, so you can canvass in the evenings, when you can still see the numbers on the houses and more people are at home
In most of the country, the evening sounds of thousands of cicadas and lots of crickets will provide live music while walking
You can meet people in their yards, washing their cars or gardening.
Every street is an opportunity to see just how committed its residents are to growing flowers and tomatoes on porches
Driving to a new neighborhood is an excuse to check out a pond or pool for a post-canvass dip
Walking in the heat calls for a iced tea or coffee at a pleasant cafe with outdoor patio
After canvassing, you can dine and drink with your fellow volunteers outside
Though you won’t suffer frostbite or hypothermia, do remember sunblock and follow California organizer Elizabeth Chur’s advice: always say “yes” to the water. Chur’s book on canvassing by this title is headed for publication this summer. The Grassroots Connector will bring you a review and/or an excerpt. Keep your eyes out for that.
Meanwhile, we look forward to hearing your stories from canvassing this summer. What are you carrying? What are you wearing? What innovative approaches are you trying? Need some suggestions on where to canvass? Below are some events seeking volunteers. Get your step count up!
Canvassing Opportunities
It’s easy to find where you can canvass on by going to the Mobilize US canvassing webpage. It will provide you with the nearest door knocking opportunities.
Click HERE for a list of canvassing opportunities where door-to-door is most needed.