Overview
Understand how organizing steps correlate with how data is recorded in the database.
Objectives
The objective of building the components of a campaign is to ensure that everything learned in this track is contextualized in a real-world activity rather than just memorized as rote tasks. We also want to enforce the idea that we want to both record who a person is as well as each interaction we have with them.
Requirements
Participants must have basic familiarity with grassroots political campaigns.
Materials
Setup three pieces of butcher paper in the room. One says "Something about a person" another says "Something a person does" and the third says "Not entered."
Ensure we have post-it notes.
Description
The lesson should take about 60 minutes.
Excercise
Write activites on post it notes
Start by explaining that everything learned in this track will be learned in the context of political organizing. We've already taken the first step: canvassing a neighborhood to find interested contacts.
What other activities do we do when we organize?
Don't restrict to just tech related activities!
Wait until everyone has at least 3 or 4 post it notes.
Explain "something about a person" or "something a person does"
Reveal three pieces of butcher paper:
- Something about a person
- Something a person does
- Not entered
Question for group: When we entered the canvassing contacts, did we record "Something about a person" or "Something a person does"? (refer to butcher paper). Answer: what someone is (because we have not yet entered the door knocking activity).
Ask everyone to put their post it notes on one of the three pieces of butcher paper. When finished, pick a few and ask the people who posted them to explain.
Demonstrate
Explain: We are going to review all the ways you can record interactions with contacts, with special focus on groups, relationships and activities.
Ask everyone to follow along on the screen, not on their own computer.
Do not review main menu items!
Pull up a single contact by entering last name, first name in quick search. Review each tab. Explain: some tabs describe what someone is, most tabs show what they have done. Go into detail with:
- Relationships: explain concept, demonstrate adding one
- Activity: demonstrate adding a door knocking activity
- Explain concept of static group. Demonstrate adding a new group (via Contacts → Add Group). But don't search for contacts to add, just add the group, then return to your contact and add the contact to the group via the Groups tab.
- Explain difference between groups and tags and why we favor groups
Checklist
- Demonstrate relationships
- Demonstrate door knocking activity (ensure it is completed and set to campaign)
- Demonstrate (static) groups
Final Excercise
Ask everyone to find their contacts (one by one via the quick search) and add a new activity for door knocking.