PLAN AHEAD 2014: BUILDING A VOTER ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE FOR YOUR NONPROFIT Presented by

ABOUT US About Us Founded in 2005, Nonprofit VOTE partners with America's nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. We are a leading source of nonpartisan training, materials and other resources for nonprofits doing voter engagement work. Find out more about our mission and partners on our site at

TODAY’S PRESENTER Who Lindsey Hodel National Field Director Nonprofit VOTE

Our size and reach Our social missions and the trust and respect we earn from our communities Our dedicated staff When we do this work, we are extremely effective! WHY NONPROFITS? Why Voting

The entire House of Representatives, 33 Senators and 36 Governors will be on ballots across the country! Forty-seven ballot questions are certified for spots on nineteen statewide ballots in 2014 already! Engaging the Rising American Electorate OPPORTUNITY 2014 Oppor- tunity 2014

NEW CHECKLIST!

MAKING A PLAN

Designate a Staff Lead: Choose a staff lead, someone who will be the point person for your voter engagement work. Establish Buy-In: Get buy-in from your Executive Director and senior staff. JAN – FEB: STAFF LEAD AND BUY-IN

Learn about voting in your state –Nonprofit VOTE’s Voting in Your State Tool: –Fair Elections Legal Network’s Voter Registration Guides: Review nonpartisan guidelines JAN – FEB: LEARN THE VOTING RULES

Set ambitious but achievable goals –How many of your staff will be involved? –How many volunteers? –How many voter registrations will you aim for? –What other election activities to do? MARCH – JULY: SET GOALS

Programs and Points of Contact: What are your ongoing programs or points of contact with your audience - at your agency, at events, or in your neighborhood? Services or classes to target Special programs or events: A graduation ceremony, a community festival, a citizenship ceremony, etc. MARCH – JULY: ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Identify staff and volunteers who will be involved Get riled up! Provide a rationale for the work Initial training: Make sure they have the skills they need. Ongoing training and support: Periodically review with staff what they need to know, provide materials and resources MARCH – JULY: STAFF AND TRAINING

Find a training partner like an advocacy partner or non- partisan group doing voter registration Meet with your local election office Consider opportunities: Around ballot measures, candidate forums or get out the vote activities MARCH – JULY: PARTNERING

VOTER REGISTRATION

When: Start in July or August. Ramp up your activities as you near the deadline Conduct a pilot of your registration efforts Keep in mind: –Some are already registered –Updating an address or name is just as important as registering for the first time AUG – SEPT: STARTING VOTER REG

Plan a kickoff event Publicize your registration efforts! AUG – SEPT: KICKOFF AND PUBLICITY

KNOW YOUR DEADLINE

September 23 rd is National Voter Registration Day! – ionday.org/ – NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY

VOTER EDUCATION AND GET OUT THE VOTE

What’s on the ballot: Sample ballots and voter guides How to vote: Pass out voter tips on how to vote or get help voting OCT: VOTER EDUCATION Voter Education

Do Voter Education Only: Provide nonpartisan voter education on ballot measures Make an Endorsement: Take a position for or against a ballot measure OCT: BALLOT MEASURES Ballot Measures

Create visibility: Make the election visible at your agency and in your communications Promote Early Voting: Encourage people to vote early by mail or in person Promote Election Day voting: Contact constituents about voting on Election Day OCT: GETTING OUT THE VOTE GOTV

Make Election Day a special, celebratory day! Reminders to vote in the last few days are effective Time off for staff ELECTION DAY Election Day

Promote: If results were good or activities successful, let your audience know what you did to get out the vote Debrief & Evaluate: Review what you did to inform your future election work POST-ELECTION Post- Election

Factsheets, Guides, Toolkits and more available at RESOURCES Resources

RESOURCES Resources

VOTE (8683) Nonprofit VOTE 89 South Street Suite 203 Boston, MA Lindsey Hodel Julian Johannesen