The Dos and Donts of Canvassing
We’ve all seen them: (mostly) young people stopping strangers on the street to solicit money for a relatively well known charity. I usually admire these people: they are going up to random people and asking them to join their cause in a short amount of time which is challenging.
However, like any other fundraising practice there are good and bad ways to do this. In NYC I have had far too many bad encounters with canvassers. If you are raising money for a well known organization or your local elementary school, keep in mind these dos and donts.
DONTs:
- Do not interrupt me: If I am on the phone or seem otherwise engaged, interrupting me is rude not just to me but also to the person I am talking to. Even when raising money basic manners apply.
- Do not use a pet name: Sweetie, baby, chocolate (as I was called a few days ago) are inappropriate and the intellectual in me wants to discuss the problematic sexist overtones in such language.
- Do not give me attitude: In general I do not give money to organizations that solicit on the street. However, if I politely say “I’m sorry I am not interested” sucking your teeth or giving me a disgusted look will certainly not change my mind.
- Do not follow me: If I have not stopped to engage you that, that does not give you the right to follow me down the street talking to me. Again, basic manners still matter.
DOs:
- Do have some sort of logo: A logo (whether on stationery, t-shirts, caps, etc) is important because it implies legitimacy and helps people remember and recognize your brand. Even if you are working for an organization that is fairly well known, the absence of some kind of brand image will look suspicious.
- Do know what you are talking about: When you fumble over basic facts or cant answer essential questions (how many people does your organization serve and how?) it makes people not trust you. Know the facts and be able to tell people why they matter.
- Do have a story to tell: While impressive stats are great, do you love this organization? Do you know anyone who has been touched by the organization’s work? Faces behind the numbers are always a good sell.
- Do have something to give me: A pamphlet? Card? Anything to facilitate follow up or research on your organization at my own pace is helpful.
I canvass, and pretty well, and some of your points I agree with: I don’t canvass folks on the phone (usually I just make an “on the phone” shrug and wave goodbye); I don’t ever use pet names until someone I’m canvassing does first; as for attitude… eh. There’s plenty of crappy canvassers who get irate or confrontational to folks who just say no, but in general we go by the dictum of grassroots activism, which is that it takes far fewer interactions to get someone involved. Which means that when someone says no, I just try to be polite and realize that most folks in the areas we go to do support us. They might not have time to do something that day, or might be sick, or might actually be in a hurry. Which means that they can’t or don’t want to get involved at that moment, but doesn’t mean that they won’t get involved the next time I see them (or another canvasser does). But you’ve also got to remember that we get lied to and treated like morons pretty regularly—it’s not hard to tell when someone’s actually in a hurry. They don’t spend twenty minutes absent-mindedly thumbing through magazines in the bookstore in front of you. To a great extent, it’s better to preserve the social fiction of accepting everyone’s excuses, but there are plenty of times where you roll your eyes without thinking. (In particular, there’s a shuffle we call “the L.A. hurry.”) Also, depending on how the canvasser is attempting to grab your attention, there are a lot of normal nos that really can be surprising in context—I do think someone who says a flat no to “Would you like to save a child’s life” is kind of a jerk, even if they’re actually just answering the question behind the question.
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“I do think someone who says a flat no to “Would you like to save a child’s life” is kind of a jerk, even if they’re actually just answering the question behind the question.”
Oh please, that kind of “question” is underhanded at best; it’s just a phrase designed to induce guilt in a person who could be a perfectly generous and nice person for all you know (and who has also probably been hit with said “question” over and over and over again). The fact that you would call someone a jerk for not giving an “acceptable” answer to such a non-question, and not, you know, the jerk asking the “question” is telling.
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