The Campaign Corner series looks to give three tips about commonly asked campaign issues. Do get in touch if you have any questions you would like to suggest.
Today’s Campaign Corner question: I can’t wait to get some rest over Christmas! But should we give all our helpers a long break without asking them to do anything or is campaigning over Christmas a good idea?
Get rest – don’t burn out: politics isn’t everything. Your health, your family and your friends should get a look in, so do make sure you take a break when you need one.- Not everyone is the same: for some people, delivering or door-knocking between Christmas and New Year is not an option, either because they are away with family or are taking a breather. For some, however, it can be a very welcome chance to get out the house (maybe leaving relatives behind!) and burn off a few of those Christmas calories. Don’t assume all your possible helpers are the same. They aren’t. Ask them politely and see who wants to do what.
- It’s a good time to do surveys: many people are less busy over the festive season, which makes it a great time to ask them to fill in surveys. So if you are doing a leaflet for the public or a newsletter for members and supporters, think about making it more of a survey as you may well get a better response rate than usual.
Got any other tips? Please do share them in the comment thread below.
Want to know more about local campaigning? Campaigning In Your Community by myself and Shaun Roberts should be right up your street. It’s available for only £4 from ALDC and you can read an extract for free here.
Previous Campaign Corners have included:
- Should you still target during a PR election?
- What to do on the doorstep
- How to make Focus leaflets looks better
You can read them all here.
