|
tyler is a joke posted:Sure but the question was not about that: That'll teach me to read.
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2014 02:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 20:25 |
|
|
I work in research, so that's basically what I do all day.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2014 02:51
|
|
|
A lot depends on the state as well. A California state representative has a district of about 450,000 people, while a New Hampshire state representative has only about 3,300. (source) Obviously the campaigns are going to be totally different in terms of scale and paid staff.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2014 05:31
|
|
|
I have field experience on a large coordinated, a smaller (but still fairly large) municipal race, and working for a paid canvass piece. In all of these jobs, I worked very closely with my fellow organizers/rfds. The job I'm in now has me in an office alone in a corner of the state that no one really ever comes to. In some ways, it's been nice to get to run my own show up here and not constantly (or ever) have a boss over my shoulder micromanaging me. On the other hand, it's incredibly isolating and I'm having a difficult time feeling connected to the team, most of whom are together in our main office or at the very least in an office with other staff. I'm sure other people in this thread have experienced this or something similar. How do you deal with being alone in your region without it killing your motivation and buy-in?
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2014 14:04
|
|
|
Gchat. Lots and lots of Gchat. And conference calls. We also had all-staff meetings once a month down by HQ, which allowed us to bond (drink heavily together). This, combined with the weirdness of campaign work, led to some really close friends of the type that you just pick it back up with, even if you haven't seen them in forever. Your mileage may vary, of course. I definitely feel you. I was up in an office by myself for a few months before coordinated and other staff moved in, and man, it was like being on that diplomacy planet on Star Trek... well... nice town, but just really boring and a bit isolating.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2014 14:38
|
|
|
I was the only person in my state for 18 months once. Make outside friends. "Hire" an intern if you're in field.
|
|
#
?
Mar 25, 2014 14:43
|
|
|
Monkey Fury posted:Gchat. Lots and lots of Gchat. And conference calls. We also had all-staff meetings once a month down by HQ, which allowed us to bond (drink heavily together). This, combined with the weirdness of campaign work, led to some really close friends of the type that you just pick it back up with, even if you haven't seen them in forever. Your mileage may vary, of course. Yeah, this is a truly miserable situation to be in. I have done a two man office and it sucks, alone must be a nightmare. You NEED to make campaign friends to commiserate with, long distance if necessary. Honestly I think it is an issue worthy of bringing up to your boss. Obviously they won't take steps that will hamper your work product, but stuff like coming to meetings or events in person instead of conference call occasionally are not entirely unreasonable asks. Maintaining your sanity (until like September) should be something they care at least a little about. You meet people at those events/meetings and keep up the friendship on gchat.
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2014 01:53
|
|
|
CobwebMustardseed posted:I have field experience on a large coordinated, a smaller (but still fairly large) municipal race, and working for a paid canvass piece. In all of these jobs, I worked very closely with my fellow organizers/rfds. The job I'm in now has me in an office alone in a corner of the state that no one really ever comes to. In some ways, it's been nice to get to run my own show up here and not constantly (or ever) have a boss over my shoulder micromanaging me. On the other hand, it's incredibly isolating and I'm having a difficult time feeling connected to the team, most of whom are together in our main office or at the very least in an office with other staff. I'm sure other people in this thread have experienced this or something similar. How do you deal with being alone in your region without it killing your motivation and buy-in? If you build it, they will come. Get some volunteers my friend!
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2014 01:59
|
|
|
So what is the general 'hiring' time for paid full-time campaign workers? I'm thinking entry-level volunteer organizers, office work, etc kinds of things; more or less one or two rungs on the ladder. I am out of the states currently and will be coming back in early September, which I think might be past the time to get hired for the Fall elections. I'm wanting to do it because of the connections to be made and long hours (good for saving up school money).
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2014 09:57
|
|
|
Right about now and you'll almost always be salaried, but if you're an organizer and you're living in supporter housing and your volunteers like you and your office mates, you'll be able to bank away a ton of cash. I made about $3k a month last cycle -- not my first job and in a state with the money to spend -- and lived in a really nice supporter house with a great dog and my volunteers always kept us well fed. Managed to live off that and travel a little while living at home until I left for the PC. I don't know how these things work for Republicans, but for Democrats, you can check out the NOI Job List, they always have a ton of jobs. Entry level campaign work, you're probably looking at something like field organizing or a finance assistant? It really depends. There will be a little hiring for organizers late in the game around August, but by then, you're mostly going to be relegated to volunteer work or a campaign "internship" at a local office, and what you get out of that will vary greatly based on what kind of office you're in. Are you still in the PC? If you could COS in early August that would probably be early enough to find an organizing job, but I know COSing early is not always so easy... I'm actually thinking of ETing from here to get back into political work. I kinda miss the hours, and my site is really getting on me.
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2014 11:55
|
|
|
Yeah, I'm still in the PC. Our CoS dates are August 15 to September 15 and early CoS is out of the question. The August dates will be taken up by people going to Graduate school in the fall, so I won't be able to leave until at least September 1st or so. I thought it would end up being something like this, but I'll keep looking around for politics jobs in NC, several big races going on there right now, so I'm sure I can find something. I mostly want some Washington/NC gov level connections for when I finish my MPA in the spring so coming in at all would be nice.
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2014 12:49
|
|
|
Mooseontheloose posted:If you build it, they will come. Get some volunteers my friend! Having volunteers helps. Having interns helps, too. But it's not the same. I'm used to having people to commiserate with. I'm never gonna crack open a beer and bitch about my job with a volunteer.
|
|
#
?
Mar 26, 2014 19:58
|
|
|
Slaan posted:Yeah, I'm still in the PC. Our CoS dates are August 15 to September 15 and early CoS is out of the question. The August dates will be taken up by people going to Graduate school in the fall, so I won't be able to leave until at least September 1st or so. The Kay Hagan senatorial will be such a huge campaign that I would not be surprised if they might be hiring some extra field staff starting late for the very final GOTV push. But for an Oct 1 start date you are unlikely to get any job other than paid canvasser though, realistically.
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2014 02:32
|
|
|
Slaan posted:So what is the general 'hiring' time for paid full-time campaign workers? I'm thinking entry-level volunteer organizers, office work, etc kinds of things; more or less one or two rungs on the ladder. I am out of the states currently and will be coming back in early September, which I think might be past the time to get hired for the Fall elections. I'm wanting to do it because of the connections to be made and long hours (good for saving up school money). I suspect this year it will be possible to get an organizing job in very early September. There's a glut of field organizing jobs this year and a massive shortage of people to fill them. I would expect a salary in the range of $2500-2750 a month regardless of where you go. I would not expect a field organizing job to get you any sort of substantial connections into government proper. While there is some cross-pollination between the campaign world and the government world, this mainly occurs at senior staff levels.
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2014 14:20
|
|
|
Concerned Citizen posted:I would not expect a field organizing job to get you any sort of substantial connections into government proper. While there is some cross-pollination between the campaign world and the government world, this mainly occurs at senior staff levels. If you work directly for a candidate in field, it can pay off. A lot of organizers get hired to staff after the campaign.
|
|
#
?
Apr 5, 2014 18:42
|
|
|
Mooseontheloose posted:If you work directly for a candidate in field, it can pay off. A lot of organizers get hired to staff after the campaign. Maybe if you're electing a new candidate for something like a congressional and you want to be part of the new staff answering letters or whatever. I've never seen a FO get hired after a statewide for the politician's office. Especially if Slaan wants NC, I can't imagine Hagan is going to be hiring very many of her 150~ FOs to fill all of the zero vacant spots in her slashed office budget. But if you want a career in government, I honestly don't think campaign work is helpful for that sort of thing anymore. Especially since there have been legislative and ethical reforms to prevent exactly that sort of move.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2014 16:22
|
|
|
Concerned Citizen posted:Maybe if you're electing a new candidate for something like a congressional and you want to be part of the new staff answering letters or whatever. I've never seen a FO get hired after a statewide for the politician's office. Especially if Slaan wants NC, I can't imagine Hagan is going to be hiring very many of her 150~ FOs to fill all of the zero vacant spots in her slashed office budget. FOs can definitely get hired, I've seen it happen many times. The trick is, they have a shot at getting hired in district or in state, not in DC. If you go for a DC job with your candidate, it'll probably be just answering the phone. In district you can get pretty decent community outreach positions, especially so for statewides. The trick is that you have to network the poo poo out of the campaign, but that's the trick for everything.
|
|
#
?
Apr 9, 2014 18:16
|
|
|
I wasn't looking for a direct job, exactly. I've already got non-competitive eligibility for Federal jobs in DC thanks to the Peace Corps, plus the MPA I will be finishing in 2015, so I'm not at all worried about getting a job in DC. I was looking more for starting up my network of contacts more than anything for the moderate/long-term. To put the thread off this slight derail: When a campaign is finished, what typically happens in the month or so afterwards? Does the campaign get rid of most people not needed to finish sending off checks for services/ads/workers, or is it more of a gradual wind down?
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2014 08:41
|
|
|
Slaan posted:
Field and low level positions will be typically be done within the week of election day. Close down the offices and throw out stuff and you're done. Finance people often stay on a bit longer to tie stuff up. Campaign managers have a bit more to wrap up, too. Usually everyone is done or perhaps finance people on a part time basis after a few weeks.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2014 14:54
|
|
|
I'm getting vetted through for a dream job right now, and it is currently more stressful than any campaign or anything else I've ever done.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2014 11:07
|
|
|
Monkey Fury posted:I'm getting vetted through for a dream job right now, and it is currently more stressful than any campaign or anything else I've ever done. YAY! What type of job?
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2014 23:29
|
|
|
Mooseontheloose posted:YAY! What type of job? Not in field, and it's DC based, which is what matters most! No more volunteers, activists, or wacky county party people for this guy. Just a bit anxious because there is definitely a blemish that will show up from some years ago, but... can't do much about it now.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2014 06:46
|
|
|
Monkey Fury posted:Not in field, and it's DC based, which is what matters most! No more volunteers, activists, or wacky county party people for this guy. How did it go Monkey Fury? I've been working on the official side for over a year now. It's great, definitely good to understand all sides of the political coin. Part of me wants to start a GR firm later in life or go back into campaign consulting but man loving the stability and normal(ish) hours.
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2014 01:00
|
|
|
I got it and it's awesome! No more field ever again, all digital for this guy  And yeah the (currently) non crazy hours are great. It will start to get worse as we get closer to election day, but these words and phrases like "PTO" (well good luck using it before November) and "paid holidays" and "you will not be laid off a week after election day" are really unfamiliar to me
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2014 06:03
|
|
|
Primaries suck. I'm probably going to lose my job in twelve days. 
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2014 15:19
|
|
|
CobwebMustardseed posted:Primaries suck. I'm probably going to lose my job in twelve days. Well, did you at least make a big issue out of something?
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2014 00:46
|
|
|
tyler is a joke posted:I was the only person in my state for 18 months once. Make outside friends. "Hire" an intern if you're in field. Any advice on getting an intern? I work for a local campaign and we've had trouble "recruiting" without straight up deceiving the teens.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2014 06:16
|
|
|
How can I find places to volunteer for 2014 in my area? I live in western Massachusetts
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2014 07:17
|
|
|
Truecon420 posted:Any advice on getting an intern? I work for a local campaign and we've had trouble "recruiting" without straight up deceiving the teens. Go to every local college and high school,send fliers to government teachers, talk to your dem/gop clubs, talk about how it is a great way to learn about politics, get involved, build your resume, blahblah. Have them make lots of phone calls. quote:How can I find places to volunteer for 2014 in my area? I live in western Massachusetts
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2014 14:00
|
|
|
Mooseontheloose posted:Well, did you at least make a big issue out of something? I can feel okay about it because it's a candidate that I really believe in and at least we're going down swinging. But I'm not looking forward to updating my resume in eleven days.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2014 18:29
|
|
|
gagelion posted:How can I find places to volunteer for 2014 in my area? I live in western Massachusetts Mass has a ton of open races this year. Off the top of my head you have: Gov (5 Democrats, 2 Republicans), Lt. Gov (4 Dems, 1 Republican), Treasurer (3 Democrats), AG (2 Democrats). Probably no competitive house race. As for your state rep and state senator, check here https://malegislature.gov/ and google their campaign.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2014 20:37
|
|
|
I've just been asked to help out a few counties over with the state party's coordinated campaign. The location of the office has yet to be fixed and the CC doesn't know if it'll end up with its own place or if it'll share space with a local congressional campaign. For anyone who has gone through this already, what are some of the best things to do this early on, when everything's in a flux?
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2014 21:31
|
|
|
Ofaloaf posted:I've just been asked to help out a few counties over with the state party's coordinated campaign. The location of the office has yet to be fixed and the CC doesn't know if it'll end up with its own place or if it'll share space with a local congressional campaign. For anyone who has gone through this already, what are some of the best things to do this early on, when everything's in a flux? 1) If you think you are working with a Congressional Campaign office, reach out to them and sit down with them about how you want to split the work load. I have seen too many coordinates NOT talk to each other and it's lead to bitterness/work not getting done/the wrong work getting done. Try to find a way to hit what you need to hit while helping them out. 2) Just because you don't have a physical office, doesn't mean you can't build your vol base. Start making those calls early, make some events, get people in the door. 3) Get an idea of what your targets are going to be and how you want to hit them. When I did paid canvass the group I was with did not understand the terrain at all which made their goals tougher. That's off the top of my head.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2014 21:56
|
|
|
I'm on a state party central committee and have only volunteered extensively with campaigns, so I have a slightly different perspective.Mooseontheloose posted:
Also people measure your viability by your fundraising capability. If you're not meeting fundraising expectations, groups at the state or national level won't endorse, support, or donate. It's not (intentionally) an establishment thing, it's just that folks are less than willing to back a campaign without some kind of viability assurances. Not only do they not want to waste their time/money that they could use to help other races, but there are sometimes reputational and social risks to backing a losing candidate in a primary. Officeholders who remember you mainly as the guy who spent Feb - June working against him are going to be less inclined to help you, even if you spent July - Nov on their side. Additionally, there's a lot of correlation between early fundraising and success in other areas - rich, well-connected people have a big "friends and family" round because they have connections, and those connections also provide the campaign with endorsements and favors, for instance. Monkey Fury posted:Gchat. Lots and lots of Gchat. And conference calls. Is it just the campaigns I've been involved with, or are folks in the campaign world over-obsessed with conference calls? Like an hour-plus a day for things like masturbatory cheerleading or having people go in a circle reporting their results - poo poo that has nothing to do with electing candidates. Mooseontheloose posted:3. I want to be Josh Lyman! Can you help me become Josh Lyman? I will also settle for Toby Zigler. This is my new favorite thing. The sad thing is that it's not even a strawman, people literally do this poo poo. Mooseontheloose posted:You nailed most of it but the other side is the fervor that people want lawn signs and think how effective they are. There is also a subset of people who will only get a lawn sign and get pissy if you ask them to do anything else. Hahaha, not just that, there are the folks who act like they're making a huge sacrifice by letting you drive over and set up a yard sign (that you're only doing because they asked for one) and that putting up a sign at the end of their cul-de-sac is clearly gonna turn out dozens of extra votes. Mooseontheloose posted:Anyone who is running seriously never should have ballot access problems. I've never seen ballot access as a major hurdle for a candidate. Depends on the area and the race. When you've got to do 10,000 signatures in 3 months for a state-wide, it requires a lot of a campaign when it's 6-8 months out from the election and you don't have nearly as much staffing as you would in November. And on the flip-side, you may only need like 100 for a small town council race, but that's a lot when there's only a few thousand voters in your town and at least half the people at the high-traffic events are from outside the town limits. Plus whenever they say "X signatures" they actually mean "130% of X" because of the rate of rejections for folks putting the wrong info, illegibility, etc. Concerned Citizen posted:gently caress yes it's an on year again. We don't have off-years in Virginia 
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2014 23:02
|
|
|
Ugh, the Democratic primary campaign for NY State Assembly that I'm the volunteer coordinator for isn't going to have work for me until around July because of lack of funds. The primary is in September. It's a shame that my candidate is sitting around twiddling her thumbs instead of getting out there and making herself known in the community, because the incumbent gets Wall Street money and proposes bills while not voting for them. Also he had a DUI last July. Maybe the State Senate campaign for the open seat in Brooklyn that I applied for as finance director for will get back to me. There's a reason why I'm applying to nonprofits so that I can do fundraising elsewhere, and it's exactly this. Edit: The campaign manager is someone that I worked with on a couple of city-level campaigns last year. He better be working on something. get that OUT of my face fucked around with this message at 07:57 on May 16, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 16, 2014 07:53
|
|
|
Anyone here ever worked on a superPAC campaign?
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2014 18:19
|
|
|
Tim Pawlenty posted:Anyone here ever worked on a superPAC campaign? I help run a SEIU paid canvass if that helps?
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 00:47
|
|
|
Long hours at minimum wage with no break, sitting in a windowless office trying to reach quotas day after day. No, higher-ups say, we won't do the door-to-door canvasing, that'll be the volunteers we recruit. Visibility events? We'll still be holed up in the office. That "frequent travel required" thing in the job description? Eventually maybe you'll get your own office in part of the county, where you'll be holed up doing more quotas. You don't interact with the campaign, you treat the press like the plague and this is basically your life until November. Goddamn, I thought at least we'd get out at some points during this thing.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 11:43
|
|
|
Tim Pawlenty posted:Anyone here ever worked on a superPAC campaign? Yeah. Ofaloaf posted:Long hours at minimum wage with no break, sitting in a windowless office trying to reach quotas day after day. No, higher-ups say, we won't do the door-to-door canvasing, that'll be the volunteers we recruit. Visibility events? We'll still be holed up in the office. That "frequent travel required" thing in the job description? Eventually maybe you'll get your own office in part of the county, where you'll be holed up doing more quotas. You don't interact with the campaign, you treat the press like the plague and this is basically your life until November. If it makes you feel any better, you will definitely be canvassing. Be really glad you're not doing visibility.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 14:29
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 20:25 |
|
|
Volunteer here: is there a good VAN refresher available online? It's been a while since I used it and I was never well trained to begin with
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2014 15:42
|
|
