Just had my first ever blog post on the Cegelis blog -- I have cross posted it below. Hope those who support her campaign will take the suggestions to heart.
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Choose to Make a Difference
No matter how worthy your cause or how exceptional your candidate, the success or failure of any campaign rests on the individual decisions of hundreds, even thousands, of people. Decisions to either get involved or not get involved. To accept a leadership role, or to let it pass you by. To make that extra phone call, to knock on that last door, to contribute that extra dollar, or not to.
In the media buzz of the last few weeks, I have heard from many people wanting to show their support for Christine. Well, below are ten things that each and every one of us can do that will not just show our support, but could be the thing that makes the difference between success and failure. And you don't need to be rich, or powerful, or in charge of big organization to do any of these things -- all you have to do is choose to make a difference. As Gov. Howard Dean once said, "We are building a political movement - not one that wields the power of lobbyists and corporate interests, but the power of millions of people who seek change."
Ten Ways You Can Help Christine Cegelis Win District Six
(and reclaim the American dream for ourselves, our families, and our country)
1. Contribute. I know most of us have already done that, but seriously, if you can afford another $20, or $30 or $50 or $100 or $250, or more, this, above all, is what Christine needs. You can do it online right now at: http://www.cegelisforcongress.com/...
2. "Get Six." Sign up for our new donor outreach program, "Get Six for Cegelis" and bring six new donors into the campaign at any level, from a suggested minimum of $20 to a legal maximum of $2,100. This is a great way to bring new people into the campaign, as well as to get those who have volunteered but have never donated to go ahead and take that extra step. To sign up or for more information contact sandra at cegelisforcongress.com.
3. Gather nominating petition signatures. People are watching very closely to see what Christine's grassroots support really is. Which means we need to FLOOD that office in Springfield with petition signatures! Not only will they look at the number of signatures, but also at the number of different circulators we have. So in addition to getting signatures yourself, why not get a neighbor or two to go out this weekend and get a few as well? An an extra 10, 20, or 30+ people out in the next two weeks collecting an additional 300, 600 or 900 signatures will really, truly help with building our organization, as well as with fundraising. Contact Ray at r-w-p at sbcglobal.net to sign up or get more information on how to do this.
4. Send a "Friends and Family" letter (or email). Make use of your Christmas or holiday card list. Or heck, save on postage and tuck a campaign message right in with your cards. All you need to do is tell people about Christine's story, and that this campaign is something important to you. Include a donation envelope, or if you are sending an email, consider making your own fundraising page for the campaign at http://www.actblue.com and including a link. If your friends live in the district, ask them for their vote in March and include information on how to volunteer. Contact sandra at cegelisforcongress.com for a sample letter or other resources, or for information on setting up a fundraising web page.
5. Be a Leader. The campaign desperately needs people who are willing to take initiative and lead/organize the efforts of others. For example, you could volunteer to come into the office once a week and make phone calls, or you could volunteer to organize a once a week phone banking effort. The effort is only slightly more, but it will multiply the results. Or how about being an area chair or township chair for the precinct organization? This is a big need right now! To help with the precinct organization, contact Ray at r-w-p at sbcglobal.net.
6. Hold a house party, coffee or fundraiser. A good rule of thumb is that if you want 50 people to show up at your event, you need to invite 200 -- and follow up with phone calls to all of them to encourage them to attend. Since very few of us know 200 people we can invite, it is important to ask others to "co-host" the event. The preparations can be simple -- chips, dips and soda -- but the event can have a huge impact. Contact sandra at cegelisforcongress.com for a House Party Kit which offers more information and advice on how to have a successful party.
7. Reach out to groups you are involved in, or groups in your area. Just telling each other about how great Christine is isn't enough -- we all already know that! We need to reach out to groups of people we know, and groups in our neighborhood, who have perhaps never considered being involved in a political campaign. Find out when their next meeting is, and see if you can be scheduled to make an announcement about the campaign. Pass around a sign-up sheet so that those who are interested can get more information from you after the meeting. If appropriate, post regular updates about the campaign to the group's listserv. Encourage people not to just be passive receivers of the information, but to get involved themselves by volunteering or contributing.
8. Write about Christine's position on an issue. Let's not let the only topic of discussion be who has the most money! Find an issue that is of concern to you, and the next time you see an article, letter to the editor, or blog post about that issue, respond with a quote from Christine about it, and a link or reference to more information on the campaign web site. Christine's campaign blog in particular is full of wonderful posts on subjects ranging from veterans issues to education to alternative energy to health care to tax cuts. Help people get to know Christine as more than just a sound bite or a dollar amount -- let them know where she stands on important issues.
9. Volunteer in the office. You've seen the announcement in the campaign newsletters: "With less than one year until Election Day, and five months until the primary, we really need your help in the campaign office. If you have two hours to spare, please contact www.cegelisforcongress.com/contact. Any time you can give would be appreciated!
10. Be a volunteer phone banker. It's a fact -- one of the most cost-effective ways for campaigns to raise money is fundraising over the phone, and you can't run an effective campaign without money! Volunteering once a week or even once a month to help with this critical task could be the difference between victory and defeat next November. If you live in the 6th District, contact Patrick Mogge at pmogge at cegelisforcongress.com to schedule a time to help make phone calls. If you live in Chicago, you can contact Rush, our new volunteer phone bank coordinator, at cegelis2006 at gmail.com.
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A final quote from Dick Simpson's wonderful book, "Winning Elections: A Handbook of Modern Participatory Politics":
"Reform begins with each of us fighting campaigns in our own communities and winning our own victories. Many of your neighbors, co-workers, and people you have only met casually feel the same way you do about the need to reform politics and government. They are waiting for someone to take the first step ..."