The Righteous Indignation Project

Voter Registration - How to Guide for Creative Planning Meeting

Interfaith Voter Registration Drive - How to Guide for Creative Planning Meeting

This interactive model is often more fun than regular meetings, gets people moving around the room, includes people who are more comfortable expressing themselves through writing, and encourages collaboration and leadership development. Feel free to use the sample event agenda and training steps for reference.

Prep

Have pizza or other dinner out beforehand.

Place markers around the room, and post several pieces of sticky butcher block posted around the room, with the following content:

1. Agenda (listed below)
2. Relationship building - what should this include?  Feel free to list adjectives, e.g. fun, relational, content, e.g. talk about religious tradition, and format, e.g. small groups, one on one, big group.
3. Training - what should this include?  What skills/tips/ideas should be included? 
4. Wrap up - what should this include?  Feel free to list adjectives, e.g. fun, content, e.g. share stories from the field, and format, e.g. small groups, one on one, big group.

Agenda

0-15: Pizza and schmoozing

15-20: Overview of the agenda and general goals for the event, i.e. register low income voters, build interfaith relationships, raise up the issue of poverty to voters, candidates, and media.

20-30: Introductions - name, groups, religious affiliation, what brought you here?

30-45: Brainstorming on paper -  

Sample Script: We are now going to brainstorm ideas for how to make this event fun, meaningful and effective.  The event itself is likely to be split up into introduction, relationship building, training, canvassing, and wrap up.  Since the introduction and canvassing are fairly straightforward, today we will focus on relationship building, training, and wrap up.  Please take a few minutes - and take a marker - and write down your ideas for each aspect of the event.  If you like someone else's idea, feel free to put a check or your initials next to it.

45-55: Review and make decisions about the training.

55-65: Review and make decisions about the training.

65-75: Review and make decisions about wrap up.

As facilitator, try to get everyone sharing what they wrote, and try to build consensus around popular suggestions.  If there is disagreement, try your best to come to some decision, to avoid extra meetings.

75-90: Next steps and thank you

Possible next steps: Assign people to edit the event agenda, write up follow up opportunities, communicate with the grassroots group about training, recruit people for the event, etc.  Whatever you assign, make sure to send a follow up email reminding people to do it, with info on when you will check back in with them to make sure they have done it.