by Elizabeth Suneby
With the 2024 election slightly over two weeks away, now is the time to mobilize voters in your personal network—and encourage them to mobilize their networks. You can easily do this by tapping into the thorough and straightforward action plan for activating friends and family that is available from Greater Andover Indivisible
The day after Trump’s January 20, 2017, inauguration, Molly Beams of Andover attended the Women’s March in Boston. Buoyed by the energy of the crowd but longing for an agenda to stem the damage of a Trump presidency, Molly went to work. Within a week, she started the Greater Andover Indivisible, MA chapter.
Mobilizing a community
Today, Molly and four other women co-lead the chapter, mobilizing a community of about 950 people.
“We’re all about member engagement,” says Molly. “Our chapter publishes a monthly e-newsletter. We facilitate voter registration drives before local elections. We host forums to introduce local, state, and congressional candidates. In addition, we organize in-person postcard writing campaigns two to three times monthly and stock bins across the city for people who prefer to grab postcards to write at home.”
With a laser focus on the 2024 presidential election, Molly created a four-step blueprint to help members mobilize family and friends. Here are the highlights:
Step 1: Make a List
Identify your connections, past and present—from neighbors to holiday-card recipients to members of your house of worship.
“I started small, with a group of my college roommates and friends,” states Molly. For each person, she identifies their favorite means of communication and political leaning. She keeps track of each contact’s voting plans, top issues, and actions they might take.
Step 2: Get the Discussion Going
“It’s all about creating a genuine connection and starting a conversation,” explains Molly, who warns against preaching. “The goal is to become a trusted resource for information and opportunities to take action.” Molly advises against trying to change the minds of staunch Republicans or Trump supporters.
Step 3: Talk about November
“The goal is to learn what issues each person cares about so you can highlight areas of agreement and address objections,” says Molly. “And to ensure that each family member is ready to vote, including college students living away from home.” Molly underscores the importance of emphasizing that the 2024 presidential election is about more than an individual candidate. It’s about voting for down ballot candidates, a party platform, an administration, and the protection of democracy.
Step 4: Mobilize
You can mobilize your network beyond voting.
“Help people find opportunities to take action that line up with their priorities,“ explains Molly. She finds that people will step outside their comfort zone to canvas, phonebank, and donate if they have the right motivation, support and guidance.
Learn more
Tapping your network is not about mass marketing but facilitating one-to-one communication that is personal, engaging, and succinct. We’re heading into the final stretch of this election. Get a copy of Mobilize Your Friends and Family: Engage with Your Personal Network today!
Elizabeth Suneby is a writer and author from Wellesley, MA. www.elizabethsuneby.com
