ACTION PLAYBOOK

Host a party: phone banking!

Have your friends over to Get Out The Vote! Most people just need a nudge and a little enthusiasm to dive in.

  • You’ll call voters in a public database and follow a script to discuss voting this election. It’s much more approachable than it might sound! You don’t need to be an expert — the script provides all the information. Plus, most phone banks use a “Predictive Dialer:” a web-based tool that calls multiple phone numbers at once, so you are only patched into a live call once a voter has picked up. 

  • It’s a tried and true method of increasing voter turnout. Even when you don’t end up converting a fence-sitter to a voter, you are collecting valuable data that campaigns and grassroots orgs can use to target more effectively as it gets closer to the election.

Step 1: Choose a place and time

Place: A personal home or a reserved conference room at the library (or similar) are best for phone banking. Why? Your venue should meet the following criteria:

  • Relatively quiet environment 

  • Space for your guests to spread out

  • Outlets available (time to dig up that power strip!)

  • Appropriate to bring laptops and headphones (with a mic). The dialers work on smartphones and iPads, but laptops offer the best experience.

Date & Time: Pick a date at least a week out. From there, think about your people! Young professionals? Try a weeknight happy hour. Busy parents? Weekends are looking pretty good.  Phone banks are open every day between 9 AM and 8:30 PM in the local time of the voter. There are swing districts in every time zone, so finding an open phone bank shouldn’t be an issue.


Consider hosting at the same time as an existing virtual phone banking event! RSVP to the event, join Zoom for training, and start making calls on your own.

Step 2: Get your phone bank link and training

For each ‘Action Party,’ submit this form to share your plans and automatically receive an email with phone bank links and training. 

(PS. There are real people on the other side of this form and the incoming email. Just reply directly to the email if you have any questions anytime. We’re cheerleading and available for support anytime along the way!)

Step 3: Invite your people!

Now comes the fun part: Make your guest list, send the invite (example below!), then watch the RSVPs roll in. ✨  

  • Click here for graphics! 

    Subject: 2024 Elections Party on [October 15th]


    Hi friends!

    Please join me to Get Out The Vote (GOTV) this election! Our efforts can a meaningful difference, and I'm not going to sit this one out. To get over my fear of phone banking, I'm leaning all the way in and hosting my first one at [my house] on [October 15, 2024] at [6pm ET].

    I promise there is no prep work and no homework.  Just show up.  I provide the training, the good vibes, and some snacks. You provide a lot of good energy – and your laptop & headphones with a mic. 

    Please RSVP [include link if using] by [October 8, 2024] so I know how much to prepare.

    Thank you!

    [You]

    • Send reminders. As for any party, confirmation is key! Add it to your calendar now to follow up at least twice before the event, both with the entire group and 1:1 if you haven’t heard from someone. Many event platforms help you automate this! 

    • Tap a co-host: They can help you promote and facilitate, especially for a larger group.

    • Track RSVPs: Here’s a sample event page on lu.ma & graphics to get you started! Use whatever platform works for you: Lu.ma, Facebook, Google Calendar, Partiful, Paperless Post…

  • Use your best judgement, but whether you're on an event service (like Lu.ma) that sends auto-reminders or you're simply sending out text reminnders yourself, generally, a good cadence is something like:

    • Day 0: if you sent a big group message, consider pinging a few folks 1:1 immediately for early RSVPs; get any co-hosts on board early.

    • In 2-3 days, send a friendly note to confirm they saw the invite and enthuse that “this election season is ON” and you’d love to see them at the party. Perhaps give an update on plans or share a recent candidate story/meme.

    • One week before send a message to make sure it's on everyone's calendar.

    • One day before confirm details like time, parking, and refreshments. This is the chance for a final burst of enthusiasm to minimize last-minute cancellations (we’ve all done it!)

    • Day of the event friendly reminder if guests need to bring anything, like a laptop or markers.

Step 4: Prepare for your party

Woohoo! This party is HAPPENING!

Open, bookmark, and personalize this Phone Banking Run of Show Template.

👆You’ll plug the phone banking details you received via email into the yellow highlighted sections, making this document your go-to guide on event day. Preparing the Run of Show is a great way to get familiar with the information AND also includes a preparation checklist. Reminder: if you have any questions, reply to the email you received in Step 2 or post in the Slack #community-help channel.

And of course, don’t forget the fun stuff. Themed decorations or refreshments are a super fun addition – a Save Democracy Spritz, anyone? Fries and Phonebanking? Have fun with it! Or just skip all that and feel proud that you got this event on the calendar and people might actually show up. 😅

*after the show it’s the after-party* Report back with photos!

Please let us know how your event went. We love amplifying success stories to inspire more action from fellow changemakers across the country. Plus, your report will help us make note of our collective impact.

📸 We especially appreciate photos! When you send photos, let us know if you’re comfortable with us sharing them on social media. Four ways to share recaps and photos:

  • Slack channel #wins-shoutouts, #pics-or-it-didn’t-happen and #action-letter-writing—you might inspire others to host their own parties (not in Slack? Join here!)

  • Slack private DM to a staff member (will have Staff in their display name)

  • Email to hello@climatechangemakers.org

  • Social media tag @theclimatevote

And that’s it, playbook complete! Feel accomplished.
Thank you for taking action.

🎉 CUE CONFETTI by clicking COMPLETE! 🎉

Want more action?
Go to the current Action Plan

© 2023 Climate Changemakers