Da Grassroots & Coalition Building

In Hawaii, grassroots fundraising/organizing has, all too often been thought of as purely Democratic Party territory.  As a result, the Republican or business oriented challengers can tend to look like tools of special interests, while the Democrats appear to be populist, "us guys," grassroots kind of folks.  This is not about being Party specific but it  is about being grassroots specific. In order to do this right, interest group coalitions have to be  built and in place.

     The keys are:

1.  Develop a coalition around an interest.  In 2000, the interest of greatest concern to voters will almost certainly be the state of the economy and economic development.  What is your interest?  Tort reform?  The excise tax?  Too much regulation?  Workers' compensation reform?  Land Reform?  Whatever it is , you can find thousand of people who will  agree with you on a reason that we don't have a vibrant economy and/or greater economic development.  On that basis you can build a grassroots political action organization.

2.  Establish a low donor/credit card contribution plan.  This requires mass mailing.  Letters will need to be sent to hundreds, indeed thousand, asking for small donation of $50 or less.  The average return rate on a mass mailing is about 4%.  A low donor campaign ought to be followed up with a phone bank that generally boosts response rates to more than 10%.  Getting the money is not your real priority here--it is making the contact, getting the message out  building the base.

3.  Every donor, regardless of the size of the donation, gets a written thank you on the same day the money is received.  Every person who asks abut the coalition gets a written follow up.  Every person who participates should be asked to enlist his/here family in the quest.  Ever since the Burns administration, successful grassroots campaigns in Hawaii have had a component known a the kokua card campaign.  In it, each member of your care group is asked to sigh up five (5) other to be a part of the campaign.  Each of them in turn will be asked to enlist another five and so on.

4.  Give coalition members something to do.  As the coalition build you will draw volunteers that will want to do something.  There are plenty of jobs that can be done from phone banking, to addressing, sealing and stamping letter, to going door to door... the lists goes on.

5.  Establish a speakers' bureau, a coffee hour program, and a "letters to the editor" program.

6.  Seek endorsements from other groups and prominent individuals.

     Network, network, network.  The reason that some people are more successful than others at grassroots organizing is that the successful ones really work at it.

     Coalition building starts with a few people with an idea that will draw many more to something that they agree with.  The coalition builders have to have a cause around which to rally.  They should start with the most like-minded people and reach out to all who may want to participate.  Remember, a coalition by definition consists of disparate groups and many individuals with differing or varying ideological perspectives.  Coalitional need a achievable goals and relatively short timeline to achieve those goals.  A coalition is like a human organism in that it is either growing or dying.  The trick is to make it succeed before it loses momentum and dies.