Skip to main content

Field Plan

Updated

Use these steps to help define your Field Plan. 

  1. Define your demand: What are you asking for?
  2. Define your target: Who can give you what you’re asking for?
  3. Brainstorm tactics: What tactics can you use to pressure your target to listen to your demands? (examples include: online petitions/email action, click-to-call your elected officials, letter writing push, in-person rally/protest, op-eds, press conferences/release)
  4. What metrics will you track, and why? Maximum five metrics. (examples include: number of events, event attendance, 1:1s, new supporters, petition signatures) *see industry standards for setting smart goals for typical metrics for common tactics*.
  5. Set weekly goals for each metric, considering both capacity and budgetary constraints. Use a chart like the one below to plan your metrics and budget.

  6. Beyond specific efforts or actions , what does long-term success (say, 10 years from now) look like for your organization? Set two goals that are specific and measurable.
     
    Weekly Goals Chart

    Metric Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6
                 
                 
                 
                 
    Total            
    Total budget            

Industry standards for setting SMART Organizing goals

  • Phone banking
    • A typical phone banker using a click-to-dial or phone dial can place between 20-35 calls per hour.
    • The pick-up rate for a typical phone bank is about 10-15%.
    • $2-3 per caller shift for supplies
    • Food and/or volunteer hourly compensation
    • If using predictive dialing: ~90-100 dials per hour
  • Door Knocking
    • A typical canvasser spends about 1-3 minutes a door averaging about 20 doors per hour (this can vary depending on how dense or rural the turf is).
    • When building segments for door knocking, consider staffing (paid or volunteers) in order to figure out how many people to include in a door knocking effort
      • Example: If you have 20 people knocking doors for 3 hours, you should build a segment with ~1,200 people for that day.
  • Base Building 
    • One-on-Ones
      • A One-on-One is a 30-60 minute meeting that you are having with a potential new advocate or volunteer. On average, you should have 2-3 one-on-one sessions a week. See the one-on-one sessions guide for more information.  
    • Number of attendees at events/ sign-ups or RSVPs
      • On average, you should expect 50% of those who RSVPed to your event to actually attend your event. A good rule of thumb is to have 2-3 touchpoints, or reminders, with those who signed up for the event before the event itself.
    • Petition signatures
      • Depending on the target of your petition (a ballot initiative, support of a candidate, etc.) the number of signatures required may change. A good rule of thumb is to set a metric within a specific amount of time based on your target. For example, 500 signatures within 30 days.  

Resources 

View the Organizing and Advocacy Playbook as a PDF

Background Information

Advocacy Action Plan Phase-Learning 

Advocacy Action Plan Phase-Planning

Advocacy Action Plan Phase-Implementation
 
Advocacy Action Plan Phase-Execution

Advocacy Action Plan Phase-Reflection



 


 

Related to