HOSTING A CANDIDATE FORUM And building political clout for your nonprofit

HOSTING A CANDIDATE FORUM

And building political clout for your nonprofit

Presented by

TODAY’S PRESENTERS

WhoGeorge Pillsbury

DirectorNonprofit VOTE

Cheryl CrawfordDeputy Director

MassVOTE

• Get your issues in front of the candidates/future office holders

• Provide an opportunity for voters to learn about and meet the candidates

• Build relationships with the candidates

• Be a player, become known as an organization connected to politics Why

WHY HOST A CANDIDATE FORUM

Collaborating with partners

Organizing the forum

Staying Nonpartisan

The Big Three

THE BIG THREE

ChallengesBenefits

COLLABORATING WITH PARTNERS

Collabor-ating

• Coordinating meetings• Maintaining communication• Sharing the work – one group takes

the lead

Collabor-ating

CHALLENGES

Having co-sponsors –• Increases the likelihood that

candidates will participate• Can mean a larger audience turnout• Strengthens relationships for future

work

BENEFITS

Collabor-ating

ORGANIZING GETTING STARTED RECRUITING CANDIDATES CHOOSING A FORMAT TURNING OUT YOUR AUDIENCE PUBLICITY

• Starting early – about 4 months out

• Having a plan – date, place

• Targeting your audience

Organizing

GETTING STARTED

Candidates want -• A large audience• A guarantee of neutrality• Well known and respected

sponsors and partners• Time at the forum to meet

with the audience informally

RECRUITING CANDIDATES

Organizing

• Equal Time Q&A• Candidate Debate• Town Meeting Q&A

Organizing

CHOOSING A FORMAT

• Planning early and starting early

• Targeting your audience• Making it personal

Organizing

TURNING OUT YOUR AUDIENCE

Don’t let this happen to you!

• Using all your communications vehicles

• Recruiting a media partner• Getting a well known

moderator

Organizing

PUBLICITY

STAYING NONPARTISANGuidelines for Candidate Forums THE BASICS INVITING CANDIDATES CANCELLATIONS DURING THE FORUM

• Cover a range of issues or topics within your own issue area

• Provide equal time for the candidates during the forum

• No “litmus test” questions Stay

Nonpartisan

THE BASICS

• Ask all viable candidates to attend• Follow up• Must have at least 2 candidates to

have a “forum”

StayNonpartis

an

INVITING CANDIDATES

• For last minute cancellations, either cancel or change from a forum to a candidate appearance– No politicking or fundraising– Announce that appearance is

not an endorsementStay

Nonpartisan

CANCELLATIONS

• Maintain a nonpartisan atmosphere in the hall

• No leading or biased questions• Allow candidates to meet voters

after the forum and allow literature outside the hall

StayNonpartisa

n

DURING THE FORUM

CHECKLIST ON A TIMELINE 4 MONTHS TO GO – MAKING A PLAN 3 MONTHS TO GO 2 MONTHS TO GO 1 MONTH TO GO ON THE BIG DAY

• Identify co-sponsors!• Set a date, time and place

for the forum• Develop your budget and

stick to it!

Timeline

4 MONTHS TO GO – MAKING A PLAN

• Invite all candidates– Bookend invitations with phone calls– Emphasize your nonpartisan mission– Maintain good contact throughout the

process• Initiate contact with the media

– Make a list of media outlets– Send out an advisory– Designate a media liaison

Timeline

3 MONTHS TO GO

• Recruit volunteers!• Select a moderator• Follow up with your candidates• Strategize on turning out your

audience

Timeline

2 MONTHS TO GO

• Final confirmation of candidates• Reconfirm site arrangements• Assign staff duties• Reconfirm volunteers• Distribute promotional materials• Contact media to promote coverage• Reconfirm moderator Timeline

1 MONTH TO GO

• Set up at forum facility• Have staff greet the candidates• Welcome and Thanks-yous• Review the ground rules• Informal Q&A after the forum

Timeline

ON THE BIG DAY

More ways to engage candidates • Candidate Appearances at Your Event• Elected Official… or a Candidate?• Share Your Research

Timeline

AND FOR MORE….

• For more information on:– A Nonprofit’s Guide to Hosting

a Candidate Forum (Eng. And Sp.)

– Checklist on a Timeline Factsheet

– This presentation and our online narrated candidate forum training

Resources

RESOURCESwww.nonprofitvote.org/work-with-candidates.html

• George Pillsbury– [email protected]– 617-357-8683

• Cheryl Crawford– [email protected]– 617-542-8683 ext. 211

Contact

CONTACT INFORMATION