Volunteer Ops
Turn your weekly door goal into the shifts, sign-ups and asks it takes, then recruit, onboard, promote and keep the volunteers who run your campaign.
Everything you need to build a team — that keeps showing up.
Volunteers knock the doors, make the calls and staff the events. The more you have, the less money you need and the more voters you reach. But volunteers don't just show up, and hoping isn't a plan. This course walks you through it step by step, so you know how many people you need, how to ask them, and how to keep them coming back through Election Day.
Every lesson in 4K. Every deck is yours.
Step-by-step video lessons, recorded in 4K and taught by me. Every lesson comes with its slide deck and presentation file to download, so you can follow along, take notes and keep everything for your next race.
Watch it. Do it. Get answers.
Video lessons
Short video lessons, in 4K. I walk you through every step of your volunteer program, at your own pace.
The workbook
The Volunteer Ops Workbook is included, so you finish every lesson with real numbers and a plan you can run.
Homework
Every lesson ends with homework you post in the community, so you're making real progress every week.
The community
Swap what's working with other campaigns, and get answers from me and my team, even after you finish.
From your door goal to a full team.
The course moves in the order you'll actually build your volunteer program. Each section builds on the one before, so you always know what to do next.
Know how many people you need, every week.
Ask well, and bring volunteers back for more.
Leaders, a dashboard and a plan for the final weeks.
Every shift filled through Election Day.
- The Math
Know how many people you need, every week.
1 - 2The People
Ask well, and bring volunteers back for more.
- Keeping Them
Leaders, a dashboard and a plan for the final weeks.
3 - A Full Team
Every shift filled through Election Day.
The workbook and the people who get you there.
Do the work as you watch.
Every lesson has pages to fill in. We show you how to work through each one, with a worked example on every page, so when you finish the course you have a volunteer program ready to run.
- The Volunteer Ops Workbook (PDF), included
- A worked example on every page
- Your weekly numbers, your asks and your team, in writing
- Yours to keep and reuse in every race
You're never doing this alone.
Your course includes the Planning & Strategy, Field & Volunteers and GOTV & Election Day spaces in the Campaign Planner community. Post your homework, ask questions and talk with campaigns building teams of their own.
- Post your homework and get real feedback
- Chat with other candidates and campaign people
- Get answers from me and my team
- Keep getting answers after you finish the course
What's included.
Includes the Volunteer Ops Workbook: the course walks you through every page of it.
- Self-paced video lessons: The Math, The People, and Metrics, Retention and Volunteer Care
- Your weekly volunteer math: doors to shifts to sign-ups to the asks it takes
- Finding and recruiting volunteers, making the ask, and a first shift that brings them back
- The volunteer ladder, events that recruit, retention, recognition and burnout
- Precinct captains, a volunteer dashboard and the GOTV surge
- The Volunteer Ops Workbook (PDF), included
- Access to the Planning & Strategy, Field & Volunteers and GOTV & Election Day community spaces
Built for the people who do the work.
First-time candidates
You need people and you're not sure where they'll come from. This course shows you where to find them and how to ask.
Volunteer coordinators
Everything your volunteer program runs on, taught start to finish.
Field directors
Turn your weekly door goal into filled shifts, with leaders in the precincts that decide the race.
A note from Craig.
Volunteers knock the doors, make the calls and staff the events. The more volunteers you have, the less money you need to raise and the more voters you can reach.
I've watched too many campaigns hope people would show up. The campaigns that fill every shift are the ones that know exactly how many people they need, and ask them well.
This course is the volunteer program I'd hand any candidate. You'll watch each lesson, do the work in the workbook, and post your homework so I can see how you're doing.
Start with the number. Every volunteer you recruit after that has a job waiting for them.
Volunteer Ops
Turn the people who say yes into the volunteers who run your campaign.
Running the whole campaign? Campaign Bootcamp includes all five courses and every workbook. Learn about Campaign Bootcamp →