The most important thing the party needs to do is recruit new volunteers. We all know it, and everyone talks about it.
But Devon and Cornwall are doing it.
This week they’ve organised recruitment training evenings in key seats. And this Saturday, as part of the National Day of Action on Jobs there will be a Regional Action Day in North Cornwall which will include practical training in recruitment.
This training isn’t just talk. After a short session of training, with scripts giving examples of what to say, they involve practical on-the-job training. In other words, going out and actually putting it into practice.
On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, this week, the region’s sessions in St Ives and South East Cornwall were a great success. They didn’t just benefit from members learning how to recruit, they found sixteen new deliverers, people willing to give money, and numerous postal votes and poster sites.
And this just the start of what Devon and Cornwall are planning.
St Ives and South East Cornwall local parties are planning more of these recruitment evenings. And Devon and Cornwall will be running more Regional Action Days beyond this Saturday.
If your region aren’t doing the same, why not suggest they follow Devon and Cornwall’s excellent example?
If you want to know more about Regional Action Days, why not come to one yourself?
– North Cornwall, Saturday, 15th June. Pre-register here
– Portsmouth, Saturday 13th July. Pre-register here
– Cambridge, 5th October. Pre-registration available soon.
If you can get to any of them, whatever region you live in, you’ll be very welcome.
* George Kendall is the acting chair of the Social Democrat Group. He writes in a personal capacity.
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4 Comments
Become once more that broad church radical reforming party of the centre – left and I’ll be back tomorrow.
Hi Steve, It’d be great if you can come back, and sorry you’re not involved at the moment.
But Lib Dem activists shouldn’t be disheartened. As St Ives and South East Cornwall have shown, there’s lots of people who would like to get involved – we just need to ask them.
Final tally for the events this week is 29 deliverers, 8 members, several donating who didn’t join, plus a load of poster sites and some other helpers. But the most important benefit was that a load of Liberal Democrats, who had never been recruiting, went out and experienced success first-hand. They may have doubted their own ability to recruit, but no longer.
This kind of recruitment can work where you live, too. You can be a successful recruiter.
All three of the constituencies who took part this week in these Devon and Cornwall events had great results. Many other parties around the country have found the same. If you try it where you live, and especially if you persist at it, your shortage of deliverers can be a thing of the past.
Just love the enthusiasm. Best wishes George.