All of us who spend time running local campaigns face a common constraint. We don’t have enough supporters who deliver leaflets for us.

Well I’m pleased to say that I have a quick, simple, free solution that will get you one or two new deliverers today.

1. Gather together any email address that you have for people in the relevant ward, assuming that you think they’ll be happy to hear from you. Even the odd email from surveys, casework, members, supporters and indeed supporters of other parties will do. Spend 15 minutes doing this and you should have at least 50 email addresses.

2. Send these people this email (appropriately amended):
            Subject ‘Can you help us save our local hospital by spending 30 minutes delivering some leaflets to your street?’
Text of email ‘Can you help us save our local hospital by spending 30 minutes delivering some leaflets to your street? We’re about to start delivering our regular Focus newsletter – this time promoting our petition to save the local hospital. We’re aiming to deliver these to 5,000 local people. Can you help us?’

3. Wait for the offers to come in.

On the basis of recent experience by campaigners round the country you will find up to 5% of people will agree to deliver, and many of these will become regular deliverers. In response to one email I sent out recently we had 3 new deliverers in a couple of hours.

The crucial difference from normal requests for help is that a far larger number of people will contribute to a specific campaign than just to help a political party.

You simply won’t find a more productive way to spend 20 minutes between now and the election.

And if you want to leave your experiences or ask questions in the comments then please do so.
 
* Rob Blackie is head of the Hearts & Minds Sub Group of the Lib Dem Technology Advisory Board. He is also heavily involved in his partner’s campaign for Parliament in Lewisham Deptford: listentolewisham.org. His blog can be found at rob-blackie.blogspot.com