Candidate Engagement Webinar Materials

Yesterday's webinar, Candidate Engagement: Candidate Forums, Appearances and More, is now available. Many thanks to MassVOTE's Cheryl Crawford for joining us to share her expertise. 

Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you'll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download the PowerPoint presentation and the audio portion of the presentation, or browse all of our nonpartisan resources on candidate engagement. 

In addition to candidate engagement, ballot measure advocacy and education can help your nonprofit engage your community around voting and elections. Register now for our July 25th webinar, Laws on the Ballot: Ballot Measure Advocacy for Nonprofits, featuring Nayantara Mehta from the Alliance for Justice.

Thursday: Candidate Engagement for Nonprofits

There's still time to register for Thursday's webinar:
 
Candidate Engagement: Forums, Appearances and More
Thursday June 27th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Candidate engagement is one of the most effective ways your nonprofit can advocate for your community. It draws community members into the political process and also encourages voting and other civic engagement. Join us for details on hosting candidate forums, coordinating candidate appearances, sharing research with candidates, and more.

Featured Presenter: Cheryl Crawford is the Executive Director of MassVOTE and has worked for many years in communities of color advocating for voting and civil rights. At MassVOTE she directs the Democracy for Nonprofits program and the Civic Engagement Fund, which distributes seed money and provides technical support to community nonprofit organizations so that they can to make a significant commitment to voter empowerment. From 2010 to 2012, she also directed MassVOTE's Census and Redistricting Project.

June 27th Webinar: Candidate Engagement

Although nonprofits cannot support or oppose candidates for political office, there are still a number of ways to engage them on a nonpartisan basis. Learn more during our next webinar:
 
Candidate Engagement: Forums, Appearances and More
Thursday June 27th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Candidate engagement is one of the most effective ways your nonprofit can advocate for your community. It draws community members into the political process and also encourages voting and other civic engagement. Join us for details on hosting candidate forums, coordinating candidate appearances, sharing research with candidates, and more.

Featured Presenter: Cheryl Crawford is the Executive Director of MassVOTE and has worked for many years in communities of color advocating for voting and civil rights. At MassVOTE she directs the Democracy for Nonprofits program and the Civic Engagement Fund, which distributes seed money and provides technical support to community nonprofit organizations so that they can to make a significant commitment to voter empowerment. From 2010 to 2012, she also directed MassVOTE's Census and Redistricting Project.

Candidate Forum Webinar Materials

Last week's webinar, Engage Candidates and Build Clout: How to Host a Candidate Forum, is now available! Thank you to our wonderful presenter, Cheryl Crawford of MassVOTE.

You can watch the presentation on YouTube, and if you subscribe to our channel, you'll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download the PowerPoint presentation and the audio portion of the presentation, or browse all of our candidate engagement resources.

If you're interested in conducting voter registration, register for our upcoming webinar on June 14th, Ready, Set, Register: Nonprofit Voter Registration. RSVP today!

Learn How to Host a Candidate Forum

Consider hosting a candidate forum to kick off your 2012 voter engagement efforts! It benefits both your organization and your constituents and can take your work to the next level. Register for Thursday's webinar to learn more:

Engage Candidates and Build Clout: How to Host a Candidate Forum 
Thursday May 24th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Hosting a nonpartisan candidate forum gives your nonprofit the opportunity to educate candidates on the issues that matter to your organization and the communities you serve. By hosting or co-sponsoring a candidate forum, your organization can build relationships with future elected officials, making it easier to hold them accountable and giving you greater access to them once in office. Join us to learn more about techniques for organizing an effective candidate forum, how to stay nonpartisan throughout the process, and for tools to help you every step of the way.

Featured Presenter: Cheryl Crawford grew up in Boston and has worked for many years in communities of color advocating for both voting and civil rights. She is the Co-Director of MassVOTE and directs their Democracy for Nonprofits program. She also sits on the Executive Board of the NAACP-Boston Branch as second Vice President and is the Chair of the Board of Emerge Massachusetts.

Four Reasons to Host a Candidate Forum

Although it is a valuable piece of nonprofit voter engagement, candidate engagement if often overlooked. But whether your organization is well-versed in voter participation or is just getting started, engaging candidates can benefit both your organization and your constituents.

Hosting a candidate forum can take your efforts to the next level by:

1. Making your issue a campaign issue. Hosting a candidate forum puts a spotlight on your organization and your issues.
2. Raising the profile of your voters. The community you serve is worth noticing--make sure candidates know who they are! 
3. Building partnerships and cultivating collaborations. Candidate forums are a great way to team up with other organizations and build fruitful relationships.
4. Encouraging civic habits. A forum mobilizes and educates your constituents by connecting them with the candidates; it can also encourage other types of participation!

Get started by targeting your race, finding partners, and building interest! For more, download our Guide to Hosting a Candidate forum or register for our May 24th webinar. Don't want to organize a candidate forum but still want to engage candidates? Browse all of our resources on candidate engagement for other ideas on how to get involved this election cycle!

Don't Be Shy, Engage the Candidates!

Our next webinar is a great opportunity to learn about one of the ways nonprofits can engage candidates on a nonpartisan basis!

Engage Candidates and Build Clout: How to Host a Candidate Forum
Thursday May 24th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern

Hosting a nonpartisan candidate forum gives your nonprofit the opportunity to educate candidates on the issues that matter to your organization and the communities you serve. By hosting or co-sponsoring a candidate forum, your organization can build relationships with future elected officials, making it easier to hold them accountable and giving you greater access to them once in office. Join us to learn more about techniques for organizing an effective candidate forum, how to stay nonpartisan throughout the process, and for tools to help you every step of the way.

Featured Presenter: Cheryl Crawford grew up in Boston and has worked for many years in communities of color advocating for both voting and civil rights. She is the Co-Director of MassVOTE and directs their Democracy for Nonprofits program. She also sits on the Executive Board of the NAACP-Boston Branch as second Vice President and is the Chair of the Board of Emerge Massachusetts.

Last Week's Candidate Forum Webinar

Thank you to everyone who joined us for last Thursday's webinar, Nonpartisan Candidate Forums: Building Clout for your Nonprofit. A special thanks to Cheryl Crawford and George Pillsbury for sharing their expertise.

Due to technical difficulties during the webinar, the recording was clipped. We apologize for the inconvenience. Nevertheless, you can download the PowerPoint and audio portion of the presentation, or watch the presentation with audio online. Feel free to follow up with our presenters if you have any additional questions:

Cheryl Crawford
Deputy Director, MassVOTE
Email: ccrawford@massvote.org

George Pillsbury
Executive Director, Nonprofit VOTE
Phone: (617) 357-8683
Email: gpillsbury@nonprofitvote.org

Lindsey Hodel
Director of Training and Partnerships, Nonprofit VOTE
Phone: (303) 910-5700
Email: lhodel@nonprofitvote.org

Learn more about working with candidates, including how to host a nonpartisan candidate forum.

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Candidate Forum Webinar this Thursday

Join Nonprofit VOTE on Thursday as we discuss techniques for organizing an effective candidate forum, how to stay nonpartisan throughout the process, and for tools to help you every step of the way.

The webinar, Nonpartisan Candidate Forums: Building Political Clout for Your Nonprofit is Thursday, June 23rd at 2:00pm Eastern.

Cheryl Crawford, Director of Programs at MassVOTE, will present along with Nonprofit VOTE's founder and Executive Director, George Pillsbury.

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June Webinar: Building Clout with Candidate Forums

We hope you can join us for this month's webinar:

Nonpartisan Candidate Forums: Building Political Clout for Your Nonprofit
Thursday, June 23rd at 2:00pm Eastern
Hosting a nonpartisan candidate forum gives your nonprofit the opportunity to educate candidates and the public about the issues that matter to your organization and the communities you support. Organizing or co-sponsoring a candidate forum can also help your nonprofit build relationships with future elected officials, making it easier to hold them accountable and giving you greater access to them once in office. Join us to learn more about techniques for organizing an effective candidate forum, how to stay nonpartisan throughout the process, and for tools to help you every step of the way.

Featured Presenters: Cheryl Crawford is the Director of Programs at MassVOTE, a nonpartisan statewide organization that promotes voter participation, with a focus on historically underrepresented communities. In her role at MassVOTE, Cheryl trains nonprofits on how to successfully host candidate forums during local and state elections. Cheryl also chairs the Membership Committee of the NAACP's Boston Branch and is the board chair of Emerge Massachusetts, an organization that supports more women running for elected office. George Pillsbury is Nonprofit VOTE's founder and Executive Director. He is the author of several of its guides and toolkits such as "A Nonprofit's Guide to Hosting a Candidate Forum", "Nonprofits, Voting and Elections: A Guide for 501(c)(3)s on Voter Participation" and "A Voter Participation Starter Kit for Nonprofits and Social Service Agencies".

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