Welcome!

You are Important! You are Needed! You are Appreciated!

When I joined Indivisible, I didn’t understand what was going on. As I was finally told, “We’re building the plane as we’re flying.”. While that’s true, the main point is we’re flying! Things are happening. The other thing I found out is there’s a need and a place for everyone, and that includes you!

Some people feel comfortable leading, others following. Some are mobile and have the time to travel to rallies, visit elected officials, and attend in-person meetings. Others are more comfortable quietly writing postcards and meeting virtually. You will find your place and you will make a difference. So, let’s get started.

1) Overview: Read the Indivisible.org Resource Guide. You can read it online, download a PDF, a Google doc or listen to the audio version. Admittedly, there’s a lot, but it’s great information! It’s five short chapters, so spread it out and it will be easy. https://indivisible.org/resource/guide.

2) Find Your Group: There are many different Indivisible groups. Depending on the density of where you live, you may have several close by. Groups meet virtually, in person or a combination. Some have so many members they can have individual committees, smaller group’s members may wear many hats. If the group you initially join doesn’t seem to fit, there are others. To find groups, go to https://indivisible.org/groups.

3) Find Your Place: There are so many ways you can make a difference. Whether it’s an hour a week writing postcards or many hours running a group, it all adds up. Remember, 40 people contributing one hour a week equals one full time person. And, there are literally tens of thousands of us and growing!

In addition, we all bring something to the table. Whether it’s your personality, your experience, your time, or simply an inspiring attitude, you will make a difference. If you have a specific skill set or area of interest, tell your group leader. They will help you find your place. Even if you don’t find the perfect fit right away, hang in there. Democracy needs you! And, as you interact with others you meet, you may find other opportunities that fit better.

Let Your Rage Be Bigger Than Your Fear! Use Your Voice!

4) Use Your Voice: If you’ve done the first three steps, you’re ready to Use Your Voice. Here’s how!

Call Your Elected Representatives: Who Ya’ Gonna Call? Trump Busters!

Know Your Districts and Representatives: Being able to quickly contact your State and Congressional Representatives is very important. We each have Congressional (United States) and State (Washington) representatives. For Washington State there are:

• 2 United State Senators
• 10 United State House Representatives
• 49 Washington State Senators
• 98 Washington State House Representatives

To find your Congressional and State districts and Representatives go to https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/.

Upon finding your districts and Representatives, add them to your phone contacts. Your Congressional Representatives will have both a Washington D.C. and a Washington State office and phone numbers. Add both numbers. Why? Because sometimes we need to contact them immediately through a Rapid Response or Call to Action, and we need to call them where they are. Depending on the time of day you’re calling, one office may be open and the other closed, as there’s a three hour time difference.

Contacting your Representatives in writing is generally done through their websites and a contact form. For example, if your U.S. Senator is Maria Cantwell, simply search using “write Senator Cantwell”. Writing is used for less urgent communication and thanking them. Thanking them is very important!

What to do and say when you call:

1. Get the name of the person that answers the phone
   1. Creates a relationship and someone you can ask for if you need to follow up
   2. Creates accountability by being able to state you spoke to X
2. State your name and tell them the city you live in so they know you’re a constituent
3. Tell them you are a member of Indivisible. This is important as they start to see us as a large group of voters
4. Tell them briefly why you are calling. “I would like X to support/not support….” or “I would like X to call for Y to do Z.”
5. Tell them your personal story if it’s significant, like you’re business was impacted in this way, or your child has special needs, etc..
6. Thank them for their time and effort. It’s not only polite, it builds rapport between the staffers and Indivisible.

Keep Using Your Voice!

There’s many other ways use your voice.

Take Action Network, TAN – There are many State and Federal legislation bills that need your voice. TAN is the main system to easily track bills and tell your Representative to vote Pro or Con. And, you can do it while waiting in line, commuting (not while driving!), even at the dog park! There is training on how to use this system and once you’ve done it a few times, it’s easy and very effective. And, you can customize it to notify you of things that are most important to you! You’ll be able to easily and quickly respond when Indivisible notifies you of a specific bill that needs attention. To join the Take Action Network and get action alerts directly in your mailbox, visit https://www.indivisible-wa8.com/takeaction/.

Mobilize – Mobilize is a technology platform and network that allows volunteers to sign up for events, such as rallies, meetings, canvassing, get to the vote, and phone banking! For this document, we’re focusing on phone banking campaigns. While Mobilize is the technology, each candidate creates their own program. There can be a bit of a learning curve with each campaign, but after a dozen or so calls, it becomes pretty easy. Generally, it’s best to be at your computer (for the Zoom meeting part) and your phone. Don’t forget your earbuds so you don’t have to hold your phone while calling. https://www.mobilize.us/.

Post Cards – Electronic overload! We all suffer from it. People like touching something real. They like something personally written, not printed out. They like something fun and attractive. They like post cards! Effective political post-carding hinges on several factors. These include design (are you an artist?), messaging (a wordsmith?), timing, and the ability to target specific demographics. Post carding can be done at ones leisure, within a time frame of course, in a comfortable environment, independently or as a group. Postcard Party anyone? This short overview explains more. https://www.accuzip.com/products/mailing-software/political-mail/impact-political-postcards-elections/.

• Indivisible WA-8 has a very active postcarding program, sending out thousands of postcards each election cycle. To be notified of future postcard campaigns, please contact indivisiblewa8@gmail.com.
• Washington State has strict regulations regarding spending money to postcard for state and local offices. The “Postcards for Washington” program organizes postcard campaigns that follow these rules. Find them at https://postcards4wa.org/

Canvassing – Great way to get your steps in walking door to door! Communicating directly with voters to provide candidate and legislation information, voting assistance (registering, where/how to vote, transportation, etc.), and answering their questions are key aspects of canvassing. Teaming up with an experienced canvasser or a friend makes canvassing safe and fun, especially when the weather is nice. Here’s a good overview https://www.ngpvan.com/blog/what-is-political-canvassing/.

Rallies/Protests – Nothing catches attention from a passerby or the media than a LARGE group of law abiding people with clever signs. Attention gets a message out, and encourages those passing by to join in someway. The more the merrier! Combine it with running errands, as part of a day out, a date, or grab a meal before or after. To find a rally or protest ask your group leader or click here: https://www.indivisible-wa8.com/calendar/.

5) Have FUN!: Yes, these are hard times, scary, which is exactly why your involvement is so important! You’ll be surrounded by like minded people. You’re in a safe space to share your thoughts. You’ll feel better knowing you’re doing something for yourself, your loved ones and your country. It’s a good place to be and a good way to spend your time. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Be The Change You Want To See In The World!

*Please notify indivisiblewa8@gmail.com if any of the links in this document are no longer working.