Making Contact
Your initial contact list is just a starting point and will likely be a mix of emails, landlines, cell numbers, and mailing addresses. Some contacts may have all of these methods listed and others may only have one. So, where do you start?
The easiest way to start is to send out a text blast to the phone numbers. You can use a mass texting service like grouptexting.com or check with the Communications Committee of the LPMO to see whether a texting service of their own is available.
They may even be willing to send out the text blast for you. Keep the text short and make the wording exciting. You may have a character limit. Something like “Random County is officially organizing a local Libertarian Party. We’d love to contact you in the future for events, meetups, and important announcements” usually elicits a response. For those who don’t respond, make note to call these numbers later. If it’s a large number of contacts, you may want to wait until you have a core group to help you out. You’re not inviting people to anything here. This is just a simple text to gauge interest.
Next, you can send out an email blast. Unlike your text blast, which focused on identifying people who want to hear from you, your email blast will be more effective if you’re inviting them to a meetup. Give them the when, where, and why of it. Mass email services like MailChimp can be very helpful for making these mass emails look polished and professional, and also for tracking the response rate.
Once you’ve got a core group of interested LPMO voters to help with membership growth and affiliate development, you’ll want to pull out the initial contact list again. Now’s the time to start calling those who didn’t respond. Immediately prior to making the call, send them a text identifying yourself. People don’t often answer an unknown phone number, sending a text eliminates that issue. Invite
these people out to a meeting and remember to continue making use of all your contact lists. Keeping organized makes the job go much smoother.
Be sure to use the CRM to record responses and notes on the contact. This will not only help you to stay organized, but also help future leaders in your county.
Your First Meetups
Your first few meetups may well be you, sitting by yourself and maybe one of those who responded initially. That’s okay. Just keep planning regular meetings (once a week, once every two weeks, once a month, whatever you can do). Regular meetings show people that you’re not going anywhere and lets them know there’s a way to get involved when they’re ready. Don’t let it get you down. If you keep at it, you’ll create a team that can affect real change locally.
Be sure to invite Libertarians from your surrounding county affiliates. This will help build your network and make your group look more legitimate when new people in your county come to meetups.
When
Most county affiliates meet early in the evening on a weeknight. It’s important to keep your time consistent as you are starting.
Where
Try to choose a location that’s central and convenient to the most densely populated part of your community. If you live in a large rural county, you may want to try multiple venues.
Choose somewhere that’s well known to the community. Bars tend to be loud, but a restaurant that serves drinks is a great idea. Make sure to get the owner’s permission as being tossed out for your political leanings is a possibility and it’s not a great look in front of potential members.
Early Events
Don’t bother planning out any major events during your first meetings. Use this as an opportunity to make local Libertarian friends and acquaintances. Get to know each other. If everyone’s excited about getting started, choose a simple form of activism.