An Interview with Ryan Cooper by Liz Solomon
Our volunteers are doing some really cool things! Most of us have heard about “phone banking.” Phone banking has been around for decades; calling volunteers, donors, and voters is nothing new. But, have you heard of “text banking”? I had an opportunity to catch up with Ryan Cooper from Washington this week. He and a group of volunteers are texting for the Jorgensen campaign.
L: Ryan, tell me, what is a “texting” party?
R: A texting party is where a group of us in the same time zone (Pacific) get together on Zoom and chat with each other while we send text messages to voters using the Jorgensen Call Hub platform. We find that it's more fun doing it as a group than individually. We can ask questions, get help using the system, and have a blast while doing it.
L: Was the event virtual or did you meet somewhere in person?
R: We did it virtually for two reasons. One, Covid, and the forest fires. Meeting together is a challenge already. The forest fires on the West Coast make breathing outside difficult. It just makes sense to get together on Zoom and have a virtual Text Bank Party.
L: How long was the event?
R: The event was from 5-8, but people stayed on until 9pm, which is the Call Hub cutoff for sending messages. We encourage everyone to try to tie up loose conversation threads before logging off so that you don't leave anyone hanging.
L: How did you come up with this idea?
R: Ron Paul's campaign did similar texting and phone banking operations in 2008 and 2012. Volunteers would meet up at a nearby Subway. Whoever sent the most messages won a free $5 footlong. Those who couldn't attend could participate over Skype. This is the next evolution in the Ron Paul Revolution.
L: Was the event a success?
R: Huge success. Going into it, you are never sure how many people will show up. We had 15, which is not bad for our first one. Those volunteers sent over 8000 messages, had over 1000 conversations. The Jorgensen campaign added a bunch of new volunteers and raised over $500 just from our efforts.
L: Would you do it again?
R: We are doing it every Tuesday night 5-8:30 PM Pacific. On election night, we are hosting a virtual zoom party for all of our volunteers. Our goal next week is 50 volunteers from across CA, OR, NV, AZ, WA, and Northern Idaho (Pacific Time Zone) and 50,000 sent messages. We are hoping to get Spike and Jo on future West Coast Text Banker Tuesday Zooms.
L: Is there anything you would like to add?
R: West Coast Text Bankers 4 Jorgensen is issuing a "Time Zone Challenge" to the Mountain, Central, and Eastern Time Zone Jorgensen supporters. Whichever Time Zone Team has the most volunteers and sends the most text messages on a specific Zoom event evening will win a prize or some kind of recognition. We will be offering some swag and incentives to people who want to join our West Coast Text Banker Team. Our team is open to anyone who wants to text bank Pacific Time Zone voters every Tuesday night 5-8:30 PM Pacific. Apply using this link and mention "West Coast Text Bankers": https://callandtext4jo.com/new-volunteer-checklist/
Thank you Ryan Cooper and all of our amazing text bankers!
To all the volunteers who are looking for a way to get involved, please consider joining us! Everyone can use the link above to sign up! If you’re interested in joining one of the time zone teams please mention your respective time zone, e.g., “East Coast Text Bankers”, “Central Text Bankers”, “Mountain Text Bankers.” If you are interested in leading a time zone, be sure to mention that, too! We can’t wait to see you on Zoom!
