Democrats Work's blog

Nearly three years ago, Democrats Work was launched with a simple goal: build a new service-based approach to politics. That meant making community service a big part of political activism -- not something divorced from political goals, but rather integral to the success in achieving them. This weekend, the "service politics" movement grows up and goes big.

On Saturday, the Democratic Party -- through the new Organizing for America project -- will hold the grassroots-powered National Day of Health Care Service. (You can check it out here: http://my.barackobama.com/HCservice.) The message is simple: while we fight for health care reform in Washington, D.C., we can also bring about change in our communities right now through service.

This is a big step for the DNC/OFA and an experiment worth trying. Health care reform may not be as easy to link to service as, say, the environment or education may be, but those who participate will get hands-on experiences and build relationships that won't come from television ads, town hall meetings, phone banks, or other "traditional" political activities.

We have come a long way from the days of begging local party organizations to try community service and schedule a few projects. The Georgia Democratic Party now has its own program called Georgia Democrats Work. Democrats from Northwest Arkansas to Auburn, Washington have embraced the approach. And rightfully so.

In October 2007, Democrats Work launched a pilot project in Arapahoe County, Colorado -- a hotly contested battleground -- to measure the effect of its Democrat-branded community service programs in targeted precincts and among targeted groups of voters. Fifty precincts were randomly divided into treatment and control groups. Democrats Work contacted voters eight times in the treatment precincts -- with a combination of mail and phone calls -- with information about the upcoming service opportunity and touting the success of past events over the course of a year. Afterwards, the organization measured the effect of the service-based approach on voters’ attitudes towards Democrats with polling.

The results with respect to young and unaffiliated young voters were extremely promising. Voters under the age of 35 in the treatment group (i.e., those who received information about the service events) reported being "warmer" towards the Democratic Party, felt the Democratic Party shares their values more than the Republican Party, and intended to vote for Democrats by wide margins. With respect to young, unaffiliated voters (not just all young voters), the results were even more encouraging. Democrats Work found that increased positive feelings towards Democrats caused a 30-point swing in vote share among young, unaffiliated votes.

This weekend, the service-based approach goes to scale in a way that we could have only imagined three years ago. Service politics -- the connection of direct service work and political action -- has finally grown up and the Democratic Party is a step closer to being the Party of Service.

Cornell Belcher's revelatory post-election analysis - blogged about by Mike here on Future Majority and picked up other places (here and here) - has been seen as a key argument for keeping some form of a 50-state strategy, especially as it relates to young voters. Belcher discovered that Obama's success among young voters was somewhat limited to his candidacy: 20 percent of young Obama voters did not vote for a Congressional candidate in 2008. We can safely assume that the drop-off rate for lower profile, down-ballot races was even more significant. He concluded:

These younger and browner surge voters are, by and large, Obama's right now, not necessarily the Democratic Party’s. If Democrats are to strengthen our majority coalition going into the off year, we will clearly need to reach and engage these voters with some party persuasion. (Emphasis added.)

So if there is an imperative to continue reaching out to young voters with a partisan - not just a candidate-specific - message, what should that message be? An experiment run in Colorado may hold the answer.

In October 2007, Democrats Work launched a pilot project in Arapahoe County, Colorado – a hotly contested battleground outside of Denver – to measure the effect of its Democrat-branded community service programs in targeted precincts and among targeted groups of voters. Fifty precincts in a competitive state Senate district were randomly divided into treatment and control groups. Each treatment and control group contained approximately 6,000 Democratic and unaffiliated households, including approximately 1,500 young voters.

The pilot program, which consisted of 10 targeted community service events and voter contact around those events, ended in September 2008. Service activities occurred within the treatment precincts at a rate of one event every four to six weeks. Democrats Work contacted voters in the treatment eight times precincts (with a combination of mail and phone calls) with information about upcoming service opportunities and touting the success of past events. Democrats Work engaged Professor David Nickerson of Notre Dame to measure the impact of the service-based approach on voters’ attitudes towards Democrats.

The results with respect to young and unaffiliated young voters are extremely promising. In a post-program survey, voters under the age of 35 in the treatment group (i.e., those who received information regarding the service events) “report being ‘warmer’ to the Democratic Party, feel the Democratic Party shares their values more than the Republican Party, and intend to vote for Democrats.” With respect to young, unaffiliated voters (as opposed to all young voters), the results are even more encouraging. We found that increased positive feelings towards Democrats caused a 30-point swing in vote share among young, unaffiliated votes.

Put another way, if a group of 100 young, unaffiliated voters would normally split their votes 50 for Democrats and 50 for Republicans, the implementation of a Democratic service program would cause the vote totals to shift to 65 for the Democrats and 35 for the Republicans. Mind you, we are not even talking about young people engaging in community service - they just need to know that Democrats are. The message inherent in branded service activities is that Democrats are putting our values into action in a way that resonates with young people. (As Dr. Nickerson points out, political scientists generally view partisanship as a fixed identity that changes slowly if at all once it is established. There was no evidence that the Democrats Work program improved sentiments towards the Democratic Party among older voters or committed partisans.)

With roughly one-third of the 42 million registered voters under the age of 35 listed as unaffiliated, this population could be an electoral goldmine up and down the ticket if Democrats turn them into a reliable voting bloc. It will require all levels of the Democratic Party to adopt a service-based approach and a willingness to put resources behind a newly proven strategy.

"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change." -President-elect Barack Obama

Across the country, food banks are struggling to keep up with increased demand. In some places, demand is up 70 to 80 percent. On the eve of Thanksgiving, Democrats Work is trying to do something about it. We need your help.

Last week, we launched the Yes We Cans Virtual Food Drive as a way to get donations to food banks in our communities. So far, over 23,000 meals have been donated to local food banks. Here's how it works:

1. Click here to go to our Yes We Cans Virtual Food Drive website.

2. Put food or cash contributions in your shopping cart.

3. When you check out, you will be able to designate one of over 200 food banks that will receive your donation.

No matter where you live, you can give to a food bank in your area. Put turkey on the table in Colorado or fill a child's bowl with mac and cheese in New York.

This election was about bringing positive change to our country. A lot of us are asking "What's next?" - for the progressive movement, for the Democratic Party, for volunteers who were inspired to act during this election - but we don't have to wait on something like this. Yes We Cans aims to support local food banks during a time of urgent need and hopes to engage election volunteers in a campaign of year-round community service.

If you want to volunteer or deliver goods directly to your local food bank, you can find the location of one near you by visiting Feeding America.

And Happy Thanksgiving!

In the wake of what can only be called a pretty amazing week, we at Democrats Work want to offer a brief bit of transitional advice: community service. In the spirit of “thinking globally and acting locally” we can’t imagine a better way to help you plan your next steps than by getting your hands a little dirty and reminding yourselves why you do what you do. Whether it be at a homeless shelter or a school or your favorite piece of natural beauty, fill a few of those suddenly campaign-less hours with giving back and we promise you won’t regret it. The feeling might not be as tearfully monumental as Tuesday night, but it will surely remind you where your priorities stand.
If you’re not convinced; The Onion provides the alternative.

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

"Politics of service" is a phrase heard often around these parts. It means building and learning from your community. It means becoming part of something bigger than yourself. It claims that being politically active can be about more than just asking for votes.

This is September though - September of the "most important election of our lives". This is definitely vote asking season.

So what does that mean to Democrats Work, a politically affiliated service organization? It means literally combining "politics" with "service".

We've spent the past few weeks mutating traditional campaign techniques to fit our brand of service. With the help of young voter organizations like New Era Colorado, we've instituted a "Do-to-Door" Campaign that twists the standard canvass to our unique desires. We've been cleaning up neighborhoods as we canvass them. Registering voters while our fellow volunteers plant trees. And this Saturday we're having our first ever "Can"-vass that mashes door knocking together with a food drive.

These events have proven to us that service can be a part of even the most intense weeks of the election cycle. Be it voters who are more receptive to canvassers who've invested in the community or seasoned volunteers who appreciate the hell out of a splash of variety, we've learned that these "mutant" events can be quite effective.

Our hope has always been that our values could speak through our actions. We're finding out that those actions are pretty damn convincing.

(This week's author, Ted Velie is the newest member of the DW team. Because of the importance of youth activism, we brought him on board with that as his focus. To find out how you can help, reach Ted at info[at]democratswork.org)

On August 28th, 2008, I was uploading pictures for Democrats Work onto Flickr from the day before. It was taking me longer than usual because I was posting them to my personal and work accounts, I was sending them in emails, and I even sent a copy to my mom. They were really a big deal for me. I had just planted trees with President Jimmy Carter. For a guy like me, whose job is community service, that is like meeting the Pope. Few people have lived their lives to be such an example of service, and it was awesome meeting one of my heroes.

Some people in the public eye help get the message out by showing up to an event and drawing people in, but they don't do a lot of the heavy lifting. They cut a ribbon, or dig out a ceremonial shovel full of dirt, and then they do what they do best: communicate a message. I applaud them for that, but I have to admit that when someone rolls up their sleeves and puts their values into action, the leadership of their example hits home for me. Jimmy Carter was born in 1924. He has paid his dues, and I would have been grateful for him to just show up. Fifty years ago, the man was already the senior officer on a submarine. If he had planted a tree, I would have been amazed. He planted three. And while he went from job to job surrounded by a bubble of cameras, he pushed his way through so he could talk about fishing and nature with the other volunteers getting their hands dirty.

At sites all around Denver there were over a thousand volunteers taking time out from being delegates at the Democratic National Convention to give back to the city that hosted the big show. Michelle Obama was filling care packages for the troops on one side of town, there were delegates building a playground for kids on another. All told, there were thirty one different teams working in different ways to make America better, and working on my project was Jimmy Carter, his son Jack, and his grandson Jason. Three generations, all political, and all with an understanding of the new politics of service. President Carter passed the torch, and found a generation waiting to take it farther than a single lifetime ever could.

On August 28th, 1963, another hero had delivered one of the greatest speeches ever recorded. On it's forty fifth anniversary, it was playing in the next room. As I uploaded the photos, Martin Luther King was preaching, "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood..." "...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I listened to those words and looked at the pictures of this delegation from the red hills of Georgia. There was a man, a former President, finishing up his third tree. There was a man, the bus driver whose job for the convention brought him to this site, who once there wanted to join the planting. A black man, a white man, a young man, an old man, and between the two of them a single shovel. It was another sort of passing of the torch. Tired arms handed the work to vigorous arms, but nowhere was there a tired spirit. All around Denver a youthful vigorous spirit was moving. Democrats were feeding the hungry, helping the elderly, cleaning the parks, and getting ready that very night to nominate a new leader for a new time. Someone who could take us the next step closer to the dream.

We have been handed the torch. We can use it to light the way or to burn everything down. We have been handed a shovel, and can use it to plant or to bury ourselves. I have seen the example of Jimmy Carter, and I know the choices of his grandson Jason. I was at the convention when those delegates, who had just given their time and energy to serve their neighbors, gave their voices to nominate Barack Obama. At that moment, I felt the eyes of the future upon us, I knew King's dream was coming closer to reality, and I knew that being judged on our character implies an obligation as well as a freedom. I am no King. I am no President. But I do know how to use a shovel, and left the convention eager to get to work.

In 1963, it was a dream. Unless we build it, that is all that it was. Groups like Democrats Work are a chance for us to make it something more.

It has been an amazing and historic week. Our nominee, Barack Obama, has led the country in a giant step forward. Change is surely coming to America.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

A new politics for a new time. What kind of change do you want to create? How will your America look? Democratic delegates gave their answer in many ways this last week, but the most tangible way they did was when they showed their commitment by living their commitment. Democrats Work volunteers and over a thousand delegates from across America, went outside the walls of the Convention, and spent the day at service projects ranging from homeless shelters to building playgrounds to taking care of seniors.

Some of the delegates were quite well known; some were attending their first Convention. The Nation's future First Lady Michelle Obama, and Colorado's First Lady Jeanne Ritter brought together the Democratic National Convention Committee, Volunteers for America, Democrats Work, and Metro Volunteers for a day of action that spoke louder than even the amazing words of the Convention speakers.

President Jimmy Carter joined with his family to plant trees in Aurora, Colorado's Bicentennial Park. There is perhaps no greater example of a career of service than the life of President Carter, and so nobody would have asked more of him than a symbolic shovel full of soil around a tree. He gave more. He planted his tree, moved on to another, and then another. He took time to talk to powerful politicians, and to work in friendly partnership with the man who drove the Georgia delegates bus. That is the ethic that not just President Carter, but that every delegate embodied that day, and they carried that spirit back with them into the convention hall and back to every city and town on the map.

"A new politics for a new time," that is what Senator Obama said, and if you would like this story to be about you, then it is time to take action. On September 6th, Democrats Work and our friends at Obama Works are calling for a National Day of Service. With over twenty projects already planned and more being added every day, we want you to help put a pin on the map in your community. If we each just give a few hours, we can show Washington and the world our new politics. We can not only show the nay-sayers that this is not just an election about one man, but we can show them it has been about us, and how it can be about them as well. Some of them might even accept our invitation to say, "Yes we can."

Bumped. --Mike

There was an interesting story in the The Washington Post today that profiled young evangelicals who have been noticing where the high ground really is. The story noted that the Obama campaign has been doing significant outreach to young Christians and tomorrow, in concert with Senator Obama’s visit to Rick Warren’s church, the campaign will launch Believers for Barack, which will provide a place to blog about their experiences and find opportunities to help out their communities through service.

That’s right, we’re proud to report that the Democrats Work service model is getting the Obama treatment with a touch of religion.

On Saturday, volunteers mobilized by Believers for Barack are following their moral compass to community service projects in a bunch of different cities: Albuquerque, NM; Anchorage, AK; Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Denver, CO; Des Monies, IA; Detroit, MI; Green Bay, WI; Kansas City, MO; Madison, WI; Philadelphia, PA. If you are interested in joining them, you should get in touch with Ashley Brown, who is working on the Obama campaign for the summer: ashley [dot] brown1908 [at] gmail [dot] com.

And, you should join us on September 6th when Democrats across the country will get together for a National Day of Service to improve our communities, change our country one neighborhood at a time, and show our support for Senator Obama and Democrats up and down the ticket. It is a project that is being launched by Democrats Work and our friends who formed the grassroots group, Obama Works.

You don't have to be religious to be driven by faith, and people of all faiths and creeds are invited to host projects wherever the spirit of compassion needs to be brought to their neighborhoods. If you would like to spend an afternoon working a food bank, cleaning a forest trail, helping collect recyclables, or work in any other way in your community, please visit the website and make it happen.

And, just because it makes sense, here’s a snapshot of the reporting in the Washington Post story:

But in the past year, as the presidential campaign has focused on the country's problems, Merritt has begun to question the party of his father. There was his recent revelation that "God is green," a mission trip to orphanages in Brazil that caused him to worry about global poverty, an encounter with a growing strain of politically liberal evangelicalism that has taken off online, and a nagging sense that Bush's unpopularity has been an embarrassment to the evangelicals who overwhelmingly voted for him.

"When you look at the political party that has traditionally championed poverty, social justice and care for the least of these, it's not been the Republican Party," said Merritt, who now considers himself an "independent conservative" and is unsure whom he will vote for in November. "We are to honor the least of these above even ourselves. It's very difficult to reconcile totally."

Indeed.

Last night, a primary election was held between three candidates in the safely Democratic congressional district around Boulder, Colorado. It was a highly competitive, hard-fought race among three strong Democrats. As it turns out, the winner may have been known to us many months ago.

Ten months ago, the three candidates – Joan Fitz-Gerald, Jared Polis, and Will Shafroth – started competing in a quirky Democrats Work contest called “The Coats and Cans Primary.” The winner of that primary was decided by “votes” cast in the form of donated canned goods and winter coats, which were given to local charities around the district. The results of the contest that ended last December were identical to the results of yesterday’s primary. (You can see the contest results here.)

It seems that in both primaries the skills needed to win included the ability to marshal sufficient resources, the ability to widen the field of typical supporters, a certain knack for mobilizing, and a stubborn refusal not to lose. The contest and the election each had a single winner, but what was fascinating to me was what happened along the way.

You can view building a community as a tool to win an election. But turn that on its head and you could have a much more intriguing possibility: an election whose goal is to build a community. That is what happened with the Coats and Cans Primary and what carried though last night.

All three candidates inspired a following, but because the competition was about serving rather than ruling, the following they separately fostered combined into a body of supporters dedicated to service. It stopped being a horse race between candidate A and candidate B, and it started being a collaboration of three Democrats and all of their supporters to get something done for their neighbors. It stopped being about who won or lost, but about what was built.

Last night I visited each of their election night gatherings. At two of the parties, people were somber; one party was elated. But from the combined view of all three, I saw a united political community determined to stay engaged and continue serving. The supporters disagreed on who was best to lead, but all had reached an agreement on where to go. They all wanted to put their hands to work shaping a more just, charitable and committed America.

The candidates attracted their supporters by appealing to a desire to take positive actions and better the common good. Perhaps that should be an obvious thing, but in nearby districts the divisive cruelty of homophobia, xenophobia, and greed have been used for years to prod voters to the polls. A politics of fear and distrust have narrowed down the voters to the rabid few. This new “politics of service” opened the doors and invited a more determined and hopeful generation. It didn't matter if their candidate won or lost, people were engaged and the candidate was merely a way to get to the goal - not the goal itself.

While no single domino fell to start it all, part of what made it work was one person knocking on a door in Colorado and asking if their neighbor had a can of food to spare for a good cause. With this style of politics, no one loses.

Are you getting involved as a volunteer offline? According to a new study by the Corporation for National and Community Service, if you are a member of the Millennial generation it is a lot more likely you just answered, "Yes!" Working with the community service organization Democrats Work I already knew this, but now we have more data to back it up.

The study looked at regional differences in volunteerism: Minneapolis-St. Paul came out on top, Miami came in last among the largest cities; Utah was tops among the states. But it also opened a window into how age differences change volunteer choices and how those choices have changed between the generations.

After a large drop off in volunteering among the members of Generation X, the Millennials are embracing public service in numbers not seen since the Boomers.

Baby Boomers will double the number of older American volunteers in the coming decades and young people are volunteering at higher rates than the last generation. "We have an unprecedented opportunity to seize this moment and usher in a new era of service in America," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation.  "By giving us a look under the hood of U.S. volunteering, this research shows what we need to do to recruit and retain tomorrow’s volunteers."

"Recruit and retain"

Democrats rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina

Retention is increasingly a problem. More people are volunteering for the first time, but organizations are not doing a good job of keeping them in place. Unlike in the past when church-based organizations gave a more permanent base for volunteering, the new volunteerism is finding expression in more temporary opportunities, including "done in a day" projects. Among youth volunteers in particular, there is a growing segment that engages in "voluntourism" by heading many miles from their homes to perform service. They are more able than their rooted elders to respond to disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and while this underscores a deep civic engagement, it may also contribute to a more epsiodic, less consistent, participation.

In trying to explain Florida's low volunteer rate to the Associated Press, some Miami residents offered this:

Ani Olmeda Gonzalez at Mercy Hospital said the tough economy was forcing some would-be volunteers to choose paid work instead. Charlotte Donn at YMCA of Greater Miami noted the city is home to many transients. And Cathy Agosti of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care noted what many others repeated.

"Busy lives," she said. "Busy lives."

Florida is by no means unique in those ways, so are those explanations even true anywhere? Not geographically, at least. The choice between a busy life of paid work and giving time to the community is not a trade-off most people are making. The study showed that on average people who volunteered in the last year also spent as much time at their jobs as the people that didn't. Where did they find the time? The answer appears to be "television."

People who had volunteered in the last year watched an average of 15 hours of television a week. People who had never volunteered watched an average of 23 hours a week. Stretch that over a year and you have more than 436 extra hours to work with. Volunteers seem to need the artificial interaction of television far less. They also reported spending much more time engaging in social activities and ate fewer meals alone. Some of these numbers are being moved by the Gen-X families. When kids are in the picture, the parents volunteering hours move sharply upwards as they give their time to school and childcare related causes. At every age, however, having a job, a family, or busy social life actually meant more hours being donated. Working moms and college towns led the pack every time.

Although on average, there was not a trade-off between a paycheck and service, age did seem to be a factor. Young people were more likely than older people to cut back on work hours in order to give.

Democratic  political volunteers, rallying to feed the homeless

As Generation X ages, it seems unlikely that they will suddenly start contributing at the levels that the Baby Boomers have. There may well be a time in the next few decades when the Millennials either carry the full load or will have to create institutions that pass on the value of volunteeerism to future generations. Either way, there is a burden, but also a great opportunity. If the Millennials continue to embrace volunteerism that includes political activism, they can generate a huge shift in the policies that concern them . . . and there is reason to believe that this shift will be progressive and partisan. Indeed, the nature of "voluntourism" is to give of one's time to remediate failures of national policy. Eco-volunteers and community volunteers are engaged with failed policies at their most visible and local level. And while there is a strong feeling among Millennials that government can be an effective tool for good, there is also a sense that we don't have to wait around for problems to be solved.

As we continue to see, the failure of the Bush Administration to issue a call to service, rather than a call to shopping, was rejected by a generation of people who are not waiting for the invitation to get involved.