Is Anyone Here Participating in "Call for Change"?

[Vox Acerbus]

I've heard about this from Rachel Maddow's show.

http://www.callforchange.com

Is anyone here participating in this? I have a few questions that I can't find answers to on the website, and they're not so much "FAQ" questions as simple, "What's it like?" questions.

I am painfully shy, and cold calling seems like an insurmountable challenge to me. Do people tend to be pretty nice?

Is there any way to hide your phone number? (Read: I'm a chicken, will people call me back on my cell phone and cuss me out?)

Do you have to do a certain number or can you try just a couple of calls at first and go from there?

It sounds like a great idea, and were I not so neurotic I'd be totally into it! My husband is out tonight and it's just me and the TV and I was thinking it would be something neat to try, but wanted to check here first.

Thanks!

[wicket]

1. kick

:kick:

[Vox Acerbus]

2. :)

Why thank you, wicket. I was seriously considering a kick myself. :-D

[wicket]

3. You're welcome!

Didn't want to see your post fall off the first page - hope someone can help you. And welcome to DU! :hi:

[Vox Acerbus]

7. Hey, thanks. :) n/t

[jzola]

4. Call for Change

Very easy. There is a script that's very simple to use. You might want to check out the candidate you're calling for on the web---just so you know a litle about him or her. The purpose is to find out who supports our folks and make sure they get to the poles. That's basically all you want to know. Once you start it's easy.

[Vox Acerbus]

8. Thanks for the info!

I will check it out.

[oldtime dfl_er]

5. I'll be calling on Sunday

and maybe Tuesday if I can get some time off work.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. I called for an hour the other night,

Most people weren't home/didn't answer (caller ID?)
Out of about 50-60 calls, I got approx:
35 no answers
10 hang ups
half a dozen disconnected numbers
half a dozen "we already voted"
about 3-4 people who said they were undecided
3-4 people who said they were voting for the Democratic candidate, including an older man who said "of course I'm voting for the Democrat! after six years I can't take no more Boosh!"
Oh yeah, and one guy who said "Dude! I'm watching wrestling! You'll have to call back tomorrow!"

I'm a pretty shy person too, and I have to say it was pretty cool ; I'll hopefully do some more calling this weekend.

C'mon Vox, you can do it! They even have a sample call your can listen to, and a conference call for training/reassurance. The people on my conference call seem shy and unsure, some didn't hardly know how to open the corresponing email with links and instructions, but everyone seemed determined and committed to help as best they could.

Give it a try and post your results!

BTW, I was calling Colorado for Fawcett and WA for Darcy Burns?

[Vox Acerbus]

9. Great info, thank you for the encouragement!

Wow, a lot of people no longer pick up... Do you leave voicemails?

I will signup and give it a try tonight. It doesn't sound so bad. I don't know what I was expecting, but if hangups are the worst, well bah I can take that!

[Catbird]

11. No messages

You are specifically instructed NOT to leave messages on answering machines.

[Catbird]

10. Please give it a try

I have done these calls both at a house party and from home. Most of the time I got answering machines or invalid numbers. Even though several people hung up, no one was hostile. Even the apparent Republicans were cordial. At the house party one of the people got called back because the person wanted to return the call; she then answered the questions. There are folks who won't talk to callers who block their numbers from view, so this is probably not a good idea. You might get asked why you are calling from out-of-state; you can just explain that you think the elections are of national importance or something like that. If you try it and find making calls too uncomfortable, you can just quit.

[mcg]

12. Yes, I'm going to shortly. You can try just one call at a time.

I'm taking the plunge. I just got a call from a volunteer urging me to make some calls.
You don't have to commit to a certain number of calls, you can make one call at a time.

I've been feeling shy about this, but I'm going to do it.
After you make a few calls it gets easier.

It's easier than it seems, I made a lot of calls in 2004.

They still urgently need volunteers to make calls.
The people being called are progressives who may not vote
in a midterm election, so it's unlikely you'll be cussed out.

http://pol.moveon.org/phone/volunteer/c4c.html

You might be able to make calls from a phone party which might make it easier
(having a cell phone helps but might not be required).

I'm going to a MoveOn office to make calls tonight and maybe tomorrow.