Canvassing The Stigma and The Reality

Canvassing The Stigma and The Reality via Pexels.com What is all this about a quota? I thought this was about donating to good causes. Yes and no. More often than not, people who become canvassers care about the issues that they ask donations for, but as Ive said they probably need this job as well. In the office that I worked for, all canvassers had to make a weekly average of $130 in donations. If they did not, they were on review for the week, and if they did not make quota for the week they were on review, they lose the job. Think of it like this: Week one: Monday: $100 Tuesday: $70 Wednesday: $130 Thursday: $50 Friday: $90 Average: $88 Even though quota would have been made on Wednesday, since the average is $88, this staffer will be on review for the next week and have to make enough to cover the loss. What makes the stigma against this entry-level job different from others? The nature of the job is very different. There is practically no security, so its not as easy as this person thinks. If street canvassers were to stop doing what they do, theyd lose their job. Im not saying that there arent any bad canvassers because there are, and other canvassers dont like working with them. It is not the job of the canvassers to harass, accost, or be aggressive in any way. Ive definitely run into people who thought I was accosting them or invading their space despite the fact that I always stayed put and tried to be as kind as possible. Yes, theres a lot of them due to high demand. But, it is their job to wave people down and ask them for donations. They will probably try different tactics (or asks) to get passers-by to stop. Its how they make their quota and keep their jobs. Sometimes it works. If youre rude to them, try to tell them that they should move to a different place without having the authority to do so, or try to insist that they have the power to change the way that they do their job, you wont be backed up. Youll be made fun of for being willfully ignorant because youve never been a canvasser today. via Pexels.com Is this a good job for students? If you choose to have a canvassing job while also keeping up your schedule for classes, homework, other activities, its best to know how youre going to be managing your time. If you have a canvassing job and you go into work, youre committing to the entire day. While its possible to get some reading in during breaks, getting homework in that day and remembering to take care of yourself is difficult. Some offices, like the one I was in, are more lenient towards students. Theyre allowed to work three or even two days out of the week if they have to. Again, they need to make quota, and they have fewer days to do so. It is possible for a student to take this kind of job, but not something that I would recommend. Also, it isnt always safe. Canvassers from the office that Ive worked for have been maced, assaulted in other ways, and have had items stolen from them. The office encourages canvassers to contact authorities and inform other canvassers in their groups, but do not go to lengths to aid or compensate. What does a day in canvassing look like? In the office I worked for, canvassers had to sign in to the office and sign out a tablet and a T-shirt or vest to wear over their clothes. The T-shirt or vest would have the logo and name of the organization that the canvasser would be advertising for. After this is done, those in the office will go through a repetitive training that will help them get more people to give them donations. Directors of the office or field managers do the training. After the training is done, field managers with groups (or crews) are called for a quick meeting and given their assigned turf. Each canvassing group must canvass either on or two blocks in any direction from their turf. The field manager takes their groups to the turf, assigns locations to their canvassers. It is also the field managers job to assign breaks and fill out paperwork at the end of the day. As a field manager, when I took my crew back to the office to bring back tablets and T-shirts, I was called to the office prior to my crew to debrief with a director and talk about how many donations each person received. The director would then talk to each member of my crew about how they did that day. via Pexels.com How do canvassers get paid? This is, in my opinion, even more of a reason why street canvassers cant just stop. While there is a quota system, there is also a commission system. When I started working at a canvassing office, I made commission based off of how much money I received in donations over quota. So, for example, if I made $200 one day, I would get around 20% of $70 added to my paycheck. Otherwise, I made a minimum hourly wage. In other words, not a living wage. Then, the business model changed. The office average was displayed on a small whiteboard in the main office, and canvassers would make commission based on how much they made in donations over that office average. Essentially, I had to hope that I made more money in donations than everyone else so that I could make a living wage. This put many good and kind canvassers at a disadvantage and put the more aggressive canvassers at a distinct advantage, those who would steal foot traffic away from other canvassers by not working in their assigned space or moving to other spaces without arranging the move with their field manager. Neither one of these are entirely fair or very effective, and they are heavily biased towards fluent English speakers and those who are fully abled. People who rely on this job and have no other option cant just stop because certain people get conniption fits about being talked to while theyre walking. Im not referring to people with mental illnesses who are susceptible to panic attacks, I am referring to people who are willfully ignorant about what canvassing really is or what it entails, and choose to speak on a situation that they dont fully understand. It is important that those seeking a job in a large city and considering canvassing are aware of these things prior to their interview. Craigslist has some gem jobs on there at times, but a website that I recommend scouring is Indeed.com. Its easy to sign up with your CV and apply to several jobs that fit you quickly. Canvassing offices often have listings on this site, but there will always be more opportunities. It may take time and energy, but if you have this to spare, its worth it. If you dont have the time and are considering canvassing, its important to exercise caution and have questions at hand, especially for safety protocol and leniency for students.