Field Staff Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION: Responsible for ALL organizational goals in your respective

region Responsible for covering ALL events in your respective region

(whether the candidate is present or not) Will be required to staff the candidate when the schedule permits Responsible for ALL reports due to the senior staff on time Responsible for advancing the candidate at events in your region

WHAT WE EXPECT OUT OF EVERY STAFF MEMBER: The phone is your friend. From 5:30 – 9:00pm you’ll be on the

phone if you aren’t traveling in your region. Follow up and keep commitments. Always return every phone call and email. No matter how ugly the

call or response might be. Write thank you notes. No thank you emails. Some counties just do things their way. Look for an “outside the

box” solution to meet your goals. Be “for” what is going to happen. Never commit to any event on behalf of the campaign. NEVER talk to the press. Nightmare = your name in print.

It is NEVER appropriate to consume adult beverages at public campaign events or at events you are representing the campaign.

Never speak for the Candidate on issues – stick to the campaign talking points.

Most of what is discussed inside the office is confidential information and not for public consumption.

Organization makes your life easier. Find your system, and be organized.

If you have a question, ASK! We are humans, we make mistakes. If you make one admit it and fix

it quickly. Never be afraid to admit a mistake. Have a great attitude and be filled with enthusiasm. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever give up.

WHAT EVERY FIELD STAFFER CAN EXPECT FROM CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP:

To run and execute a well organized plan To listen intently to your suggestions. You are our ear to the ground. To give you responsibility and authority to do your job To work harder than anyone here and provide leadership To treat you like a person, with dignity and respect. To sell you and your role, to our volunteers and everyone we meet. To allow you to grow with the experience of working on a campaign. To allow you to be creative and use your talents to help make our

campaign more effective. To be able to communicate with you about any problems that may

arise between us or any staff members To let you know if something goes bad and never forget to let you

know when things go good. To hold EVERYONE on the staff accountable and take action when

expectations are not met.

FIELD STAFF RELATIONSHIPS WITH VOLUNTEERS: Praise is a far more effective than criticism. The push, drive and

enthusiasm comes from our staff. Treat county chairs like you would treat your wife, girlfriend, ect.

When they want or ask for something, work hard to get it to them as soon as humanly possible.

Be realistic and consistent when working with volunteers. Be consistent in your relations with volunteers. Volunteers have to

know what to expect from your behavior everyday. Treat volunteers with the respect they deserve. They are giving up

their personal time to help us achieve victory. This is a commitment that deserves and demands your respect.

 

GENERAL FIELD STAFF POLICIES: Remember who we work for. The candidate is putting his/her name,

reputation, and life on the line. That kind of commitment demands your respect. You should strive to work harder than the candidate to propel them to victory.

Personal and family commitments are very important to the campaign just as much as they are to you. Alert the senior staff as early as possible about your commitments so we can make sure you can meet them.

Know and learn federal and state election laws. Have a thorough knowledge of the laws and regulations we must abide by.

Office Hours are not easily defined for a campaign. Be at work before your volunteers and early enough to prepare for your day. Leave when your work is done or you are about to pass out from exhaustion.

Dress Code: The campaign dress code is comfortable but professional and never lower than what your volunteers would where.

Know your audience when concerning dress code. (ie: dinner or fundraiser = jacket and ties, county picnic = shirt and khakis)

Turn in proper paper work with senior staff and campaign treasurer on time.

Be in attendance for all staff meetings and events as specified. Take care of yourself, be sure you are ready to work for our man

every day. Don’t argue or “discuss problems” at events, in front of volunteers,

or in public places. Don’t lose your poise or self-control at events or in front of

volunteers or in public. Be able to be taught and take advice from senior staff and other

staffers during meetings and planning . It’s the little things that make winning campaigns.

Have all materials for meetings and events printed, prepared and ready the day before your meeting or event.

Pay strict attention to your schedule and the use of your volunteers’ time, don’t abuse it.

Volunteers must respect you and your ability. Know everything there is to know about our plan and goals.

If you’re tired, pray for strength. NEVER assume volunteers know what you want, TELL them what

you want. “There’s no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he

doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” -- Ronald Reagan

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY The Republican Party of Iowa has passed “Rule 11” which

acknowledges that our race is without a primary. LFC has an excellent working relationship with RPI and this partnership will grow significantly as it gets closer to the November ’06 elections.

State Central Committee Members are the “Board” of RPI and should be treated with respect. Each congressional district has three State Central Committee Members. You will see them often on the campaign trail.

County GOP Chairman and Leadership are often important to reach the organizational goals of the campaign. All field staff should contact the County GOP Chairs, introduce themselves, find out when the next meeting will be, and be asked to put on their mailing list.

Republican Women should not be over looked. Field staff should court this group and attend meetings when possible – they are a good source of information for volunteers.

Other Republican clubs exist on the county level – the Marshall County Pachyderm Club is a good example.

COVERING A COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING Field Staffers are responsible for knowing when all Central

Committee Meetings are held in their region each month. Field Staffers are responsible for attending these meeting whenever

possible to give campaign updates. Field Staffers should stick to the following outline when speaking at

county central committee meetings:o Introduce yourselfo Talk about a recent event or success of the campaigno Ask for help on a specific item (upcoming parade, phone bank,

door knocking, yard signs, ect.)o Announce any upcoming campaign events in the areao Always pitch bumper stickers, volunteer cards, and sign up

clipboards

When speaking at central committee meetings please remember the following tips and guide lines:o Only address issues when specifically asked to do so by the Political

Director or the Campaign Manager.o NEVER speak for the Senators regarding issues.o If asked a question you do not know the answer to, admit it, take the

name, and move one. It is worse to be wrong, this is your out.o Use appropriate language when speaking at these eventso Good use of language is this: Would you say or use the same

language you are talking at the meeting if Jeff were in the room? Field Staffers should arrive at Central Committee meetings early and stay

late whenever possible. If you get invited for coffee or dinner, go. Volunteers and county

leadership will buy into you more. Always be attentive and polite to the committee and other speakers. Do

not speak when others are giving their presentation to the committee. Gather information.

COVERING EVENTS Campaign Field Staff are responsible for covering all parades, festivals,

fairs, ect. in their region. You should talk with LFC County Chairs and County Central

Committees and read local papers looking for parades and event information

Field Staffers are responsible for making sure that LFC has an entry in the parade by calling whoever is in charge of the parade. It is a good idea to do this as soon as possible to ensure good parade placement.

A LFC entry DOES NOT mean that Jeff will be in the parade. You will not know until the last minute which parades Jeff will be covering – therefore it is important to cover every parade as though Jeff were going to be there.

Look for the unusual when lining up a parade entry. The County GOP will have at least one fundraiser during this campaign.

It is up the field staffer to make sure there is a strong Lamberti presence in the room. Field Staffers are also responsible for attending all GOP fundraisers in their regions.

COVERING PARADES LFC will have an entry in every parade in the district, no exceptions. A Lamberti entry in the parade involved the following:

o At least 10 volunteers walking on the parade route.o Volunteers will carry campaign banner, waving signs, and throw

candyo Additional volunteers will be needed to execute BAY Method on the

parade route BAY (Branstad, Airhart, Young) Method for parade coverage consists of

the following:o 4 teams for 2 peopleo 2 teams will be position on each end of the parade route 20 minutes

before the start of the paradeo Each team will be equipped with the following collateral materials

Bumper and lapel stickers Volunteer/supporter sign up clip boards Voter registration cards Palm Card

o Each team that starts at their respected end of the route asks people the following: If they would like a lapel sticker (don’t forget kids on this one) If the response is positive they ask:

If they would like to receive updates from the campaign If they are registered to vote If they would like a bumper sticker for their car

If the response is negative Move on and be polite.

o Each team works to the middle of the parade route or until the meet the teams from the other end of the route

o Once all teams have completed their side of the route, they then join the campaign entry in the line up or where ever they are in the parade

Lamberti for Congress Parade Game Ballo The Game Ball will be awarded every weekend to the best and most

effect volunteer at a parade that weekend

ADVANCING EVENTSAdvancing events are one of the most important aspects of covering an event for the campaign. The following are tips and suggestions to consider when advancing your events. Know the site. If it is a large event (ie: state or district conventions,

state party dinners) you should check it out prior to event to look for opportunities to cover it well on event day.

The LFC goal is to make all GOP events (excluding events specifically for other candidates) look like LFC events. Be careful not to cross the line between a demonstration of strength and looking gaudy

Is there an opportunity to put information on chairs at the event? Know your audience. How do we utilize volunteers? Where is the best place for bumper branding?

ADVANCE BASICSAdvancing an event is vital to having a great event. Events serve the purpose of making the candidate look professional. Successful events make everyone look good. As the lead advance person for an event, you need to be able to deal with numerous contingencies with little or no notice. Above all you need to be flexible, resourceful and creative. As they say in the Marine Corps, “Imporvise, adapt, overcome!”

ADVANCE TOOLS OF THE TRADEThe following items are recommend and should be kept in all field staffers’ vehicles at all times. Even if you are not the lead staff person on a particular event. Duck Tape – 3M or Duck Brand Double sided mounting tape – 3M Brand recommended Clear packaging tape – 3M recommended Shower curtain rings Plan hanger brackets (for drop ceilings) Thumb tacks and push pins Pens/markers Name tags T-pins Stapler (Arrow T-50 recommended) String Wire Plastic ties Placards/signs Bumper stickers Container for all of the above

 EVENT RELATIONSWhen an event is held in your region, its YOUR event. You’re only as good as you last event. Here are ideas and points to keep and mind when you are working on your event: Most of the time you will have to be persistent in asking for what you

need from either staff or volunteers You have to work with these people again at some point. We want

them to support us and the GOP ticket. Always alert LFC Leadership, GOP Leadership and committee,

elected officials about your event.

CROWD BUILDING AND TURNOUT Field staffers will have as many resources at their disposal to turn out a

crowd at any given event. The basic tools for turn out are:o Phone calls – The best effective tool for turn outo Emailso Postcard mailingso Leafletingo Word of mouth/bring a friendo Press Releases (coordinate with media coordinator)o FOLLOW UP!!! The 2nd best effective tool for turn out.

List of people to target for turn out for Lamberti for Congress eventso Identified supporters and volunteerso Donorso GOP Activistso Caucus attendees, primary voterso Elected, local officialso Other groups that may have an interest in the topic or theme for a

specific event

THE EVENT The purposed of all Lamberti for Congress events are two-fold

o Make the candidate and campaign look professional and always building momentum

o Garner support for the candidate and campaign Successful events require great advancing of the site and arriving as

early as possible to take of ongoing issues and to make sure our guests are provided with extreme good service.

CLEAN UP AND THANKo ALWAYS leave the site the way you found it (or better)o It may be YOUR event to the campaign, but to the locals it was

THEIR evento Same idea goes to the owner and staff of the establishment the

campaign held its evento Always apologize for last minute changes, being hard to deal

with, ect.o Thank every person in attendance for their help, we couldn’t

have done it without them (you never know when we’ll need their help again and sometimes at the same site)

o Write thank you notes to everyone involved when you get back the office, these leave very positive impressions.