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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS 101

When you run for office, you’re asking an entire community of people to trust you and join in your movement for change. That starts with building trust one-on-one and activating people you meet to join and support your campaign. This could be key endorsers, local community leaders, or potential volunteers. Strong relationships become one of your most valuable resources on a campaign, and you create strong relationships through 1:1s. 

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1:1s are meant to be intentional and purposeful, and they are all about building a connection and asking for a commitment to strengthen your campaign. It’s important you go into a 1:1 with a plan in mind. 

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CONTENTS

Jump to definitions
KEY DEFINITIONS
Jump to one-on-one
ONE-ON-ONE
Jump to the example
   EXAMPLE  
Jump to the recap
RECAP

Key Definitions

The beliefs and experiences that motivate someone to care, act, and make decisions; in a 1:1, you listen for why something matters to a person, not just what they do.

A clear, specific request for action that tells people exactly what you want them to do and why it matters. A strong ask is visible, time-bound, and connected to the conversation you just shared.

A concrete agreement to take a specific action by a specific time, turning shared values into meaningful support for your campaign. Describes why action is urgent by showing what will happen if people do nothing—and what becomes possible if they act together now. It ends with a clear, specific call to action.

When Might you have a one-on-one?

You might have a 1:1 with key folks before you declare your candidacy to ask for their buy-in and support, such as with:
  • • Close family and friends
  • • Party leaders in your area
  • • Anyone who has run for the seat before
  • • Local leaders of key organizations and advocacy groups
After you declare your candidacy, you might have a 1:1 with:
  • • Local business leaders
  • • Constituents you want to become volunteer leaders on your campaign
  • • Other local leaders of key organizations and advocacy groups

ALIYAH'S EXAMPLE

In this module, you’ll watch a candidate for City Council have a 1:1 with a local small business owner. Listen for what questions the candidate asks to understand the other person’s values and motivations, how the two people connect, and how the candidate makes multiple asks to give the small business owner many opportunities to live out their values and support the campaign.

Click the play button in each section below to hear Aliyah's example.

Warm-up

Ease into the conversation by checking in on the other person.
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Transcript

Aliyah: Hey Ron, thanks so much for meeting me on your day off. Did you find the coffee shop ok?

Ron: Oh yeah, I love this place - my daughter likes to come here all the time.

Aliyah: Oh wonderful! My mom used to take me here when I was a kid, we used to come after school on cold days and get the hot chocolates. What does your daughter like to get here?

Ron: Oh she likes those icy latte things? They’re too sweet for me but she loves them.

Aliyah: Haha too sweet for me too.

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PROVIDE CONTEXT

Give a clear reason for your meeting today.
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Transcript

Aliyah: Well thanks so much for taking the time to meet me. I’m glad Amber connected us - I wanted to share a little more about myself and why I’m running for city council in Springfield, learn more about you and what you care about, and see if there are any areas for partnership. How’s that sound?

Ron: Sounds good - I’m curious what brings someone into politics anyway.  

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Create Connection

This is where you’ll spend most of your time. Share a moment where you learned a value that’s motivating you to run for office now. Sharing your own story helps others connect with you and encourages them to share their own experiences. Show you’re listening. Keep asking questions to understand their motivations, values, challenges, and resources, like their network. Reflect back your shared values.
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Aliyah: Honestly, it goes back to growing up here. I used to spend hours after school at the Point Park Community Center when I was a kid - it wasn’t much, but they had foosball and a reading nook. I went there after school for most of my elementary and middle school years, and I’d go meet friends and do my homework. One day I went after school and I saw a bunch of people crowding around the front door. There was big black letters a sign that read “Closed Indefinitely”. My throat closed up, and I started to tear up because I was so upset. I was devastated. It was a safe place for me and so many others, and a place I really felt like I belonged. I had made so many friends through that center that I never saw again because they went to different schools than I did. That’s a big part of why I’m running - to protect and expand community spaces like that.

Ron: Oh yeah, I remember hearing about the recreation centers getting closed down. It was because of city budget cuts right?

Aliyah: Yep, that’s right.

Ron: Yeah the need for more community spaces is part of the reason I started a bookstore, actually.

Aliyah: Oh really? The first time I visited your bookstore, I remember stepping inside and seeing kids and parents gathered together in your Living Room corner reading, and I got the same feeling that I did from the Community Center years ago. Can you tell me more about what motivated you to start it?

Ron: Well, you know, I grew up spending tons of time at the library when I was a kid - I’d walk to the library after school, pick out a bunch of books, and just sit with them for hours before my parents came to pick me up. I loved science fiction books. But my family went through some tough times then, so buying books we didn’t need for school was kind of a luxury. The librarians were friendly, and I wanted my grandkids and other kids to have a similar experience, but the library is way across town for us. So after I retired, I was chatting with some buddies about what they wished we had in the area, and we decided to start the paperwork for a bookstore.

Aliyah: That’s great that the idea was sparked by your love of libraries and from friends. How did you get to know those folks?

Ron: Oh, through our kids. They all played soccer together growing up. Cheering on our kids every Saturday gave us plenty of time to get to know each other, and we’ve kept in touch as they've grown up. They’re the ones who gave me the idea for the bookstore.

Aliyah: I love that it was an idea that came from another space where you found community. Have there been moments in running the bookstore that make you think “Hey, that’s exactly why I did this!”?

Ron: Oh definitely - I mean anytime I see a kid run into the store and point at a book they want to read with a wide smile, it reminds me of me when I was a kid. And during that big storm a few weeks back when a lot of the neighborhood lost power and our generators kicked in, we ended up hosting maybe three dozen families. People brought water, snacks, and kept one another’s kids entertained until the power came back on.

Aliyah: That’s so wonderful - it really is a place that creates community. I can’t imagine it’s all been easy though - what kind of challenges have you faced?

Ron: Well during COVID a lot fewer people came in. I don’t do this for the money, but we were worried about not having enough to keep the lights on, and we had to reduce our hours to keep costs down. When things got better, we wanted to build a little outdoor space with a cafe to encourage people to come back in, but we had trouble getting the permits for it from City Hall - everything was so slow. Eventually, we nixed the cafe idea and just put some benches out on the back patio, and that brought some people back in. But it was tough, and it still is tough, especially when it feels like the city isn’t paying attention to small businesses and how we are still trying to recover from COVID. We’re more than just a business, you know - we’re a special place to a lot of people.  

Aliyah: Yeah, you’re naming what I’ve heard from other small business owners - that their small businesses are more than just shops - they’re community spaces. They’re what make Springfield special, and shop owners like you still need and want support to make that community building possible.

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Ask for Commitments

Tee up your ask. Show, through detailed moments, what you want to change and how it would look different if you were elected. Highlight the urgency in your ask: why now? Why them? When you hear a “Maybe”, ask further to get to a “Yes” or a “No”. If they aren’t telling you directly, “Not Ever”, keep presenting different options.
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Aliyah: That’s part of the reason I’m running for city council - I think we need leadership that really values the spaces our small businesses create and listens to our community about what it needs to protect those spaces, and I could use your partnership to make that happen.

Back when the recreation centers closed, I sat at my kitchen table and wrote a letter to the mayor and my city councillor about why it mattered so much to me, but I never heard back. I’ve heard stories from so many residents, including you, that they feel ignored by the city. We could have a city council that opens its doors and lets people attend the meetings, like they used to. We could have a city council that writes letters back, or that holds a town hall. I want to make that happen and be a representative that sits down with people in cafes like this one to hear what they have to say, and I need help to make that happen.

I’m just at the beginning stages of my campaign, which is a critical time to raise money so I can get the word out there about who I am and why I’m running. I’m looking for a place to host an in-person conversation and fundraiser for 30-40 people in a space that’s familiar to people and rooted in the community. Your bookstore is such a community hub, and the back patio would be the perfect size - would you be open to me using that space to host a two-hour event on a Tuesday afternoon when you’re closed, or would another time be better to host?

Ron: Mmmm….ummm…I-I don’t know I really like what you’re trying to do, but I’m not sure. I’ll have to think about it.

Aliyah: Thanks for considering it! Can I ask what makes you unsure and what would make you more comfortable?

Ron: We’ve just mostly stayed away from having election-related events in the bookstore, so I’m not sure it’s a good idea.

Aliyah: I hear you - can you share a little about what you’re worried about? Is it people’s reactions?

Ron: Yeah, people just get really worked up when they feel like you’re trying to sway them from one side to another. I mean, I believe in elections and voting, but I just don’t really believe in pressuring people into one side or another. I don’t want people to think the bookstore is endorsing someone, and I just want to keep things neutral.

Aliyah: I totally understand that. Conversations around politics can be touchy and get really heated. That’s part of why I want to continue to have more conversations with people across town to hear their perspectives, and I need to raise some funding so I can do things like rent space and hire staff to help with the event.

I want to have an open conversation about how we can create welcoming community spaces and I wouldn’t want your bookstore, which is such a community hub, to be left out of that conversation. I’m happy to make it really clear on the invitations that the event is hosted by me and not the bookstore, and that it’s not a rally. I will ask folks to donate to my campaign at the end. Would that make you more comfortable if we were to host a community conversation?  

Ron: Yeah, I think keeping the bookstore name off of it would be helpful, and being clear it’s a conversation and not a political rally.

Aliyah: Great! I’m thinking Tuesday evening could work best, maybe at the end of this month so we have some time to plan? And just to check - would you be okay if I brought in some light refreshments? Nothing fancy, just some finger food and water, and lemonade.

Ron: Yeah the last Tuesday of the month should work, and food and drink is ok as long as it doesn’t make it to where the books are.

Aliyah: Sure thing, we can make that work. Thanks!

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CATAPULT

Ask if they’re open to using their other resources – like their network – to support you. Always ask - “Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?”
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Aliyah: One more ask - once I’ve got the invitations ready to go, are there any folks you think might be interested in attending that you could invite, like maybe some folks from your kids’ old soccer league? If you make the intro I’m happy to do the inviting instead too.

Ron: Oh if you’ve got flyers or something I can pass them around - I’ve let them know of other events too.

Aliyah: That’d be amazing - I’d love to meet other people who are as interested in building and protecting community spaces to help Springfield thrive. Is there anyone else you think would love to hear about this campaign that I should talk to?

Ron: You know, some of the other small business owners on this strip might be interested in chatting with you. We’ve talked about how tough its been to get the City to help us out post-COVID.

Aliyah: Oh really! Any folks in particular, and when do you think would be a good time to try and meet with them?

Ron: Yeah, actually I’m having lunch with a few of them in two weeks - there’s Shonda who owns the hair salon down the block, Jimmy who has the diner across the street, and Maurice who runs the corner store might come too. Let me see if they’d be open to having another person join us for a bit.

Aliyah: Ron, that would be really great. I’ll follow-up with you about it, but I’d love to stop by for a few minutes and get to know them.

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WRAP-UP

Schedule the next time that you’re going to follow-up and what you’ll do during that follow-up.
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Aliyah: Thanks so much for meeting with me, Ron, I really loved getting to know you, and I’m really excited about getting to talk to more people in the community with this event. It’d be great to follow-up by the end of the week when I have invitations ready to go and we can talk through timing and other logistics - would Saturday or Sunday afternoon work better for you to chat? I can come by the bookstore and look at the space if that works for you.

Ron: Saturdays tend to be busy - why don’t you come on Sunday right when we’re closing at 5 PM?

Aliyah: Sounds great - see you Sunday at 5!

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DEBRIEF

DOWNLOAD THE ONE-ON-ONE GUIDE
DOWNLOAD THE ONE-ON-ONE GUIDE
DOWNLOAD CONNECTIONS GUIDE
DOWNLOAD CONNECTIONS GUIDE

The purpose of a 1:1 is to build connection and offer pathways for the other person to support your campaign.

PAUSE AND THINK:

• What did we learn about Ron?
• How did you see Aliyah build connection? What kinds of questions did she ask that helped gain a deeper understanding of Ron’s values and motivations?
• What kinds of asks for support did Aliyah make?
• What made her asks more effective than simply saying “Will you support my campaign?”

Wrap Up

ALIYAH DOES THE FOLLOWING IN HER 1:1:
  • • Provide Context for the conversation
  • • Connect by sharing her own Why and asking questions to understand Ron’s values and motivations.
  • • Ask Ron to Commit by providing multiple opportunities for Ron to support the campaign and live out his values. Notice that Aliyah didn’t stop at one “Maybe” or “No” and looked for many possibilities.
  • • Catapult by asking for other resources, like Ron’s network, that he’d be open to sharing, and securing a time to follow-up. Always close with “Who else can I talk to?”  

DO's:
  • • Ask engaging “Why”, “How”, and “Who” questions to understand the other person’s values, not just facts, and actively listen. Especially in an introductory 1:1, you’ll want to do more question asking than talking.
  • ‣ Ex. “Who taught you that [value]?”
  • ‣ “How did you decide to…?”
  • ‣ “Why did you get involved with…”
  • ‣ “Over the past few months, how have you experienced challenges in…”?
  • • Prepare to share about yourself and connect through moments and values, not just policy.
  • • Set expectations with clear, focused goals
DON'Ts
  • • Ask an endless list of questions without sharing about yourself
  • • Share only about yourself without asking any questions
  • • Go through either individual’s whole life story or resume
  • • Turn it into just a social engagement with no commitment or clear purpose
  • • Rush - set a clear time limit to respect each other’s time, but remember to take time to connect. It’s always better to end early than going too long.

DOWNLOAD THE ONE-ON-ONE GUIDE
DOWNLOAD THE ONE-ON-ONE GUIDE
DOWNLOAD CONNECTIONS GUIDE
DOWNLOAD CONNECTIONS GUIDE
NOW THAT YOU'VE WATCHED THIS 1:1, PREPARE FOR YOUR 1:1S BY:
  • • Writing out clear moments where you learned your values that you can share during 1:1s. These should be detailed and put the listener in your shoes.
  • • Write out several asks that you might make of another person.
  • • Create a 1:1 tracker of who you will have a 1:1 with before you declare your candidacy, the purpose of the meeting, and what you will plan to ask them for.

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