Field & Outreach Strategy: Lessons from Patriot Grassroots
by Caitlin Huxley
from Episode 4 of The Art of Campaigns
In this episode, I spoke with Elijah Day and Madisyn Pettit from Patriot Grassroots about running smarter field operations. We talked through canvassing timelines, data integrity, volunteer burnout, and what actually works on the ground.
You can watch here, or read below to get the strategy guide based on that conversation.
Strategy 1: Start Early, Not Big
Most campaigns try to cram their field work into the last three months of the election. Elijah makes a compelling case for starting early, and instead of throwing 300 canvassers at the problem, focus on hiring three or four excellent ones.
This model, which he calls “long-form canvassing”, prioritizes listening to voters, building relationships, and earning the trust over time. A year-round field presence gives your campaign time to act on concerns and use that impact to build local credibility.
If you’re planning field for Q3, you’re already running behind.
Strategy 2: Treat Volunteers Well
Madisyn put it simply: your canvassers are your number one customer. Without them, you can't knock doors, so you really need to prioritize their happiness. Campaigns that neglect volunteers burn out their base and then scramble to fill the gaps left behind. Volunteers have a lot of options for what to do with their time, and they can always move to a campaign that treats them better.
Good volunteer management is about building relationships (again!), following up after the election, and treating people like the partners they really are. Showing some gratitude, being transparent, and spending time on that extra communication can go further than most campaign managers realize.
If you’re ghosting your best volunteers in the off-season, you’re setting your next campaign up to fail.
Strategy 3: Outreach Works Best When Combined
Your mail vendor will tell you that only mail cuts through the noise. Your text vendor, digital vendor, and door/phone solution will tell you the same thing about their product.
However, one of the strongest points from the conversation was the need for integration across outreach channels. Canvassing works better when it’s paired with pre-canvass texts and post-canvass mail. Voter contact becomes more persuasive when it’s coordinated and repeated across platforms. Elijah said it clearly: it’s not about doors, texts, or phones. But rather about having a plan that uses all of them in sync.
Bonus: The Louisiana Field Test
Patriot Grassroots ran a four-group test during a project in Louisiana. They compared:
- Local volunteers
- Travel-in volunteers
- Paid local canvassers
- Paid travel-in canvassers
They tracked output, break times, reliability, and cost per shift. The most effective and cost-efficient group? Paid travel-in canvassers (the exact opposite of what I expected). Despite the upfront costs of housing and transportation, they show up more consistently and stay out longer, outperforming every other group.
Coming Up Next
Each of these strategies deserves its own deeper dive, and I’ll be breaking them down over the coming weeks.
If you haven’t heard the full episode yet, it’s worth the listen. Especially if you’re planning to scale up your voter contact this summer.