Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does Everyday Canvassing do?

We help communities and governments move closer to community ownership of policy, programs, and budget decisions.

Door-to-door outreach is often how we begin, because it’s one of the most reliable ways to reach people who are usually left out. But we don’t treat doorknocking as a one-time event. We use what we learn to help residents come together, name priorities, and build real power around what they want to change.

Do you canvass for elections?

No. We don’t canvass for elections.

Our problems and hopes don’t automatically get heard or acted on after someone is elected, even if we like who’s elected. Our work focuses on engagement that informs real decisions beyond electoral cycles.

What kinds of projects are the best fit for EC?

We’re a strong fit when engagement is meant to:

• Reach people who are usually left out of the political process

• Learn what’s actually happening on the ground

• Build trust through real conversations, not rushed scripts

• Turn community input into real decisions and follow-through

If the work is strictly about checking a box, or outreach with no intention of follow-through, we’re probably not the right partner.

Do you only do door-to-door outreach?

No. Depending on the project, our work can include community needs assessments, listening sessions, focus groups, convenings, coalition-building, and support for local organizing.

We don’t offer one-size-fits-all packages. We build the work around what the community needs and what you’re trying to change.

How much time do you need to prepare before starting a project?

Ideally, we begin planning about three months before doors open.

Door-to-door outreach looks simple from the outside, but quality depends on preparation: local hiring, training, community context, cultural competency, logistics, language access, and ensuring the outreach actually fits your goals.

Can you work on a shorter timeline?

Yes. We can move quickly when needed.

When timelines are tight, it helps to have:

• A map or clear boundaries of where we’ll work

• Building names and unit counts (for apartments)

• Any existing materials (flyers, program info, survey drafts), plus translations if available

• A clear goal for what decisions the engagement will inform

We can help fill in gaps, but building from scratch under pressure comes with tradeoffs.

Why do you prioritize hiring people from the neighborhoods you’re engaging?

People who live in a community hold the deepest expertise about their home, language, and neighbors.

Local hiring builds trust faster, improves the quality of conversations, and keeps the work grounded in real life. It also ensures resources stay in the community instead of extracting information and leaving.

How do you price your work?

Community engagement involves labor, training, local hiring, language access, logistics, and follow-through.

Most budgets include:

• Field staffing (canvassers and leads, shifts, hours)

• Supervision and quality control (training, coaching, data review)

• Project design and coordination

• Deliverables (synthesis, reporting, partner readouts)

• Logistics (travel, access planning, translation or interpretation)

We benchmark compensation to local wage conditions and use established standards when projects include resident or volunteer participation.

If you can share boundaries, unit counts, timelines, and goals, we can scope quickly and provide a tighter estimate.

What do partners receive at the end of a project?

Deliverables vary by scope, but partners typically receive:

• A clear picture of what residents are experiencing

• Key themes, needs, and priorities

• Insight into who engagement reached

• Recommendations for next steps grounded in what we heard

This may include structured summaries, de-identified insights, or story-based components.

How do you handle resident data and privacy?

We don’t share identifiable information broadly.

When a resident requests services or follow-up, we share only what’s needed with the appropriate agency or organization. Every resident is told exactly how their information and stories will be used.

We help communities and governments move closer to community ownership of policy, programs, and budget decisions.

Door-to-door outreach is often how we begin, because it’s one of the most reliable ways to reach people who are usually left out. But we don’t treat doorknocking as a one-time event. We use what we learn to help residents come together, name priorities, and build real power around what they want to change.

No. We don’t canvass for elections. Our problems and hopes don’t automatically get heard and acted on after someone is elected, even if we like who’s elected.

We’re a strong fit when you need engagement that is:

• Reach people who are usually left out of the political process

• Learn what’s actually happening on the ground

• Build trust through real conversations (not rushed scripts)

• Turn community input into real decisions and follow-through

If the work is strictly about checking a box, or outreach with no intention of follow-through, we’re probably not the right partner.

Depending on the project, our work can include community needs assessments, listening sessions, focus groups, coalition-building, and support for local organizing—so the work doesn’t stop at “we collected feedback.”

We don’t offer a one-size-fits-all package. We build the work around what the community needs and what you’re trying to change.

Ideally, we start planning around 3 months before doors begin. Door-to-door work looks simple from the outside, but quality depends on preparation: local hiring, training, community context and cultural competency, logistics, language access, and making sure the outreach actually fits your goals.

Yes. We can move fast when we have to.

If the timeline is tight, here’s what helps most:

• A map (or clear boundaries) of where you want us to work

• Building names + number of units (if you’re working in apartments)

• Any materials you already have (flyers, program info, survey drafts), plus translations if available

• A clear goal: what decisions are you trying to inform (policy, program design, budget priorities, service delivery, etc.)?

We can still help you figure some of this out—but the more we’re building from scratch under pressure, the more you should expect tradeoffs.

People who live in a community hold the most expertise about their home, language, and neighbors. Local hiring builds trust faster, improves the quality of conversations, and makes the work more grounded in real life. It also keeps resources in the community instead of extracting information and leaving.

Community engagement is labor, training, local hiring, language access, logistics, and follow-through.

Most budgets are built from:

• Field staffing (how many canvassers/leads, how many shifts, how many hours)
  
  

• Supervision + quality control (training, coaching, troubleshooting, and data review)
  
  

• Project design + coordination (planning, partner alignment, and community context)
  
  

• Deliverables (synthesis, reporting, and partner readouts)
  
  

• Logistics (travel, apartment access plans, translation/interpretation when needed)

We benchmark compensation to local wage conditions and set stipends using established volunteer/value benchmarks when projects include resident or volunteer participation.

If you can share a map/boundaries, unit counts, timeline, and your goal for the work, we can scope quickly and give a tighter estimate.

We do our best work when partners:

• are clear about what decisions the engagement is informing

• respect language access as essential, not optional

• can turn feedback around quickly when timelines are tight

treat residents’ time and stories with care
understand that trust-building requires follow-through

We don’t share identifiable information broadly. When a resident requests services or follow-up, we connect them to the appropriate agency or organization and share only what’s needed to make that connection. Every resident we collect information from is told exactly what their stories and contact information will be used for.

That depends on scope, but partners typically receive a clear picture of:

• what residents are experiencing (themes, needs, priorities)

• what residents want to see change

• what engagement reached (and who it reached)

• recommendations for next steps that match what we heard

Sometimes that includes structured summaries, de-identified insights, or story-based components.