Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Victory 2015 - Campaign steps up a gear in West Kent


4PM WEDNESDAY 24 JULY: Confirmation that local Conservative councillors and the campaign strategy team had signed-off my suggestion for a postal vote recruitment campaign.

11AM THURSDAY 25 JULY: Covering letters drafted and signed-off by local MPs and Conservative Group Leader.  Postal vote form checked and approved against Electoral Commission guidelines. Local printer sent high-res PDFs.  20,000 DL envelopes and 20,000 C5 outer envelopes ordered from supplier for next day delivery.  Email sent to Joyce Gadd (clerical coordinator) requesting team of 30 volunteers for envelope packing on Wednesday)

4PM FRIDAY 26 JULY: Covering letters and postal vote forms delivered by printer. Envelopes also delivered by supplier. (Note to self: must arrange day off more often when 110 boxes of stationery arrives. Sorry Jon!) 
Hat-tip and thank you to Jason Allen at DA Printers Ltd in Rochester, who always deliver on time and within budget.

9AM MONDAY 29 JULY: Commence mail merging 20,000 letters and PV forms using three high speed laser printers which can, between them, churn out 7,500 copies per hour!  Merging completed by 5pm.



9.30AM TUESDAY 30 JULY:  Volunteers John Balcombe and Allan Sullivan come in to overprint freepost address on 20,000 reply-paid envelopes.  Letters and postal vote forms folded and collated for individual households in street delivery sequence. Supplies delivered to packing venue.







9AM WEDNESDAY 31 JULY: 30+ volunteers gather at packing venue and between them pack 20,000 envelopes. Boxes delivered to branches for door-to-door delivery.
8PM: news that some keen activists have already completed their deliveries!




So, to recap: in just 7 days, 20,000 letters and postal vote forms designed, printed, mail merged, folded, printed and packed and the first letters dropping onto doormats. And the entire campaign funded by voluntary contributions of local members and supporters - with no finance from the Trades Unions or public funds!

Not a bad effort from a political party which the commentators claim to be "in decline"!
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2 comments:

  1. Matthew Plummer31 July 2013 at 16:35

    Very impressive. Envelope stuffing always fills me with dread - I'm more the delivering type!

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  2. Andrew Kennedy31 July 2013 at 16:47

    we have a pool of about 80 packers we can call on, some come every time we ask, others just once or twice a year. Most are retired and perhaps now unable to walk easily, so cannot deliver or canvass. It's a huge resource, they are willing and able, and keeps them involved. Some of the packing team are 90 years of age, and for a few it's a chance to get out of their homes and chat to other people. We always provide lunch!

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