Texting to make a difference

by Jenny Silberman

I knew texting was a great way to make a difference in the upcoming election and help preserve our democracy, so I attended a brief training at one of the Concord Indivisible Huddles — and I’m so glad that I did! 

The trainers were warm, friendly, and engaging as they walked us through every step of the process. We learned how to use a texting platform that didn’t reveal our full names, phone number, or location. It was exhilarating to see that I could send hundreds or even thousands of texts from my computer in just minutes! In my prior experience writing postcards, it could take me two hours to complete a batch of 20 or 40.

Plus, unlike with postcards, with texting I get immediate replies — and it’s very reinforcing to hear back from real people. The texting platform makes it easy to respond to most of these messages with pre-scripted responses. Whenever I receive an unusual message and have a question about how to respond, I can easily get help online. 

It turns out that I love engaging with other voters while supported in this way. It’s so gratifying to see tangible evidence that I’m making a difference!

Sometimes I do receive rude or hostile messages, but it’s easy to respond to those by simply clicking an “opt out” button to remove those voters from the texting rolls. I also receive occasional messages of gratitude from people I’ve texted, and those always feel great!

I’m very happy to say that in just a few short months, I’ve gone from being a texting newbie to being one of the text trainers at Concord Indivisible. Now is a great time to get started. If you’re interested, I encourage you to give it a try. I’d be happy to answer your questions.

To request personalized text training with Concord Indivisible trainers, please send an email to Jill.

Or you can participate in an online self-training with MoveOn.org.