Volunteer Onboarding

Welcome, new volunteers!  Thank you so much for agreeing to pitch in for Democrats Abroad China, also known as DACN. Here are some helpful resources and guidance about our organization. Every member and volunteer is serving to protect the right to vote and to ensure that all Americans are able to vote. If you have the time and resources to volunteer, you are very much welcomed and appreciated! All members are welcome to participate, join up and tell a friend! 

Ways to Get Involved:

1. Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Committee - Fulfills the #1 mission of Democrats Abroad & needs YOU!

   1. Voter Registration Team - This group assists voters online and in person. Answer questions, post important information, hold an event with a registration booth, and more! DA uses http://www.votefromabroad.org as our primary source to answer FAQs about registering to vote and receiving/submitting ballots. Reach out to GOTV Coordinator, Ginny Hunt. Voter assistance training can be found here: https://www.democratsabroad.org/new_voter_registration_training.

   2. Phonebanking/SMS Team - Make Calls and send Text messages to remind members to register to vote. Visit https://www.democratsabroad.org/phonebanking_training to participate in live trainings, or watch training videos. Upon completion of a quiz, volunteers will be further registered by DA to assist with Phonebanking activities. 

   3. Logistics Team - Informs and assists voters with returning ballots from China to America via mail, fax and e-mail. 

   4. Coordinator - Ready to do more? DACN is in search of a volunteer Onboarding Coordinator. The Onboarding Coordinator will ensure each volunteer is trained on GOTV. Email info-china@democratsabroad.org to get started.

2. Communications Committee - Help us get our word out to activate awareness for DACN. Create website content, social media content, coordinate a schedule, and more! Pitch in with designing graphics or memes that can be shared globally. Well-planned, positive messaging ensures Democrats vote from abroad! Contact Comms Director Elyse Ribbons.

3. Fundraising Committee - Help secure funds for DACN to support our initiatives. To ensure Americans living in China receive important voter information, we need fundraisers! To donate, please contact us via e-mail, WeChat, or donate to DACN by visiting www.DemocratsAbroad.org/cn_donate. To get involved, please contact Tricia Williams, or fundraising@democratsabroad.org.

4. City Groups - Members in various cities and regions can create a sense of community both on and offline. Join a city group to socialize, activate new members, and work on the issues that matter to you. Currently DACN has organized groups in Beijing, Guangzhou, Jiangnan (Jiangsu/Zhejiang), Kunming, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

5. Caucuses - Coordinate activities at the local level and help with actions and initiatives by joining a caucus. DACN has an AAPI, Black, LGBTQ+, Progressive, Women's, and Youth Caucus. At present, DACN members are organizing a Disability Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Veterans & Military Families Caucus, and Environmental & Climate Crisis Council. Volunteers are requested to participate, assist with outreach, and even lead DACN caucuses.

6. Events Committee - Help DACN create and host events. This can involve calendar management, graphic design, and event space design. The Events Committee also finds speakers and sets up speaker series. Speakers range from politicians to experts in a particular field willing to speak to members of DACN, Asia Pacific, and/or Global. DACN’s Events Coordinator Pam Forbes is ready to meet you! Have an event idea? Please view and submit the events forms posted below.

7. Outreach Committee - Creates and executes ideas to increase outreach to Americans residing abroad. This could include sending mailers, making calls, and designing social media graphics.

Get started today! Complete a , e-mail Info-China@democratsabroad.org, or set up an appointment: .

Things to Consider:

• How much time do you have? Are you able to consistently participate daily/weekly/montly? Is your time more limited?

• What are the most important issues to you today? Is it BLM? AAPI? ERA? Voter Supression? 

• Where are you located? Even if you are in rural China, or stranded waiting to return, there are many opportunities for you to pitch in. 

• Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you want to create virtual social gatherings? Or would you like to quietly work on content and designs at home? 

• Have a special set of skills? Think about how your existing skills (Content writing, Photoshop, etc.) can contribute to the organization. Please also highlight your experience with politics, public policy, as well as general education and work experience. Have you worked with a specific policy initiative before? Let us know! Work in sales, and ready to make phone calls? We would be delighted to have you join the team!

• What do you want to get out of DACN? This is a volunteer-led organization. Some members wish to further policy initiatives on a personal level. Some wish to showcase and hone work skills. Interested in someday working on a political campaign? Feel free to let us know! Together we will create solutions to give you the skills and experience you need for the future. 

Confidentiality Agreement & GDPR Training:

Member privacy is important. DA materials of any kind will not be distributed in any manner without express user consent. Please note that certain volunteers are required to submit a Confidentiality Agreement to protect the data of DA members. Please fill out and submit the form (Confidentiality Agreement), then train (GDPR Slides & Quiz). All volunteers must have completed both, this includes: 

• Leadership Board Members/Caucus Chairs & leaders/Committee Officers;

• Phone Bank callers;

• those who require direct access to the DA membership database, or use member information (names, e-mails, addresses, and phone numbers) in any way;

• anyone posting on the website, Wiki, calendar, social media platforms, and other applications used by DA.

Event Hosting Guidance:

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We See You!

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A special message:

DACN would like to thank our superstar volunteers who are heading home, or relocating to other countries to continue the work in 2022. Because of each of you, Americans living overseas tuned into messaging and turned out at events, then registered and submitted ballots that proved critical in 2020 & 2021 elections! We appreciate the amount of time and care you poured into DA China and DA Global. Thank you for being educators, allies and advocates. Best wishes in all you do!

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Anders Hove

Treasurer

Adam Robbins

Deputy Communications Officer, Graphic Designer