Trainings

CTC is pleased to offer training and capacity building partnerships for unions, community organizations, and other entities interested in building a corps of effective deep canvassers. CTC can also help organizations design and oversee programs to build internal organizing capacity.

Our training covers the basics of deep canvassing, using an approach developed through years of research, workshops, evaluation, and continuous iteration. It takes time to master deep canvassing, and we want to make sure we’re equipping your canvassers with the best we can offer, so we invest a substantial amount of time with you workshopping, training, and evaluating your program.

For more information on how your organization can set up a deep canvassing training, please send an email to info@ctc4progress.org.

What is deep canvassing? Deep canvassing is a form of voter engagement where canvassers are trained to connect to voters emotionally through storytelling, empathy, and respect. And it doesn’t just sound good on paper. Deep canvassing is considered to be the most effective form of voter persuasion ever measured. 

CTC’s numbers from 2020 (presidential) and 2022 (midterm) show that the turnout rates for the people our canvassers spoke with were a whopping 10% (2020) and 15% (2022) higher than their comparable neighbors.

Why do we need to invest in deep canvassing? We see it every four years – millions of people show up to volunteer when there’s a presidential election, but campaigns and organizations are unprepared to put those massive resources into the kind of work that really moves votes. If we want to win in 2024, and keep volunteers’ enthusiasm after Election Day to help build power for a better future, we need to invest in tactics like deep canvassing that really work.

What makes deep canvassing different from other types of canvassing? When we send volunteers out to deep canvass, we don’t just hand them a list of voters and a script. We take the time to equip them with the tools they need to engage with those who are difficult to engage.

Ultimately, when canvassers are able to connect their personal values to the urgent issues of our day, they can reach voters who are overlooked by conventional approaches.

collage of people who have canvassed for ctc