Things to Know Before Going Door to Door

Klein also advises organizations keep canvassing operations in middle- to lower-income neighborhoods, where they do best. Canvassing tends to do poorly in affluent neighborhoods, as wealthy people usually are more apt to give in response to personal, major-gift solicitations, or through direct-mail or special events. Just be sure you’re not sending canvassers into unsafe neighborhoods.

“A good canvasser may be carrying $500 or more by the end of the evening, much of that in cash,” she writes. To minimize danger, she recommends sending pairs when canvassing high-crime areas or having a “roving car” that periodically checks in on canvassers and collects money from them.

Read the complete chapter on canvassing in “Fundraising for Social Change,” by Kim Klein. Chardon Press, 2007. $38. www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787988200.html