FAQ for Candidates

Here are the common questions we get from candidates and campaign team members about our network. Click here if you want to work with our volunteers or if you have other inquiries.

What's the process like for a candidate submitting a request?

The GHE team gathers candidate or campaign requests either by phone or email. We send weekly emails to our volunteer network on Mondays with these requests. Typically volunteers have 5-7 days to submit materials to the GHE team to forward on to a candidate. (We have faster turnaround depending on the request and/or if it's primary season for a specific candidate.)

Within 48 hours of the deadline for volunteers, the GHE team emails those materials to campaigns. Candidates and/or their teams have 5-7 days to email back with any introduction requests. They may ask for introductions to specific volunteers, everyone, or no one.

The GHE team checks in roughly once per month with candidates and campaign teams (plus more frequently around their primary seasons) about requests. There's no limit to how many times a campaign can request our volunteers.

What doesn't this network do?

There are three types of requests we don't honor:

We’re not a fundraising or donor network, nor can we help campaigns find specific donors.

We’re not a campaign team headhunter service (i.e. we won't help you find a campaign manager or treasurer). We also steer away from requests that require long-term part-time or full-time work.

We don’t find in-person volunteers. All requests must allow volunteers to work remotely. We also typically shy away from phone banking requests.

Do all of the volunteers have to be remote?

Because our network comes from all 50 states as well as numerous countries around the world, yes, the tasks are meant to be virtual. We don't fulfill requests for volunteers to take on in-person efforts like canvassing since we don't have critical mass in one particular area.

Are there any "rules" for candidates or campaigns you work with?

We have three basic rules for candidates and any campaign team members who work with volunteers. They ensure that the process is as efficient as possible and that our volunteers' privacy is protected and their time commitments are respected.

Don't share volunteers’ information with other campaigns, candidates, or organizations. If you know someone who’s interested in utilizing our network, please introduce them to our team directly.

Don't reach out to our volunteers until we've introduced you to them first. Trying to go around us has created big logistical issues in the past.

Don't assign volunteers different work than what you initially requested. If your request has shifted from when you asked for volunteers and when you were introduced to volunteers, we're happy to come up with new solutions.