Aaron Podgorni, United to Beat Malaria Grassroots Advocacy Intern:

“Collecting petition signatures and postcards for your Members of Congress is a very easy and important way to show your legislators that there is strong support among their constituency for an issue. College students are often extremely politically active and have a desire to make their voice heard. Unlike traditional canvassing, there are two major ways that you can collect signatures on a college campus: club meetings and tabling.  

The former begins with some simple research. Start by searching up the name of your college and clubs or organizations, most colleges will have a list of these clubs available online. At larger schools there could be hundreds of organizations, so you have to narrow your search to groups that best fit the issue that you are trying to address. In my case, I sought out the UMass Amherst Model United Nations and the UMass Amherst International Affairs clubs. I started by reaching out to the club presidents via email, which is often available via the club’s website or social media page and asking if it would be possible for me to give a short presentation at the end of their next meeting. After a quick email I was allowed to sit in on a meeting of the UMass Amherst Model UN to collect signatures and have members of the club fill out postcards for their Members of Congress in support of strong funding for global health. This is also something you can do with an existing student organization you belong to – offer to the E-board that you will lead this activity as a programming opportunity at a general body meeting! A staffmember from United to Beat Malaria can Zoom in to give more background about the campaign and an overview of the global burden of malaria.  

The second method of collection is through tabling. To do this you will once again start with some basic research, by checking to see if your school has any forms that you need to fill out before tabling. These forms can often be found on the website of the University’s student union or student life. Once you’ve filled out those forms, all you need is a folding table and some postcards. The goal of tabling is getting people to come talk to you. In my personal experience, a good way to get college students to come to your table is with a big bag of mixed candy or in the colder months a nice box of hot chocolate. Tabling is much less of a formal presentation than it is having a simple conversation. Being easy-going and approachable makes people want to talk with you and makes them much more likely to fill out a postcard or sign a petition. Overall, the more fun you have working on your campaign, the more people will want to help you with it. So go out there and have fun making a difference in your community!”