So you want to volunteer for a political party in the federal election on October 19. That’s fantastic—participation is the only way to effect political change. Instead of just casting one vote, you can change 10 people’s minds, or help pull 100 voters to the polls on election day. But what’s the best way to get involved?

Think strategically

It’s tempting to attempt to identify a “battleground riding”, and pour your resources there. For example, in the B.C. NDP election campaign in 2013, many people volunteered for David Eby in Vancouver-Point Grey, and the result was the surprise loss of Christy Clark’s seat.

However, in my view, this is a mistake: without a holistic approach, the part wins at the cost of the whole. That victory turned out to be pyrrhic. Christy Clark is still the Liberal premier of British Columbia, and the NDP remain in Opposition. It’s also harder to volunteer in a riding where you don’t know the territory or the people. Strangers have a harder time connecting with other strangers. My recommended approach is different.

Go with what you know

You can have the biggest impact by looking immediately around you. Do you live in an apartment building? Organize your floor. Did you grow up in a nearby area where a lot of people still know you? Return there and knock on doors for the local candidate. Find your local riding by clicking here.

Also consider taking a more casual approach. Do you have existing social networks where you can connect with people, like a church, or school group, or nonprofit organization? It’s time to start talking to them about ways to engage with those communities.

Consider your capabilities

It’s important to be realistic about the commitments you can make. Doorknocking is extremely effective, but time consuming, and it helps if you’re in decent physical shape. Phoning is less strenuous, but requires more emotional resilience, as people are often annoyed by phone calls and this can be demoralizing. Electronic communications are extremely ineffective in most cases when they are impersonal and come from candidates, but can be exceptionally effective if you are personally communicating with your immediate social network.

Plan your time wisely

There’s both a lot of time between now and October 19, yet it’ll also be over before you know it. Consider now what kind of personal investment you’re capable of making, and plan your time now. Do you want to volunteer once a week? Twice? Are you prepared to go “all-in” and take time off work, and if so, when is the most convenient time for you to do so? Plan your schedule now.

Or just donate money

Really: we don’t all have time to sacrifice. Many of us are precariously employed, have family to care for, or are simply workaholics with too much going on. A donation can be a huge impact: for $20 per hour we can hire a canvasser at a living wage. Your time may be worth more than that to you. For $1,500, that’s 75 hours of canvassing: two weeks of full-time paid work for someone who needs the money. Think about it.

And most importantly

Don’t overdo it. Have fun. Take care of yourself. This is gonna be a wild ride, and it’s easy to burn out before October 19 rolls around. And you don’t want to burn out before E-Day, do you? I didn’t think so!