"Excessive taxation ... will carry reason and reflection to every man's door, and particularly in the hour of election." - Thomas Jefferson

From Supporter to Activist in One Letter

We asked Ohio volunteer State Director, Steve Curtis, to share his sucess at recruiting new FairTax supporters to contact Congress by the hundreds. His experiences are below, in his own words.

There is no doubt once people learn about the FairTax, almost everyone loves and supports it! The problem has always been turning those who like the FairTax into active supporters who can be mobilized when important events are scheduled.

But a new twist on an old technique is helping FairTax do a better job.

Alan Ramsey of Mississippi got the ball rolling when he started going to events and handling out letters and envelopes to be sent to elected officials. All the new supporter had to do was sign their name, drop the letter into the pre-stamped envelope, and Alan would mail it for them. This initiative helped deliver a lot of letters to members of Congress, letting them know their constituents support the FairTax, but didn’t necessarily capture the new supporters contact information.

Then Ohio took it one step farther. We developed a small program that allowed FairTax supporters to enter their contact information, and then printed out a customized letter and envelope to the Congressman of their choice while they waited. 

The results were amazing!

People who admitted they liked the FairTax, but had never visited the website to sign up, were happy to write a letter and provide their contact information. Many wanted to send several letters to Congressman, Senators, and the Speaker of the House expressing their feelings about the FairTax and the lack of action. And, with this program, it could be done in just a few seconds.

The program also offered some flexibility in the type of letter sent, with “nice”, “not so nice”, and “really fed up” versions of the letter, allowing the supporter to tailor their message. It was interesting to note that nearly 85% of the letters sent have been of the “really fed up” variety!

In working four events, we have collected the contact information of more than 200 new supporters, and all it has cost us has been a stamp, envelope, and a sheet of paper. All it requires is a laptop and small printer.

We have a goal of 3,000 supporters per Congressional district, and this method seems to be a very cost-effective means of moving in that direction.

If you are interested in learning more, or would like a copy of the program to get started in your area, contact Steve Curtis, State Director, Ohio FairTax at s.curtis@ohfairtax.org.

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