Organizing a Phone Bank

1. Reserve a room or set up a table in a central location for 3-4 hours. This room should be
easy to access and close to a high traffic area.
2. Make sure to publicize your phone bank, including the room, hours, and issue at stake,
extensively.
a. Publicize the call-in day in your campus newspaper, through campus e-mail, and
on bulletin boards all over campus.
b. Flyer and chalk your campus with the announcement at least a day before.
c. Especially reach out to other student organizations on campus that are interested
in multicultural, social justice issues. You can email the club leaders, tell them
about the DREAM Act, why it is important (this is where your story of self-us-
now comes in handy) and what they can do to help. Urge them to have members
of their organization attend your phone bank.
d. Sample blurb:

Call-in for the DREAM Act

Wednesday, November 17, 1 PM-4 PM
Women's Center

Stop by for fifteen minutes to call legislators and urge them to support the DREAM Act. Making calls has
a huge impact and is really quick and easy!

Based on the election results, we need to get these bills passed during the lame duck Congress so that
they will not have to be re-introduced in a potentially less favorable Congress next year. NOW is the
time for activism!

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act will provide conditional legal
status for undocumented youth who entered the country before age 16 and work toward a college
degree or join the military.

Never called your legislators? No worries! We will give you a quick training so you can promote human
rights with confidence!

Sponsors: Amnesty International, MEChA de Yale, Women's Center, and Yale College Democrats
For more information, email helen.jack@yale.edu

3. Have two people staff the phone bank at each hour to receive incoming students and walk
them through the script and process.
a. Ideally, you would also have two people at each hour outside of the room,
standing in a high traffic area and intercepting students as they walk by, handing
them a flyer publicizing the phone bank and explaining the importance of the
DREAM Act.
4. At your table/room, you should have information on the DREAM Act (perhaps make
copies of the information included in our registration packets), why it is important, and
why it is so important to call Sen. Reid this week. Urge students who pass by the table to
whip out their cell phones and make a quick one minute phone call.
 5. Have fliers with instructions on hand so people could also call later in the week.
6. Provide students with a sample phone script with talking points, which they can either
read or use as a guide to help them through the call. (See the sample phone script). The
call-in sheet should include the call-in numbers.
7. Have a sign in sheet for volunteers to fill out, including name, number, and email, so you
could reach out to these allies in the future.

Tips to make your phone bank successful:

 Tables should have a sign or a banner to draw students to them.
 Staffing a phone-in table is an interactive activity. Staff should be standing up (not
sitting), interacting with students as they walk in to the vicinity of the table. It is the
tabling staffs’ job to draw students to the table. Staff should also be able to answer any
questions students may have.
 Ask each student who makes a phone call to provide you with contact information so you
can activate them at a later date.
 Remember to utilize the residence halls/dorms. Students are often in their rooms in
between classes and there is always a phone around.

By: Ely Gonzalez

Call In Number and Script (print and have on hand)

To connect to Reid:
English: 866-877-5552
Spanish: 866-930-3396
 
To connect to Dodd or Lieberman:
English: 866-996-5161
Spanish: 866-961-4293

Here is a sample of the Call-In Script you can say when you call Senator Reid:

“Hi, I was calling to remind Senator Reid of his promise to push the DREAM Act forward for a vote
immediately after the elections. Thanks!”

Sen Reid is the one who has the power to bring the DREAM Act up for a vote. Both Connecticut Senators
support the DREAM Act. Although calls should focus on Reid, you can also call our CT Senators and
thank them for their support. Here is a sample script:

“Hi, I’m calling to thank Senator (Dodd or Lieberman) for his support of the DREAM Act and to remind
him of the large number on undocumented students in Connecticut who would benefit from the DREAM
Act. I urge him to remind his fellow Senators of the importance and the economic benefit of the DREAM
Act.”

Call In Number and Script (print and have on hand)

To connect to Reid:
English: 866-877-5552
Spanish: 866-930-3396
 
To connect to Dodd or Lieberman:
English: 866-996-5161
Spanish: 866-961-4293

Here is a sample of the Call-In Script you can say when you call Senator Reid:

“Hi, I was calling to remind Senator Reid of his promise to push the DREAM Act forward for a vote
immediately after the elections. Thanks!”

Sen Reid is the one who has the power to bring the DREAM Act up for a vote. Both Connecticut Senators
support the DREAM Act. Although calls should focus on Reid, you can also call our CT Senators and
thank them for their support. Here is a sample script:

“Hi, I’m calling to thank Senator (Dodd or Lieberman) for his support of the DREAM Act and to remind
him of the large number on undocumented students in Connecticut who would benefit from the DREAM
Act. I urge him to remind his fellow Senators of the importance and the economic benefit of the DREAM
Act.”