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Yard
signs are a very popular form of
advertising for school levies and
bonds. It is an easy way for a
supporter to help, and therefore yard
signs will probably be requested. These
types of signs, however, can be
expensive and time consuming, so make
sure you use them as effectively as
possible.
Yard
signs must be clear and easy to read
from a distance. The most important
piece of information is the date of the
election. Next, create a short, simple
phrase to get the message across: “Vote
YES for schools!” A simple school
related picture like an apple or school
house can be used, but be sure it does
not obscure the message.
Putting together yard signs may involve
hammering placards to wooden stakes or
painting large wooden boards. Set up a
Saturday for putting together the signs
and ask for volunteers. Ask coaches for
the high school sports teams to ask for
volunteers. High school students can
finish the work quickly. It may qualify
for community service hours or volunteer
hours that they need anyway. Check into
this and be prepared with forms you can
sign to prove they were present.
Wait
until the last two to three weeks to put
up yard signs. Although volunteers will
be eager to get signs earlier, this is
the best time to put up signs. Make
sure volunteers know when the signs will
be available, and organize groups to put
up signs in heavily traveled areas. Try
to avoid areas, like cul-de-sacs, that
are not visible to many voters. Because
of the high cost of signs and limited
time of volunteers, areas that have many
school supporters should be targeted for
signs before areas that have low voter
support. Be sure to have mallets and
hammers available for volunteers to use
to pound the signs into the ground!
A
popular form of advertising is the car
window sign. This is usually an 81/2 x
11 sized version of the yard sign. As
with the yard sign, the date of the
election should be prominent and the
message should be simple. These signs
can easily be printed out by volunteers
if they are posted on a campaign website
or emailed. Once posted in a car
window, these become “mobile yard
signs.” Other places to post signs
include store windows, daycares, places
of worship, coffee shops, and any other
place people gather.
You can also transfer
this same design to a T-shirt or other
cloth item. Simply buy some iron-on
transfer paper (around $10 for six
sheets at most computer supply stores -
try Best Buy or Comp USA). Insert the
iron-on transfer paper into your
computer's color printer and follow the
directions that come with the paper.
The campaign could sell the t-shirts,
include the directions on the back of
the car sign, or post these directions
on the website with the car sign.
The
large signs outside grocery stores are a
great place to advertise for the levy or
bond and to remind people of the
election. Have a member of the campaign
speak to the managers of local stores to
request a message be posted on the large
marquee during the last few days of the
campaign. If the manager is willing,
suggest the message be supportive of the
levy: “Vote yes for schools on February
5!” If the manager does not feel
comfortable with a persuasive message
like this, a good alternative is a
message reminding people to vote.
Remember, volunteer and staff time are
limited. As with yard signs, target
stores in areas of high visibility and
high support for schools, if possible. |
