Start a Group
What's the best way to create a win-win with your postcard group and BWPM?
Buy your postcards in bulk! You'll get: Lower shipping costs and discounted postcards. Our local volunteers get: Preserved bandwidth, especially with behemoth 2024 election campaigns coming up.
Here's how groups work:
You can find an existing, open group to write with (see our group map) or start your own group. There are three kinds of groups - open groups, closed groups, and unaffiliated groups. In all cases:- You set the rules for your group
- You can require group members to pay in advance/pick up cards from one location (yours). Pros: Offers the best rates on card and postage discounts. Cons: More coordination for you
- You can require each of your members to order their postcard kits from our website. Pros: Less coordination for you. Cons: Less discounts for everyone.
- You can require that members be local.
You have three options:
1) You can form an open group, which means that we'll advertise your group on our group map as open.
- We don't actively recruit, but we do list your group on our group map webpage. Interested individuals fill out a web form. We email you their inquiry, so your information is safe - you decide where to take it from there.
- Open groups get free shipping on 2000-card box orders in addition to the usual 20% discount over individual sets.
- You'll be added to our group organizer email list.
- You'll be providing a space to grow community in the pro-democracy movement. So many good people want to connect with a like-minded political group!
2) You can form a closed group, which means that we will advertise your group on our webpage as closed and we will not forward contact requests from potential new members.
- We’ll add you to our group organizer email list.
- You can still order cards for everyone in your group, and 2000 card boxes will still get a 20% discount, but you will pay for the order's shipping. (About $25)
- You can have group members order separately. Less coordination for you but fewer discounts as well.
3) You can be an unaffiliated group leader.
- We will not advertise your group on our webpage.
- We will not add you to our group leader mailing list.
- You can still order cards for everyone in your group, which will save on shipping costs.
- Or you can have your group order separately.
We totally understand privacy concerns and want to make this as easy and safe as possible for everyone.
As mentioned before, one of the best aspects of organizing a group is building community - a gathering of like-minded people! We highly encourage group leaders to schedule occasional postcard-writing parties, either in-person or via Zoom. We've also found that local politicians are often grateful to speak for groups of potential constituents if you invite them.
Optional: Stamp prices are high and climbing higher. If you can organize fundraising for stamps, that would be amazing. If you need assistance with stamp costs, you can apply for stamp funding for your group. We offer partial or full funding for people of limited means.
How to become a group leader:
- Start by filling out the form below. Then check out our Organizer Toolkit page for what you need to know. You can either order postcard kits for your group and distribute them or members can order their own kits.
- After you are registered, please provide your group name to your volunteers if they are going to order their own kits. When they order kits for the first time, they will be asked for the group name.