Grassroots Corner - March 27, 2020

By Randy Fischer
Americans for Fair Taxation Board Member, Leader Marketing & Communications Team

For the past 5 years Florida FAIRtax Educational Association has had a presence at The Habitat For Humanity Strawberry Festival in Ocala, FL.  This event in just a single day draws as many as 20,000 attendees and in past years many more.

By signing up early, FFTEA has been able to keep prime locations near a vintage car show in one of the main aisle ways for traffic.  On March 7 several of our Volunteers created and worked the booth to educate the public on The FAIRtax.

The goal is to have a booth clearly identifying the organization’s policy of preference.  Typically we try for something which makes it clear we want "NO IRS" and "The FAIRtax is simple-visible-efficient and ends the income-tax".  With fewer and fewer taxpayers using itemized deductions and more taking advantage of electronic filing we have seen some level of decreased interest in replacing the IRS.  So other "communication strategies" must be created creatively.

Establishing eye contact is critical.  Once accomplished, smile, invite the attendee to take a piece of literature like a palm card, prebate card or any other handout and while doing that
 

engage in a "problem-solution" discussion.  Things like "do you think everyone is paying their fair share" or "wouldn’t it be nice if foreign visitors contributed to our Social Security/Medicare just by spending money on retail goods and services while in our country".  Make your "opening statement" interesting, short and be ready with an equally short and engaging answer.

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While you see a donate type container on the table, the primary purpose is to educate and not fundraise.  The best you can hope for in these type of mass attendance events is to get a few of the interested to sign a petition or otherwise sign up for more info.

Successfully, we were able to get 60+ new Individuals sign up, providing their Email-Address to receive our informational emails.  Depending on the circumstances you might want to urge people to sign up on their own mobile device, or have an iPad with you, used to sign up people quickly on the Homepage of our Website in the "Get-Updates" form.

You will always have the "skeptics, doubters, politically opposed" who will want to make a point at your expense.  Best to just disengage from them and not let them "take over" your event.  You aren’t likely to convert them and instead you increase the likelihood you will lose other Individuals who are genuinely interested.  Keep it light.  Keep it friendly.

Goal is to have 4 - 6 Volunteers split morning or afternoon hours to work at the booth.  In this event we had 1 volunteer Donna Paget who helped set up the booth on Friday, took the tent home for some repairs (high winds during setup), returned, spent over 6 hours at the booth on Saturday, even helped take everything down and pack it up.  Thank You Donna!

 

Florida FAIRtax-er Donna Paget talking to a Fairgoer

 

We also had help from Bob Paxton (½ of The FAIRtax Guys) Darlene Whitkanack, and Terry Tibbetts author of Americas Big Solution - an Introduction to The FAIRtax available on Kindle download by clicking here

 

Editors Note:
We would like to thank Randy Fischer, FL, for contributing this article and to thank the members of Randy’s Team for their work in promoting The FAIRtax. We think FFTEA is smart to return to the same venue year after year.

Fair-goers get multiple exposures to The FAIRtax, making the brand register with them.  And when the Fair-goers sign up, they receive weekly reminders of The FAIRtax message which they first received at the Strawberry Festival booth.

 

What are your ideas for making the FAIRtax visible at Festivals and Fairs?

As a reminder, we have event insurance coverage available, but you have to let us know.  Once the event is underway, it’s too late.  If you are planning an event, let me know the who-what-when and where, and I will get you a certificate of insurance.

 

We need more of you to send in pictures and news.  If you have anything to share, please Click here to email me your material, text me 908-578-4975, Fax me 908-598-2888.

When others see your activity, they are inspired, and the process snowballs.  When the process snowballs, Representatives, Senators and, yes, even the President start to take notice and listen to Us.

Don’t forget to order your FAIRtax gear.
Click here to visit The FAIRtax Logo Store

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Yours In Liberty!   Yours In Freedom!

Jim Bennett
AFFT Grassroots Coordinator & Secretary