GCC’s relational model works, it scales and it delivers measurable results.
If only getting people motivated to vote was as easy as flipping a switch.
At Greater Cleveland Congregations, it is! The switch we turn up is deep canvassing. It starts by really listening to our friends and neighbors. We’ve been deep canvassing since 2020, turning conversations into change and growing our collective power one conversation at a time – and it works.
In the 2024 Cuyahoga County General Election, for example, GCC raised voter turnout by nearly 16 percentage points. How did we do it? The proven power of volume – and the great news is, our model is repeatable. By scaling it, we can turn it up even more, over and over again.
This one single thing changes people from “probably-won’t-vote” to “voted”
Real conversations. It’s not just about knocking on doors. It’s about listening to the experiences of the people around us and understanding their concerns. Human engagement leads to voter engagement. That’s where our Neighborhood Captains come in.
Neighborhood Captains are the variable that change outcomes —
not the precinct, not the candidate, not the election.
More Captains → More Convos → More Voters → Election Outcomes
Who are neighborhood captains? People just like you — GCC volunteers willing to invest the time! More Neighborhood Captains means more conversations, more voices heard, and more elections where underrepresented communities determine the outcome. That’s not just election-day behavior. It’s meaningful change that everyone can be a part of.
The numbers that drive volume.
Here’s how it worked in the 2024 General Election.
66
CANVASSING
CAPTAINS
8,693
CONTACT
ATTEMPTS
1,264
PEOPLE
REACHED
412
BALLOTS
CAST
Can a few hundred votes make a difference?
The 2024 City Council race was decided by just 563 votes. So, yes. A few hundred votes certainly can. So if we had 221 captains deploying the same model, GCC voters could overtake that number.
GCC contact means more voters turn out
GCC targets the hardest precincts — historically low-turnout areas in Cleveland and the inner-ring suburbs. The countywide 2024 turnout was 65.7%. In these neighborhoods it was 55%. GCC brought mid-propensity voters nearly to that local baseline.
That’s +15.8 percentage points!
Proof that GCC-contacted voters turned out far more than similar, uncontacted neighbors.
This is THE WAY to deliver voters.
Relational organizing works. Neighborhood Captains work. Community power works. The math backs it up and two independent analysts* reached the same conclusion. Scale the model and you scale the impact. The proof is in the numbers. That is great news for an inspired, powerful organization like GCC.
*Union of Concerned Scientists and an independent consultant – Cid Standifer Lake Effect Impact
Our work, WORKS! Let’s amp it up!
Here’s how to make it happen.
Follow and join the GCC Battle for Democracy at https://greaterclevelandcongregations.org/focus-areas/voter-engagement/
Contact us at info@gcc-ohio.rg to learn how YOU can become a Neighborhood Captain.
