Rebel Ringers Handbook

Learn what Rebel Ringers do, and how to sign up and make calls. Come along to one of our sessions to get trained and get started! Sign up via: https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/rebel-ringing-events

Who are Rebel Ringers?

Rebel Ringers Header

Rebel Ringers make calls to Extinction Rebellion supporters. We are the 'phonebanking' team, this is where volunteers make phone calls to supporters to invite them to engage in campaigns or events. We make phone calls to new joiners each week, using a script as a guide, to let them know about XR local groups/events and other ways to get involved with our movement for change.

Phonebanking is crucial to mobilisation, and it's proven to work.

Rebel Ringers is all about our personal touch. It's a great way for rebels to keep in touch with the wider movement via real human interaction. It is impactful and empowering for you as a caller, for the person you call and for the movement as a whole.

To get started, come along to one of our upcoming zoom sessions where we can provide training and support.

Rebel Ringers really enjoy this part of XR's work. As part of the team, you'll get to hear what other rebels are up to around the movement, share great stories, often create many new fantastic connections between rebels around the UK. This is a key part of XR's strategy.

What makes this work so rewarding is that we only contact people who are interested in finding out more about what's happening with XR, they have signed up recently to hear from us. No cold calling!

All you will need is a mobile phone (free minutes/texts ideal), and a computer or tablet. While most people prefer to be a part of our group sessions, you can make calls flexibly in your own time too. We ask for an hour or two per week. Every call counts!

Worried about tech?

You don't need any special software or technical skills! We make calls and send text messages with your normal mobile phone. For our group sessions and training we use Zoom, which you've probably already used before. Finally, we have an online platform which opens in your web brower (the app you're reading this page on!) to log call details. We're here to support you with all of this too.

Ready to pick up the phone?

Great! Come along to one of our upcoming zoom sessions and we'll get you trained and set up. If you can't make a session, or have any questions, feel free to send us an email on rebelringers@rebellion.earth and we can arrange a 1-to-1 call to get you started.

Getting started as a Rebel Ringer

Rebel Ringers Training

We host drop-in session (called Phonebanking) most weeks where we provide training and support. Sign up for an upcoming session. Take a look at the Telegram Announcements channel for updates! We encourage you to come along to at least one drop-in, so that we can help you find your way around CallHub, and also try out role-playing a call in a supportive setting before getting let loose on Rebels at large!

We also have a primer video available to get you started, watch here.

Creating Your CallHub (Call Script and Notes) Account

Once one of the team has approved you as a Rebel Ringer, you will receive your CallHub username in an email with the heading ‘Welcome to CallHub – Activate your agent account now!’ When you click the link in the email and set up a password, you will have access to make calls with CallHub. Remember, to keep your password safe somewhere, but if you do forget it (it happens!), we can sort another for you...

Click here to log in to your CallHub account.

Making Your First Call

  1. JOIN A CAMPAIGN. Sometimes we have a national campaign going on, but some local groups ask for a regional or local campaign. Pick a Campaign you want to join or help the wider movement on an on-going national campaign.
  2. Read NUANCE. Some campaigns have a lot of elements to them. If there is one available for a campaign, read the linked Nuance document to arm yourself with as much campaign intel as you can. If you have any questions, add a comment on the document.
  3. GO OVER THE SCRIPT: In advance of picking up the phone, do read over the script a few times. See how tweaking words and the flow of the call feel. Think about which parts you’ll put your own slant on and how, then say the script out loud as yourself. Hearing yourself say this out loud really helps you get comfortable and come across as natural.
  4. PRACTICE & RING. Make a couple of practice calls, perhaps with or to a friend. You might also try recording yourself on your phone then listening back. When ready, get calling!
  5. DELETE NUMBERS. Remember GDPR compliance means you need to remove called numbers and texts sent from your phone’s call history.
  6. ENJOY then TELL OTHERS about Rebel Ringers. We always need more callers!

Rebel Ringers Parties

Rebel Ringers

A Rebel Ringer Party with your friends, affinity group or local group is a lot of fun, but importantly it is a way of strengthening your group as well as also being a key tool for growing and strengthening our Movement. Never under-estimate the power of phone campaigns, they have been a key part of all social movements since the popularity of the telephone!

What you'll need:

You can arrange Rebel Ringer Parties for your affinity or local group. If you need any help you can get in touch with the Rebel Ringers team, send an email to rebelringers@rebellion.earth. We’ll give you all the info and tips you will need to get hosting.

Guide to using CallHub

When you log into CallHub, you'll see a list of available campaigns (if any) as in the screenshot above. The user name in the top right has been blacked out. When you click the 'Resume' button on a campaign, it will show you the campaign's script; you then click the blue 'Resume Campaign' (or 'Join Campaign'). This will show you the details of the person you will be calling next.

What is a CallHub Campaign?

A CallHub campaign basically consists of two things: a contact list, and a script. The script might (for example) include an invitation to join the weekly meeting of a Local Group. The contact list contains details of Rebels specifically intended for each campaign; in this example, it might be a list of people who have signed up to XR in the previous month and live near the Local Group in question.

Join a CallHub Campaign

The CallHub homepage lists all currently active campaigns. To get back to the homepage at any time, click on ‘Calling’ on the right of the ‘Extinction Rebellion’ logo.

Click on the name of the campaign you wish to make calls for, and then click the blue ‘Join Campaign’ button you can see highlighted below.

CallHub Campaign Materials

Each Campaign Script has the following materials.

The body of the script:

The Main Script

Once you’ve joined a Campaign, on the left hand side is a box with the contact details of the next Rebel to call. The script itself will contain some or all of the following elements:

Call Dispositions

At the end of your call you will set the call outcome, aka ‘Call Disposition’, via the dropdown box on the right of the screen. Here are the options and their explanations.

Saving the Call

Once you have typed in any notes for your call, and selected the call disposition, you are ready to save your call.

Most often you will want to make another call immediately, in which case you should click on the green ‘Save and Next’ button to continue calling in the bottom right of the script.

Sometimes, however, you may wish to exit the campaign. To finish your calling session, click the white ‘Save’ button in the bottom left. Then leave the campaign via the ‘Leave Campaign’ button in the top left of the screen.

Deleting Numbers and Messages From Your Phone

At the end of our call session, we have an important job to do to continue to protect our Rebels’ sensitive data. This is as much a rebel protection as a GDPR compliance issue.

We will delete any numbers we have rung during the session from our phone’s call history, plus any texts we have sent. We do this directly after a calling session ... not a day or two later! This way, we adhere to the Data Protection Agreement that we all signed to become Rebel Ringers.

Calling Tips

Rebel Ringers

Do...

Don't...

Two plants forming hearts against a green background