Strong Together.
County-to-County (C2C) and Neighbors on Call (NoC) are now combining into one organization working to turn NC blue.
County-to-County (C2C) and Neighbors on Call (NoC) are excited to announce that C2C and NoC are merging!
Why? Because we like each other! Also, we're more sustainable and effective together, which means we can keep growing our volunteer power and electing more Democrats.
Since 2016, County-to-County (C2C) and Neighbors on Call (NoC) have been fighting hard to elect more Democrats to the NC House and NC Senate. Over the years, we’ve both grown tremendously, earned statewide respect, and helped break the supermajority (multiple times!) thanks to YOU.
We are excited to announce these two groups will officially consolidate into one organization.
WHAT WON’T CHANGE
The mission
Both C2C and NoC are deeply dedicated to electing more Democrats to the NC General Assembly (NC House and Senate). More Democrats making policy decisions in the state legislature is better for the people of North Carolina, and we will join forces to do everything we can to help candidates in swing districts hold or flip their seats.
The canvassing experience
Canvassing with a merged NoC and C2C will feel much the same to our volunteers. The signup system may be slightly different depending on which organization you worked with before, but once you’ve signed up to canvass, you’ll receive the same level of communication and support you always have. Volunteers can still sign up to be a silent canvasser or to mentor someone new.
A focus on volunteer care and community
Both NoC and C2C work hard to build community and relationships among leadership, volunteers, and supported candidates. We still will!
Events and programming
C2C and NoC are both known for high-quality, informative programming, training, and fun social events that engage volunteers and bring in new ones. In 2024, our groups combined to present virtual, hybrid, and in-person events, and we will retain many favorites from each organization. Happy Hours? Check. Volunteer appreciation? Check. Hybrid events? Check, check check!
We’ll continue to work hard and have fun while we’re at it!
Leadership
Current leaders from both groups will remain involved, guiding strategy and decision-making. Laura Baxley, current Executive Director of C2C, will continue as the leader of the combined organization. Becca Zerkin, Co-Director of NoC, will become Director of Volunteer Engagement and work alongside other Directors. For example, Susan Lindsay of NoC will direct all canvassing operations, and Judith Tsin of C2C will direct all phone banking initiatives. Susan Blount, Co-Director of NoC, will remain as an advisor. Leaders from both organizations will serve on the Executive Committee and in important team leadership positions. Most current leadership-level volunteers will remain a part of this dynamic team.
What will be kind of different (but not much)?
The name...eventually
Although C2C and NoC are merging into one entity, we intend to leverage the power of both names, creating an unstoppable and formidable organization recognized as a statewide model of effectiveness. We will co-brand everything for a while (even if it’s a little awkward) to give everyone time to adjust.
An expanded footprint
While NoC has traditionally canvassed for candidates in swing districts in or near the Triangle, C2C has worked with candidates in swing districts across the state and regularly canvasses for candidates in Eastern NC’s swing districts. NoC has also sometimes participated in these canvasses that are a little farther away from the Triangle, and we plan to keep volunteering in Eastern NC to hold and flip key NCGA seats in 2026!
additional tactics for achieving our goals
NoC has become the statewide leader in volunteer canvassing, and the organization has been laser-focused on this tactic. According to available data, canvassing is still the most effective way to reach voters.
C2C has traditionally harnessed not only the power of canvassing, but also additional tactics deployed in strategic ways:
Phone banking, when employed as part of a broader strategy, is a targeted way to increase candidate “touches” with a voter, to recruit volunteers for candidate campaigns and county party activities, and to reach voters who live in areas too rural to canvass effectively. Similarly, writing postcards that are custom-designed for our candidates and county parties and that feature crucial information about voting locations, dates, and candidate messages can also be a useful layer of a campaign when used as part of a larger strategy.
Paid Canvassing: Since 2022, C2C has raised over $500,000 for and managed a paid-canvassing program in swing NCGA districts. This program, called WeCAN (We Canvass Among Neighbors), hires local residents to canvass for legislative candidates in swing districts, providing additional canvassing support in areas where it is difficult to recruit enough volunteer canvassers, where local residents are the better messengers, and where canvassing territory may be too spread out to send volunteers. WeCAN does not overlap with volunteer canvassing initiatives, but it has been an important gift to our partner candidates. After reviewing the 2024 WeCAN data, we will decide whether or not to implement WeCAN in 2026.
Additionally, we know from demographic data that Latino voters are one of the largest and fastest-growing groups of voters in the state, and that Democrats must be intentional about reaching Latino voters with messaging all year long. C2C’s Latino Engagement Team adds bilingual outreach to voters through canvasses, phone banks, postcards, and a resource toolkit for county parties and candidates.
Building up county party infrastructure is a key piece of the election puzzle. In odd years, we’ll continue to work directly with Democratic county parties to help them build their own infrastructures. To ensure Democrats can hold and flip NCGA seats statewide, local county parties must be active and empowered to reach voters year-round with local volunteers. By helping increase county party capacity, we increase the chances of electing Democrats not only to the NC House and Senate, but up and down the ballot across the state.
What will the organizational structure be?
AN EXPANDED ORGANIZATION
Our growing structure mirrors that of a a traditional nonprofit. Strategy and operational decisions are made by the Executive Committee with input from all leadership-level volunteers. It takes ALL OF US to ensure we are providing the best support to our volunteers and our partner candidates.
Housed within the Orange County Democratic Party, C2C is part of the Democratic Party structure. We will remain a project of OCDP, allowing flexibility in fundraising, collaboration with county parties and candidates, and more.
WHAT’S NEXT
We know that our merger is the right strategy to make our organizations the most effective – and the most sustainable – we can be. We also know that change may be emotional; we’re all deeply invested in our organizations. We will make some changes to processes and to programming, and will need the help of all of our invested volunteers. But we promise to make this process smooth and positive so we can keep electing more Democrats to the NCGA!
C2C and NoC leadership is 100% committed to retaining our hard-earned reputations as statewide leaders and models in volunteer organizing. We are equally dedicated to fostering and growing the deep sense of community and collegiality among all of our volunteers, lifting one another up and harnessing the passion and energy that each one of you brings to the mission. This enthusiasm is our superpower, and it gets only stronger as we blend our teams together. Onward!
Now let’s get to work!
STAY CONNECTED.
We regularly send out updates about events, phone banks, canvasses, and our newsletter On the Issues. Stay informed so you can turn your passion into action!
