I believe every campaign should take care of their volunteers. Folks like yourself who are taking time out of their day to do often hard work for free, deserve a few things. The campaigns that don’t treat their volunteers well rightfully don’t have a lot of volunteers that stick around, and will often lose their races.

If you’re a campaign volunteer, here is what you deserve during your shifts.

Water and snacks: It’s amazing how many times I’ve got knocking on doors for a campaign and there is no water on a 90 degree plus day. No water for volunteers who are doing strenuous work is not only wrong but dangerous. And if a volunteer gets a heat injury, that campaign deserves all of the smoke that comes from it.

Adequate Training: You’ll often be working with a cellphone app or computer program if you’re doing voter outreach. There should be someone standing by to teach you how to use those. And if you’ve never knocked on a door before, you should be accompanied by an experienced operative or fellow volunteer. You should also be briefed on the candidate’s platform and what to expect from the conversations you have.

Eventual time with the candidate: If its a local or regional race, you should be seeing that candidate pretty often. If it’s a presidential, gubernatorial or senate race, don’t expect more than a handshake and a few quick words. The great candidates will be right there next to you fighting in the trenches. And that’s an excellent reminder of why you’re there to begin with .

If you’re getting paid, expect much less: When you start getting paid for campaign work, the tone will change in a hurry. You should still be safe, trained, and have the equipment needed to complete your mission, but expect little else. In the words of Don Draper “That’s what the money is for.”

Campaign volunteers are one of the best aspects of American politics. I’ve met some awesome people who are still good friends to this day. After you meet them, keep them close.