Nissa Rhee was a 2022 RJI Fellow. She created the Borderless Field Canvasser Playbook.

It is a guide to using grassroots organizing techniques to equip and engage underserved audiences. This includes tips on who to hire, what kind of work field canvassers should do and where, and how to integrate their work into your existing audience growth strategies. It will be available in both English and Spanish. 

“At Borderless Magazine, we are using community field canvassers to go out every weekend to Spanish-speaking communities in Chicago and talk to people who are not being reached by local news outlets,” Rhee said. “It’s about deep listening and thinking of new ways to connect with our Spanish-speaking audience from the ground up. My project will document this approach — what works and what doesn’t — to create a playbook for people who want to try it. We’ve learned so much already.”

Rhee is a Peabody Award-nominated journalist and the executive director of Borderless Magazine, a nonprofit, immigration-focused newsroom. Based in Chicago, the multilingual magazine works to promote better representation of immigrants and people of color through its coverage.