DemCAMP political campaign fundraising and budgeting
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Transcript of DemCAMP political campaign fundraising and budgeting
Fundraising & Budgeting
Your Campaign Budget
• Staff • Overhead • Field • Research • Media • Mail • Phones • Subcontracts – Website Design, Message
Consultant
Percentage to Spend
• Direct Voter Contact 60 – 75% • Research 2 – 5% • Fundraising 10 – 12% • Communications 10 – 15% • Administrative 10 – 15%
Direct Voter Contact
• TV, Radio, & Newspaper Advertising • Field
– Literature – Direct Mail – GOTV Telephone – GOTV Mail – Canvas Expense
• Field Staff
Research
• Polling • District Newspaper Subscriptions
Fundraising Costs
• Event Costs • Printing – Flyers, Invitations • Postage
Communications Costs
• Lawn Signs • T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers, Buttons • Website Development & Management
Administrative
• Campaign Office – Rent – Phones – Computers – Desks, Tables, Chairs – Printer – Copier – Postage – does not include field or fundraising
postage.
Administrative (cont.)
• Travel – Gas Reimbursement – Meals – Car Rental
• Personnel Salaries & Contracts – Campaign Manager – Finance Director – Communications Director – Consultants
Unanticipated Costs
• Include a reserve fund of 5% of entire budget.
Sample Budget
Fundraising
How Much to Raise
• Look at the total expenditures of similar campaigns from your area in the past.
• Add 10% if they were winning campaigns • Add at least 50% if they were losing
campaigns
How to find out how much other campaigns spent
• Supervisor of Elections – Volusia County - http://volusia.org/elections/
• Florida Division of Elections – http://election.dos.state.fl.us/
• Federal Elections Commission (FEC) – http://www.fec.gov/
• OpenSecrets.org
Donor Types
Start at the Inner Circle and work your way out
Donor Types
• Candidate – You need your own surplus to run. – If you are broke, don’t run. – The higher the office the more you will need to
raise and the more surplus you will need. – Consider starting at a lower office if you have
never won before. – If you lose, you may end up owing money.
Relational Donors
• Family • Friends • Trusted Colleagues • They give because they have a relationship to
you. • They fund your startup costs.
Ideological Donors
• Passionate people give to passionate candidates
• People who belong to the same issues group as you.
• People who are committed to causes you believe in.
Aversion Donors
• They give because the opponent has adversely affected the donor’s interests.
• They want to get rid of the other candidate. • This donor wants to know that the candidate
understands the risks of losing and that you provide an alternative hope.
Access Donors
• Donors who participate to advance institutional or economic interests. – Business Associations – Labor Unions – Special Interest Groups
• They usually give later in the cycle • Challengers are unlikely to receive support
from this circle.
Fundraising Tactics
• Start Early – as soon as you decide to run and have filed, you need to allocate 75% of your campaign time to fundraising.
• It is always easier to ask high and work down. The best indicator of giving potential is past performance.
Fundraising Tactics
Face to Face
• Good for high dollar donors. • Must be done by the candidate. • Gives candidate a chance to solicit highest
possible amount.
Candidate Call Time
• Prepare the list carefully. Use of campaign software may be helpful here.
• Staff the candidate – this will make sure the candidate gets through the calls and does not get distracted.
• Role-play • Set goals and benchmarks • Call Time Sheet
Events and House Parties
• Form a host committee. Let them do all the work and put up all the money.
• The candidate should not put up a dime. • Hosts will set donation commitment as they
know what the guests can afford.
Direct Mail
• This also helps with name recognition. • Contributions mailing lists are highly targeted • Re-solicit when the target pays off.
Solicitation Phone Bank
• Again the list is highly targeted. • Volunteers or staff are given list, call scripts,
and phones. • Do not do phone banks or call time on
Sundays – People hate to be interrupted while watching football!
Internet and Email Fundraising
• Before you hit the send button make sure the email has been proofed by at least two other people – you don’t want to apologize to potentially thousands of people or have your mistake show up on a blog or in the newspaper.
• Use an email program – Salsa, Constant Contact, Mail Chimp
• Only send to people who have said you can send to them. Otherwise you may get marked as a spammer.
• You must have an unsubscribe button.
The Ask
• The Five C’s – A Step by Step of the Ask – Connect – research the donor before you call – Context – Motivate the donor with the specifics of the
race. – Commit – Get a specific pledge from the donor,
preferably today. – Catapult – Thank the donor at every step – Confirm – Follow up
• Treat the donor like a shareholder in the campaign.
Fundraising Resources
• Supervisor of Elections – Volusia County - http://volusia.org/elections/
• Florida Division of Elections – http://election.dos.state.fl.us/
• Federal Elections Commission (FEC) – http://www.fec.gov/
• OpenSecrets.org • News Meat
– http://www.newsmeat.com/
Fundraising & Budgeting Thank You for Attending!