By far, one of the most difficult things you will do as a candidate is fundraise. The reason for this is not so much because fundraising is inheretly difficult – no – the reason is that, as a candidate, you are inherently opposed to calling people up and asking for money. Indeed, I have worked on many campaigns, and I have consistantly seen candidates do everything they can to possibly avoid making fundrasing calls.  It is like taking your kid to the dentist or going to the gym, you make up excuses for why you just can’t do it tonight – though you swear you will get around to it tomorrow.

But, just like getting that sore tooth checked out or doing a few laps around the track, you must fundrase.  A campaign without money is like a car with no wheels – if it gets anywhere, it is by pure accident.

The biggest problem most campaigns have is that the candidate simply does not know how to ask for money in the first place; for most candidates, asking for money is an utterly foreign thing. For this reason it is best to start your fundraising by going to your friends and family and then moving on from there.  Ah, but I am putting the cart before the horse – first you must learn what a good “ask” sounds like.

An effective fundraising call must include some basic things in order to increase your success, furthermore it must be adaptable to the individual you are talking to.  Keeping in mind that things are a little different when talking to friends and family, there are a few basic elements the call must have:

• A basic introduction of yourself.
• What you are running for and why you are the best candidate.
• What your victory will do for them and the issues they care about.
• A dollar amount.

In short, you have to make them want you to win your race even if they don’t live in your district.

Now I understand the touchy point number three brings up.  Just remember that the purpose of fundraising is not to exchange favors for money, rather it is to find supporters of your cause anyway and make them care about you.  How far you are willing to bend on a particular issue is your own choice, but remember that the media and public are not as forgiving.

Don’t neglect number four either – it is always best to over ask for funds.  As a general rule you should ask for double the amount you can reasonably expect from small dollar donors.  The reason for this is that people are either shocked or flattered by such a high amount that you can easily negotiate things down; and who knows, you my actually get the amount you ask for!

Next you must start making calls and sending out mail.  But where do you go after you have exhausted you friends and family?  Well, the next step is to go back and see who from your past you haven’t called and then call everyone you have ever had any real contact with.  Got along well with a co-worker ten years ago? Give them a call.  Miss someone in your book club? Couldn’t hurt to try. Regularly go to a coffee shop? Talk to the manager.

Ok, you have gone through all those people, now it is time to call utter strangers.  You can acquire lists through various sources – candidate reports from past years, from your parties database, and companies are all good places to go.

These people are generally regular donors and are, therefore, used to being asked for money. I know it may seem strange and out of place to call these people up, but this time you have the advantage of never having to talk to them again if they reject you – no harm, no foul! When asking for money from these people and organizations, it is always best to do a little research – if a group always donates $500, you should not go in there asking for $1,000.

By now you might be picking up a theme: no two fundrasing calls are the same.  For this reason detailed note taking is key.  If you are comfortable with spreadsheets,  you should create one with various information: names, notes, amounts, all are important to know so that you can properly follow up with people.

Finally, don’t be afraid to go back to people a few months later.  Often, if people see that you are using their money wisely, they will be willing to help you out as your campaign progresses.

In the end, just remember that this is just part of the job and that your opponent is going to be sitting at a desk making calls even if you are not.

Tags: Finances

This entry was posted by Curtis Haring on Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 9:24 pm and is filed under Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.