- 1. Campaign Fundraising Contact:[email_address]
2. Goals for this Session
- Understand who gives, when they give, and what motivates them
to give
- Know what you need to do, and when
- Understand the elements of a finance plan
- Know how to find and target donors
- Understand how to make the ask
3. Getting Started What should I think about first? 4. Why do
people give?
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- Because they believe in what you stand for.
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- Because they do not believe in what your opponent stands
for.
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- Because they are inspired by a specific person.
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- To be part of a community.
5. Know the law & environment
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- Research the details of your race.
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- What are the contribution limits?
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- When are the contribution reporting deadlines?
6. Set your goals
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- How much did similar races cost in the past?
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- How much did your opponent raise?
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- How much money does your opponent have now?
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- What do you want to do that has never been done before?
7. Be clear in your role as candidate
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- Find someone to help you with systems and low-return
strategies
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- Have a clear, compelling message
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- What will you do if elected?
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- Develop your elevator pitch
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- Talk to donors and ask for their support
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- The candidate cant do everything. Its your job to:
8. Write the Plan Whatmakesup a fundraising plan? 9. Outline of
the plan
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- Goals how much do you need?
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- Tools how? What methods are you going to use to raise the
money?
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- Who whos going to do what?
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- Tracking what is your process to keep track of everyone?
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- Acknowledgement how and how quickly will you thank people?
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- Evaluation when and how will you make sure your fundraising is
on track?
10. Sample Campaign Goal:$45,000 Tip: Write your campaign budget
before you set your fundraising goal, so you know how much money
you will need to raise to run a good campaign. If your fundraising
plan isnt realistic, reassess your budget but make sure you are
planning to raise and spend enough money to execute your plan.
Number of Gifts Amount of Gift Amount Raised 20 $500 $10,000 30
$250 $7,500 150 $100 $15,000 250 $50 $12,500 Total Raised $45,000
11. The work plan/timeline
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- Set unmovable dates and activities first:
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- External election dates; PAC expectations; Party expectations;
filing deadlines; public reporting
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- Internal personal expectations; events/holidays (i.e. your
birthday); personal boundaries
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- Establish a schedule with REAL dates (no on-going)
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- Map out what needs to happen and when how much do you need to
raise each quarter to meet your fundraising goal?
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- Assign responsibilities assign a specific name and deadline to
each activity
Tip:Make sure your fundraising timeline matches up with the
timeline of expenses in your budget you want to make sure money is
coming in to coordinate with your planned expenses. 12. Strategies
Have a plan for each strategy, and know the expected return, cost,
and cash flow for each.Low Mid-Low Mid-Low Mid-Low Mid-Low High-Med
High Donor Level 1-7 days 8 weeks 6 weeks 4 weeks 2 weeks 1-7 days
1-7 days Cash Flow 1-5% 20-75% 20-75% 10-25% 5-15% 1% 1-5% Cost
Ratio Strategy Return In-person meetings 50-75% Calls 30-50% House
Parties 20-40% Events 20-30% Direct Mail 1-10% Telemarketing 1-5%
Internet 1-5% 13. Identify your donors Who should you ask, and
when? 14.
- The kinds of donors who give and when they give is determined
by what kind of donor they are
- Those closest to the candidate i.e. Personal contacts, give
first and require the least resources
- Those furthest from the candidate i.e. Power donors, give last
and require the most resources
CANDIDATE CIRCLES OF BENEFIT EMILYs List CANDIDATE PERSONAL
IDEOLOGICAL AX-TO-GRIND POWER TIME RESOURCES 15. First Circle of
Benefit: Personal
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- Friends of family and friends
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- Former employers, employees, colleagues
This is the circle of people closest to the candidate. They are
motivated to give at the beginning of your campaign, so you should
ask themfirst . 16. Second Circle of Benefit: Ideological
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- Party donors and activists
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- Progressive elected officials
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- Issue-related Political Action Committees
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- Large donors and members of allied organizations (i.e. Planned
Parenthood, League of Conservation Voters)
These are people who give because they are part of the same
party, cause or advocacy group. 17. Third Circle of Benefit:
Ax-to-Grind
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- Former candidates who challenged your opponent and lost
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- Ideological groups whose interests have not been supported, or
have been outright opposed, by your opponent
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- Business leaders or community powerbrokers whom your opponent
has stymied or not supported
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- Individuals who do not support your opponent
These are people who are donatingagainstyour opponent. 18.
Fourth Circle of Benefit: Power
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- Professional associations
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- Business and corporate leaders
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- Political Action Committees (PACs)
These donors are people who want to protect their interests they
give because they want to be on the winning team. They are
thelastto give and require the most resources (so dont go after
them at the beginning of your campaign!). 19. Donor Prospect List
Create your list!
- Go through each category and identify all of your potential
donors who fit each description
- Do this with a supporter or member of your campaign; you will
come up with more people together than you would alone
- For each potential donor:
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- Add atargetask and anexpectedamount
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- Assign people into a donor category based on their circle of
benefit
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- Mark them aslow/medium/highbased on the cumulative amount you
think you can raise from them
Donor Level Total Gift Low $10 - 99 Medium $100 - 249 High $250+
20. Donor Research
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- Find one or two people who can help you
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- Who else have they given to?How much?
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- What are their interests?
Finding out a little bit about your prospects will help you know
how much to ask and what other candidates and issues are important
to them. 21. Internet sites
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- http:// fundrace.huffingtonpost.com
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- www.wisdc.org(Wisconsin only)
Places online where you can research your prospects political
giving: Tip: Find out what usage laws or rules apply to specific
information sources. 22. Invest in a database and systems
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- Compile your prospects, contact information, donor research,
and ask amounts into one electronic format.
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- Purchase a user-friendly database system to house and track
your data.
Youneeda database system to track your fundraising
Youneedinternal systems to track your donors
- Develop a clear system to move donors through the
process:prospect, asked (waiting for response), follow-up,
thank-you, re-solicit.
- You have to make sure your donors arethankedpromptly, that your
database is up to date with current donor information, and that you
keep asking those who have already invested in your campaign are
likely to keep giving if you keep them engaged and keep
asking!
23. Making the ask
- Make a connection have a two-way conversation
- Communicate your compelling message
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- What you will do if elected
- Make the donors needs/values relevant why should it matter to
them if you win?
- Tell them why/how you will win
- Make a direct ask that means a specific number (e.g. Can you
contribute $150 to my campaign?, not I hope youll support me
however you can.)
- Stop talking! Give them space to answer
24. Making the ask After you make the ask, WAIT for a response.
Can you make a contribution of $150 to my campaign? Dont just take
no for an answer Yes! Im not sure No. Great, thank you! Would you
like to make a credit card contribution over the phone, or would
you rather mail in a check? Follow up as necessary. Send thank-you
and re-solicit. Do you need more information? Give information,
repeat ask I understand. Would a contribution of $100 be more
appropriate? Im not ready I understand. Ill call back another time.
End call, put in re-solicit later pile Yes! No. Is there an amount
you would be comfortable giving? Yes No. No. OK. Thank you for your
time. Consider re-solicit if appropriate. 25. Get ready to raise!
Remember:
- Create your budget first, so you know how much you need to
raise.
- Create a written fundraising plan with clear benchmarks,
assignments, and goals.
- Create a comprehensive prospect list and plan your fundraising
around their motivation to give.
- Donors give for different reasons have a two-way
conversation.
- Askfor a specific amount, and keep asking questions if they
dont say yes right away!
- Have a clear system for managing your prospect/donor list and
thanking your donors.
- Use all of your fundraising strategies and dont be afraid to
ask multiple times!
26. Contact: Progressive Majority www. progressivemajority
.org