Important questions to ask which can vary depending on jurisdiction and level of governance:
- What requirements are there for reporting contributions and expenses?
- What is the campaign period?
- Are there periods when records must be retained before they can be destroyed?
- Are there contribution and expense limits?
- What are the finance filing deadlines?
- Are there any other restrictions or barriers to financing the campaign (publicly funded elections)
Always be mindful of the rule of finite resources and to maximize your return on investment for your resources.
Campaign resources; whether people, money or time, are always under pressure and in demand from all aspects of a campaign. Managing these resources as standalone or in combination for fundraising is vital. The trick is to select the best possible combination of all three resources. You want to make the best use of resources to get the largest impact and donations. Time spent using your candidate or volunteers going door to door is time not spent calling potential donors. It is important to budget all three resources (people, time, money) wisely, effectively and efficiently to get the biggest return.
Budgeting:
There is a cost for everything you do in a campaign, if not financial than timely. Once you have defined your detailed communications plan there will be variable costs: printed materials for door to door pamphlets, mailings and e-mail blasts, signs, web-hosting, event hosting, canvassing transportation, merchandise, etc. and you can begin to define your communications costs. Add on your fixed costs: rent, staff, phones, utilities, computers, cameras, office furnishings, etc. Your budget should be realistic and not a wish list. You may want to prepare more than one; a high, medium and low budget to take into consideration the scenario where fundraising does not go as well as planned or exceeds expectations.
As many have said “Cash is King” and cash flow determines if you can stay in the game. As you spend money you should also think about how to bring more in as part of the budgeting process. After organizing and costing each task and their monetary requirements create a timeline in a calendar to determine when money will be required. This way you can set your fundraising requirements month by month, week by week or day by day.
Keeping a campaign inventory is essential, especially if this is not your first campaign. Some jurisdictions will count previous campaign inventory as a budgeted expense however others may allow them as 0 dollar items. When in doubt always consult the local election guidelines.
Fundraising:
Again “Cash is King” and cash flow determines if you are in the race. The best fundraiser in any campaign is the candidate, but the candidate also goes by the rule of infinite resources, therefore use their time wisely. Try to always have the candidate present for large donation requests and at meet and greet functions.
Campaigns should target donors in the same way they target voters, determine your best chance. Keep in mind that unlike voters who can only vote once or have to live in the constituency, they can give as many times as they want (some jurisdiction may have contribution limits for a particular office). If you are not an incumbent with a previously established donor base start collecting names of potential contributors from the following:
- Family
- Personal friends
- Professional colleagues
- Volunteers
- Local Businesses
- Community leaders
- Groups or organizations that could benefit or have interests in the jurisdiction
- Neighbourhood organizations
- Business groups/organizations/social networks
- Unions
- People who share your ideological view
- People who want to see another candidate defeated
Remember if they can’t give money they may be able to give time, resources or materials.
It is important to determine how best to approach a potential donor, should it be a senior member of the campaign team, a volunteer call centre operator or the candidate directly. It is important to remember/stress that it is not begging but asking the donor for an investment in the future.
There are many different ways to ask, direct mail, over the phone, face to face, at parties or events
etc.Each has best practices to be followed to get maximum results (a more in-depth review in will appear later on the blog).
Remember to ask at every opportunity!
Compliance:
The issue of compliance varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and is different at each level of government. When in doubt always consult the local election laws, having an accountant or lawyer on hand to determine if a particular expense or donation is eligible can be extremely helpful, as any rule breaking will not only reflect poorly on the campaign and the candidates judgement but could also have disastrous legal ramifications such as jail time, fines, removal from office and being barred from running again. The following are some fundamental questions to ask yourself when considering campaign compliance:
- Are there accounting requirements for the campaign?
- Is there a reporting system for contributions?
- Is there a method to report ineligible contributions?
- Are fundraising events happening outside of a campaign period? Are these contributions eligible in the jurisdiction?
- Are your records in an easy to understand and presentable form to submit to an auditors scrutiny?
For a free copy of a budget excel spreadsheet click here
- What requirements are there for reporting contributions and expenses?
- What is the campaign period?
- Are there periods when records must be retained before they can be destroyed?
- Are there contribution and expense limits?
- What are the finance filing deadlines?
- Are there any other restrictions or barriers to financing the campaign (publicly funded elections)
Always be mindful of the rule of finite resources and to maximize your return on investment for your resources.
Campaign resources; whether people, money or time, are always under pressure and in demand from all aspects of a campaign. Managing these resources as standalone or in combination for fundraising is vital. The trick is to select the best possible combination of all three resources. You want to make the best use of resources to get the largest impact and donations. Time spent using your candidate or volunteers going door to door is time not spent calling potential donors. It is important to budget all three resources (people, time, money) wisely, effectively and efficiently to get the biggest return.
Budgeting:
There is a cost for everything you do in a campaign, if not financial than timely. Once you have defined your detailed communications plan there will be variable costs: printed materials for door to door pamphlets, mailings and e-mail blasts, signs, web-hosting, event hosting, canvassing transportation, merchandise, etc. and you can begin to define your communications costs. Add on your fixed costs: rent, staff, phones, utilities, computers, cameras, office furnishings, etc. Your budget should be realistic and not a wish list. You may want to prepare more than one; a high, medium and low budget to take into consideration the scenario where fundraising does not go as well as planned or exceeds expectations.
As many have said “Cash is King” and cash flow determines if you can stay in the game. As you spend money you should also think about how to bring more in as part of the budgeting process. After organizing and costing each task and their monetary requirements create a timeline in a calendar to determine when money will be required. This way you can set your fundraising requirements month by month, week by week or day by day.
Keeping a campaign inventory is essential, especially if this is not your first campaign. Some jurisdictions will count previous campaign inventory as a budgeted expense however others may allow them as 0 dollar items. When in doubt always consult the local election guidelines.
Fundraising:
Again “Cash is King” and cash flow determines if you are in the race. The best fundraiser in any campaign is the candidate, but the candidate also goes by the rule of infinite resources, therefore use their time wisely. Try to always have the candidate present for large donation requests and at meet and greet functions.
Campaigns should target donors in the same way they target voters, determine your best chance. Keep in mind that unlike voters who can only vote once or have to live in the constituency, they can give as many times as they want (some jurisdiction may have contribution limits for a particular office). If you are not an incumbent with a previously established donor base start collecting names of potential contributors from the following:
- Family
- Personal friends
- Professional colleagues
- Volunteers
- Local Businesses
- Community leaders
- Groups or organizations that could benefit or have interests in the jurisdiction
- Neighbourhood organizations
- Business groups/organizations/social networks
- Unions
- People who share your ideological view
- People who want to see another candidate defeated
Remember if they can’t give money they may be able to give time, resources or materials.
It is important to determine how best to approach a potential donor, should it be a senior member of the campaign team, a volunteer call centre operator or the candidate directly. It is important to remember/stress that it is not begging but asking the donor for an investment in the future.
There are many different ways to ask, direct mail, over the phone, face to face, at parties or events
etc.Each has best practices to be followed to get maximum results (a more in-depth review in will appear later on the blog).
Remember to ask at every opportunity!
Compliance:
The issue of compliance varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and is different at each level of government. When in doubt always consult the local election laws, having an accountant or lawyer on hand to determine if a particular expense or donation is eligible can be extremely helpful, as any rule breaking will not only reflect poorly on the campaign and the candidates judgement but could also have disastrous legal ramifications such as jail time, fines, removal from office and being barred from running again. The following are some fundamental questions to ask yourself when considering campaign compliance:
- Are there accounting requirements for the campaign?
- Is there a reporting system for contributions?
- Is there a method to report ineligible contributions?
- Are fundraising events happening outside of a campaign period? Are these contributions eligible in the jurisdiction?
- Are your records in an easy to understand and presentable form to submit to an auditors scrutiny?
For a free copy of a budget excel spreadsheet click here
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