The Donor List
Most fundraising efforts need to utilize a list of potential donors. Political fundraising is no exception. Whether you intend to raise money from events, direct mail, personal solicitation, e-mails, or a combination of all four, a list of potential givers is always necessary. In all fundraising efforts, you need to have that core group of givers who will be motivated by your message. Your list for upcoming mailings should begin with party supporters. You can start by contacting other politicians in your party and getting hold of their lists of contributors and/or volunteers who worked on their campaigns. You can also get a list of local party delegates and contact them.
Candidates who are independently wealthy have an advantage because they are not as reliant on fundraising as their less affluent opponents. Combating the multimillionaire candidate is sometimes a matter of pointing out the fact that your candidate is financed by the people. Use the concept of working hard to raise funds as a campaign point.
Finding a Receptive Audience
In addition, you'll find Democratic and Republican organizations as well as other groups that support your campaign. A third-party or independent candidate may need to rely more heavily on such nonparty lists from like-minded supporters of specific causes. For example, an independent candidate supporting many environmental issues may cull names for her mailing list from local environmental groups. Similarly, a candidate that supports the Family Leave Act and universal health care would likely get support from the Working Families Party.
Depending on the size of the town or city, you can use research and demographic data to determine where party pockets are located. There are generally areas within a city that vote for a certain party. Don't make assumptions. Look at previous data and get a feel for which areas are already leaning in your direction.
Working the Donor List
Political campaigns are both ongoing and time sensitive. Therefore, contacting names on the donor list at key times during the campaign is usually part of the plan. While a major donor giving a lump sum of thousands of dollars may be maxed out in terms of how much he can give by law, smaller donors can pitch in as the campaign builds. Therefore, a push for funding when the campaign kicks off is only one of the times to tap donors. This is where the initial enthusiasm is high and the initial platform is first revealed. Backers are gung ho and ready to talk about their candidate to whoever will listen. The first wave of funding should come from the initial campaign launch party and the first pitch to the donors.
Knowing where the money is centered in your town or region and understanding the party demographics are keys to making the most of your fundraising efforts. New York is the strongest magnet for politicians. In 2004, 2,899 people living in Manhattan gave more than $5 million to Democrats, while 575 people gave in excess of $1 million to Republicans.
Once the early numbers are in and the campaign gains some steam, you may want to tap your donors again as you reach the midpoint of the campaign. Now you can show the candidate has gained momentum and generated attention. She should have answered some tough questions and established her name around the community.
The third and final time to tap into your donors is when the campaign is nearing the homestretch and the candidate is making a serious bid. The pitch now is that with the last-ditch fundraising, she can get over the final hurdle and win.
It's also worth mentioning that the candidate, no matter how much he dislikes seeking out campaign funding (and many politicians do not like this part of the job), should tap into the major contributors personally. The candidate should talk directly to the people with the money in his region.
Keep donors informed. A regular newsletter, e-mail, or a mailing of some type to supporters should keep them informed of how the campaign is going. The more engaged donors feel with the process, the more likely they will be to donate again.
Don't Ignore the Smaller Donations
Minor donors can be very valuable to your efforts because they can give money at different times in the campaign. This is important because you will need continuous funding throughout the campaign. It takes strong budget-management skills to handle the budget for a political campaign, because the size and scope of the campaign will grow as it picks up steam, and funding is needed at each turn. The initial 200 people who came to the kickoff party may be more than 2,000 by the time the election approaches. It is an ongoing process.
