A PUBLICATION OF THE CAMPAIGN WORKSHOP

ARE YOU
Ready
to Run?

©2015 The Campaign Workshop. All rights reserved.

 INTRODUCTION

Are You Ready to Run?

As a political consultant, staffer, manager and trainer, I have been working with
candidates for elected office for twenty-five years. Being a candidate is hard, as is
being the spouse or family member of a candidate, so it’s important to really do your
homework before making the decision to run.

In my time in politics, I have always been puzzled by the way that some candidates
make the decision to run for office and the lack of information about what folks really
should be thinking about and doing before they run. This book is designed to help
potential first-time candidates walk through the questions and considerations involved
in making an informed decision to become a candidate.

For starters, most people who run for office in this country do not win. It is simple
math. With primaries, general elections and run-offs, the competition for elected office
is tough. So if you’re thinking about running, make sure you put yourself in the best
possible position to win before taking the plunge.

That means conducting a real assessment of the resources you can bring to a race and
your realistic chances of winning. You have three resources in a campaign: people, time
and money. Take the time to determine what resources you have, what resources you
will need, and how you’ll pull it all together. Doing a full assessment will help in your
preparation, but don’t stop there.

Before you run, you should also take the time to ask yourself why you are running, and
if running for office and being in office is really what you want to do. Will you do what it
takes to be a committed candidate? Raise the money? Knock on doors? Meet voters? All
of these things will take time away from your job and your family. For many, the cost of
what it takes to win is something they don’t fully appreciate before their run.

Many of the challenges of running for office are related to fundraising. Although most
candidates recognize the need for fundraising, sitting and doing call time four to six
hours a day is not something that many candidates are dedicated to doing. You don’t
have to love fundraising, but you do have to do it. Every year, candidates look for a way
out of doing call time. Can I raise all my money online? Can I hire a fundraiser to come
in with a magic list and do it for me? The answer is no. Dedication to call time is what
separates great candidates from the rest of the pack.

Another challenge of preparing to run for office is making sure you are running for the
right reasons. Revenge is not a good reason to run, and neither is blind ambition. When
you run, you need to think about what you want to do when you are in office, what
change you want to bring about and what change you can really make. The reality of
government today is that it takes a lot of work and time to get something done and we
need good people, on both sides of the aisle, in order for the system to work.
With the way districts have been drawn across the country, picking the right
opportunity and deciding when and where to run, can have almost as much of an
impact on your chances of winning as the campaign will. If you decide to run in a
district that has a Democratic performance bellow 40 percent, then the chances of
winning as a Democrat are very slim. Democrats currently don’t hold a seat in Congress
that is bellow a 44 percent Democratic performance index.

One of the most important pieces of advice I give candidates is to start early. I have
trained candidates for office who are two weeks out from their elections and ten years
before they run. In my experience, the most successful candidates think about their race
at least a couple years before they run. This ensures that when the right opportunity
comes along, they are ready.

Beyond starting early, it’s important to get buy-in from your family. Running for office
can take a toll on your family and close relationships – even causing break-ups. And if
you have kids, having a parent who will be gone most nights and weekends can be hard
on your family. If your family is not on board with the concept of running and serving
in office, it can be challenging in both the long and short term. Make sure you sit down
with your family and have a conversation before you run.

Although you are the candidate, it’s important to recognize that the election is not
about you; it’s about the voter — the changes they want, and the future they want for
their family. You are the agent of that change, and knowing for whom you’re fighting
and why you’re doing it will make all the difference.

Once you’ve done your assessment, picked your opportunity and gotten family buy-in,
you will want to make sure you actually have a written plan. Many candidates don’t have
a written plan, but you wouldn’t go into business without a business plan – why would
you run a campaign without a campaign plan?

We go into all of this in more detail in the ebook, and we hope you find this helpful as
you run. As a consultant and manager, I am lucky to have worked with some amazing
candidates who have run for the right reasons. Politics is not easy but we need good
people to run for office and win, now more than ever.

As always, these ebooks are a collaborative effort. I am lucky to have a great team that
shares in our mission to teach and share what we know. Ben Holse and Sophie Thurber
did a great job on the editing of this book and contributing to the writing, as did the
rest of The Campaign Workshop Team, Margo, Lizzie, Andrew, Shelley, Michele and
Kelley.

But it does not stop there, I also want to thank past TCW team members, our families,
candidates and clients who we have worked with. I hope this book can help folks run,
win and change our communities for the better.

— Joe Fuld
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Before You Run 5

Are You Ready to Run?.................................................................................. 5
The Importance of Self-Research.............................................................. 7
Answering the “Why are you running?” Question.............................. 8
Tips for First-Time Candidates.................................................................... 9
Common Missteps of Local Candidates.................................................. 11

2. Candidate Training 12
The Importance of a Political Candidate Training............................... 12
Finding the Right Campaign Training Program................................... 13
Campaign Training Options......................................................................... 14

3. Organizing Your Team: Staff and Volunteers 15

Campaign Staff Structure............................................................................. 15
The Benefits of a Full-Time Campaign Manager.................................. 16
Beginning the Volunteer Recruitment Process.................................... 18

4. Creating Your Initial Plan 20

The Importance of a Campaign Plan........................................................ 20
10 Questions Your Campaign Plan Should Address........................... 21
Creating a Vote Goal...................................................................................... 23
Determining How Much You Can Raise................................................... 24
Fundraising: A Few Takeaways................................................................... 25

5. Political Consultants 27
Hiring a Political Consulting Firm.............................................................. 27
Meeting with a Political Consulting Firm................................................ 29
Opposition Researchers................................................................................ 30

6. General Recommendations 32
Streamline Your Decision-Making Process............................................. 32
Prioritizing Your Tasks.................................................................................... 33
Evaluating Success.......................................................................................... 33
The Importance of Proofreading All Campaign Materials................ 34
 ARE YOU READY TO RUN? DO YOU HAVE A PASSION
FOR PUBLIC SERVICE?

ARE YOU QUALIFIED? I DO. DO YOU HAVE AN OFFICE YES! NAW, NOT REALLY...
(DO YOU MEET THE REQUIREMENTS NEEDED FOR THIS OFFICE?)
IN MIND? GREAT! YOU’LL NEED THAT.
MAYBE YOU SHOULD RETHINK
I DO NOT. THIS CAREER PATH.
ONCE YOU DO, COME BACK
AND FINISH.
NOPE.
SO, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY

YES,
WAIT UNTIL YOU DO.

I’VE CHECKED ARE YOU RUNNING TO SEE

WITH THE BOARD OF ELECTION. YOUR NAME ON A BILLBOARD?
LET’S TALK MOTIVATION.
TOTALLY!
ARE YOU IN
NOW
LET’S
LOO NO, I KNOW THAT’S NOT
GOOD HEALTH?
K AT
YOU EFFECTIVE MESSAGING.
GOOD, BECAUSE BILLBOARDS ARE PROBABLY IS THAT THE ONLY REASON?
YUP, JUST RAN NOT IN THE BUDGET.

A 1/2 MARATHON!
A CAMPAIGN CAN FEEL LIKE A MARATHON,
NOT REALLY.
CANVASSING IS NOT FOR THE
DUH!
SAVE EVERYONE’S TIME AND MONEY
BUT YOU DON’T NEED TO BE TRIATHLON-READY FAINT OF HEART. NEVER. AND BUY ONE FOR YOURSELF.
TO RUN. HOWEVER, GOOD HEALTH IS IMPORTANT. DO IT NOW, I’LL WAIT...

ARE YOU INVOLVED HAVE YOU GOOGLED

IN YOUR COMMUNITY? YOURSELF? YUP! PERFECT. MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN UP YOUR
PUBLIC AND ONLINE PROFILES IF NECESSARY.

NOT REALLY. YES, I’VE BEEN INVOVLED LET’S CHAT

YOU’LL NEED A CONNECTION

TO YOUR COMMUNITY BEFORE
FOR YEARS.
RUNNING. START WITH THAT.
GREAT! THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNITY
KNOWLEDGE WILL BE VERY HELPFUL. ARE YOU FINANCIALLY
STABLE?
WILLING TO ASK YOUR DEFINITELY.
GOOD, YOU’LL NEED TO TAKE
FRIENDS & FAMILY FOR $? TIME OFF WORK, AND THE CAMPAIGN
DOES NOT PAY CANDIDATES. NOT SO MUCH.
CAMPAIGNING IS NOT CHEAP.
MAYBE WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE.

NO, THAT WOULD BE AWFUL. AS MUCH AS I DON’T WANT TO,

IF YOU CAN’T GET THEIR SUPPORT,
GOOD LUCK GETTING OTHER SUPPORTERS.
I KNOW I HAVE TO.
GOOD ANSWER. THEY WILL BE YOUR START-UP
I’M NOT THE BEST MONEY AND THE EASIEST TO GET.

FUNDRAISER, BUT I
THINK I CAN. CAN YOU RAISE
THAT’S OK. YOU’LL HIRE A FUNDRAISER
TO HELP WITH THE CALL TIME. YOU JUST
NEED TO COMMIT TO DO IT.
ENOUGH $ TO WIN?
I CAN MAYBE RAISE A COUPLE OF $100.
YOU’LL NEED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY AT LEAST 10% OF YOUR
OVERALL BUDGET FROM YOUR NETWORK BEFORE MOVING ON.

SO IF YOU’VE MADE IT THIS FAR NOW

LET’S

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU COULD BE READY! HAVE YOU DONE

TALK A
BOUT
POLITI
CS

YOUR “POLITICS”? I HAVE NOT.

YOU SHOULD START NOW.
YES, BUT THIS LOOKS LIKE YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD
MORE WORK THAN I THOUGHT. BE A SURPRISE TO LOCAL LEADERS
NOT SURE IF IT’S FOR ME. YES, I HAVE!
AND POLITICOS.

THAT’S COMPLETELY OK! PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT SO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE AWESOME, YOU’RE ALREADY
FOR EVERYONE. BETTER TO FIGURE IT OUT NOW,
THANK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAMPAIGN. A VIABLE CANDIDATE FOR OFFICE? AHEAD OF THE GAME.

YES, I THINK I AM! SO WHAT ARE YOU

GREAT! YOU HAVE JUST ENOUGH EGO NEEDED TO RUN FOR OFFICE.
WAITING FOR?!

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO WIN.
BEST OF LUCK! IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT RUNNING FOR OFFICE, CONTACT US.
 CHAPTER ONE

Before You Run

Are You Ready to Run?

Some people think they are born to run for office: just hand them a campaign plan and
microphone, and they are ready to go. But it takes a lot of hard work to get elected.
Politics is about relationships. The better and deeper your relationships are in your
community, the easier fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and convincing voters you are
the best candidate will be. That’s why many of the best candidates are the ones who
come to politics as their second or third career.
With that said, here are some important questions to ask yourself before you run for
office:

Are you sure you want to be an elected official?

Public service is not easy. In fact, some candidates say campaigning is easier than
holding office. Talk to others who have been in office and their families. Make sure
5
CHAPTER ONE Before You Run

you and your family are willing to make the sacrifices

politicians and public figures have to make before you run.
“Some people
Have you talked to your family and friends? think they are
You aren’t running alone. You need the support of your family born to run
and friends. Most of your fundraising and volunteers will come for office: just
from your inner circle. If you don’t have their support and
buy-in, you are unlikely to find it among the wider public. hand them a
campaign
What have you accomplished? plan and
For the most part, voters choose candidates that they think microphone,
will get things done once elected. Do you have a track record
of achieving positive change in your community or throughout and they are
your career? ready to go.”
Do you have a network?
Identify your friends and potential supporters, and build a list of the people who can
help you. You should also create a detailed, personal assessment of how the people
on your list can help you. This assessment will be the backbone of your campaign and
fundraising plans.

Have you done your politics?

Talk to the leaders and activists in your local political party. In most cases, you will need
to build your own organization, but it won’t come from thin air. You’ll need to rely, in
part, on the existing establishment in order to move forward.

Have you gone through a campaign training?

Lots of groups conduct trainings that you and close members of your team should
attend, ideally a couple of years before you run. They will teach you how to plan and
prepare for a campaign.

Have you saved up money?

Running for office is often a full-time job and there are a lot of personal costs involved.
Make sure you are financially secure enough to take a few months off of work to dedicate
to your campaign.

Do you have the time to run?

You will need to make fundraising calls for 3-4 hours a day, and knock on doors for 3-4
more hours. There are also seemingly endless meet and greets, coffees, events, rallies,
local fairs, debates, debate prep, and much more. Can you take the time off to do this?
6
CHAPTER ONE Before You Run

Can you win?

Don’t run if you cannot win. Instead, wait for a different opportunity, or find another
race you can win. There is no point to wasting the time and money of your friends
and family on a race you have no chance of winning. Winning needs to be an
essential part of your campaign planning.

The Importance of Self-Research

Many candidates and campaigns recognize the importance of opposition research,
but some forget to do research on themselves. After you’ve assessed your
opposition, you need to research yourself because:

We don’t remember everything.

It’s impossible for anyone to remember every
detail of their life. A best practice is to have
professional researchers comb through your
record, especially the parts of it that are publicly
available or on the Internet.

What you thought was unimportant could be a

powerful negative.
Running for or holding public office means
private information and all of your public records
will likely be thoroughly evaluated. One quote in
a local paper with the proper context can seem
entirely reasonable. But without that context, it
could be fodder for your opponent’s campaign.

If your researcher can find it, so can the

opposition.
You will need to be prepared to respond to negative attacks. Anything from your
past, especially if it is embarrassing or can be misconstrued, is something opponents
could use. The smartest campaigns know what is out there and are ready to
respond.

We live in a digital age.

It’s important to remember that we live in the digital age where an abundance of
information is available, literally at the user’s fingertips. Editorials or social media
posts will, effectively, live online forever. It’s better to be prepared than to be taken
off-guard in these situations.
7
CHAPTER ONE Before You Run

Answering
the “Why are
you running?”
Question
For some, “Why are you
running for office?” is an easy
question to answer. For others,
there may be a murkier answer.
But knowing why you are
running for office and what
you want to do when you
get there is critical to being a
successful candidate.
Ted Kennedy’s famous non-
answer to the “why” question in his 1980 presidential campaign is a historical lesson
about not having your heart in the race. But there are countless examples in less
high-profile races of candidates who couldn’t provide an answer to that question.
Running for office for the right reasons is critical, not only to gaining support, but
also to winning. If you lack passion, that will be evident to voters. Think long and
hard before you launch your campaign, because you don’t want to commit to a race
you don’t want to be in or a race that you can’t win. Or even worse, get elected to
an office only to realize you really don’t want to do the job. Here is a breakdown of
the right and wrong reasons to run.

Right reasons:
To help your community. This is a common reason to run for office. You see your
community needs help, and you believe you have the skills to fill that need.
Advocating for causes. There is a specific cause or policy that affects your
community, and you feel that you can make a real impact on the issue by running for
office.

Wrong reasons:
The party asked me to run. Just because someone in the party asks you to run does
not mean they have your best interest in mind. Having the party ask you to run
can be a great start if you have other reasons for running, but running for office to
please someone else is a bad idea.
Revenge against the incumbent. “The incumbent did something to me so I’m going
to beat them,” is not a good reason to run for office. Make sure there are other
8
CHAPTER ONE Before You Run

motivations that drive you.

Because I can win. It’s important that you have a chance of success in your
campaign, but don’t run just because you think you can win.
A canned answer about why you’re running is not good enough. If your heart is not
fully in the race you’ll know, and so will voters. Don’t run if you don’t know why you
are running.

Tips for First-Time

Candidates
As a first-time candidate, you will likely have a
steep learning curve. A lot of information will be
thrown your way all at once. Whether you’re still
deciding if you want to toss your hat in the ring,
or you’re starting to get your campaign moving,
it’s important to go in with your eyes wide open.
Consider the following as you move forward:

Fundraising is the candidate’s job

Many candidates learn the hard way that though
they may be powerhouses when raising money
for charity, political fundraising is entirely
different. Fundraising for a political race is tough
and takes a significant amount of time and
energy to achieve your goals. Hiring a fundraiser
can be helpful, but it’s not a silver bullet. The
candidate is still expected to do most of the
heavy lifting.

Don’t count the money until it’s in bank

You can certainly hope that an outside group will want to invest in an independent
expenditure campaign on your behalf, but your campaign has to be able to exist
without outside help.

Seek endorsements
Endorsements provide shorthand for informed voters about what you stand for and
who stands with you. They also signify that reputable sources think you are a viable
candidate. Put together a list of the people and groups whose support you want.

9
CHAPTER ONE Before You Run

Study what issues they care about, and whether they align with your positions. Then
schedule meetings and ask for their support. You are not going to get every available
endorsement, but you will never get them if you don’t ask.

Endorsements don’t decide elections

Endorsements are an asset, but not the sum total of your “Running for
campaign, and they’re generally not the deciding factor in office, especially
an election. Your campaign plan should devote at least 70
percent of your resources to direct voter contact. And as a
for the first
candidate, your focus should be on securing the resources time, can be
required to make that plan a reality.
intimidating.
Don’t confuse your inner circle with the electorate It’s important
Running for office, especially for the first-time, can be
to have an inner
intimidating. It’s important to have an inner circle that you circle that you
trust and who will support you through it. But don’t get
trust and who
too caught up in any of the perks or adulation that come
with having a core group cheering you on. Remember that will support
there are a lot of voters who you need to convince, and you.”
that running for office is never easy.

Resources are limited

All sorts of people (including your inner circle) will come to you with ideas about what
you have to do to win. It’s important to know that there is no exact tactical formula
to follow in order to win a campaign (though gathering as much money as you can is
always a big help, no matter the circumstances), which means that how you spend your
resources depends on context and planning. Campaigns are generally run with finite
resources. Smart and sometimes difficult decisions need
to be made about what you can and cannot do.

Be careful with advice

Throughout the campaign you will hear from people who have strong, but misguided,
opinions about strategy. Obviously, you don’t want to alienate people who mean well
and want to help, but you also don’t want to waste time and resources. Have a plan for
dealing with those situations in advance. Think about how you can effectively use their
help without giving them access to the decision-making process.

10
CHAPTER ONE Before You Run

Common Missteps of
Local Candidates
Local campaigns share many
similarities with larger races, but there
are a number of unique elements to
consider. For example, you will still
have to work hard to raise money,
but local candidates are more likely
to seek donations from members
of the local community. Often, the
individuals running in local elections
are making their first attempt at
elected office and will not have paid aides or consultants. Read on for help in avoiding
some of the most common mistakes local candidates make.

No strategy
Some local candidates believe it is sufficient to simply attend local events, like a pancake
breakfast or a church’s annual spaghetti dinner, and interact with the individuals there.
However, these attendees do not necessarily share any common characteristics. While
it’s important to be present at high visibility events, you could potentially be interacting
with voters who would never consider supporting you, or even people who don’t vote
at all. In order to run an effective campaign, you need a strategy to identify and
communicate with the people you need to persuade to vote for you and the people you
need to show up on Election Day. Then work with your state or county party to
gain access to a voter file and go door-to-door to talk with these individuals.

No message
Some local campaigns use yard signs as their primary means of communication. But
yard signs are expensive and an inefficient means of communicating with voters. The
same goes for bumper stickers, campaign buttons, and t-shirts. Focus on your message:
who you are, where you stand, and what you plan to do. Evaluate your budget and
decide what makes the most sense in order to get your message out there, be it TV,
direct mail, digital ads, radio or phones.

Lack of resources
To run an effective campaign, you need to commit your personal resources. That means
taking time off from work so you can contact supporters, knock on doors, attend events
and raise money. You also must be willing to ask your family and friends to devote their
time and money to your candidacy. This can feel like an awkward request, but family
and friends are the foundation of your campaign, especially for local candidates. If
you’re not in a position to do this, consider putting the race on hold.

11
 CHAPTER TWO

Candidate Training

The Importance of a Political Candidate Training

Whether you want to learn the basics or keep up with new trends and technologies,
a campaign training is a worthwhile investment. Many people and organizations
learn it on their own, but getting ahead of the learning curve is an advantage that
may make the difference between winning and losing. These trainings provide a
solid foundation for how to best organize your campaign and will provide your
campaign with the knowledge to mount a strong, competitive campaign.

Determining who needs to be trained is a good place to start. Take stock of your skill
level and that of your staff. Experienced candidates and campaign managers have
different needs than people just starting out in politics. Large and joint campaigns
may even need training trainings for their entire group or a custom training that is
create for a very specific purpose. An existing training conducted specifically for the
group may be more efficient than sending staff to myriad workshops.

You should also think about how you can get the most out of your training. Before
signing up, consider whether a certain type of training is conducive to your learning
style. Ask past trainees about the pros and cons from their perspective.
12
CHAPTER TWO Candidate Training

Finding the Right Campaign Training Program

If your goal is to work on a campaign or to run for
office, it’s important to look for opportunities to gain
skills, knowledge and experience. There are a lot
of different programs of varying quality out there.
These are a few tips to help you separate the wheat
from the chaff:

What makes a quality training?

Seek out training programs with a strong track
record and consistently high attendance rates.
Before signing up, determine the quality of each
program and look at who is leading the sessions.
Just because someone has previously worked on
a few campaigns does not necessarily mean they
are a good trainer. Training programs are more
than just a PowerPoint. Time and effort should go
into developing a curriculum, formulating breakout
sessions, and making lecture material accessible. Speaking with past trainers and
participants can help you judge the quality of the program.

Pay for a training, not hands-on experience.

The costs to attend a training program run from approximately $300-$500, usually
including the costs of housing and food. Luckily, some training programs are free
or will offer full or partial scholarships if you are not in a position to pick up the full
cost.
There are a few campaign training programs out there that require trainees to
pay for the hands-on experience of working on a campaign. Working on your
first campaign is an investment – one that is made through long hours and tough
work. For some staffers, the amount of pay they receive is minimal, but whatever
the job description, there should always be some basic compensation. There are
enough opportunities that you should not have to pay for the chance to work on a
campaign.

13
CHAPTER TWO Candidate Training

Campaign Training Options

campaign
Several organizations conduct campaign training
programs around the country. Below is a brief list
of organizations that offer strong campaign
training programs to help you begin your search.

training
• Annie’s List
• Democracy for America
• Democratic Gain
• Emerge
• Emily’s List
• Front Line Leaders Academy
• New American Leaders
• New Organizing Institute
• Planned Parenthood of Arizona
• Progressive Change Campaign Committee in Austin, TX
• Progressive Majority
• Running to Govern Southwest Voter Registration Education
• Truman National Security Project
• Wellstone
• Women’s Campaign Fund
• Running Start
• Midwest Academy

Many colleges and universities offer seminars and lectures on how to run a campaign.
They are an alternative to help determine your level of interest in running a campaign
or running for office. Note, however, that often these kinds of seminars are not always
comparable to organization-and consultant-run programs. They are likely to be more
focused on specific topics, such as advocacy, research, policy, or politics in general.
Do your research and make comparisons.
• American University: School of Public Affairs – Campaign Management Institute
• Harvard University: Institute of Politics
• University of Texas, Austin
• The George Washington University
• UCLA: Luskin School of Public Affairs
• University of Virginia: Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
• Yale University: Women’s Campaign School

14
 CHAPTER THREE

Organizing Your Team:

Staff and Volunteers

Campaign Staff Structure

Before you run for office, you’ll need to figure out who
will make up your team. A candidate’s campaign staff is
incredibly important in making a campaign successful,
manageable, and fun for the candidate and everyone
else involved. Obviously, larger campaigns will require a
more robust team, but even a small campaign will need a
few essential staff members.

Campaign manager
Your campaign manager is the most important role
you’ll need to fill as you’re thinking about running for
office. Your campaign manager will take the lead on
everything relating to your campaign, so it should be
someone you trust and respect. It should not, however,
be you, the candidate. It also shouldn’t be your spouse,
a family member, or a close personal friend. You need
someone who can be the intermediary between
you and the rest of your staff and consultants (if
applicable). This individual also needs to be willing
to stand up to you and tell you when you are wrong,
without fear of damaging a personal relationship.

Finance director
One aspect of running for office that almost every
candidate complains about is asking people for
money, but it’s absolutely essential to running a
successful campaign. You’ll need someone who
can organize and manage the process of raising
money (including making sure the candidate is
15
CHAPTER THREE Organizing Your Team: Staff and Volunteers

holding up their end when it comes to fundraising activities). A fundraiser will help
you assemble call sheets and customize asks to each individual donor. For many
campaigns, they are a critical element to meeting monetary goals.

Field Coordinator
Regardless of the size of your campaign, you’re likely going to rely heavily on
volunteers and field staff. Having someone who can manage those people and their
workload will help keep things running smoothly. This should be someone who can
manage a lot of moving parts at once and who the volunteers enjoy working with –
so they will keep coming back to help.

Consultants
Chances are you won’t be able to hire people for every job that needs to be done
on your campaign, and that’s fine. That’s where consultants will be an important
element of your campaign. You can use consultants for your communications efforts
(digital, mail, television), general strategy, field, phones, and more.
Building your campaign team is an important part of the process in running for
office. Take your time and make sure you’re surrounding yourself with people who
are loyal and trustworthy, but who aren’t afraid to tell you when you’re wrong or
making a mistake.

The Benefits of a Full-Time

Campaign Manager
Running for office, particularly the first time,
is a daunting task. Raising money, especially
if you have never done it before, can be
overwhelming and uncomfortable. This may
lead a candidate to decide against hiring
a full-time campaign manager as a way
to conserve money. Having a campaign
manager, however, can be the key to winning.
Here’s why:

You can’t do everything

There aren’t enough hours in the day. You have
to delegate to stay on track and organized.

16
CHAPTER THREE Organizing Your Team: Staff and Volunteers

You need somebody to hold you accountable

A campaign manager’s job is to ensure that you make all of your fundraising calls
and connect with voters every day. Having your time micromanaged isn’t fun, but
that’s what it takes to win.

You have a designated “bad guy”

If you don’t have a designated “bad guy” to help, for example, pull you away from a
chatty voters, you will get stuck at an endless bake sales and community meetings.
Your campaign manger can play the role of the “bad guy” who can keep your
schedule moving.

You gain an objective view

Throughout the course of a campaign, you can get lost in the back-and-forth
with the opponent. You may not see the forest through the trees. Your campaign
manager can help you step back and take a rational look at the situation, as they are
in a more objective position than the candidate.

You need a professional with experience getting people elected

For the most part, your manager shouldn’t be your spouse or a friend who does it
part-time. You need a professional who knows what it takes to win and will be able
to keep your campaign on track.
Hiring a campaign manager is a significant expense. Depending on the type of race
that you are running and the experience level you need, the cost to hire a campaign
manager will vary.

Generally, the costs of hiring a campaign manager are as follows:

• State legislative race: $2,000 - $4,000 per month
• Congressional race: $4,000 - $8,000 per month
• Statewide race: $8,000 - $12,000 per month
• Municipal race: Depends on the size of the locality/race

Please note that cost will vary regionally and based on the size of the race. For
instance, a campaign manager for a state assembly race in California will cost a lot
more than a manager in Nebraska due to size of the district and the campaign’s
budget.

17
CHAPTER THREE Organizing Your Team: Staff and Volunteers

Beginning the Volunteer

Recruitment Process
Volunteers are the backbone of any good
campaign, and recruitment should start as
soon as possible. Volunteer recruitment
is one of the toughest challenges in any
campaign. There is no one-size-fits-all
formula – it’s hard work and needs to be
tailored to fit the dynamics and personality
of each campaign. With those caveats in
mind, below are a few general tips to help
begin the process:

Reconnect with past volunteers

Reconnecting with individuals who have
volunteered for your past campaigns or
similar campaigns (talk to past candidates,
they may be willing to share lists) are the
best places to begin recruitment.

Reach out to motivated supporters

After exhausting your previous volunteers, move on to your motivated supporters.
There are a number of ways to identify these individuals. Be creative in how you find
them. Below are some suggestions to recruit motivated supporters:
•A
 sk regular volunteers to give you a list of three people they believe would
make good volunteers.
•D
 evelop creative ways to draw out likely supporters. Make note of the people
who pick up free yard signs, attend your meet-the-candidate events, or join a
debate watch party. Follow up is key. Reconnect with these individuals within
48 hours of your initial contact.
• Instruct canvassers and phone bankers to ask the most enthusiastic people that
they encounter to volunteer.
•C
 onduct volunteer recruitment calls from the ranks of the “super-voters” – the
people who vote in every election, including low turnout, off year elections.

Be ready for walk-ins

While not a sustainable resource, you may have an occasional volunteer who walks
into the office. Make sure the outside of your office is welcoming, that you have
18
CHAPTER THREE Organizing Your Team: Staff and Volunteers

a sign up sheet to capture the person’s contact information and interests, and
something for them to do. Keep a few extra phones or canvass packs ready so you
can put them to work immediately.

Put yourself out there

People likely to say, “No,” over the phone often have difficulty doing so in person. If
someone expresses interest in the campaign at the grocery store or your local diner,
take down their number and ask if they can join you for a phone bank the next day.
Be willing to put yourself out there. The worst that they can say is, “No.”

Retain your regulars

Be sure that your existing volunteers stay active. Below
are a few tips to maintaining volunteer engagement:
•N
 ever let a volunteer leave your office without
scheduling their next shift. If a volunteer insists that they
“Volunteers need to look at their calendar or check with their spouse,
be sure to follow-up the next day
are the
•V
 alue your personal relationships. This cannot be
backbone overstated. Volunteers often come for the campaign, but
of any good come back because of the friendships and relationships
they establish. Learn their names. Find common interests
campaign, and passions. Smile. Listen more than you talk. Keep
and recruitment conversations light. And use humor when possible.
should start •B
 e specific when asking a volunteer to return. Give them
as soon as a “hard ask” by including specific details about what you
need and when you need it. Instead of using open-ended
possible.” language like, “Do you have time next week to come
back?” say, “Can you join us September 12 at 6PM for a
phone bank?”

19
 CHAPTER FOUR

Creating Your Initial Plan

The Importance of a Campaign Plan

Every campaign comes with a number of unknowns, and you can’t account for
everything. The more you plan, however, the better prepared the campaign will be
to deal with the unknowns – and the more likely you are to win.
Campaign planning includes a number of elements. The most important of which
is the budget, which should account for estimated cash intake and outflow. It
may seem like common sense, but many campaigns do not create a budget. Your
budget’s estimated intake should reflect your fundraising plan. Knowing what you
are spending and raising — from your campaign manager’s salary to office supplies
— will make a difference in managing your resources and conserving dollars so you
can go full force during the campaign’s home stretch.
Planning ahead means thinking carefully and critically about when and how you
spend money on voter communication. At least 70 percent of your campaign funds
should be directed toward direct voter communication — direct mail, television,
digital advertising and the field program.
20
CHAPTER FOUR Creating Your Initial Plan

The further ahead you plan, the more likely it is you’ll be able to control what you
are spending and avoid getting stuck with rush fees. This is particularly true when it
comes to things like TV, where competition for space and rates increases the closer
you get to Election Day. The sooner you can lock in your ad buys, the more likely it is
that you can purchase the number of points you need to be competitive.
While digital advertising can seem infinite, the reality is that there is a finite number
people who visit any given website. Web publications, in turn, can only sell a finite
amount of impressions (a measure of the number of times a digital ad appears on
someone’s screen). Depending on the area, around Election Day impressions are
likely to become very popular and may even sell out. Reserving digital advertising
space early in a campaign can help make sure you have your communication
resources reserved in advance.

10 Questions Your Campaign

Plan Should Address
It’s important that you write a campaign plan in the
earliest stages of your campaign. The document
should lay out the overall theme, strategy, and
objectives of your campaign. Be comprehensive and
cohesive. Addressing the following key points will
help you develop your plan:

1. Do I have a winning strategy?

When you write a campaign plan, run to win. Take
some bold stances and calculated risks. If you spend
too much time worrying whether you are saying the right thing, you are not being
bold enough.

2. Am I raising enough money?

You cannot win with a campaign built around the lowest budget. Rather, fundraising
should be built around a budget that will give you enough room to maneuver and
the tactical support to win.

3. Am I spending money on the right things?

The best and most successful campaigns are financially disciplined. They are
focused and understand that they can only spend money on necessities. These
campaigns will only spend money on tactics that help to define why voters should
vote for them over their opponent. The worst campaigns waste money on elements
that don’t communicate a contrastive message, like yard signs or bumper stickers.
21
CHAPTER FOUR Creating Your Initial Plan

4. Am I hiring the right staff and consultants? Did we create the right roles?
For any campaign, you want to have a strong, experienced team. Think long and
hard about who is on the team and whether they can help you win. You should also
think about whether your campaign has a solid structure and if the right roles exist.

5. Do I have a vote goal?

How many votes do you need to win? Where will those votes come from? Your
campaign plan must answer these questions. See the following section for more
detail on determining your vote goal.

6. Do I know who my voters are?

“What you
In addition to having a vote goal, it’s important to
understand which voters make up your vote goal, and who communicate
makes up your winning coalition. For instance, are there must connect
enough likely Democrats in your area that you can focus
on turnout? Or do you need create a robust persuasion you in a clear
program? If so, who do you need to persuade? Are there way with the
enough independents to make up an effective persuasion
universe, or do you need to add soft Republicans?
audience
you need to
7. Does my strategy connect with the right voters? persuade.”
What you communicate must connect you in a clear way
with the audience you need to persuade. For instance, if
your strategy is to persuade soft Republican women, are you
speaking about the issues that would resonate with these targets?
Be sure you are connecting your message to your targets.

8. Is my message contrastive enough?

To be effective, voters must understand what sets you apart from your opponent(s).
If you can’t articulate that difference in six words, refine your message until you can.

9. Is this the right race for me?

Before you decide to move forward with a campaign, make sure it is a race in which
you can win. If you can’t win the race, do not run.

10. Are the right people on board with my campaign?

Beyond paid staff and consultants, make sure your friends and family, issue groups,
business leaders, unions, etc. are on board. You need to build a coalition of the right
people in order to win.
22
CHAPTER FOUR Creating Your Initial Plan

Creating a Vote Goal

Your campaign has one goal: to convince enough voters to show up to the polls
on Election Day (or for early voting, or absentee voting) and vote for you. Your
vote goal is the number of votes needed to win your election, and it should be an
important element in your planning that guides every decision the campaign makes.
Your vote goal will depend on the individual race and the estimated percentage of
voter turnout. In a two-person race (usually a general election or run-off), it is one
more than half of the votes cast on Election Day — or 50% + 1. In a multi-candidate
race, your vote goal may be less than 50% of the votes cast. Depending on the
election rules, you may be able to win with a plurality of the percentage of votes
that are cast, or the top two vote-getters will be forced into a runoff. It’s important
to understand what impact a multi-candidate field can have on your race.
To determine your expected vote goal in a two-person race, answer the following
questions:
1. W
 hat percentage of registered voters in your district turned out to vote in the
last similar (i.e. primary or general and off-year, midterm or Presidential year)
election?
2. What is the number of current registered voters in your district?
Answers to both of these questions can be found by calling your state or local
elections board. Multiply these two numbers together to determine your expected
vote. To allow for a comfortable margin of victory, it is strongly recommended
that you plan a vote goal strategy around 52% of the expected vote. Multiply your
expected vote by .52 to determine your vote goal in a two-way race.

23
CHAPTER FOUR Creating Your Initial Plan

Determining How Much You Can Raise

Fundraising is never easy, and predicting
your campaign’s ability to fundraise can
sometimes be even harder. But before you run,
you need to have a strong understanding of
your fundraising potential. Below are items to
consider when determining how much you can
fundraise:

Conduct an assessment.
Assign a reasonable amount of what you can
raise from everyone within your immediate
network. Have someone who knows you and
your network review the assessment. Then,
have a fundraiser review the assessment as well.

Make sure it is enough.

After you’ve finished your assessment, look at
what past campaigns have spent in the area. Then, set your overall fundraising goal.
Be sure that your overall goal is to significantly outraise past campaigns.

How close is your assessment to your goal?

Once you have both your assessment and your goal, you can conduct an overall
assessment of your fundraising viability. Are you half way there? A quarter of the
way there? Being a third of the way to your goal is a strong starting point if you
are two years out from the election and have more time to list build. But if you are
running in a special election in the next week, it will likely not be enough.

Use your greater network.

Think about other folks who could potentially give to your campaign. This group
could include organizations you belong to or organizations that hate your opponent.
But be conservative; remember the majority of your fundraising will come from your
direct contacts and not from strangers.

Try again.
Conducting a full financial assessment is not something that you will do just once.
After you’ve put together your assessment, go back to it a few days later and see
if you missed the names of any family, former coworkers, folks you went to college
with, etc.

24
CHAPTER FOUR Creating Your Initial Plan

Potential vs. reality.

It’s important to recognize that having the potential to raise a lot of money does not
mean that you will be able to actually raise that amount. Not everyone within your
network will give to your campaign, or will give the amount that you feel they have
the capacity to give.
And remember, your assessment is just a spreadsheet. The only way you can make
this spreadsheet a reality is by diligently making calls to friends and family for four
to six hours a day, everyday, for a year.

Fundraising: A Few Takeaways

Running for office is tough, and it is certainly not for everyone. Raising sufficient
funds to run your campaign is critical to success, and as mentioned above, it’s one
of the most difficult parts of any campaign. No one is going to just give you money
when you qualify for the ballot. Though it depends on circumstances, hiring a
fundraiser is likely a good idea. Fundraisers, however, are far from a silver bullet.
As a candidate, you will still have to put in the time and the effort to help raise
funds. When it comes to fundraising, here are some critical takeaways:
• The RAT method
Reason, Amount, and Time (RAT)
are the three core elements of a
fundraising ask.
- What is the reason
you need the money?
- What is the amount
of money you need?
- What is the time you
need the check by?
• Remember to follow up and thank people.
• Have someone with you to take notes and keep you on task when you’re making
phone calls. Depending on your staff structure, this will either be your fundraiser or
your campaign manager.
• Have a call book with research on your donors. Note what each individual ask
should be and what follow up you need.
• Have a call sheet for each donor. This will have all of the contact information for
the individual donors you will be calling on any given day and will include what the
individual monetary ask should be for each donor.
25
CHAPTER FOUR Creating Your Initial Plan

• Don’t assume a donor will give you all the money you want in one chunk; you will
likely have to call people multiple times and have multiple conversations in order
to get the entirety of what you think they can give.
• Start early. Campaigns are marathons, not sprints.
• Following up is key. Remember, promises for donations are great but won’t help
your campaign until they are actually in the bank account.
• Have a written schedule. Time management is important for good fundraising.

26
 CHAPTER FIVE

Political Consultants

Hiring a Political Consulting Firm

Political consulting firms are not something every campaign will be able to afford.
While your campaign may be able to cover some of the roles political consultants
play, not every job can be done in-house at the requisite professional level. When
considering hiring political consultants, ask yourself: “What kind of help do I need?”
and “Can a political consulting firm provide those services within my budget?”
The following steps should help you determine if you need an outside firm and how
to hire one.

Know what you need

To begin, identify the service or product you need from the consultant.

27
CHAPTER FIVE Political Consultants

• Do you need help with direct mail or TV production?

•D
 o you want a larger firm that performs many services or a series of firms that
specialize?
• Will this be a local, state, or national campaign?
• What is your overall budget? How much can you afford to spend?
Once you’ve identified the help that you need, the next step is to write a Request
for Proposal (RFP) to send to a select pool of political consulting firms. Some of
the items that you should be sure to ask for in an RFP are:
• A full account of the company’s pricing structure
• Company background
• A list of relevant experience
• Bios of the individuals who will work on your account
• A list of references
It’s also important that you include in the RFP a full
description of the products and services you would like “It’s important
to have, a bit of background on your candidate/campaign, that you know
your campaign’s prospective budget for these services,
and a deadline for submissions. This provides potential which of those
firms with an idea of what you need and what they can services you
provide. Responses to the RFP should follow a template
of sorts, allowing you to better compare each application
need, because
during the review process. not every firm
provides the
Find a list of firms
same types of
Once you have an RFP, you need to find a group of
consulting firms who want your business. Ask other
services.”
candidates, political allies, and organizations for
recommendations.

Compare apples to apples

There are a several types of political consulting firms out there that provide a variety
of services. It’s important that you know which of those services you need, because
not every firm provides the same types of services. When deciding, you want to
compare mail firms to mail firms, or media firms to media firms to get the best
sense of services and costs. Be sure to ask potential firms if they specialize in any
particular areas in addition to their basic services (e.g. specific issue areas, types of
campaigns, types of clients, etc.). This will help narrow your search.
28
CHAPTER FIVE Political Consultants

Do your due diligence

Once you’ve received proposals and narrowed your options, do your research. This
means having a thorough conversation with the prospective hire. Make sure to ask
for and check references. Current and prior clients will give you the best sense of
how the firm operates. Are they responsive? Are they cost effective? Do they go
above and beyond? What is their work style? Do you like the look and feel of the
deliverables they’ve produced for past clients?
Determining the level of experience of a potential consultant is also critical. Have
they managed campaigns or worked with campaigns similar to yours? You need
someone who has a range of knowledge and experience that they can apply to your
campaign and then figure out how to help you win.
Finally, remain realistic. In the end, all political consulting firms have to make a profit.
If you are spending less than $25,000 in total on your campaign, it is likely more
cost effective for you to do the work yourself. You can save 30 percent or more by
doing work in-house, although you will likely sacrifice quality.

Meeting with a
Political Consulting
Firm
When first meeting with a prospective
consulting firm, consider the following:

Ask questions
Ask questions about what the firm is
telling you. Feel free to ask what items
cost, and what is a smart, tactical fit for
your specific campaign. A good political
consultant will tell you that one size does not fit all. Not every technology and service
they offer is going to work for your particular race.

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is

Campaigns are a tough business. If a political consultant tells you that they can win
your campaign with a silver bullet, be very cautious. Be wary of political consultants
who over-promise and set seemingly unrealistic deadlines. Due diligence and asking
questions may save you from hiring a political consultant who is not going to be a good
fit for your campaign.

29
CHAPTER FIVE Political Consultants

Beware of flattery
When meeting with political consulting firms, you should beware of the flatterers.
This is usually an indication that the consultant is not going to be up front with you
and provide you with the advice you need to hear.

Work within your budget, and be wary of percentages

Money is a precious resource, and while political consultants can be of significant
value, they need to fit within the confines of your budget. At least 70 percent of
your campaign budget should be spent on direct voter contact, so if a consultant’s
fees eat into your voter contact resources, you should consider hiring someone else.
In addition, carefully evaluate political consultants who work on a percentage
basis. In your initial meetings, don’t be afraid to try and negotiate a flat fee.
Many consultants will be open to working on a flat fee, which will help keep your
campaign’s budget more manageable. If you do decide to move forward on a
percentage-based payment system, make sure you understand the exact terms.
For example, for a fundraising consultant, do they make a percentage of everything
raised or only the money that they raise?

Opposition Researchers
Opposition research, or “oppo”
for short, is an incredible resource
for any campaign. Opposition
research firms specialize in finding
things about people that a simple
Google search would not turn up.
(Though they definitely get details
on all Google-able offenses, too)
Opposition research firms subscribe
to more advanced search engines;
regularly compiling government documents using FOIA (Freedom of Information
Act) requests to look for homeownership, tax documents, arrest records and other
legal documents. Opposition research firms know if your opponent has lied about
their primary residence in just a few keystrokes.
Opposition researchers are not PI’s or police detectives, digging up gritty details
on your opponent. Great opposition research political consulting firms will turn
up information you didn’t know about your opponent that is provable, germane
to the campaign and creates contrast for voters.
There are two different kinds of bad opposition research political consulting

30
CHAPTER FIVE Political Consultants

firms. First, those who make wild accusations without the proof to back it up.
You may have heard that your opponent doesn’t pay his or her taxes, but unless
your opposition research team can dig up an IRS audit, summons, conviction or
lien, don’t use it. Don’t let an opposition research firm tell you that you can use
it because “they’re just waiting on the proof.” Second, bad opposition research
political consulting firms won’t have the bandwidth to perform specialized research.
Whether they let their Lexus Nexus subscription lapse or have never heard of FOIA,
they don’t give you anything that you couldn’t get on your own, all while charging
you through the nose. Bottom line: If you don’t see the proof, or if something seems
too good to be true, tread very carefully and consider using a different firm.
Sometimes opposition research political consulting firms don’t turn up anything in
their searches. It’s rare, but possible. You might have a squeaky clean opponent, or
one that’s really good at hiding stuff. Regardless, it’s worth the investment to hire
professionals to make that determination for you, and to know that you have all
the tools at your disposal to create good contrast in order to win your campaign.

31
 CHAPTER SIX

General Recommendations

Streamline Your
Decision-Making
Process
Many decisions need to be made at the
start of a campaign. But this process, even
for simple matters, can quickly become
arduous. That’s why you need a strategy
for making decisions as part of your
campaign management plan. The sooner
you set up systems for decision-making,
the better.
Simply put, you need a protocol that
details who makes what decisions, and
when do they need to be made. One way
to implement this strategy is to embrace
organization. Utilize online calendars
and mark deadlines (e.g. filing for office,
fundraising quarters), campaign events
(e.g. fundraisers, canvasses, community
events), and milestones (e.g. 100 days
left, start of GOTV, etc.) that everyone
can access. This calendar should be a living, breathing document separate from the
candidate’s schedule, though some events will overlap.
Once you have all the information in front of you, the timeline becomes clearer. You
can then begin to back out the calendar so that you are mindful and attending to all
the tasks that need to be done and decisions that need to be made. The calendar
reflects what is going on and what is needed going forward.
As your campaign grows, continue to share the calendar with key team members.
Staff should also help you manage the decision-making process. Deputize trusted
members of your team to make smaller decisions, leaving the bigger decisions to

32
CHAPTER SIX General Recommendations

you and your campaign manager. Sharing the decision-making process can feel
unnatural and is not right for all types of decisions, but ultimately it helps to evenly
distribute workload and ensure you have the benefits of other people’s experience,
skill, and wisdom.

Prioritizing Your Tasks

Political campaigns require many long, grueling hours of work. Both the candidate
and campaign staff will have many obligations throughout the campaign and
will need to balance many different deadlines and commitments. That’s why it’s
important that everyone on a campaign can prioritize their tasks to ensure that the
most important tasks get done and there is not unnecessary duplication.
In order to prioritize your campaign’s tasks, there are two general guiding principals.
In general, the candidate should be focused on activities that earn votes and
raise money. Campaign staff — in particular the campaign manager — should be
responsible for supporting the candidate’s activities and making decisions about all
the elements of a campaign that don’t contribute to the pursuit of votes and money.
Not every task can be easily defined within these overarching principals, and there
will inevitably be times in which, for instance, the candidate will want to have input
on the headline of a piece of direct mail. But at the end of the day, the campaign
that has contacted enough voters and raised enough money will win. Using these
two guiding principals and keeping the candidate and campaign staff on task will
help prioritize tasks and make sure that everyone’s focus remains on items that will
help the campaign be successful.

Evaluating Success
At the outset of any campaign, it is important to
set goals and determine metrics for measuring
your success so that you can run an efficient,
goal-oriented operation. Simply asking “Did it
work?” or “Did we win?” aren’t meaningful ways
to assess your campaign strategy. Set realistic
goals and measure your progress throughout
the campaign so you understand what works
and what doesn’t.
Be strategic about primary and secondary goals.
For instance, perhaps a fundraising event did not
raise as much money as you hoped, but it did
garner significant publicity and new supporters
who will come to the next event.
33
CHAPTER SIX General Recommendations

If the primary goal was to raise money, perhaps you should

look into other fundraising strategies. But you may want
to continue to host low-cost events in the future to secure
the secondary goal of growing the campaign’s public
profile and community support. Splitting goals and having
different definitions of success gives you a more accurate
picture of your strengths and weaknesses. You will gain a
better understanding of what to do differently so you do
better in the future.

The Importance of Proofreading

All Campaign Materials
Grammatical errors in campaign materials aren’t just
embarrassing, they can turn into a negative story. Take this
example: a direct mail piece goes out touting a candidate’s
record as a “pubic” schoolteacher. These instances present
opportunities for the press or local bloggers to eviscerate
the campaign or the candidate, both as a potential elected
official and as a teacher. The line of reasoning could be
that if this candidate can’t get the spelling right in a mail
piece, how could they legislate? That argument is extreme,
of course, but not totally unfair given the nature of this
egregious error.
We trust public officials to make important decisions. We
want them to be precise and detail-oriented. Presenting
voters with less than perfectly proofed materials is
unacceptable. Setting up a few systems to protect against
typos and other errors will help you to produce error-free
materials from day one to E-Day. Here are a few tips to get
you started:

At least two people should review everything that leaves

the office
From email blasts to sign up sheets, three pairs of eyes
(the author and two additional) should see every piece of
material before it goes public.

34
CHAPTER SIX General Recommendations

Hire professional proofreaders

If you are working alone or with a skeletal staff, find an outside firm, like Bulletproof,
to proof your work and catch any embarrassing errors.

Eliminate distractions while proofreading

Give the materials your undivided attention. Remove your headphones. Find a quiet
place to sit and briefly ignore your email. The more you can focus on the task, the
more likely you are to catch potential errors.

Look at the big stuff first

Read headlines, titles, vote dates and website addresses before tackling the body of
the document. This will help ensure you don’t have any mistakes that are especially
visible.

35
We hope you enjoyed our third e-book, Are You Ready to
Run? In this book, we covered the tools, strategies, and tactics
that any potential candidate for office should consider before
you launch a campaign. This e-book is the first in a two part
series for potential candidates. Once you’ve taken a close look
at your race and decided to move forward, you’ll be ready for
the second e-book, Planning a Winning Campaign. There, we’ll
dive into strategy and communication basics that will help get
your campaign off the ground and set you up to win. We’ll be
launching this e-book this fall, so be on the lookout!

Thanks for reading,

The TCW Team

1660 L Street, NW | Suite 506

Washington, DC 20036
@cmpwrkshp