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The Basics of Political Fundraising
- 1. The Basics of Political Fundraising
- 2. John Connors – Founder/President Campaign Now – Building and Driving All Aspects of Political Campaigns – john@campaignnowonline.com – linkedin.com/in/johnwconnors Justin Peters – Campaign Finance Director & Finance Consultant – Delivering Results for Local, State, and Federal Campaigns – justin@campaignnowonline.com – campaignnowonline.com/justin-peter 2 Who We Are
- 3. 1. Where Do I Start? 3
- 4. Set a goal, write a budget to fit. – Make sure to include cost of fundraising – Make sure it is realistic Examples – U.S. House campaigns cost $1.5 million plus – State Senate campaigns cost $165,000 plus – State House campaigns cost $70,000 plus 4
- 5. 2. How Do I Get There? 5
- 6. Plan a path to reach your goal, write a finance plan. Reverse engineer a path to success by looking at available contacts, resources, and opportunities. 6
- 8. Figure out what you have – Candidate’s friends and associates – Friends of friends – Past contributors – People aligned with candidate’s message Figure out what you need – More donors 8
- 9. Ways to Reach Your Goal 9
- 10. Major Donors – Lowest cost, highest return, very time intensive Events – Moderate to high cost, high return, time intensive Direct Mail – Moderate cost, not time intensive, moderate return Online – low to moderate cost, not time intensive, low return Telemarketing – high cost, not time intensive, low return 10
- 11. House File vs. Prospecting 11
- 12. House File – Anyone who has ever given to your campaign – Highest ROI – Solicited for the purposes of netting money now Prospecting – Anyone who has not given to you – Most expensive part of fundraising – Solicited to break even now in order to net money later – Lapsed donors 12
- 13. Major Donors 13
- 14. Personal phone calls and meetings from a candidate are the most successful way to solicit major donors. Tips: – Perfect your pitch – E-mail addresses & cell phone numbers are gold – Create a progression of asks – Secure the credit card information – Quality time with quality people 14
- 15. Events 15
- 16. Venue Selection – Always go for the lowest cost option Format – Standing reception, cash bar, appetizer table – 1.5 hours tops – VIP, mix and mingle, speech, Q&A, exit Cost should not exceed 15% 16
- 17. Direct Mail 17
- 18. Typical response rate – 1 to 2% for prospecting – 3 to 5% for house file Set good tracking procedures – Separate prospecting from house file to get accurate return figures Shop around 18
- 20. 1. It provides direct personal contact 2. You can adjust your message as needed 3. Technology can be leveraged to support your efforts 4. Follow the rule of three – Engage voters and donors at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of your campaign 5. Time telemarketing with online, direct mail, and events to maximize return 20
- 21. Online 21
- 22. 1. Typical response rate is 1 out of 1,000 2. It’s low cost/easy, but effectiveness is limited 3. Gather email address all the time 4. Balance calls to action, solicitation, and information 5. Superb platform for presenting your candidate 6. Must be mobile optimized 7. All roads lead to your donation page 22
- 23. 23 Social Media and Text
- 24. 1. Superb way of getting out your immediate messages 2. Can be used to capture email addresses 3. Drive supporters to your webpage and your donation page 24
- 26. Fundraising Channel Direct Mail Prospect Direct Mail to House File Email Tele-Fundraising Events Total Campaign Response Rate 1-2% 3-5% 1.5% 8% 7% to 10% 4% 26 Data from Sample Fundraising Plan in Deep Insight Into Campaign Fundraising *estimated figures Cost per Contact* $1.00 $0.70 – 0.90 $0.42 $3.00 $1.18 $1.44
- 29. Deep Insight Into Campaign Fundraising – a sample campaign with detailed numbers Raise More Money, Leave No Stone Unturned FAQ About Comprehensive Fundraising It’s Expensive to Campaign Subscribe to our blog Follow us on social media – Facebook – Twitter – Youtube – LinkedIn – Google+ 29
- 31. 31 John Connors – Founder/President Campaign Now – Building and Driving All Aspects of Political Campaigns – john@campaignnowonline.com – linkedin.com/in/johnwconnors Justin Peters – Campaign Finance Director & Finance Consultant – Delivering Results for Local, State, and Federal Campaigns – justin@campaignnowonline.com – campaignnowonline.com/justin-peter