Soapbox Engage Blog

Political campaigns are expensive--whether you’re running for a local office or a national position! It seems like the price tag for a successful political campaign is only increasing. Up and down the ballot, the 2020 election season broke quite a few campaign spending records!

Raising that much money can feel like an overwhelming prospect and discourage very qualified candidates from running for office. Even though the political fundraising scene is highly regulated, the right fundraising strategies can help you reach your financial goals and run a competitive political campaign.

While we can’t advise you on those campaign finance regulations, we can help you lay a strong foundation for your fundraising.

Table of Contents

• Lay a strong foundation for your political campaign fundraising
• 4 political fundraising ideas that actually work

Lay A Strong Foundation for Your Political Campaign Fundraising

Before you choose the right type of fundraisers for your next political campaign, there are a few small things you can do to set yourself up for greater success.

Identify a fundraising goal

Before you start fundraising, it’s helpful to figure out exactly how much money you’ll need to run a winning political campaign. A great place to start is by finding out how much winning candidates spent in previous years.

Evaluating similar elections in recent years will help you identify financial trends and help you set your budget and overall fundraising goal.

It’s also important to set financial goals for each fundraising strategy. That way, you can keep track of your fundraising progress and make sure you’ve got a plan that will help you achieve your overall goal.

Understand your audience

To choose the right fundraising strategies, you’ll need to understand your ideal audience. The right tactics and tools will help you reach and connect with the people who will most likely cast their vote for you (or sway voters who are still on the fence).

Understanding your target audience can also help you budget more appropriately and even save money. Some fundraising strategies cost more than others, so choosing the right strategy will ensure you’re making a wise investment of the funds you raise.

Create a fundraising calendar for your political campaign

Now that you have a concrete goal, it’s time to make a concrete plan. Put all of your fundraising activities on a calendar, including deadlines, task assignments, and campaign timelines for each fundraiser.

Whether you’re planing a phone-a-thon, a direct mail campaign, or a peer-to-peer fundraiser, your team will enjoy greater success with the organization and accountability of a fundraising calendar.

4 Political Fundraising Ideas That Actually Work

Now that you have a game plan for fundraising success, it’s time to identify the best political fundraising strategies for your campaign. We’ve rounded up the top political fundraising ideas that are versatile and effective.

1. Direct mail campaigns work for political fundraisers

Direct mail fundraising campaigns give you the space to explain why you’re running for office, your platform and position on relevant issues, and other vital details. This is an excellent strategy for simultaneous education and fundraising.

Overall, direct mail campaigns are cost-effective, especially when you know your ideal audience and you can strategically target your campaign.

While a direct mail campaign letter can be very diverse, some of the critical ingredients of a successful direct mail campaign are a personalized letter, a reply card, and a return envelope. Your letter should be friendly, compelling, and authentic. If at all possible, use your donor’s preferred name to increase the impact of your letters.

You can use your letters to direct people to your custom online donation page, but it’s considered industry best practice to include a self-addressed envelope and response option for anyone who would like to give by check.

2. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are effective for political fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising got much easier with the introduction of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It’s an effective fundraising strategy for all kinds of political campaigns and causes because it enables you to raise money and grow your audience at the same time.

In short, peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising mobilizes your current supporters to have them ask for donations on behalf of your campaign. This fundraising strategy does take time and relies on the work and motivation from your donors. Still, the potential benefits are worth the effort.

3. Door-to-door politician fundraising strategy

Generally, door-to-door fundraising efforts are daunting, uncomfortable, and can have mixed results. This is why very few organizations or political campaigns actually do it. However, when it comes to running for elected office, relationships are essential for your fundraising and the election outcome. That’s why political fundraising is a great place to use door-to-door strategies.

As much as you can, emphasize the personal greeting and relationship building over the actual fundraising. Encourage your team to create as much space as possible for voters to ask questions and learn about your political platform. These personal interactions are invaluable, and people will remember your conversation when they head to the polls.

Many political campaign experts recommend scheduling regular door-knocking hours throughout your fundraising calendar. Don’t forget to bring a pamphlet or flyer with details about where to get more information about you and your campaign and various ways they can participate in getting you elected.

One way to increase your chances of fundraising success is to have the option for mobile giving. That way, if you meet an enthusiastic supporter who’s already decided to vote for you, you can invite them to give on the spot via their phone (or your mobile device).

4. Host a picnic or barbecue political fundraiser

People enjoy gathering around food and a common cause. Capitalize on this by organizing a family picnic or barbecue for one of your fundraising events. These events bring all your supporters together and create space for you to answer questions and educate people on your position and platform around critical issues.

Offer lawn games, food and drink stations, and don’t forget the information table with various giving options (online, check, and cash). Hang flyers around town, send emails, and even send personalized invitations to your current donors to get the whole community gathered!

Remember, relationships are critical, especially when it comes to political campaigns and elections. Take as much time as possible to meet people and earn their trust while enjoying good food and games.

If picnics or barbecues aren’t your jam, this fundraising strategy can be adapted to suit the preferences of your constituents. Consider a wine and cheese gathering at a local art gallery for a more upscale fundraising gathering, or host a beer tasting night at a local taphouse. The options are endless as long as you’re gathering people around your campaign, building trust, and raising money.

We understand that political campaigns are expensive. However, the goal of political fundraisers is to build relationships and trust, educate voters, and raise money at the same time. With the right preparation and fundraising strategy, and the undaunted efforts of your friends and family, you’ll be able to reach your financial goals and get out the vote to win the election!

Here are three more resources that will help you plan your political campaign fundraisers.

• Is Your Nonprofit Making These Common Crowdfunding Mistakes? Crowdfunding is becoming one of the most popular fundraising strategies for nonprofits and political campaigns alike. This blog has a handy guide to help you avoid some of the common crowdfunding mistakes. It also has some industry best practices to boost the success of your next crowdfunding campaign.
• How to Write Event Descriptions for Your Fundraisers and Nonprofit Events: Whether you’re planning a political campaign fundraiser or an event for your charity, a good event description is critical to attracting the right people. With a bit of understanding of your ideal audience and what details to highlight, you’ll be able to write an event description that has people lined up out the door for your next fundraiser! This blog will help you learn how to do just that.
• 6 Easy Ways to Boost Your Facebook Event Marketing: More than 700 million people use Facebook to market their events each month. It’s really easy to get lost amid all that traffic, but it’s still a powerful tool to increase your visibility. This blog tells you how you can do just a few things to stand out and make your event more visible and attractive on Facebook.