You're Running For Office...Now What?

For many of our clients, this is either the first campaign they have ever been a part of or the first time they themselves have run for office. And one of the biggest questions when doing so is, “Where to start?” We have put together a helpful “How To” guide for new campaigns that will help you get started and walk you through the process of running a successful political campaign.

Whether you’re running for city council or President of the United States, getting your campaign up and running generally follows the same general outline.

Things you need to set up a campaign:

• 1. Before you can do anything you will need to file with the appropriate agency. Your campaign isn’t really a campaign until you make it official. It’s important to do some research and know what you need to do to get on the ballot and when you need to have it done. For some offices, you will need to get a certain number of signatures to qualify.
• 2. Second, you will need to get a Campaign Manager. No one should be their own Campaign Manager, even if you’re running for a local office. It’s invaluable to have a relatively impartial third party who can give you honest advice about what your campaign needs. Another reason that it’s necessary to have a Campaign Manager is that they take on some of the work so that you can get down to the business of campaigning. Additionally, Campaign Managers can bring invaluable experience from previous campaigns to help you do your best.
• 3. Get a Treasurer – Campaign finance reporting is complicated and arcane. An amateur treasurer can successfully complete the forms and get them filed, but there are a lot of reporting nuances, exceptions and potential pitfalls that an amateur treasurer is more likely to fall victim to. A professional will get reports done more quickly and will know the problems to watch out for.
• 4. Manage your data – No matter the size of your campaign, you will be inundated with information. At first, you may be able to handle a lot of your data with spreadsheets, but you’ll quickly find that you need different spreadsheets for reporting information than you need for mailing lists or fundraising. Having a single unified database allows you to manage your data across all campaign functions.

Find out more about how we can help you with data management >>

What if you can’t afford these things?

• A lot of campaigns have trouble hiring a full professional staff because they don’t have the funds. It’s certainly an option to bring on friends and family members who might be able to help you with campaign management or filing your government reports. However, while it might save you money, there are also risks to this strategy. They’re called “professionals” for a reason.
• If you’re planning to go with a staff of friends and family, it’s even more important to get a comprehensive software package. A system like CompleteCampaigns.com’s BackOffice software can give you guidance with contribution limits, how to designate contributions and expenses and provide detailed explanations of errors on your government reports. Plus, we offer affordable packages for campaigns of all sizes.

Get started today.

Get in touch with us by email or by calling 888.217.9600 to get a free demo of our software, and learn how we can help your campaign.

back to top