Fundraising and Budgeting for Political Campaigns

Kevin WinchellPolitics 101 Conference – 2014

Stetson University

What comes first: Budgeting Plan or Fundraising Plan?

Budgeting

Budget Plan

Fundraising Plan

Budgeting

Budget Plan

Fundraising Plan

Feedback Loop

Budgeting

Budget Plan

Reference Similar

Elections

Get Quotes

from Vendors

Adjust to Campaign Strategy

Budgeting

Budget Plan

Reference Similar

Elections

Get Quotes

from Vendors

Adjust to Campaign Strategy

How much did candidates spend last time in this race?

How much did the winner spend? How many dollars per vote?

What are bulk rates for signs, mailers, etc.?

Do I have any friends who can get me discounts?

Are we focusing more on doors or mailers? On radio or internet?

Are we microtargeting voters, or are we trying to turn out entire neighborhoods?

Budgeting

$$$A concrete number!

Reference Similar

Elections

Get Quotes

from Vendors

Adjust to Campaign Strategy

How much did candidates spend last time in this race?

How much did the winner spend? How many dollars per vote?

What are bulk rates for signs, mailers, etc.?

Do I have any friends who can get me discounts?

Are we focusing more on doors or mailers? On radio or internet?

Are we microtargeting voters, or are we trying to turn out entire neighborhoods?

Budgeting

Sample Budget Plan:County Council, School Board or Large-City Mayor Race in Volusia

(~30,000 voters)

Fundraising

What is the number one reason why campaigns don’t raise enough money?

(Hint: Michael Jordan and Ruby Paine)

FundraisingTypes of Donors:

Self/Family

Friends

Allies

Access

Enemy-of-Enemy

FundraisingTypes of Donors:

Self/Family

Friends

Allies

Access

Enemy-of-Enemy

Relationships $$$

FundraisingTypes of Donors:

Self/Family

Friends

Allies

Access

Enemy-of-Enemy

What message works best for each type of

donor?

FundraisingFundraising Tactics:• Online (website, social media, email)• Events (house parties, dinners, business-

sponsored, recreational activities)• Direct (mailers/letters, phone)• Merchandise (buttons, stickers, yard

signs, t-shirts)• Promotions (dinner w/ candidate, appear

at rally, featured on video)

Fundraising

Who You Gonna Call?

1. “List of 100”2. Volunteers3. Super-Donors 4. Super-Voters

80%

15%

5%

Fund Sources

Fundraising

Sample Fundraising Plan:County Council, School Board or Large-City Mayor Race in Volusia

(~30,000 voters)

Where do you get the data?For outreach:• Voter registration file from Supervisor of Elections (name,

demographics, address, contact info, election voting history)• Party proprietary databases (for additional party-gathered

information about voters, including survey responses)• Your own outreach (results from your canvassing, phone calls,

and mail responses)• Data mining companies (for consumer behavior)

For contributions:• City Clerks (municipal races) – may be online or in person• Supervisor of Elections (county races) – online• Florida Department of Elections (state races) – online• Federal Elections Commission (federal races) – online

How data helps your voter outreach: Prioritizing

Strongly Supports You Undecided Strongly Opposes

You

Always Votes #1 - volunteers & donors #3 - persuadables don't even think

about it

Sometimes Votes #2 - low-hanging fruit #4 - resource-intensive

don't even think about it

Never Votes #5 - only if resources permit

#6 - only if resources permit

don't even think about it

Has contributed to identical campaigns

Has contributed to similar campaigns

Has contributed to very different

campaigns

Contributes very frequently

#1 – If you build it, they will come #2 - persuadables don't even think

about it

Contributes sometimes #3 - low-hanging fruit #4 - resource-

intensivedon't even think

about it

Contributes rarely #5 - only if resources permit

#6 - only if resources permit

don't even think about it

How this helps your fundraising: Donor Profiles

Makes large contributions

Makes medium contributions

Makes small contributions

Contributes very frequently

elite fundraisers promising access to prominent politicos

house parties promising friends and

some access

$5 or $10 per month automatic donations

w/ incentives

Contributes sometimes

elite fundraisers and one-to-one meetings

for persuasion

house parties and one-to-one meetings

for persuasionmerchandising/swag

sales

Contributes rarely only if resources permit

only if resources permit

don't even think about it

How this helps your fundraising: Give donors what they expect/want

Makes large contributions

Makes medium contributions

Makes small contributions

Contributes very frequently

elite fundraisers promising access to prominent politicos

house parties promising friends and

some access

$5 or $10 per month automatic donations

w/ incentives

Contributes sometimes

elite fundraisers and one-to-one meetings

for persuasion

house parties and one-to-one meetings

for persuasionmerchandising/swag

sales

Contributes rarely only if resources permit

only if resources permit

don't even think about it

Tip: Combine contribution history data with information about preferences and passion areas in order to weave a custom message in to your solicitation – it will make it more likely to succeed!

How this helps your fundraising: Give donors what they expect/want

What skills do you need?

Spreadsheets (or, even better, databases)

Mail merges (for customized mailers/scripts)

Script writing (for calling and canvassing)

How can you take this to the next level?

Utilize polling to gauge favorability of ideas before you market them

Pay for more data (lists, subscriptions, memberships, etc.)

Put your message in to a “narrative” – voters respond better to stories

Questions?

Fundraising and Budgeting for Political Campaigns

Kevin WinchellPolitics 101 Conference – 2014

Stetson University

Thanks!