1. Fundraising and Budgeting for Political Campaigns
Kevin Winchell
Politics 101 Conference – 2014
Stetson University

2. Budgeting Plan or Fundraising Plan?
What comes first:
Budgeting Plan or Fundraising Plan?

3. Budgeting
Budget Plan
Fundraising Plan

4. Budgeting
Budget Plan
Fundraising Plan
Feedback Loop

5. Budgeting Budget Plan Reference Similar Elections
Get Quotes from Vendors
Adjust to Campaign Strategy

6. Budgeting How much did candidates spend last time in this race?
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?
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?
What are bulk rates for signs, mailers, etc.?
Do I have any friends who can get me discounts?

7. $$$ 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?
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?
What are bulk rates for signs, mailers, etc.?
Do I have any friends who can get me discounts?

8. County Council, School Board or Large-City Mayor Race in Volusia
Budgeting
Sample Budget Plan:
County Council, School Board or Large-City Mayor Race in Volusia
(~30,000 voters)

9. Fundraising
What is the number one reason why campaigns don’t raise enough money?
(Hint: Michael Jordan and Ruby Paine)

10. Fundraising Types of Donors: Self/Family Friends Allies Access
Enemy-of-Enemy

11. Fundraising Types of Donors: Relationships  $$$ Self/Family Friends
Allies
Access
Enemy-of-Enemy
Relationships  $$$

12. What message works best for each type of donor?
Fundraising
Types of Donors:
Self/Family
Friends
Allies
Access
Enemy-of-Enemy
What message works best for each type of donor?

13. Fundraising Fundraising 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)

14. Fundraising
Who You Gonna Call?
“List of 100”
Volunteers
Super-Donors
Super-Voters

15. Sample Fundraising Plan:
County Council, School Board or Large-City Mayor Race in Volusia
(~30,000 voters)

16. 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

17. 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
Never Votes
#5 - only if resources permit
#6 - only if resources permit

18. How this helps your fundraising: Donor Profiles
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-intensive
Contributes rarely
#5 - only if resources permit
#6 - only if resources permit

19. 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 persuasion
merchandising/swag sales
Contributes rarely
only if resources permit
don't even think about it

20. 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 persuasion
merchandising/swag sales
Contributes rarely
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!

21. What skills do you need? Spreadsheets (or, even better, databases)
Script writing (for calling and canvassing)
Mail merges (for customized mailers/scripts)

22. How can you take this to the next level?
Utilize polling to gauge favorability of ideas before you market them
Put your message in to a “narrative” – voters respond better to stories
Pay for more data (lists, subscriptions, memberships, etc.)

23. Questions?

24. Fundraising and Budgeting for Political Campaigns
Thanks!
Fundraising and Budgeting for Political Campaigns
Kevin Winchell
Politics 101 Conference – 2014
Stetson University