Fundamentals
of Candidate Fund Raising
by: Maurice L Bonamigo, January 2006
There are several ways for candidates to raise money:
Ask others for contributions by calling them on the phone or meeting with them
in person.
Ask others to ask your friends and associates for contributions.
Ask others to organize fund-raising events and sell tickets to their friends
and associates.
Ask others for contributions through direct mail, mass telephoning, and Internet
appeals.
The candidate's attitude is critical. It is the linchpin of the entire fund-raising
effort and a candidate must always assume that everyone wants to give him
money.
Scheduling and time management for the candidate is crucial. Every candidate needs to be given large blocks of time that are set aside solely for fund-raising without disturbance or distraction.
Always do your donor research. Is important to go through past contributor records. Find out who gave to whom and how much. Always remember, the key to asking for money is information, information, and more information.
When you ask for money you have to remember, tie the money you're asking for
to a specific need. Tie the specific need to a deadline. Tie a specific need
and deadline to a requested amount. There is nothing worse than asking $1,000.00
donor for only $500.00!
Timing is everything; always ask for the highest amount possible in the beginning.
Harvest those higher dollar donors first and don't let them get by.
If someone agrees to give you money get it immediately, time is money, do not let it pass you by.
Build donor-prospecting lists. You cannot call someone unless you have a list with full contact information. Send advanced information packets to prospective donors. It is essential that you look like a winner or at least seem to have a series shot at winning.
Handle all public reporting and legal compliance; it is important to keep accurate records of each contributor and certain information about them.
Go back and ask past contributors for more money, your best fund raising list
is always your past donors' list and don't be afraid to ask them to help you
find new sources.
For more valuable tips on raising funds for your political campaign, call us at: 561.655.0403
