You can be the best candidate for the job, but if you are not good at fundraising, your chances of getting elected are slim to none. In today's world of hi-tech elections, money is needed for every aspect of the campaign. You need money for brochures, mailings, media exposure, and you need money to raise money.
There is no secret to fundraising money. You have to do it the old-fashioned way, and that is to ask for it.
Fundraising is knowing who has the money, then deciding on the best way to ask them for the money and then asking them for the money.
When trying to raise money for your campaign, the best place to start is your own christmas card list. No matter what the political affiliation, no matter if they are involved in politics, no matter if they live in your voting district, these people know you and hopefully believe in you and therefore this group will probably send you a contribution without question. It may not be a lot, but this small pot of seed money is what you need not only get started on your campaign, but to pay for larger fundraising projects.
After you have begun with your family and friends, then move on to your business associates and other contacts that you have made over the years. Next, round up the names of people who give to the party and/or people who are interested in your issues.
At this point, you must look at the sources available to you and set some goals. Break them down into blocks such as weeks or months. Prioritize you potential donors and decide the best ways to approach these different kinds of people. Remember, people give to you because they see something in your that they can connect to.
The candidate's attitude on fundraising can make a big differnce. If your candidate thinks that fundraising is someone else's job, spare yourself a lot of pain and quit now. When I ran for public office, I did all my own fundraising. It is an excellent way to enhance your image and get out there and meet people.
You might say, "Well, what if they turn me down?"
Well, you have to learn to think of rejection as a challenge. Many of your prospective contributors just simply will not come through, but you have to keep plugging away . . . every dollar counts.
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