Every campaign can point to a base of money they can raise. If you can't do that, then perhaps you should rethink running for public elective office. The reason I say that is if you don't have the resources to spend on a campaign, you have no campaign and no chance of winning. It is the additional money above and beyond the base that is the most difficult to obtain.
It is this additional money for your campaign base that will take time. You must gather up your easy money and use it for the seed money to obtain your new money.
Your campaign budget must be followed or you will find yourself nickel and dimed to death and broke, when you need it the most. Write your plan, put dollar amounts by each goal and raise the money for it. In my campaigns, I never had to spend a cent of my own money. If I didn't have it, I didn't spend it.
Let's begin with direct-mail fundraising letters. They serve one purpose only and that is to raise money. You need to send a letter that asks for money at least five times. The purpose of this mailing is not to make friends. You are doing it because you need the money for your campaign so don't be afraid to ask for it. No matter if you send out a postcard, a typed four-page letter or a short note, the candidate is best served to sign each one. When I asked my list for money, I wrote the entire note to each person myself. I should tell you that my list was about 500 people strong. It took me many hours of work, but nothing beats the personal touch. Your contributors want to feel that they are important to you.
You will need to include a response piece in the mailing. A response piece is a small card perhaps, that is sent back with the contribution. It should have the name, address and telephone number of the potential contributor and the dollar amount that is asked for. This makes it much easier to identify those sending you money.
A third piece that should be included in the mailing is a pre-addressed envelope and, if you can afford to do so, you should have included a stamp on these return envelopes. You are more likely to get a contribution from someone if you make it easy for them to send it to you.
Go To Page: 1 2
