The Campaign Workshop Blog, is hosted by The Campaign Workshop - an advocacy and political consulting firm. We write about tactics for advocacy, membership, civic engagement, and progressive politics.  We post weekly, and also publish ebooks, host webinars, and The How to Win a Campaign Podcast. Sign up to learn more.   

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6 tips for IE

6 Tips for Your Independent Expenditure Campaign

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

Many people think about creating an independent expenditure campaign (IE campaign), but very few will actually take the time to do it. If you don't know a lot about IE’s, check out our IE FAQ here. IE campaigns should work to accomplish two goals:

Do no harm (to your candidate). A poorly run IE campaign can hurt more than it helps. Make sure you are working with attorneys and a professional team to understand the right message and applicable laws to your campaign.

Do something that benefits your desired outcome. You don’t have to run a duplication of the candidate’s campaign to be successful. The best IE campaigns have a very specific goal and follow through on executing a plan that focuses on their goal.

IE Campaign Planning

Independent Expenditure Campaign Planning

by Alice McLoughlin (She/Her)

Here at The Campaign Workshop, we have written a lot about independent expenditure strategy in the past, but the key takeaways never change:

  1. Know your goals.
  2. Do no harm.
  3. Don’t duplicate efforts.
Employee Feedback

Direct Employee Feedback: Enhance Workplace Culture with Employee Feedback

by Tobias Cebulash (He/Him)

What is direct employee feedback, and how can it help you? Building a cohesive, effective team requires effort and intentional communication at every level. As we strive to improve our skills and abilities, expand our knowledge, and strengthen our teamwork, we rely more and more on open and clear communication. To boost our efforts, we have instituted a new set of guidelines for giving and receiving internal feedback, and we’d like to share a bit about it with you.

Political Campaign Strategy -

Political Communication Strategy: The Role of Effective Speechwriting

by Enrique Rivas (He/Him)

An essential component of a good political communication strategy is the integration of effective speechwriting. Even if your campaign doesn’t plan to deliver a ton of speeches, it’s crucial to have a structured process in place for crafting and refining them.

If you’re running for office even at the local level, chances are you’ll want to have a speech prepared at least for Election Night. If the thought of writing a speech seems intimidating, don’t panic–you can follow a simple and straightforward method to create impactful speeches.

GOTV Script Writing

GOTV Script Writing

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

Get Out The Vote (GOTV) scripts are important because, in the vast majority of cases, they are your last chance to talk to your campaign’s core supporters to encourage them to vote. Therefore, it’s important that you make a lasting impression with these people and engage with them in a way that will resonate enough that they’ll take an hour (or six) out of their day to go vote.

political endorsements

Make the Most of Political Endorsements

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Political endorsements matter, yet most political campaigns, including those for ballot measures and candidate campaigns, don’t strategize to get the most of them. Learn tips on optimizing political endorsements to maximize their impact.

Whether you are a candidate for office, running a ballot measure, or helping any campaign, political endorsements are imperative to get your campaign up and running.

GOTV Plan

GOTV: What Do You Need for Get Out The Vote?

by Enrique Rivas (He/Him)

Get Out the Vote (GOTV) matters. Campaigns demand long hours, uncomfortable conversations about fundraising, and massive dedication from the candidate, the campaign team, staffers, and volunteers. After all the resources (including your sanity) are poured into your campaign, a robust GOTV strategy and efforts are vital to end on a high note. 

Campaign Management Tools

Campaign Management Tools: Campaign Tools and Trends for 2024

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Ramping up your political campaign or advocacy program? We’re back to help with the 5th edition of our 100+ Best Campaign Management Tools List. 

The Tools List helps organizations decide on campaign tools like never before with new resources, Joe’s 2024 Picks, and refined categories, like AI tools and easy-to-use interactive browsing. Learn about tool trends and tips below—or go ahead and get started if you already know what you’re looking for! 

Grief at Work

Grief at Work - How to Develop a Policy, and Why You Need One

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Grief at work: In 2022, as part of our DEI efforts, our team started looking at factors that cause stress in the workplace. One that became apparent was grieving at work. At TCW, we define a grief event as often occurring when a friend or loved one dies, a friend or loved one becomes ill, a pet dies, or a relationship ends. These grief events are frequent in the workplace, and we estimate that a typical employee will experience this at least once, if not more while working at TCW.

Nonprofit AI Policy

It’s Time to Create a Nonprofit AI Policy

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

By now, we’ve all heard about AI and have started to consider how it can make our lives a little easier. For many, however, AI also brings a lot of fear and trepidation. Both nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies need to carefully think through and define how they are using AI. This includes writing a nonprofit AI policy for your organization. As a creative and strategy-based company that works with nonprofits, we see both the benefits and challenges that AI can bring.

Facebook Campaign Strategy

Facebook Campaign Strategy - Build a Paid and Organic Plan

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

When you’re getting ready to run, one of the first things to think about is establishing a Facebook campaign strategy. No matter what level of office you are running for, Facebook is one of the most powerful communications tools modern-day political campaigns have.

Political Campaign Strategy

Political Campaign Strategy Tips - Win Your Campaign

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

Having a successful political campaign strategy is about more than just having the best ideas or being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about sticking to some of the core fundamentals. At any level, these campaign fundamentals can mean the difference between building a winning or losing political campaign strategy.

Advanced Micro-Targeting

Advanced Micro-Targeting: Campaign Data Targeting Is Key to Winning

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Advanced micro-targeting can be the tactical advantage you need to win your campaign. Before delving into micro-targeting, voter modeling, and other advanced-targeting, let’s begin by defining targeting to ensure we’re all on the same page. This process is crucial for all campaigns-candidates, ballot initiatives, independent expenditure, and more.

political campaign training

Why You Should Go Through a Political Campaign Training

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

Political campaign training- here is the scoop: There are lots of decisions candidates need to make before they start a run for public office and a political campaign training can help provide some clarity for first time candidates. In our opinion, attending a political candidate and campaign training is a must for any potential candidate.

member communications

Membership Communication Tips to Help You Succeed

by Alice McLoughlin (She/Her)

In our post-COVID-19 pandemic world, having a thoughtful membership communications strategy is more important than ever. For labor unions and advocacy organizations, effectively engaging members across mediums can make a real difference in realizing organizational goals and visions. Motivating members to act, such as turning out in elections or putting pressure on lawmakers to pass legislation, is a core part of member communications.

Advocacy Campaign Tips

Advocacy Campaign Tips to Help You Succeed

by Alice McLoughlin (She/Her)

Executing a successful and impactful advocacy campaign requires time, dedication, and organization. In today’s day and age, there is strong competition from various advocacy issues fighting for attention, so to run a successful campaign, you will need to be ready to hit the ground running.

Campaign Strategy

Campaign Strategy Tips from a Political Strategy Firm

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

As a campaign strategy firm specializing in political and advocacy advertising, it is challenging to keep strategy as a primary consideration in any campaign. Various concerns, such as creativity and budget, can distract and even overshadow the pursuit of long-term and short-term strategic goals. Campaign tactics should complement good strategy and not impede it. Having clearly defined strategic targets can make a big difference.

Digital Video Ads

Getting Started with Digital Video Ads in Your Campaign

by Tobias Cebulash (He/Him)

Digital video advertising continues to be a key tool in every political campaign’s toolbox, providing a potent combination of visual storytelling and emotional engagement. Whether it's social media or programmatic, the power of a great video ad cannot be overstated. In the ever-evolving landscape of political campaigns, understanding the nuances of digital video is crucial for a successful digital ad strategy.

Campaign Strategy

Campaign Strategy: How to Evaluate Success

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

One of my favorite books is The Score Takes Care of Itself. If you have not read this book, give it a read; it’s a great resource on strategy an applicable to politics and organizing many ways. Whether you work for an advocacy organization, a political group, or a candidate campaign, you work on a team with many moving parts. It is impossible to manage all those parts alone. By defining clear goals with measurable outcomes, you can set the path for victory and measure all aspects of the campaign on whether they are on the right track to success.

Disinformation

Interview with Sasha Issenberg about Disinformation

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

Sasha Issenberg is a journalist, and author. Throughout his career, he has written for Slate, Bloomberg Politics, The Boston Globe, and Business Week. Sasha has written five books, including The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy, The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Elections, Outpatients: The Astonishing New World of Medical Tourism, The Engagement: America's Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage, and his most recent book, Lie Detectives: In Search of a Playbook For Winning Elections In the Disinformation Age. This week we asked him questions about his life and career.