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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Campaign Dictionary

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Staying up to date on a campaign dictionary can be exhausting, so we have compiled a list of useful campaign terms to keep your lingo up-to-date, enjoy!

Advocacy Glossary

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Looking for an advocacy glossary? Well you have come to the right place. Creating an advocacy campaign can be complicated. There are so many factors to consider, budget, goals and timelines. Often times, understanding the language of advocacy can become its own challenge. To help lighten the load, we've have put together an advocacy glossary of useful advocacy terms. Enjoy!

Winning Advocacy Strategies for 2015 and Beyond

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Advocacy strategies have changed a lot over the last 20 years. When I was a chief of staff in the New York State Legislature, I don't remember there ever being a real advocacy campaign around public support of an issue that focused on legislators. The main way groups moved legislation was to hire a lobbyist and that was really it.

Campaign Toolbox Tips

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

We understand what it’s like to operate a campaign on a tight budget, so we’ve found some free tools to include in your campaign toolbox to help you along the way.  We hope you will find them useful as you launch your campaign or look for ways to better organize it. to ve clear no campaign tool will solve all of your campaigns problems.  Whether fundraising for a nonprofit, managing an independent expenditure campaign, or seeking office, a few of these tools will surely help you along your way.

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Political Consulting Advice: Campaign Resources.

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

One of the roles I enjoy most is teaching folks how to run for office and run campaigns. Any campaign training we run usually starts with essential political consulting advice on the three key resources of a campaign. The three main resources you have in any campaign are people, time and money. Below are descriptions of each of these three critical campaign resources.

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Measuring Conversions Across Devices

by The Campaign Workshop

Recently Facebook launched cross-device reporting for Facebook ads, which will help in measuring conversions of all of an individual's devices. We have grown beyond just using desktops. Now folks are using multiple devices and advertisers and publisher are adjusting to connect with consumers.

Blue Book 2014 Midterm Elections

Midterm Elections 2014 Analysis

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

The midterm elections on Tuesday made for a rough night for Democrats. As many of us emerge from the fetal position under our desk, I decided to write down my observations of the midterm elections of 2014, and what could be done differently in future elections. You can listen to some of my observations here as well.

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Load Leveling: What does it mean for political direct mail?

by The Campaign Workshop

On April 10, 2014, the United States Postal Service (USPS) implemented a new policy called Load Leveling on standard (bulk) mail drop shipped to the DSCF level. This new policy changes the way mail enters the DSCF level and moves through the postal system. The new policy is meant to “allow a more balanced distribution of DSCF standard mail across delivery days.”

Political Direct Mail in the Digital Age

Political Direct Mail in the Digital Age

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Last week we released our first ebook: Political Direct Mail In The Digital Age. The book explains why with all the technology we have, political direct mail in the digital age is still relevant. We explain how you should decide on direct mail and targeted communications strategies for political and advocacy campaigns. We also discuss the cost of direct mail, micro-targeting strategies and how to use direct mail for GOTV.

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GOTV Tactics for Advocacy

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Advocacy campaigns get inspired by GOTV.  Get Out The Vote, has come a long way. A good GOTV program can give a political campaign a big lift and those tactics are now being used for advocacy. you can read more about GOTV techniques here and here. GOTV techniques have transcended their former use as “valued election tools”, and are now the core component of modern GOTV Tactics.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing for Nonprofits

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

The way we write must change. It’s kind of sad actually, but due to the ways search engines operate, we need to consider how folks search for content into the way we craft our words. While repeating a phrase like content marketing seems crazy, SEO has made some keyword repetition throughout your content marketing a necessity - but there is more to it than stuffing a bunch of keywords.

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Blue Mail, Red Tag

by The Campaign Workshop

Although media consensus paints causes and candidates, blue for liberal and red for conservative, the USPS is color blind and regards all mail politically directed, motivated or otherwise, the same.  However, when the USPS sees RED (tags) on mail, it acts quickly on ALL political mail!

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Advocacy Campaigns| In Defense of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Advocacy and fundraising don't always mix but when they do it can be magic for an organization. I have written over the past year about the difficulty of getting true engagement for nonprofit advocacy groups. The ice bucket challenge has done an amazing job of engaging people who have not participated in advocacy in a long time as well as getting folks who had done some advocacy work but never for ALS.

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Netroots Nation 2014 Wrap Up

by The Campaign Workshop

This year’s Netroots Nation conference marks the progressive online community’s ninth and largest yet. More attendees, more panels, more progressives and certainly much more press than ever before, spent three days in Detroit, MI learning from and teaching one another.  Here are some highlights from the conference itself, and the overall impressions I got while there.

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How Much Should Campaign Training Cost?

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

How much should a campaign training cost? Here at The Campaign Workshop, we believe it's important to train campaign staff by providing individuals who want to become campaign operatives the opportunity to go out and gain hands-on experience. If your goal is to work on a campaign, we suggest finding a training program with a strong track record and high attendance.

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First-Time Candidate? Get Critical

by Sophie Thurber (She/Her)

As a first-time candidate, you’ll likely have a steep learning curve and a lot of information thrown your way.  Whether you’re still deciding if you want to toss your hat in the ring, or you’re just starting to get your campaign moving, it’s important to embark on this process with your eyes wide open.  Here are a few things you’re likely to hear that should cue you to take a beat and assess their accuracy.

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Digital Advocacy: Leveraging Your Facebook Audience

by The Campaign Workshop

In the world of Digital Advocacy, what’s all the rage right now? Leveraging your Facebook audience to grow your email list. A well-targeted Facebook campaign can obtain "Likes" at a fraction of the cost of running traditional digital ads.

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Political Research: Not Just for Nerds

by The Campaign Workshop

So you studied political science in college and read fascinating theories about politics, social movements, theories of change and a whole host of other things.  Now, freshly graduated, what are you going to do with your degree? You could go work on a campaign at an entry-level position, knocking on doors, answering calls, processing donations or other data.

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Code For Progress Job Fair

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

We are big fans of Code for Progress. They have a great mission and hold a yearly job fair. If you are you looking to hire an app developer or data analyst, check out the Code for Progress job fair. For more information about Code for Progress visit them here. If Code For Progress is not a fit for you but you are looking to work on a campaign, you can check out lots of great programs here.