The Campaign Workshop Blog

Challenges and Opportunities for Women Running for Office 

Since Donald Trump was elected in 2016, we have seen women running for office at all levels of government at an unprecedented rate—and winning. We’ve written ultimate guides for running for office in the past, but running for office as a woman comes with a unique set of challenges and opportunities.  Before we jump right into the challenges and opportunities that come along…

U.S. Post Office Delays & Slow Direct Mail Delivery in the 2020 Election

What is going on at the US Postal Service (USPS)?  Have you experienced post office delays? Beyond the current political dysfunction, USPS has fallen victim to inconsistent funding, under-capitalization, ill-timed cost cutting measures and a lack of respect for the system and its workforce. On top of the ongoing pandemic, USPS will be facing an unprecedented influx of absentee ballots. Some of these vote-by-mail ballots will be in states like New York and Michigan…

Pollster Ben Lazarus on State Legislative Races, COVID-19, and the 2020 Election. 

Pollster Ben Lazarus is currently the Director of Research Solutions at TargetSmart. He is a specialist in state legislative races and works as a principal pollster and analytics consultant for the New Jersey Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus, and the Indiana House Democratic Caucus. We asked him 7 questions on polling in state legislative races.  1. What has changed in the world of political polling since you started…

Advocacy RFP Writing Tips 

The goal for your advocacy RFP should be to compare apples to apples and make the best decision for your organization. Check out our Advocacy RFP Template to determine what questions you should be asking your advocacy consultants in your request for proposals. At The Campaign Workshop, we fill out a ton of advocacy RFPs and have seen a lot of good ones and some not so good ones. The RFP process can often be riddled with unintended…

Alan Rosenblatt and Craig Johnson on Virtual Canvassing and Digital Communications

Craig Johnson and Alan Rosenblatt are both a part of Unfiltered.Media, where Johnson is the co-founder and Rosenblatt is a partner. Together they have more than 35 years of experience in digital communication. Now, more than ever, virtual canvassing has become essential for the success of campaigns. Here are the 7 questions we asked them to gather their insights on…

*Credit to Lalo Alcaraz for the book cover

All About Chuck Rocha’s New Book, Tío Bernie, and Latino Outreach

Chuck Rocha has been doing ground-breaking work from the start. At 29, he was the first person of color named National Political Director of the United Steelworkers of America (USW). In 2010, Rocha left USW and founded Solidarity Strategies, a Latino-owned and operated political consulting firm. In 2016 and 2020, he worked for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign,…

Make Sure to Include a Timeline in Your Advocacy RFP Template

Using an advocacy RFP template can help streamline the process of hiring the right partner for your next project. The exercise of filling out the template should help you identify your goals, any constraints on the project, and strengths and weaknesses in your organization that you’ll need to be aware of to get your project out the door. One critical area to think through at the outset is your…

Political Direct Mail Starts with Paper Stock

Any printer can give you paper—commonly referred to as “stock”—that is lying around the shop. But when it comes to what paper stock is available for your political direct mail, there are as many choices as there are types of drinks at your favorite coffee shop. Each paper type has specific characteristics that influence printability, color, texture, and price. So, don’t order a pumpkin spice…

David Pepper on His Book, The Voter File and the 2020 Election

David Pepper is the former chairman for the Ohio Democratic Party. Prior to that, he served as a councilman for the city of Cincinnati and was a member of the Hamilton County Board of Commissions. Pepper has authored The People’s House, which predicted Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, as well as The Wingman, which focuses on the role of dark money in campaigns.…

GOTV Script Writing Is An Art - Try Our tips for Canvassing, Phone Banking & SMS

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. First, answer these basic questions to make sure your GOTV efforts are effective…

Advocacy RFP: References Matter

We’re all about helping organizations navigate request for proposal (RFP) processes, and our advocacy RFP template is a great resource for folks who are looking to hire a consultant or vendor.  Once you get the ball rolling on the RFP process, make sure you think through what you really want to learn from references in the final stage. There’s no one-size-fits-all consulting firm out there—a firm that’s a great fit for one…

Political Campaign Jobs: Find a Campaign Job With Our Tips   

Political campaign jobs can be elusive to find. As someone who has gone through the daunting task of political job hunting not too long ago, I know how tough it can be to land a political campaign job—especially your first. With so many newly minted undergraduate, graduate, and even law school grads hunting for jobs in the same market, it can sometimes be an overwhelming and discouraging undertaking. But in the end, all your efforts will be worth it. Sooner or later, most successful…

Telephone Town Halls: Do Political & Advocacy Campaigns Need Them?

What are  telephone town halls? Think of a telephone town hall as a cross between a radio talk show, an old-fashioned town hall, a member meeting, and a conference call all done in the comfort of your home or office.  Why host a tele-town hall: It seems like everyone is looking for ways to engage their organization, membership, and voters in a quick and compelling way. A telephone town hall is a way to move your audience.  How to recruit for telephone town halls:  …

Canvasser Safety: What You Can Do to Stay Safe

Now more than ever, canvasser safety really matters. When COVID-19 hit, canvassing pretty much stopped everywhere and is only now slowly starting to reemerge. Canvassing can be dangerous, as it requires that you approach strangers in what is often unfamiliar terrain, even when we aren’t in the midst of a pandemic. There are very prominent dangers to the grassroots canvasser, loose dogs, confrontational people and now COVID-19. Below is a short list of suggestions to protect candidates, canvassers…

Movies, Shows, and Documentaries to Engage in Social Activism

Amplifying Black voices is always important, and streaming services are helping to do just that. Now, if Netflix users search “George Floyd,” they’ll be taken to a curated list for their Black Lives Matter Collection, which has over 40 movies, T.V. shows, and documentaries. Amazon Prime’s collection is called…