The 2018 election cycle is here! Everyone has a renewed spirit of social justice and resistance. Lots of activists are looking for ways to get involved in the new wave of change. Are you thinking about becoming a grassroots organizer?

For any brave souls that have dared to take on scheduling for a political candidate or even on a professional level, you’ll truly appreciate this post. Political Scheduling isn’t easy—it’s an art form and not for the faint of heart or the disorganized. Most people think, “Well all you do is just put events on a calendar, so it can’t be too hard.” Well, truth is, it is way more complex than it appears.

Content marketing for non-profits is similar to marketing a for-profit company. The goal is to leverage the expertise inherent within your team to help market your organization. And one very common method of sharing this expertise is through blogging. The more people who view your blog posts online and the more keywords you use in those posts, the higher your non-profit will rank in Google searches.

Walk cards are an important element to any field campaign. They give your canvassers something tangible to discuss at the doors and are a great way to introduce your candidate to voters. Unfortunately, a lot of campaigns create walkcards the wrong way.

List building for nonprofits is extremely important. These are people you can turn to for donations, taking action on your behalf, volunteering, and more. When list building, it’s important that you follow a few best practices. This will ensure you’re getting the best possible supporters and doing so in the best possible way.

For a long time, I have said that LGBT Candidates ( Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender and Gay candidates), tend to be better candidates than their straight counterparts at running for office. It’s because LGBT candidates have to be. If you are breaking a barrier, it is only those with stellar qualifications and incredible drive who get through tough election fights and win.

Campaign best practices can make a real difference on your political campaign. Over the course of my career, I have pretty much seen it all happen on political campaigns. From the candidate’s brother dying mere weeks before Election Day to losing power at a staging location and everything in between. Murphy’s Law states “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Part of being a good organizer is always hoping for the best on political campaigns, but planning for the worst.