two people at the top of a mountain with their hands up in excitement for their success

9 Campaign Plan Tips

by Phoebe Retta (She/Her)

If you’re running for office, you’re going to need a campaign plan. With these 9 campaign plan tips, you will give yourself the best chance of winning your race:

Online Advertising

Online Advertising Doesn't Mean Instant

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

While it’s true that the world of online advertising is fast-paced- banking on instantaneous programs is a good way to fall short of your goals. Planning for a digital program will give you time to really define your goals and make sure your campaign has the right components, creative, and timeline to achieve them.

Campaign Mistakes

Campaign Mistakes: Warning Signs of a Losing Political Campaign

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Can you spot mistakes in your campaign? As a trainer and consultant for over 20 years - Here are some warning signs to help you spot and course-correct a losing political campaign.

Midterm Elections

Midterm Elections - How Should a Democratic Campaign Plan?

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

As you plan for midterm elections, especially if you’re progressive democrat, you may not want to leave your house. With all the things going on in the country it may seem like the midterm elections are a forgone conclusion and not in a good way. Historical trends come to a similar conclusion.

Supply Chain

Supply Chain Problems for Nonprofits and Political Campaigns

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Supply chain issues are real for political campaigns and nonprofit organizations. So, if you are running any kind of campaign in 2022 or 2023 be prepared. The supply chain issues will cause stress when it comes to voter and member outreach in 2022.

Political campaign budget: piggy banks from small to large

Political Campaign Budget - The Complete Guide

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

If there’s one common thread that runs through the progressive movement and Democratic political campaigns, it’s that they are very often operating with a limited budget. This fact makes having a political campaign budget critically important, because you must be strategic with how your resources are spent and get the most out of each dollar.

canvassing

Canvassing Rural Areas

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

Canvassing rural areas present a unique set of challenges. You want to door knock as many homes in these areas as you can. Grassroots canvassing is the most effective method of volunteer voter contact so plan for the door-to-door canvas program to take time and resources. You also want to be conscious of your resources and canvas in a way that makes sense for both you and your canvassers.

filled out checklist

Post-Election Campaign Shutdown Checklist

by Ben Holse (He/Him) and Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

Your campaign is finally over and you might be feeling a bit of that post-campaign emptiness inside. We understand that feeling and have a lot of insight on what to do after a win or a loss. Like for most things in your campaign you’ll want to be thinking about a plan for your campaign shutdown at the beginning of the campaign as part of your overall campaign plan.

Colored pencils vertical, on dark turquoise background

How to Guide: Campaign Logos

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

The advertising world is well-versed in using and exploiting the visual language of typography to convey messages that go beyond the overt, verbal language on the page. Cal Swan, author of Language and Typography, says, “These two distinct areas often come together in practice as there is clearly a very strong relationship between the conception of the words as a message and their transmission in visible form.” Nowhere is this more important than in political messaging.

Advocacy RFP Woman pointing to document in front of two men

Advocacy RFP Pitfalls to Avoid

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

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.

People in suits in runner's position

Political Candidate Assessment: Am I Ready to Run?

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Before any runner steps up to the starting blocks, there are months and months of preparation done to ensure they are ready. The same goes for a political candidate deciding to run for office. Here’s a self-assessment guide that’s a follow up to our e-book Are You Ready to Run for Office? and can help potential first-time candidates make a thoughtful decision.

Tallies on chalkboard with phrase "Gotta have a vote goal"

Vote Goal and Vote Deficit: How many votes do I need to win?

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

When you’re deciding to run for office, one of the very first things you should do is bust out your trusty calculator and calculate your campaign’s vote goal. Your vote goal is the number of votes needed to win your election. Your campaign has one goal: to convince enough voters to show up to the polls on Election Day or during early vote and vote for you. To achieve that goal, you need to know how many of those voters you need to be successful.