building power through fundraising · today’s webinar will be recorded & available for...

Strengthening democracy by unleashing the power of women leaders through training, technology, & community.

#VRLNation

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Thursday (6/11):State Legislature: What happens at the state level?

Tuesday (6/9) City Council Makeup Session:Roles and Responsibilities of City Council

VRL readies women to become

elected officials& civic leaders.

We do this is through industry

partners & experts in our yearlong

web series.

Check your email from us every week

for upcoming webinars!

#VRLNation | @VoteRunLead

• Introduce yourself!• Share tips, favorite

links, resources, your Twitter handle, etc.!

• Take advantage! Ask questions for our expert and we will get them answered!


Today’s webinar will be recorded & available for on-demand viewing for members of VRL Nation.


• Over 25 years of consulting and collaborating on over 200 political, issue, public relations, and media campaigns.

• Served as a consultant, lobbyist, executive director, and senior project director, and has worked with state-based organizations in 34 states across the country.

• Specializes in strategic planning, communications, fundraising, public opinion research, message development, campaign planning, training, organizational development, issue management, and media relations.

Teresa [email protected]

206 898-9271


• Having a strategy allows you to make decisions about how you are going to spend your resources and with whom you are going to communicate, rather then simply reacting to what others do.

• Strategy provides focus in a crisis, helping to determine what matters, and what doesn’t. In addition, strategy helps decide what isn’t going to get done.


• Determine the lay of the land. The lay of the land is made up of a thorough assessment of the dynamics of your campaign. The candidate and issue environment including a thoughtful analysis of the area’s economy, people, current political landscape and mood, issues of concern, etc.


Once the targets are defined, you must figure out who isgoing to be on your side and why.

Ours – people who share our point of view.

Theirs – people who do not share our point of view and never will not matter how smart, right or charming you are.

Undecided – people who are persuadable to your point of view, but are not engaged and don’t really care about your candidacy.


How many votes do you need to win?

Where are they?

Who is in your base?

Who is persuadable?


Yours Undecided Theirs


For an electoral victory, you draw the line at 52% (an extra percent to avoid recounts) of voters.


• Your target: define where they are and who they are. Define your box and then spend resources ONLY in your box.

•Once you have the target box – all message, money, effort and time go into that box.

Our targets


• Once you have the target box – all communications, message, money, resources, effort and time go into that box.Pro-active schedulingVolunteer resourcesCommunications

MailPhoneSocial media

Our targets


Answers the question “why” in the strategy Is the rationale for your success Is the core of all communications by and about

your issue with your targets.

To be successful you must start where they areand engage them by connecting with themabout what they care about ……NOT what youcare about.


• Research – if possible include polling data and focus group information.

• Information gathered in early door knocking and conversations in the community.

• Other relevant information from the strategy development and lay of the land discussion.

• Build the message box.


THE MESSAGE BOX HAS FOUR CORNERS:

What we say about ourselves.

What our opponents say about themselves.

What our opponents say about us.

What we say about our opponents.


The development of the message boxis important because it forces us to notonly think about what we want tocommunicate, we must also think abouthow our opponents are positioningboth themselves and us.


Your message must be – not necessarily in any particular order:

1. Clear – easy to understand. 2. Concise – short and easily communicated. 3. Connected – to what voters are feeling

emotionally (not what they are thinking); must resonate – “Yes, that is about me!”

4. Compelling – how connected to where voters are.


5. Contrasting – the race isn’t about the candidates, it’s about the voters’ problems and concerns, and which candidate addresses them in a believable way.

6. Credible – something people believe is true. It needs not only to be true, but to also be believable.

7. Consistent – make one point only. Repetition is the key to successful communication.


• This analysis should help in the development of a message statement.

• The message statement is a paragraph that outlines the rationale for your election over your opponent in the context you are working. The message statement should be a paragraph that has approximately 4 to 7 sentences.

• Once you have a message statement, every communication should be tested against the message statement to make sure that it communicates the message properly.


Ensure that all activities and tactics contribute to the win. Tactic to target for message delivery.For every contact – ask for their vote and track. Prioritize contacts with human contact.

» Yes (GOTV universe)» No (no further contact)» Maybe (persuadable universe)


• Door to Door – high density target precincts

Pre post card – coming to your neighborhoodVisit – home - ask for vote

- Not home - leave behind brochureThank you note –

» home – thank you for your time» Not home – sorry I missed you


• Phone program – volunteer and candidateIssue and candidate persuasion and ID

• Asking neighbors to support the candidateAt home - ask for vote, volunteer, yard sign Not home - leave message based message

Track all data#VRLNation | @VoteRunLead

• Goals– Raise profile– 3rd party validators– Organizing base

• Get volunteers• Increase turnout for events• Create buzz on candidacy


• Tools -- Facebook, twitter, banner ads, etc.Concentric circle organizing

• Getting your base to talk about your candidacy• 3rd party validators• Voter education, registration, GOTV

Banner ads - all focused in targeted geography.

• Build profile• Build base• Recruit volunteers

– Earned media#VRLNation | @VoteRunLead

All in targeted geography with targeting your universe.Letters to the editorIssue outreachOp-EdsSpecific Blogs


All in targeted geography with targeting your universe.

Increase profile of campaignMessage deliveryTimed with other contact and follow-up


• Contact plan• Pro-active scheduling• Data Management • Budget• Timeline – planning backward from critical

dates.


FINAL QUESTIONS?


Teresa [email protected]

206 898-9271

Please wait for the meeting window toclose (don’t close it yourself) and youcan fill out the satisfaction surveyabout today’s webinar so we cancontinue to tailor your workshops.


building power through fundraising · today’s webinar will be recorded & available for...

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