finance plan template

HOW TO RAISE $100,000

Making the Process Work

DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE499 S. CAPITOL STREET SW, SUITE 103, WASHINGTON, DC 20003

202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

FUNDRAISING PROGRAM OUTLINE

I. Why you need to raise $100,000.

A. Winning Budget.B. Fundraising as Field.

II. Psychology of Giving—who, why and who asks?

A. Who Gives—How to build a list.B. Who Asks—Candidate & Finance Committee.C. Why Give—Make sure you ask correctly.

III. A Business Plan for Fundraising.

A. Targeting--Raise your money on paper first.B. First Finance Committee Meeting.C. Vehicles for fundraising.

IV. Fundraising Execution.

A. Managing candidate call time and tracking fundraising progress.

V. Keep it clear and simple. Avoid common pitfalls.DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

499 S. CAPITOL STREET SW, SUITE 103, WASHINGTON, DC 20003202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

I. Why you need to raise $100,000.

WHERE WE WERE: PAST CAMPAIGN EFFORTS

Many incumbents will relate to this budget because this is the norm. During the last two weeks of the campaign, this candidate sent one direct mailing, ran four newspaper ads, and placed minimal buys on four radio stations. This is not enough to sell a message. This certainly won’t do the job in a presidential year.

Non-Voter Contact ExpensesStaff: $3,000Overhead: $4,000Candidate Reimbursement: $1,000Fundraising Expenses: $2,000Candidate Contributions: $1,000Brochures/Palm Cards: $2,000Cable Television Production: $1,500Total: $14,500 (48%)

Visibility ExpensesSigns: $3,500Newspaper Ads: $3,500Total: $7,000 (23%)

Voter Contact ExpensesRadio: $2,000Bulk Mailing (1 Bulk/2 Other): $5,500Cable Television Buy: $1,000Total: $8,500 (28%)

TOTAL BUDGET: $30,000


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WHERE WE NEED TO BE:WINNING CAMPAIGN PLANNING

To win and change the game, we have to change the way we raise and spend campaign dollars. Our 2000 strategy should be based on researching our opponents’ records, targeting voters and dominating one medium with persuasive messages. Below is a winning campaign budget:

ResearchOpposition Research: $2,000Benchmark Poll: $7,500Tracking Poll: $5,000Voter File: In-KindTotal: $14,500 (13%)

StaffCampaign Manager $12,000 (11%)(6 months x $2,000)

OverheadCampaign headquarters In-KindPhones $500Total: $500 (.04%)

VisibilitySigns $1,000Palm Cards $500Other visibility $2,000Total: $3,500 (3%)

Direct Voter ContactPaid Phone Banks $10,000Direct Mail $50,000Postage $3,000Radio $15,000Total: $78,000 (72%)

TOTAL BUDGET: $108,500


202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

B. FUNDRAISING AS FIELD.

• Building a campaign war chest is the most effective way to stave off potential opposition, and the best way to cut off your opponent’s support.

• There is a finite amount of money in your district. You want to get it before your opponent.


202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

II. The Psychology of Giving.

A. WHO GIVES—HOW TO BUILD A LIST.

• Only a motivated donor will give.


202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

• Motivations include: business, personal, extended personal and ideological. 95% of money in a legislative race comes from the first 2 categories.

• There has to be motivation—no easy solutions.

BUILDING A LIST

150 People Who Care About You

100 Political Professionals/PACs/Unions

50 Democrats

25 Opponent’s/Enemies

50 Local Political Givers

25 People You Spend Your Money With

________________________________________________

400 NamesLISTS YOU CAN USE

1. Start by collecting all of your past campaign contribution lists.


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2. Both your personal and business rolodexes. Any person you do business with.

3. PAC and Association lists.

4. Your past campaign supporter lists.

5. The directories of all professional organizations you belong to.

6. The directories of all social organizations you belong to.

7. Christmas card lists.

8. Chamber of Commerce lists.

9. Bar Association directories.

10. Campaign contribution lists of other candidates in your area.

B. WHO ASKS FOR THE DONATION?

• All real donors have to be asked face to face or on the phone.


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• Only rarely is the candidate not the best person to make any fundraising call. Only an empowered person can make the ask. This is true of PACs, business and personally motivated givers. Otherwise, you will leave money on the table.

• If you are using a finance committee one specific person has to be responsible for each specific donor.


202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

C. MAKE THE RIGHT ASK.

• Now we have the right person to call and the right person asking them, but the actual “ask” has to be done correctly for any of this to work.

• Rule #1: You only get what you ask for, and you cannot expect contributions that you do not ask for.

• Rule #2: Make them say “NO”.

• Employ the R.A.T. method on each and every call.

“R” = Reason. Explain the reason you are calling. Why does this person care to give to you?

“A” = Amount. Name the specific amount that you want from the donor. Or, the specific amount you want them to be “responsible for” if they are a raiser as well as a donor. Be very specific.

“T” = Time. Name the specific day that you want the donation in by. Be very specific and very consistent.

• Behind all the B.S. that revolves around fundraising this is what it all comes down to.


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III. A Business Plan for Fundraising.

The challenge is to keep things as simple as the last section throughout the execution of the fundraising process. The key to this is one simple plan and clear lines of communication.

A. Targeting--Raise your money on paper first.

• You need a one page spreadsheet that details all of your targets and their activity. You should have a separate database with everything on it, but you should be able to come back to one sheet that keeps everyone on the same page.

Donor Target this Cycle

Commit-ment

Receipt Dead-line

Caller Strategy

Kyle

Petty

$2000 $1500 0 6/15 Candidate June 15 event

AFL CIO $4000 $4000 $2000 6/30 Candidate Personal

meeting with

Board

Grace

Kelly

$1000 0 0 Bob Axley call for June

15 event

Artis

Gilmore

$1000 0 0 Candidate

and June

Allison

6/17

breakfast

meeting


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B. First Finance Committee Meeting.

• Get everyone together and go through the finance plan together. Decide on roles and get everyone to pick assignments in front of each other.

• Finance Committee positions are not ceremonial. Candidate must ask all members to be on committee and to raise a specific amount.

• Peer pressure works. If there was ever a meeting worth rigging this is it.

• Make sure everyone takes the right names and that all names are taken. Make sure everyone knows which names everyone has and what they are asking each person for.

• Candidate has to be fully invested in meeting for it to work.

• Run all future Finance Meetings in the same way.

• Have regular follow-up with Committee members to keep them informed of other things besides money.


202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

C. Vehicles for Fundraising.

• You can use events or letters to raise money as long as there is one finance deadline for all involved, and everyone knows it.

• Rule #1 on events—the cheaper the better. Never wine and dine a lobbyist.

• Letters should always carry a finance deadline. Letters with no calls behind them will never net big contributions.

• Group meetings work well with business interests. Candidate should be in all meetings.

• Call rooms work well to get whole committee focused in a short period of time.

IV. Fundraising Execution.


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A. Managing Candidate Call Time.

• Call time should be prescheduled and should be sacred.

• Call time should be allocated depending on what you need to raise.

PROGRESS CHART

Date Hours Scheduled

Actual Hours

Pledge Goal

Actual Pledges

Contacts/Calls

9/6 3 2 $2499 $750 6/189/8 3 2 $2499 $750 5/169/10 4 3.5 $3332 $5600 21/389/18 2 1 $1666 $1000 2/149/19 2 1.5 $1666 $400 1/69/20 4 3 $3332 $4000 16/249/28 4 4 $3332 $5900 24/569/29 1.5 1.5 $1249.50 $375 2/9Total 23.5 18.5 $19,575.5

0$18,775 77/181


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Fundraising versus Voter Contact

Fundraising Scheduling

400 contacts / 7 contacts per hour = 60 hours

$100,000 / 60 hours = $1666.66 per hour in committments

Voter Contact Scheduling

Community Meeting = 3 hours50 potential voters50% persuadable = 25 persuadable voters60% persuaded = 15 votes

3 phone hours @ 1666.66 = $4,99910,000 piece direct mailing = $5,0005,000 x 2.3 registered voters per household = 23,000

potential voters50% persuadable = 11,500 persuadable voters40% persuaded = 9,200 votes


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FOCUS

Target

Name: _______________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

Phone Numbers: ______________________ (H)______________________ (W)______________________ (Fax)

E-Mail ______________________

Notes: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Atempt: Date: _________________Response: _________________________________________________________________________________

Second Atempt: Date: _________________Response: _________________________________________________________________________________

Third Atempt: Date: _________________Response: _________________________________________________________________________________

Fax Sent: 1 _____ By _____ 2 _____ By _____ 3 _____ By _____Letter Sent: 1 _____ By _____ 2 _____ By _____ 3 _____ By _____

Received: Amount: __________ Date: __________Amount: __________ Date: __________Amount: __________ Date: __________

Other Information:


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NOTEBOOKS NEEDED FOR PROGRAM

I. Targeted with alphabetical tabs

II. Event with changeable tabs

III. Committed with numerical tabs

IV. Left message with alphabetical tabs

V. Received with alphabetical tabs/or numerical tabs

VI. Call back with numerical tabs


202.488.5041 PHONE 202.488.5014 FAX

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