Candidate Support - Building Your Campaign Team

Building your Campaign Team

Assembling an effective political team is essential to the success of any campaign. A campaign is definitely a team effort, and no candidate can do it alone. When putting together a campaign team, it’s a good idea to bring together a mix of people who know you well AND people who know campaigns well.

Having a strong political team allows the candidate to focus on their message and connect with voters while the campaign team delegates important tasks, handles day-to-day tasks, and allows for division of labor.

Here are some of the vital roles on a successful campaign team:

Campaign Manager:

Choosing the right person for this important role is essential. This individual oversees all campaign-related efforts. They will serve as the “contact person” for the candidate, other campaign team members, and act as the liaison between the campaign, volunteers and community members.

Some candidates decide to hire a consultant who has expertise in areas that can help the campaign. Whether to do this depends on whether your budget allows for it and the need for outside help.

NOTE: Although many first time candidates in small local elections act as their own campaign manager, as the campaign heats up and more demands are made on the candidate, they may run the risk of taking on too many roles and becoming overwhelmed. These roles may need to be performed by other team members to allow the candidate to have the time to reach out to voters and to make contact with donors.

Campaign Treasurer:

This individual will be responsible for the campaign’s financial and accounting operations. Some of the areas the treasurer will be responsible for include: creating and maintaining a budget, approving campaign expenditures, keeping track of contributions, and making sure that the campaign is functioning within established election regulations and laws. Ideally, the Treasurer should have a background and experience in finance or accounting.

Fundraising Director:

The Fundraising Director will work closely with the campaign Treasurer. They will be spearheading efforts to identify and reach out to donors and overseeing the budget for the campaign. This individual should possess strong networking skills, community connections and good organizational skills along with a clear grasp of the political landscape. The Treasurer and Fundraising Director will need to have a clear understanding of state and fundraising regulations and rules and must be able to comply with them throughout the campaign.

Communications Director:

This team member will handle the campaign’s outreach efforts. They will be responsible for leading the campaign's messaging, media relations, and online presence. Being comfortable with public speaking and having strong writing skills will be important for the Communications Director’s handling of media and public relations. A clear communication strategy and its execution will be essential to the goal of conveying the campaign’s message to potential voters.

Digital Director :

The Digital Director works to maintain the online operations of the campaign and plays a key role in the communication efforts of the campaign. Every campaign should have someone help with their social media and website updates. This team member will be responsible for the execution of social media posts. They should have knowledge and understanding about up-to-date technologies and current online trends.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It’s a good idea to make sure that more than one person can maintain the campaign’s digital activities. Losing the campaign’s only social media expert during the campaign will make it difficult for others to access Twitter or Facebook accounts.

Volunteer Coordinators:

Every campaign depends on the efforts of volunteers. The team members who manage their volunteers’ efforts make sure that the campaign activities are run according to plan. Effective volunteer coordinators work well with others and possess strong organizational skills. These skills will keep groups and volunteers informed, motivated and working effectively. Coordinators can also designate volunteers to lead specific tasks such as canvassing, phone banking, putting up campaign signs and posters and working at events.

Next: Getting the Word Out

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