Political Campaign Management TipsRun for office or become a campaign manager

You may have had lots of people say that you should run for office. Don’t assume that they will all be willing to actually do something practical to get you elected. The supporters who really make a difference are those who will give money, call voters, send postcards to their friends asking them to vote for you,  put up signs in their yards,  circulate your nominating petition or work in other ways to move the campaign forward .

One way to evaluate their ability to help you is to look at their track records. If they have been actively involved in previous campaigns, they are good prospects to help you when you run.

However, political newcomers can be very enthusiastic supporters as well. Someone who is actively involved in her children’s school, youth sports, church or faith center or a civic organization is likely to be able to help your campaign. If you ask around a bit, you can probably identify the workers who really help in the areas they commit to.

You are likely to find that a lot of folks think they are great candidates for your steering committee. It’s amazing how many people think they are brilliant political strategists. Most of these people are not the ones who will move your campaign forward. The folks you are really looking for are the people who will persuade other people to support you. They can do this through their social networks, contributing money or being willing to knock on doors in their neighborhood.

As you prepare to run for office, try to identify jobs that you can ask a volunteer to do.  Delegating some of the work of the campaign is a good habit to get into and it will help you find out who will really follow up on an assignment and who is all talk.  It is probably inevitable that some of your volunteers will not follow through on the tasks they have promised to do for the campaign.  However, a careful evaluation of your volunteers and giving them assignments early in the campaign can help you avoid counting on unreliable volunteers to do essential tasks when it is too late to correct the consequences of their inaction.

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