Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D-I-Y’ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. Each week we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide.
This week, we’re talking about something every campaign needs to work on, and that is how we treat donors in a way that encourages them to continue to give.
Donor management can be tricky. As we’ve seen in the last few elections, the rise of small donors is a huge factor in political campaigns, and more campaigns are redefining how they interact with those donors. With tens of thousands of donors to a campaign, it is difficult to have a candidate personally thank everyone who gives $5. That said, making sure that people know that they are appreciated? It matters a great deal not just for the race at hand, but for future races if you want continuing donations from a specific donor or their circle of connections.
Courtesy to all donors, big and small.
No matter how much a person donates to a campaign, whether it is a large amount or a small amount, donors, in general, appreciate some acknowledgment. This can be an email that thanks them for their contribution or a postcard with a handwritten signature.
All the way from city council to a race for governor, a printed postcard with a signature on it sent to donors was the traditional thank you for donors. With the rise of email and micro-donations, it is often smaller campaigns that still send a handwritten note to every donor, while large campaigns reserve that kind of contact for donors who cross a donation level threshold.
No matter what you decide, every person who donates should receive some form of thank you contact post their donation, that specifically thanks them for their contribution.
Treatment of Pledges
During call time, candidates will receive a lot of pledges for donations to their campaigns. A pledge only means something if it materializes. Upon receiving a commitment of funds, many campaigns will send out a reminder to the donor thanking them for their pledge along with information as to how they can donate, electronically or by mail with a check.
Develop a pattern in your campaign of scheduling follow-ups on pledges. All campaigns will end up with unfulfilled pledges, but you can lower that number with a reminder after the initial pledge and a follow up a week or two later.
Pledges to a campaign are great, but it is only fulfilled pledges that count to your bottom line.
Recognizing mid & large size donors
While there are some states and races that have no limits on size of donations given to a campaign, most states and all federal races have direct donor limits. There are donors to a campaign who may provide a significant donation to a campaign, and often all they ask is recognition.
Great campaigns come up with a way to recognize these donors in a way that acknowledges their efforts, which can encourage others to give. If you’ve been to a house party or Democratic fundraiser, you may notice some guests are labeled as “hosts” or “sponsors;” these honorifics are used to acknowledge their support of the candidate and party.
If races have maximum donation limits, several campaigns have turned to sending not just a handwritten note but some sort of lapel pin, button, or another item to help honor these donors. And before it seems silly, it also helps to make sure that when they attend further fundraising events or campaign support events so that they are recognized and get to avoid being asked to donate again; if they have maxed out, that is the limit.
Donors deserve respect. Things you should avoid:
While most campaigns make an effort to treat donors quite well, it seems as though every cycle I hear at least one story of campaigns that make little effort to acknowledge, reward, or show support for their donors. In some cases, that goes one step further, with campaigns that seemingly go out of their way to alienate mid and large donors.
This doesn’t mean not agreeing with them on every issue. However, treating donors poorly is a strategy to long-term failure. Donors aren’t entitled to over the top benefits, but they should feel as though they are part of an organization that welcomes them.
Donors who give significantly aren’t always wealthy, they may just be Democratic party members who are very concerned and want to see something change; these donors like to feel as though their involvement is worth it.
If you check through most campaign finance reports, you’ll see a few people who may ask for their donations, big and small, back. This can be due to a lot of factors, but often it is that a donor feels personally disrespected or that the candidate wasn’t where they thought they were on the issues. While candidates aren’t going to change who they are on the issues, they can make sure donors know they are appreciated.
With these things in mind, avoid these moves:
- Do not, ever, in public dismiss, attack, or defame a major donor. Unless you are prepared to hand them back a check, attacking a donor in public is something you should definitely avoid.
- Avoid inequitable treatment. Imagine if a campaign said: “all max donors get a personal letter and a lapel pin”; but then some donors who met that receive neither. Inequitable recognition will cause that donor to not give to you again. They will be left with two thoughts: either the campaign doesn’t like them or their money, or, the campaign can’t competently handle donor maintenance. Neither of these are good for the campaign.
- Keep private conversations private. Donors who give more often get a chance to speak to a candidate more often. They also like to know what is going on with the campaign, a follow up on their donation from their side of the table. Even if a donor asks about items that you aren’t prepared to give them, don’t use your private conversations against a donor. They will remember, and it will not help you later.
Final thoughts:
Treat donors as important members of your campaign, even if they aren’t in your office every day. Their investment in your goals and your campaign keep the doors open and you competitive. If you treat donors well, they can help spread the word and grow your campaign. If you treat donors poorly, the word will also spread, and it will not be helpful.
Next Week: DNC, State Parties, County Parties, Legislative Districts. The Democratic Pyramid of Expectations.
After David Jarman’s fantastic post regarding the breakdown of what the DNC, DCCC are, I think it is time for a look and what these groups actually do and what they don’t do for campaigns.
.
Nuts & Bolts: Building Democratic Campaigns
Contact the Daily Kos group Nuts and Bolts by kosmail (members of Daily Kos only).
Every Saturday this group will chronicle the ins and outs of campaigns, small and large. Issues to be covered: Campaign Staffing, Fundraising, Canvass, Field Work, Data Services, Earned Media, Spending and Budget Practices, How to Keep Your Mental Health, and on the last Saturday of the month: “Don’t Do This!” a diary on how you can learn from the mistakes of campaigns in the past.
You can follow prior installments in this series HERE.