It’s another Saturday, so for those who tune in, welcome to a diary discussing the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic Campaign. If you’ve missed out, you can catch up anytime: Just visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide. Every week I tackle issues I’ve been asked about, and with the help of other campaign workers and notes, we discuss how to improve and build better campaigns.
If you have ever given to a Democratic campaign, for the last few months you have likely been bombarded with emails about giving for the 2020 election. Incumbent candidates begin running for re-election to federal office immediately after they are sworn in; challengers declare nearly as early.
In comments here on Daily Kos, as well as in direct messages and email, many who are involved in campaigns get asked one question pretty frequently: How early is too early to start a campaign? The answer may surprise you.
You are just getting started
Even if you are two years away from an election, it is not necessarily too early to start your campaign. It can give you time to reconsider, withdraw, or decide to move forward. It can also give you a chance to build up resources over a longer period of time, with less pressure.
Starting out early is about how you define your campaign and how you use the extra time you have. If you use this time effectively, you can learn more about your district, participate in community events, raise your public profile, and develop relationships with community members who can assist you.
If you use your time poorly, you can waste resources and put yourself in debt or at a loss before the real campaign even begins.
If you start early, what do you need?
There are very few things a campaign needs if it starts early. These are: a named treasurer, an individual tasked with finance, and a candidate. For quite some time early on, there isn’t a need for people who work in the field, manage campaign operations, or do any extensive planning. The earlier you start, the more you boil down to the basics: How do I raise money, how do I report money I’ve raised, and how can I be most effective at controlling my expenses?
If you can manage these tasks, you can lay the groundwork for a real campaign and give yourself a solid footing for raising more funds later. Larger donors like donating to campaigns they see as already successful—and the better your early reporting looks, the more likely many of these donors will consider your campaign.
Starting too early
Setting up an early operation aimed at generating funding for your campaign is fine. Starting a campaign early and actually campaigning can be a huge mistake. By spending a lot of money early, you run the real risk of donor abuse. If donors feel as though you are burning through their donations before it matters, you lower their interest in continuing to give.
Early spending and too much staff too early can leave you constantly playing catch-up, where a lot of your early fundraising isn’t about building a war chest for later, but about generating the required revenue to cover your operating expenses. Significant early operating expenses can waste large amounts of good will, donations, and effort.
The other major mistake that campaigns make if they start too early is to believe that they must build a full campaign. You have no need to commit to campaign workers two years in advance if you are a challenger, and if you are in a race for nonfederal office, you can spend a large amount of your time with only a treasurer, part-time finance help, and yourself.
You can’t be too early, but you can be wrong
Don’t worry about being too early. Instead, focus on what you are doing during that extra time. Entering a race or deciding to run early can be an advantage or a detriment to your campaign. Rather than focus on the calendar and the extra days, remain focused on the same guidance that will make your general campaign successful.
Next week: Thanksgiving turkeys—some of the worst campaign ads