Articles

10 Mistakes First Time Candidates Make

Dialing for Dollars

Building Coaltions

DIALING FOR DOLLARS

Or How to Face Your Fears and Pick up that Phone

What’s the campaign task candidates fear most? Not public speaking, although some choke up at the thought of facing their opponents in a one on one debate; not knocking on doors of complete strangers and asking for their vote. No, the one task that candidates fear most and that, ironically, candidates are best suited to performing personally is Dialing for Dollars.

Ask a candidate if she’d rather pick up the phone and call friends, colleagues and likely supporters and ask for a monetary contribution to their campaign or have extensive oral surgery with no anesthetic and the oral surgery wins hands down every time.

It would offer a good excuse not to have to talk to people about money.

Here are ten tips to help reluctant candidates make those phone calls:

1. You’re not asking for yourself, but for the campaign. The campaign is going to do wonderful things for your District, State or Society at large, but it needs the money to get the message across.

Know what list the potential donor came from. Make the pitch match the donor’s interest. If you’re calling the Sierra Club list, remind them of your endorsement from that organization.

2: Set a time and place each day to make the calls and stick to it, until they are done. Mid mornings are usually good times to reach professionals at their offices. Friends can receive evening calls at home. No one should be called before 8 Am or after 9 in the evening.

3: Have your campaign manager or fundraising chair sit with you and feed you the names. They can give you a big High Five and shout “Caching!” whenever someone agrees to donate.

Shout aloud only after the prospect is off the line.

4: Have volunteers actually make the calls, then hand you the phone when they get the potential donor on the line. This way you can make more calls in the time allotted.

5: Have a script written out beforehand. Make it short and snappy. Keep patter to a minimum. Get to the point right away. Keep a log of calls made, response given and follow up needed.

6: Tell them what their money is going to be used for: for example: a mailing to five hundred new voters; two hundred shiny new yard signs; a brochure highlighting how you will promote campaign finance reform.

If they are past donors, thank them again for what they have done, tell them what their original contribution was used for, and ask for more. Keeping track doesn’t only remind the donor what a well organized campaigner you are, it’s necessary in case there are campaign limits that trigger reporting requirements. Make sure you know what these are for your particular race.

7: Know how much the person can afford. It’s better to ask for too much than too little. Few people will be insulted that you think they are richer than they are. But if you ask for too little, it’s uncool to blurt out: “Wait, $100 is not enough for your income bracket, how about $1000?”

8: Follow up with a remit envelope and a personally written thank you note. This will encourage the donor to actually write the check he promised. Even the most dedicated supporters can forget.

9: Get the money. If the envelope doesn’t come back in a timely manner, have a volunteer, or finance chair make a polite reminder call. Offer to drive over and pick it up from the donor’s home or office.

10. Ask again. Just because they declined once, doesn’t mean they won’t accept a second opportunity to give. Ask until they give you a resounding “NO.” Then thank them for their time.

A rule of thumb is past donors make the best prospects. If they gave once, they’ll be especially eager to give again. They’ve made an investment in your campaign. Ask for more the second time. They’ll tell you if they can’t afford it or are tapped out.

I often ask people to double what they gave in the first round. If you are going into a general election after a primary, this is a great opportunity to maximize the giving capacity of former donors.

They want you to win. They want to be a part of your victory.

Remember, giving to candidates offers people a chance to be a part of something big, something exciting. They can effect real change for issues they care about through your election. Make sure they are thanked frequently, and included in campaign events. Ask major donors to be sponsors of your kick-off party and campaign fundraisers. Give them interesting titles like: Angel, Benefactor, Guru of Good Government.

Your election is their reward.

One caveat: Though they are rare, there are those people who think that by giving to your campaign, they are buying your vote on some pet issue or project. Beware anyone you don’t know offering buckets of cash. Always check with someone who knows the person before accepting. Don’t worry; this is not likely to happen to you unless you are far enough along in your political career to have a good screening mechanism in place. That is the subject for another article.

First published in Campaigns and Elections Magazine, June 2004.