Tip of the Day: Campaign Manager? Campaign Consultant? What the heck is the difference?

Many people, including many candidates, don't understand the difference between a campaign consultant and a campaign manager. So let's talk about each a bit.

There are a variety of campaign consultants, some specializing in different aspects of a campaign, such as fundraising, direct mail, media or polling.  What we are talking about here is a general consultant, or GC, who acts as a chief strategist and helps define the campaign's direction, message and budget.  The GC often hires the other consultants necessary or as in my firm, GreenDog Campaigns, performs some, if not all, the functions in-house. The GC does not need to be in the same geographic location as the candidate, but should be able to have a good understanding of the office sought and the needs of the District, as well as the practices of past campaigns, in terms of money spent, important endorsements and the like.

A campaign manager, on the other hand, is someone who works with the campaign on a day to day basis, making sure that local staff are hired, volunteers are in place, the candidate knows where he or she is to be at any given time, often accompanying the candidate to endorsement and other meetings.

The campaign manager is he chief cheerleader and campaign nag, all rolled into one. The GC will rely on the campaign manager for insights into the campaign's doings. If the GC is out of the area, there will often be frequent phone conference between the candidate, the campaign manager and the GC or a member of his/her staff.

Smaller campaigns often do without a GC. Conversely, some GC's also act as campaign managers for their candidates in smaller races, often supplemented by a volunteer coordinator and other volunteer or part time staff.

         Some casual advice from a seasoned campaign consultant at a fundraiser can be very helpful!

One thing I know for sure.  As the old saying goes, "a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client," so too, a candidate who tries to do his own campaign, if not a fool, is surely in for a very tough ride.  Even if your campaign manager is a trusted volunteer and you have no GC, it pays to have campaign professionals design your mail, target your audience and vet your messaging along the way. It could well be the difference between victory or defeat on Election Day.