Rarely do they volunteer the information that a contributor wants to know: Can you win and how will you win? Candidates often mask their discomfort with asking for money. They enjoy talking to constituents, going to meetings and being part of events, but put off whenever possible doing fundraising. Fundraising doesn’t have to be a negative experience — and it won’t be, if you make it personal.
Sure, asking for money doesn’t come easy to most people. To ask, you need to be ready to answer the question: Why should I give you money? And responding to the question requires a candidate to talk about his or her qualities. Most people have a difficult time talking about their qualities.
But if a candidate gets comfortable talking about himself or herself, fundraising will be a much easier and more pleasant task. Moreover, once that comfort level is achieved, here are some ways candidates can help grow their fundraising hauls.
Divide up the contact list
The candidate and campaign team must work jointly to maximize the size of the contact list. The candidate should be able to gather information for her friends and colleagues, community activists and political players in addition to labor and business leaders. Other groups such as environmental, health, energy, and tech are likely to be in the candidate’s orbit.
All of these groups are an integral part of a campaign’s outreach. Still, it’s the fundraising team that should determine which of the contacts will be asked for a contribution. Not all people in the groups listed above are contributors, and not all contributors are voices for your campaign plan.
By recognizing the difference, the candidate’s time will be better spent for fundraising. The lists presented to the candidate for calls and meetings will be strong with potential and proven givers to campaigns. Leave the other people for your campaign activities.
Do the prep work before call time
Call time provides the opportunity to communicate and connect with potential contributors and current supporters in a personal way. Yet placing calls is frustrating and difficult. Most of the time you get a voicemail, which defeats the purpose of the personal touch. A good approach is to have the campaign’s fundraiser or staff member do advance calls to get the best time and phone number for the candidate to call. This method alleviates the frustration of leaving a message.
Work on your call style
On the phone, a candidate should be positive, friendly and concise. Moreover, they should be straightforward as to why they’re calling. One way to start is by saying that this is a call to gain support and a contribution. Contributors appreciate the honesty and it lets them know the purpose of the conversation.
Make sure to close with a strong statement like, “I hope that this conversation has provided you with the necessary information to have confidence in me and to support my campaign. Your help would be greatly appreciated.”
Write a follow-up letter
Handwritten notes might be somewhat archaic in the era of social media and computers, but they provide an added personal touch and help a candidate stand out. Moreover, they’re an effective way to follow up from your phone call.
If you have a form letter, add a handwritten note at the bottom that shows respect to the potential contributor. These personal touches help build relationships that’ll provide a solid base for all of your fundraising.
Pick your events carefully
For the candidate, it’s easier to ask for a contribution for an event. In fact, that’s why candidates like to have events. But they’re time intensive and, if not well planned with a host or underwriter, can be costly. There are two types: Small contributor events, which are generally for friends and friends of friends who’ll contribute up to $100. As contributors they’re an important group because small-donor money is viewed by pundits as an indication of broader support within the community.
The other type of event is the large-dollar, major-contributor fundraiser. These events are usually small in number, yet produce large amounts of money. They’re harder to organize as they require a solid commitment from the host or host committee. For this type of event to be successful reach out to someone who’s prominent in political circles who can offer names for the guest list.
These events are usually at a private home or may be held at a hotel or restaurant. Cost for this type of event must be underwritten or else the campaign will spend unnecessary money.
Renée Hatchwell is the founder of the Renée Hatchwell Company, whose fundraising clients range from local, state and federal candidates to organizations and associations.
American Classics: Election Cake (a tasty tale from Seriouseats.com)
No one told me there would be cake when I signed up to vote, but historically Election Cake was an important part of doing your civic duty in Connecticut as early as colonial days. If you're going to rock the vote, I see no reason to do so sans cake. In anticipation of Election Day, this seems like a good time to revive a noble eating tradition.
History has it that this spiced raised cake was served during the festivities surrounding elections in Connecticut prior to the Revolution. The earliest recorded recipe for "Hartford Election Cake" was included in the second edition of Amelia Simmons' American Cookery, the first known cookbook written by an American, published at the turn of the 18th century.
Alas, Ms. Simmons' recipe isn't of much practical use for the modern home cook—it calls for 30 quarts of flour, 10 pounds of butter, 14 pounds of sugar, 12 pounds of raisins, 3 dozen eggs, 1 pint of wine, and 1 pint of brandy, among other ingredients. Fortunately in later years Fannie Farmer Merritt scaled the recipe back to a single loaf in The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. While I'm loathe to use the f-word here (fruitcake, people, fruitcake!), Election Cake might well be considered a cousin of both the traditional, boozy, fruit studded English Christmas cake and a yeast raised Hot Cross Bun.
Sweet, but not overly so, this is a cake worth casting a vote for.
About This Recipe
| Yield: | 20 (makes two loaves) |
| Active time: | 30 minutes |
| Total time: | 3 hours |
| Special equipment: | electric stand mixer, loaf pans, wire cooling rack |
| This recipe appears in: | American Classics: Election Cake |
Ingredients
- For the Cake
- 2/3 cup warm water (105 to 115°F)
- 2 packages of active dry yeast (1/2 ounce)
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup finely chopped figs
- For the Brandy Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Procedures
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1Add warm water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast evenly over the surface and set aside for 5 minutes to let dissolve. Grease and flour two 8.5 inch loaf pans. Line the pan bottoms with parchment paper.
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2In a large bowl mix 3 cups of flour with cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
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3Check to see that yeast has dissolved and that mixture is bubbling (if you don't see bubbles that means that your yeast is not good, and you'll have to try again proofing another batch of yeast). If yeast has dissolved and is bubbling then add one cup of flour, mixing thoroughly. Add butter and mix until well incorporated. Add sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Add in eggs an mix until just combined. Lastly mix in flour, reserving a couple of tablespoons. Toss raisins and figs in remaining flour and then stir them into the cake batter. Loosely cover loaf pans with a light hand towel and leave to let rise for an hour and a half.
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4Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake loaves for 50 minutes to and hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Place pans on wire racks to cool. Remove cakes from pans after 5 minutes or so.
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5In a medium bowl whisk together confectioners sugar, milk, brandy, and vanilla. Spoon over the tops of the fully cooled loaves and allow to drizzle down the sides.
