Endorsements - What are they good for?

A lot as it turns out. Now, I have run plenty of campaigns for underdog candidates who did not have the best endorsements in terms of elected officials or well-known opinion leaders, or major organizations, but they did have endorsements from their friends and neighbors, the people who cared about the issues they cared about. The people who could introduce them to other voters, donors, volunteers and provide locations for signs.

Here are a few things endorsements are good for:

1. Helping raise name recognition. So and so supports you. I know so and so, I'll support you too.

2. Finding other contacts. Ask your endorsers to provide the names of five others who might endorse or help out in some way.

3. Finding volunteers. The endorsers, their family, friends and colleagues who care about your issues can all be part of your network.

4. Money - Yes, ask those endorsers for a campaign contribution and to help you find others to ask as well.

4. Ask them to hold a house party. They invite their neighbors, you come and speak to a few interested folks, leave with sign locations, donations (usually small, but everything counts, right?) and even eager volunteers.

6. And it spirals. Go viral with the spiral of your growing contact list. Invite them to your website, your Facebook page and to invite their friends to "like" your page as well.

7. Now you have a campaign. These people believe in you. they are the ones to call for phone banking, walking, helping in a myriad of ways. They are invested. Use them. Remember, if they donated once, they'll donate again. If they walked one precinct they'll walk another. And so on.

Caveat -  You have to ask. You have to pick up the phone and make the call, make the ask. Your new endorsers are waiting.