Featur e
Municipal Campaign Fund Raising
You’ve Decided to Run – How Much Funding Will You Need and How are You Going to Get It?
Many first time candidates enter the race without realizing just how much effort, energy and money it will take to win. We caught up with two veteran municipal politicians and fund raisers, and asked them about raising money for a municipal campaign.
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Campaigns & Elections (C&E): What are the fundraising priorities for a first time municipal candidate?
Stephen: I think the first priority is to be realistic and cre- ate not one, but three budgets: 1) for a Bare Bones cam- paign, 2) for a Credible Campaign, 3) for the Best Possible Campaign within the maximum, allowable budget. While nobody runs to lose, the central campaign can
only effectively plan if they know the money will be there to support the effort.
Jeff: The fuel of politics is money. There is no doubt about that and you need lots of that fuel to launch a political career. Assuming as a candidate you are in the campaign to win, then you need the cash to buy the signs, print litera- ture, maintain a website, buy more signs, host coffee par- ties, feed and water your volunteers (did I mention signs?) and so on. Take an honest look at your race and yourself and create your budget accordingly – taking into account the odds of winning, size of your jurisdiction and your “brand value” in your community. The other issue that is important is to decide what your
personal investment is going to be and stick to it. I have seen too many candidates go into personal debt for their campaigns and then lose. There is nothing more painful than having to pay off debts as a defeated candidate (take it from me – been there, done that, got the credit card re- ceipts to prove it!). Also, in the interests of family harmony, make sure your personal financial contribution has been agreed to by your partner.
C&E: How do you go after the money you need to win? Stephen: Family and friends are the obvious choice for
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