How to Set up a Campaign Team

If you run for office in an upcoming election, you need a campaign team. No campaign can be successful without a team to help get the public's attention and try to bring in the vote for the candidate. Each member of a campaign team is crucial, so it is important to know how to set up a campaign team that will be the most effective in winning your upcoming election.

Instructions

Establish General Campaign Team Members

1. Hire a campaign manager because this is the most important team position, next to the candidate. An effective campaign manager must have a thorough understanding of election strategy, be very organized and a natural born leader. The campaign manager oversees the entire campaign.

2. Get a volunteer coordinator on board with the campaign. This position requires excellent people skills and the ability to teach others effectively. The volunteer coordinator is in charge of recruiting, scheduling and organizing volunteers involved in the campaign.

3. Find a fundraising director to bring in campaign funds. This team member must be able to work toward and meet deadlines as well as be creative, since she organizes all fundraisers. Knowledge of campaign finance regulations is also helpful.

4. Bring a finance chair onto the campaign team. While this position may seem similar to the fundraising director, the finance chair's main purpose is collecting financial contributions from major donors (i.e. the big bucks).

5. Appoint a grassroots coordinator to deal with directly with the voters, coordinating events such as absentee drives and voter registrations. Attributes for a grassroots coordinator include organization, knowledge of campaign strategy and willingness to have a lot on his plate at once.

Establish Local Organization Teams

1. Determine at what levels your campaign will need local organizations, based upon the size of your campaign. For local races, break the organization down by precinct (polling place). Campaigns for higher offices, such as president, need to have local organizations broken down on various levels, such as state, ward, district and precinct.

2. Establish the expectations for each local organization location, including the individual leaders.

3. Put together a packet of materials relative to each local organization location, including information about the voters in that area and suggestions on how to reach them for the campaign.

4. Recruit volunteers for each location. Talk to friends, family members, business contacts and voters who offered their services. Even political science students at the local colleges can get involved with your campaign.

Tips & Warnings

• The candidate should not serve as a campaign manager so she is available to the public, no matter how small the campaign.