How to Raise Money for Political Groups
All political groups need to raise money in order to promote their cause. While the cause could range from getting a candidate elected to changing the law to reflect a certain interest, money helps to pay for advertising, salaries and supplies related to supporting the cause. There are many different ways that you can fundraise for your political group, so try several to increase your chances of raising money.
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Instructions
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Research the federal and state laws regarding political donations. There are laws that restrict the amount of money that a person can donate to a political organization. You need to be sure that your group sticks within these laws. They vary by state, so check with the local board of elections for details in your area.
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Set up a donation button on your website. As people visit your website to learn more about the cause, they may want to give you money to help you reach your goals. You can make this easy by installing a "Donate" button on your website--when a person clicks on the button, she can make a donation by credit card.
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Send a fundraising letter to your supporters. If you have a mailing list of people that support your cause, you can send them a letter asking for donations. The letter should detail how much money you need and what you will use the money for.
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Use current events to increase donations. People get worked up when something that they don't like happens--use this to your advantage. For example, if Congress starts discussing a law that your group is against, let your supporters know about it and ask for donations to help fight the new law.
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Host events to raise money. This could be a political dinner or a concert in the park. You can charge an admission to the event and use the proceeds for your organization.
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Sell items related to your cause. For example, you can sell flags so that supporters can show their patriotism. Bumper stickers, T-shirts and pins with a catchy slogan can also be hot sellers.
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Tips & Warnings
When asking for donations, encourage people to donate whatever amount they can. Someone might feel embarrassed if he can only afford to give a few dollars, but those small amounts of money can add up. It's better to have a thousand people donate one dollar than one person donate $100.
Donation limits are not the only thing your group needs to research. Avoid costly fines and legal expenses by ensuring that you follow all requirements for disclosing and reporting the donations you worked so hard to collect. Campaign finance laws vary by state, and they are sometimes different than the guidelines for groups involved in federal elections.
