Asking for a political donation is similar to asking for a donation for a charity.
In both cases, you’re asking someone to believe in a cause, and the money goes toward the community's betterment.
It’s easier than a business person asking for money from an investor because the amounts are generally smaller.
The main principles of asking for money still apply.
When you ask for political donations, you can do it in several ways.
In-person.
In the mail.
On social media.
Over the phone.
Through another donor.
Whatever combination you choose, be careful to keep it as personal as possible. Never send a text requesting a donation, and avoid robocalls as they are irritating and have a bad reputation.
No matter how you ask, be sure to always “give information, be transparent, be honest, and give bad news upfront.”
Confidence is important.
Use words like; partner, give, and support. These words indicate you are entering into a partnership with the person rather than having them simply give you money for your campaign.
It’s their campaign too, if they believe that you are the best person for the position.
Be prepared.
The old adage goes — you can never be too prepared.
Every person you meet has something they’d like to see the government take care of. They have concerns and questions about specific issues that are very personal to them. Find out what they are.
If there’s an issue that voters are paying attention to, your campaign will need to address it.
If you keep saying “I’ll get back to you on that, I’ll get back to you on that”, they will lose confidence in you. It sounds like you don’t know the issues and worse, you don’t understand their needs.
Know your constituency. If you haven’t thought about the specific issues, or you aren’t an expert, bring someone along who can help field technical questions. Get up to speed on the problems you plan to solve.
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Know what you’re talking about
Know the issues and the problems, and know what your competition is saying about them.
What specific solutions are you prepared to promise?
Be transparent, and be honest. If you don’t know something, admit it and make a plan to learn more.
Apologize if you make a mistake.
Be polite and appropriately modest.
Many small donations are a great thing to talk about in the press, but the larger donations are what makes a candidate’s campaign.
For larger donors
Meet in person and treat them like an investor. Listen to their concerns and find out what they want you to do in return for their support. There’s always something.
Follow up, even if you don’t think you will get a donation.
After the meeting is over, send them a note thanking them for their time.
After you’ve given them some time to think about it, check in with them. Making a personal connection can sometimes spark a donation.
The biggest supporters of politicians in power are long-term donors who give every year. You want to keep your donors happy.
Keep them informed during the campaign.
Let them know how their investment in you is doing.
A no might turn into a yes in the future.
Don’t ignore your donors.
A big mistake many people make is not keeping in touch.
The next time you talk to your donor shouldn’t be when you need money again.
Show up
Cut ribbons, be there for the grand opening, and show your support.
Use Zoom to connect with those you can’t meet in person.
If you have a good track record, you’ll be able to raise a lot of money. That means following through on your promises.
If you have a bad track record, no matter how polite you are when you ask, it’s going to be difficult for you to raise funds.
Money follows power.
Individuals and groups will fund politicians in the best position to deliver what they’re looking for.
Remember, the money isn’t for you, it’s going to be used to create a better community and make a difference in the world.
And in the end, money isn’t the most important thing to the campaign; getting elected is.
This is one article in a series that explores how to be comfortable asking for money in different situations.
Paid subscribers can access the entire archive of my stories from the beginning, along with my poetry and every article I’ve ever written here. If you aren’t a paid subscriber, you can access the archive for free with a 7-day trial.
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