Campaign Fundraising 03 - Friend Calls
Besides candidate outreach, friends’ outreach can be a critical component of raising money and winning your political campaign. By having close friends and volunteers (who have donated) call their friends, you can multiply your fundraising efforts.
The Sutton System from The Leadership Institute
Through friend calls, this method of fundraising can lead to several thousand dollars per night in new donations. The process is relatively simple, but the standard remains that you will need to ask for money!
As the candidate, invite a few close friends over for dinner. Tell them that you need help raising money for the campaign and simply ask them to enjoy dinner and keep an open mind.
During the dinner, explain the following process and ask each friend to phone a few of their close friends, chat briefly, and explain how they are helping you run for office. After telling them what has been personally donated, ask if they could contribute a specific amount of money as well.
About the Dinner:
- Host the dinner inside a private home. Make it a comfortable and welcoming environment
- With each phone call, start small talk and make it easy to transition into the ask by easing into politics, local issues, family, the community, etc.
- Make it easy to explain why you called and then introduce the candidate for a brief conversation (a couple of minutes).
- Ask for your friend’s vote
- Ask your friend for a specific contribution! People come first, but make sure to make the fundraising ask.
- Round up the call by thanking your friend, continuing with a bit more conversation, and then close with a prayer.
- With every yes, follow up online, by mail, or in-person to fulfill each pledge. Ask for their preference.
- After the contribution, the candidate should thank every donor with a letter, phone call, or a personal thanks.
If you have any questions on setting up your political campaign, please let us know. To learn more and get involved by running for office, contact us at:roosevelt.tech
February 21, 2024
Updated February 27, 2024
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