Maximizing Call Time: How to Raise the Money You Need to Win

Fundraising Basics

Overview: This section covers the basics of fundraising, including setting goals, doing the math, and using call time to raise money.

Setting Goals

• Fundraising can be scary for some people, so it's important to break it down and set goals.

• Think about how much money you need to raise in order to win.

• Call time has been proven to be the single most effective way to raise money.

• Tell your donors how you're using their money to reach the voters so that you can win this race about this issue that you really care about.

Team Building Exercise

• Introduce yourself and explain your experience in Democratic politics.

• Set norms for respect, presence, and participation.

• Ask participants to share a local issue that matters to them.

Call Time

• Call time is when the candidate directly calls potential donors to build relationships and ask for contributions.

• Objectives include recognizing how to rolodex, organizing and prioritizing donor lists, practicing a fundraising hard ask, and understanding call time best practices.

• All of these objectives fall under the campaign's fundraising plan.

• The fundraising plan outlines the goals, strategies, and tactics needed to raise money and talk to enough voters before Election Day.

• Frame fundraising around the reason you're asking people for money - so that you can do the work on the issue that matters to you.

Introduction to Call Time

Overview: This section provides an overview of call time and its importance in a campaign. It explains why call time is the most effective way to raise money, and how it can be used to build relationships and maximize resources.

What is Call Time?

• Call time is the process of making calls to potential donors to ask for money.

• It is the engine of a campaign and can be responsible for up to 70% of a campaign's revenue stream.

• It requires the candidate's time and resources, such as money and volunteers.

Benefits of Call Time

• Call time allows candidates to build deeper relationships with potential donors.

• It is the most effective way to raise money.

• It can be used to maximize resources and reach fundraising goals.

Example of an Effective Call Time

Overview: This section provides an example of an effective call time. It demonstrates how to make an ask, build relationships, and follow up after the call.

Making an Ask

• Start by introducing yourself and asking how the person is doing.

• Explain why you are running for office and what your campaign is doing.

• Make your ask and explain why it is important.

• Thank them for their help and offer to follow up with more information.

Building Relationships

• Ask questions to get to know the person better.

• Share stories and insights to build rapport.

• Offer to host an event or provide additional support.

Following Up

• Confirm the details of the ask and thank them again.

• Follow up with an email or phone call to confirm the details.

• Schedule a meeting or event to further build the relationship.

Preparing for Call Time

Overview: This section provides tips on how to prepare for call time. It explains the steps that need to be taken before, during, and after the call.

Before the Call

• Set goals and do the math to determine how much money needs to be raised.

• Research potential donors and create a list of people to call.

• Prepare a script and practice making the ask.

During the Call

• Introduce yourself and ask how the person is doing.

• Explain why you are running for office and what your campaign is doing.

• Make your ask and explain why it is important.

• Ask questions to get to know the person better.

• Offer to host an event or provide additional support.

• Thank them for their help and offer to follow up with more information.

After the Call

• Confirm the details of the ask and thank them again.

• Follow up with an email or phone call to confirm the details.

• Schedule a meeting or event to further build the relationship.

Setting Fundraising Goals

Overview: This section covers how to set fundraising goals for a campaign, including researching past races, mapping out a fundraising network, and more.

Researching Past Races

• Start by researching how much money was raised by the last Democrat who ran in the race.

• Redistricting may mean that the district is different from what it was in the past, so look for other ways to build the budget.

Mapping Out a Fundraising Network

• Fundraising is not easy, but it is mathematical. Use formulas and templates to help.

• Be prepared to hear "no" and have something in mind to get yourself out of feeling discouraged.

• Have a plan for working through your contact list.

• If running against a multi-term incumbent, look at the last challenger and how much they spent.

Additional Preparation

• Fundraising is all about relationships, so understand who the potential donors are in the district and what types of relationships need to be built.

• One hour of call time will take between two and five hours of donor research and additional preparation.

• Expand your network throughout the campaign.

Donor Motivation

Overview: This section covers the different types of donors and how to motivate them to invest in your campaign.

Personal Network

• Start by calling your family, friends, and people who support your dreams.

• These people don't necessarily care what party you're in or what issues you're running on.

Ideological Donors

• These people do care what party you're in and what issues you're running on.

• They could be members of Democratic clubs, constituency groups, or union members.

Acts to Grind

• These people don't necessarily care about what your issues are, but they do care about what the other person is running against or for and they don't like it.

• Examples include teachers and their families who have never donated to a candidate before.

Power Sphere

• These people just want to feel like they have some connection to the candidate so that they can call them to ask for favors or get certain legislation passed.

Donor Motivation

Overview: This section covers the different types of donor motivation and how to identify them. It also provides tips on how to build a list of potential donors from personal contacts, and how to frame donations as investments in the campaign.

Donor Motivation

• Different spheres of donor motivation include personal, ideological, and transactional.

• Knowing which sphere your donors fall into is important when building priority lists and making asks.

• Personal sphere donors may just want to see you happy, while ideological donors are motivated by the end game of what legislation you can pass.

Rolodexing Process

• Rolodexing is the process of building a list of potential donors from personal contacts, reducing duplicates, and organizing the list.

• Sources for contacts include cell phone contacts, address book, social media, alumni groups, membership groups, friends' contacts, family's contacts, and staff members' contacts.

• Spreadsheet should include name, address, phone number, email, occupation, employer, and any notes.

• Frame donations as investments in the campaign, as they are investments in issues that matter to the donor.

• If contact information is not available, use Google to do more research.

Organizing and Prioritizing Donor Spreadsheets

Overview: This section covers how to organize and prioritize donor spreadsheets in order to maximize fundraising efforts.

Rating Donors

• Use a rating system from A-F to indicate the likelihood of a donor giving money. A is for those who are 100% likely to donate, B is for those who are likely to donate, C is for those who could go either way, and D is for those who are unlikely to donate. Avoid giving anyone an F rating.

Categorizing Donors

• Categorize donors based on their likely donation amount, using a scale of 0-5. Zero indicates that you have no idea how much they will give, 1-3 are higher end donors, and 4-5 are smaller dollar donors.

Prioritizing Donors

• Prioritize your calls by starting with A donors who are 100% likely to donate, then B donors who are likely to donate, followed by C donors who could go either way, and finally D donors who are unlikely to donate.

• Spend time building relationships with B donors, as they are more likely to donate than C or D donors.

• Start with A donors to build credibility and comfort level when making the ask.

Donor Research Overview

Overview: This section covers the importance of donor research and how to start researching potential donors.

Starting Donor Research

• Start by looking up a potential donor's past contribution history to see if they have ever given to a candidate running in a similar race.

• Focus on building the foundation of your own campaign, such as knowing how much money you need to raise and your win number.

• Utilize new people that you meet on the campaign trail by getting their business cards and contact information.

• Make a note of conversations you have with potential donors so you can reference them when you reach out.

• Don't worry about researching opponents until after the filing deadline has passed.

• Donor research is ongoing and should be done throughout the campaign.

Online Resources

• Open Secrets.com is a great resource for researching potential donors.

• Utilize other online resources such as the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website.

• People who cannot donate may still be able to volunteer for your campaign.

• Look for people who could be moved up a ladder of engagement to volunteer or give a larger amount.

Fundraising Strategies

Overview: This section covers the basics of fundraising, including researching potential donors, making calls, and creating a budget.

Researching Potential Donors

• It is illegal to call people off of lists.

• Fundraising is all about relationships.

• Do additional research on potential donors, such as Googling them, looking them up on Facebook, and making notes of shared interests and connections.

• If a potential donor could be a high dollar donor, consider reaching out to a connection first to set up a meeting or phone call.

Making Calls

• Avoid leaving messages unless you've called a person multiple times and they haven't answered.

• Note the day and time that you called them to avoid always calling at the same time.

• It is usually fine to call people at work, but be aware of the type of work they do.

Creating a Budget

• Create a three-tier budget (Uh-Oh, Realistic, Ideal).

• Compare your fundraising goals with what has been raised in your district in the past.

• Set goals for call time based on your overall fundraising goal.

• Consider how many hours the candidate will need to put in, how many pledges can be obtained in an hour, and how much donors are likely to give.

Hard Ask vs Soft Ask

Overview: This section covers the difference between a hard and soft ask when it comes to fundraising. It also provides tips on how to make an effective ask and how to negotiate with donors.

Hard Ask

• A hard ask is a direct request for money that is specific, urgent, and has a deadline.

• An example of a hard ask is asking a donor for a specific amount of money to support a particular cause or campaign.

• It is important to provide a reason for why you are asking for money and to be clear about what the money will be used for.

Soft Ask

• A soft ask is a more indirect request for money that lacks specificity and urgency.

• An example of a soft ask is asking a donor to "maybe donate some money" without providing any details about the amount or purpose of the donation.

• Soft asks are less likely to be successful than hard asks, as they do not provide enough information for the donor to make an informed decision.

Making an Effective Ask

• Greet the donor, establish your credibility and viability, engage them in conversation, and listen to their response.

• Make the ask specific, urgent, and have a deadline. Stop talking and wait for a response.

• Negotiate with the donor if necessary.

• Get the donor's credit card information if applicable.

• Follow up with a thank you and any additional information.

Conclusion

Making an effective ask is essential for successful fundraising. Hard asks are more likely to be successful than soft asks, as they provide the donor with enough information to make an informed decision. It is important to greet the donor, establish your credibility and viability, engage them in conversation, and make the ask specific, urgent, and have a deadline. Negotiate with the donor if necessary, get their credit card information if applicable, and follow up with a thank you and any additional information.

Thanking Donors and Keeping Track of Contributions

Overview: This section covers the importance of thanking donors, keeping track of contributions, and maintaining relationships with donors. It also provides tips on how to use ActBlue for online donations and how to personalize thank you notes.

Pre-Work

• Sending thank you notes is important and should not be overlooked.

• NDTC has a suite of NGP courses to help with fundraising reports.

• Spreadsheets can also be used to keep track of contributions.

Call Time

• Handwritten thank you notes are especially important and should be done until it is physically not possible.

• Keep donors updated on campaign progress by adding them to email list and sending pictures of volunteers in action.

• Personalize thank you cards and maintain relationships with donors.

Online Donations

• Fill in template information for online donations and make sure to thank donors.

• Personalize thank you notes and maintain relationships with donors.

Conclusion

• Call time involves pre-work, the actual call time, and post-work.

• Rolodexing and completing donor research helps prioritize and maximize call time sessions.

• Follow up and thank donors is incredibly important.

• Additional resources can be found at traindemocrats.org.

Making Follow-up Calls

Overview: This section covers the best times to make calls, how to take notes on when donors are available, and the importance of handwritten letters.

Making Calls

• Avoid sending follow-up emails and instead make calls.

• Make calls whenever you can get your candidate to sit down and make call time.

• Make notes of what time you're calling people to identify patterns.

• Avoid limiting yourself to certain times of the week as it will be different for every donor.

Handwritten Letters

• Handwriting is better than typed on campaign letterhead as it creates a good rapport with donors.

• Use other resources such as time with your candidate to thank volunteers in person.

• Consider creating exclusive Facebook filters for volunteers.

Spending Campaign Resources

Overview: This section covers the importance of considering how many voters are being influenced with purchases and how to show appreciation to volunteers without spending a lot of money.

Spending Resources

• When spending campaign resources, consider how many voters are being influenced with the purchase.

• Buying things for volunteers is not recommended.

• Provide snacks, water, and pizza parties to show appreciation to volunteers.

Running Again After Losing an Election

Overview: This section covers how to approach donors when running again after losing an election.

Running Again

• Thank donors for running again and remind them of why you're running.

• Explain what you learned from the first campaign and what you're looking forward to doing next time.

• Remind donors of why they gave to you in the first place and ask them to contribute again.

Launching a Campaign

Overview: This section covers whether a launch should be event-focused or digitally released.

Launching a Campaign

• Consider whether a launch should be event-focused or digitally released to start call time sooner.

Maximizing Resources for Fundraising Events

Overview: This section covers the importance of maximizing resources when planning a fundraising event, such as utilizing signup sheets to collect contact information and considering the value of an hour of the candidate's time.

Maximizing Resources

• It depends on the district whether it is safe to hold a large outdoor event.

• Utilizing signup sheets to collect contact information and updated email addresses can be beneficial.

• Consider the value of an hour of the candidate's time spent at the event versus call time.

Conclusion

• Check out Georgia Representative Nikema Williams' "3 Important Keys to Fundraising" for more information on fundraising.

• Take one of NDTC's free expert-created courses linked in the description below.