Post job listings online, and tap your network to recruit campaign staff.
If you’ll work full-time during your campaign, it’s wise to bring a campaign manager on board, if at all possible.
If you’re running for a lower office and have a tight budget, you’ll likely need to wear many hats and handle most of these duties yourself. Having an attorney on staff benefits larger campaigns for major offices. Hired staff might include a campaign manager, fundraising director, volunteer coordinator, and communications or public relations director. Hire campaign staff as your budget allows.
Be sure to review campaign finance laws to avoid using campaign funds unethically or illegally.
See how much the last person elected to the office spent on their campaign.
Your secretary of state website (or the body that oversees your local elections) should include expense reports from past elections, which can help you set your own fundraising goals.
A major state-wide campaign requires a hefty advertising budget and paid staff to handle things like communications, strategic planning, finances, and legal compliance. House or Senate offices can cost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
On the other hand, state-wide races for governor, state legislator, or U.S.
In the U.S., if you're running for a local office, such as city councilor, you might only need around $20,000 for campaign signs, ads, a website, 1 to 2 part-time staff, and venues to hold rallies and other public events.
Estimate the costs of signs and literature, travel, website design and domain hosting, campaign staff (if you’re hiring any), and other expenses. Figure out if you can take time off work to campaign, or if you’ll still need to keep your full-time job. Examine your finances, and determine what you can contribute out of your own pocket.
Keep in mind running for an open office is easier than running for one held by a strong incumbent.įigure out your budget.
In the United States, visit your state’s secretary of state website for information about available offices.
From there, offices such as mayor and representative of your state or province legislator could be stepping stools to national offices.
If it's your goal to run for your nation's congress or parliament, you might start by running for school board or city council.
When you’re just starting out, it might be tough to run a successful campaign to represent your state or province in your national congress or parliament.
Generally speaking, offices such as city councilor and school board member are more attainable for first-time candidates. The right office for you also depends on your experience level and on the specific issues you want to address. Available positions will depend on how your local government is structured. Research offices that will allow you to make a difference.