Asking Friends to Donate to Your Campaign

In this continuing series, we explore the results of a survey conducted among over fifty state and local candidates asking for any voluntary advice they might give to new or inexperienced candidates seeking elected office.  Part 2 can be found here.

Once you have declared your intention to run, you are going to need funding. Lots of it. Some candidates think that, simply due to the fact that they are running, their friends and family members will arbitrarily contribute to the campaign. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It can be difficult to ask the people you know to donate to a political campaign, but most of them will gladly contribute if asked. With that said, many will want to see how diligent you are in asking and thus will not contribute unless requested.

The biggest difference between asking your family and friends is that every request should be personal. Do not send them a generic advertisement: write a handwritten letter, stop by for a visit, or ask to buy them coffee sometime. Note that most election laws allow you to take a second donation from an individual if you faced an opponent in a primary. If this is the case, do not be afraid to ask for a second donation from the relative or friend.

Even those who have a different political affiliation than you will often contribute because they know you. Personality is everything: people who like you are more likely to donate even if they disagree with your point of view. This is crucial to remember with other possible donors who you do not know as well. One advantage of asking people you know to donate is that, if they haven’t contributed, you can remind them subtly without fear of recourse. For example: “Jim, if that’s the way you really feel, you should think about contributing to my campaign so I can change that!” This is a perfectly harmless way to both remind him and possibly generate a laugh, which again, goes back to being personable with people.