Asking for Help

My friend in the Texas office of American Majority, Andrew Kerr, wrote a great blog post about the importance of running to win- after all, those good ideas you have as a candidate will never be implemented if you do not first get elected.

He’s right- you do need to raise money, walk door to door and use traditional tactics such as yard signs to increase name identification in your district.  Here’s another thing some candidates- particularly first-time candidates- make mistakes with: asking for help.

As a candidate, you should realize that you need three things to win: people, money and time.  You can always find more people, you can always raise more money, but you can never find more time.  It’s the one thing Congress hasn’t figured out how to legislate yet.  You will not have enough time to meet every voter, make every debate, contact every donor, or knock on every door.  This means that you need help.

The two places I find many candidates shy away from asking for help are volunteers and funds.  I have personally walked many blocks and worked many parades in hot Kansas July weather for people I believed in.  Often, they were friends.  Each candidate should look to their own networks of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, church and community group members.  In these networks, locate the individuals who have either the expertise or the time to help your campaign.  Maybe there is an individual who organizes the Vacation Bible School every year.  I guarantee you, if that person can wrangle a bunch of kids with sugary drinks, that person can coordinate your volunteers.  Perhaps there is an individual who’s never done anything political before, but you trust them and they have time to help.  That’s your ideal person for phone banks, organizing walk lists (once you teach them how) and driving a vehicle while you walk door-to-door.

I know it can seem as though you’re burdening people by asking them to give up their time to help your campaign- or to donate to your campaign. To some, it seems unimportant- I’ve recently had a candidate tell me that he was thinking of bankrolling his own campaign so that he wouldn’t have to “waste time” on fundraising.  But look at it this way: getting a candidate elected who believes in individual liberty and limited government will make our country better.  You’re asking your friends and neighbors to invest in their country through your campaign.  I look ahead to my future, where I want to own a home with my husband, raise a family on streets that are safe, in schools that are solid and in a nation that is free- because of that, I’m willing to invest in candidates who will help make that possible.  View your requests for help in this manner- let’s face it: you will not have time to run an effective campaign if you’re the only person involved in your race.  And your fundraising is the same- you are asking individuals to support your campaign because it is an investment in their own futures and in our country.  By engaging them in funding your campaign, you are shoring up a base of support and winning the trust of the individuals who will influence how others in the community perceive you.

Asking for help can be difficult.  But if you’re serious about running a campaign for office, you need to realize that you simply cannot be everywhere and do everything, and engage people you can trust and turn to when you need them.  For more on engaging volunteers in your campaign, check out Ned Ryun’s Running for Office podcasts episode 7 and 8.

If you’re not running for office, now is the time to find a local or state campaign to volunteer your time for.  It is an incredibly rewarding experience where you’ll learn new skills, meet new people, and have a hand in shaping the immediate future of your community, state and nation.  To learn how to be an effective campaign volunteer, attend an activist or candidate training coming up in your area soon.