Richard Daley… Rudy Giuliani… Ed Rendell… Steven Goldsmith…. Martin O’Malley…  Marion Barry…  Richard Riordan…

There’s not much these seven men have in common.  Some are Republicans, others Democrats.  Some were policy-oriented thinkers, others fly by the seat of your pants doers.   One is known for his appetite for food (Rendell) and another for his appetite for illegal drugs (Barry).  Yet, all seven do share at least one thing in common:  each was a successful big city pol.

As anyone who has run for office in a major urban area can attest, elections there are different in many ways.  Sure, the fundamentals remain the same: you have to fundraise.  You have to have a plan.  You need to work the grassroots.  But lots of things are different as well.  Here are four things to remember if you want to be a successful big city pol:

1.  You have to be Larger Than Life

Big metropolitan areas usually have lots of well-known characters living there.  Everyone knows the names of the professional athletes, the news anchors, the criminals, the famous chefs…  Add to that the fact that TV and radio time is exponentially more expensive in urban areas than out in farm country, and it’s tough to get well known in a metropolis.

To break through the clutter and raise your name ID, a big city pol needs to be larger than life.  You need to have an outgoing personality, propose audacious changes or programs, and cast a big vision for your city.  (See also: A Guide to Raising Your Name ID).

2.  Voter Touches Matter More

Voters in big cities expect to see their politicians.  They have gotten used to seeing the mayor at rallies, chicken dinners, and in the neighborhood 4^th of July parade.  They want a little more “city” grit and charm in their elected officials…. Voter touches matter in every election, but for a big city pol, working the grassroots, slapping backs and shaking hands, becomes a way of life.

3.  Trust but Verify

In small towns, where there may be 5 elected town council-people governing just 1000 residents, there’s generally a lot more sunshine on political proceedings.  Everybody knows everybody.  It’s hard to cut deals, or make alliances, and keep them secret.  If you are seriously supporting some person or issue, or seeking the support of someone else, then it’s generally public knowledge.

The opposite is true in most big cities.  There, you may have a 25 person city council with a strong mayor governing a city of 1.5 million.  There are thousands of businesses, trade groups, churches, lobbyists, neighborhood organizations and the like, all jockeying for their place in the public consciousness.  Alliances are made and broken and made again, and deals are easy to hide.

Ronald Reagan often said “trust but verify.”  This is great advice for an aspiring big city pol:  because there are so many moving parts in big city politics, and because it is so easy to hide alliances and backroom deals, trust people and take them at their word… but verify what they are saying or promising before acting on it.

4.  Act with Integrity

This is good advice for anyone running for public office, but particularly important for big city pols to remember.  If you’re in politics, act with integrity.  This means: say what you mean, or don’t say it.  Stick to the letter and spirit of the law.  Act in the public interest, and not your own.  Be a person of principle.  Remember, whether you’re in the big city, the suburbs, or out in the hinterland, what we do in politics matters.

Related posts:

1. 5 Secrets of Successful Grassroots Organizations
2. Successful Absentee Voter Drives
3. How to Hold Successful Town Hall Meetings

Today, we present The Beginner’s Guide to Grassroots Campaigning, the third installment in our “Beginner’s Guide” Series.  (If you haven’t already, be sure to check out The Beginner’s Guide to Political Communications and The Beginner’s Guide to Political Fundraising).

Working the grassroots is a vital component of any campaign, no matter how large or small.  For local campaigns, grassroots politics takes on added significance as one of the main ways to communicate with the voters.  No matter what office you are running for, no matter how much (or how little) cash your campaign has, follow these tips to make sure your grassroots campaign gets off to a great start:

Building Your Campaign Organization

5 Secrets of Successful Grassroots Organizations – Tips for making your grassroots organization shine.

The 2 Most Asked Questions About Grassroots Politics – Do you know the answers?  They may surprise you!

Finding and Managing Volunteers

How to Find Volunteers for Your Political Campaign – Where to find great volunteers to help you win.

Creating Volunteer Superstars – Figuring out how to best use each and every volunteer.

How to Manage Political Campaign Volunteers – Soup to nuts, getting your volunteers on track and on task.

Door to Door Campaigning

Why Your Campaign HAS to Go Door to Door – The top reasons why your campaign – and your candidate – has to start knocking on doors.

How to Run a Great Door to Door Campaign – Now you know you need to get out there… here’s how to do it!

Grassroots Events

How to Hold Successful Town Hall Meetings - Get out there and meet the crowd.  How to use town halls to build your name recognition and benefit your campaign.

How to Plan a Candidate Tour Event – Using candidate tour events to build local support.

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots

The Right Way to Hold a Voter Registration Drive – Don’t just set up a table and hope for the best… use this guide to help you target your efforts.

Successful Absentee Voter Drives – Reaching (and persuading) absentee voters with your campaign’s message.

Get Out The Vote (GOTV)

Winning Your Election by Getting Out the Vote – Your strategy guide to running a GOTV operation.

Do You Know How to Set Your Get Out the Vote Goals? – Setting GOTV goals that will have your team celebrating on Election Night.

A Guide to Making GOTV Calls – How to run an effective get out the vote phone bank.

Advanced Grassroots Topics

Linking Your Campaign with a Grassroots Movement – How to connect with outside grassroots movements to help you win.

Running a Grassroots Contribution Campaign - Raising money at the grassroots.

Building Political Coalitions - One of our most popular (and longest) articles ever.

Related posts:

1. A Guide to Making Get Out the Vote Calls
2. Winning Your Election by Getting Out the Vote
3. The 2 Most Asked Questions About Grassroots Politics

Volunteers are an integral part of almost every political campaign.  Whether you’re running for the School Board or the Senate, chances are that a good portion of your campaign work will be performed by volunteers.

Your volunteers are a great resource for your political campaign, but they also pose additional issues for you: they’re not being paid, so they can’t be fired, and they’re helping you (usually) out of the goodness of their hearts (and because they believe in you), so you have to be careful how you manage them.  That being said, most campaigns need volunteers to do the work, because they couldn’t afford to hire enough staff to do all of the work that needs to be done.

Recruiting Volunteers

The first step in using volunteers in your campaign is to recruit them and get them on board.  For more information on how to find volunteers, read How to Find Volunteers for Your Political Campaign and  5 Tips for Recruiting Political Volunteers.

Setting Expectations

Once you have your volunteers on board, be sure to set expectations for them.  The most important expectation to set is one of professionalism.  You’ll want to make it clear to your volunteers that you consider them a part of your team, and that you expect them to represent your campaign well.

The best way to set this expectation is by creating a professional atmosphere.  Treat your volunteers like your staff whenever possible: give them a decent place to work at your office, invite them to events, and set a good example in the workplace.

Another expectation you should set with your volunteers is what type of work you envision them performing.  I often suggest that campaigns give titles and defined job responsibilities to their most trusted volunteers.

When a volunteer signs up to work a couple of hours each week, shows up on time for a few weeks, and works diligently, bring them in for a meeting with the campaign manager and offer them the chance to “take over” a project (even if it is only answering the phones or sending thank you letters) during the hours they are there.  If they agree, give them a title (“Evening Receptionist” or “Afternoon Mailroom Supervisor”) and a written job description.

Making Team Players

It’s in everyone’s best interest to make your volunteers feel like part of your team.  Your volunteers will feel motivated and grateful for the opportunity, and your campaign will reap the benefits of good work product and happy volunteer staffers.

Let your paid staff and consultants know that they should make the volunteers feel like part of the team.  Of course, you may not want your volunteers to be privy to everything that your paid staff knows or has access to, but it generally does no harm to invite your volunteers out to lunch, cc: them on some innocuous notes and e-mails, and invite them to participate in some off-site events or other perks.

For more information on  making your volunteers part of your team, read Creating Volunteer Superstars.

Tracking Performance

To get the most of out of your political campaign volunteers, track their performance, just as you would with your paid staff.  Hold regular meetings with your volunteers to check on their work, answer their questions, and offer guidance on coming projects.

Also, be sure to thank your volunteers often.  Remember, they aren’t being paid to do this job… they’re doing it because they believe in your cause.

Related posts:

1. How to Find Volunteers for Your Political Campaign
2. How to Train Your Political Volunteers
3. Using Volunteers to Conduct a Campaign Poll

Many first-time candidates face a real conundrum: they aren’t well known, and without tons of money, they won’t get well known.  But without being well known, they can’t raise lots of money, and they themselves aren’t rich.  What’s a candidate to do?  Are there ways to get elected as a first time candidate even if you’re starting with zero name recognition?

The answer, in many elections, is yes… there are ways to get well known and win campaigns on a tight budget.  But in these campaigns, what the candidate and campaign lack in money they will have to make up in hard work and shoe leather.  Think you’re up to the challenge?  Here’s the plan:

1.   Meet with the Big Boys (and Girls)

The first step is to meet with they key political leaders in your party (in your area) – from the top (elected officials, county chairpeople, etc.) all the way down to the bottom (committeepeople, key volunteers, etc.).  Let them know you are running.  Tell them why you are running, and ask for their support.  If (when) they say “I can’t support you right now,” ask them to keep an open mind, and let them know you’ll be staying in touch with them.  (Getting involved in your local party is also a great idea.  For more information read: How to Get Involved with Your Local Political Party).

2.  Seek Out Other Influencers

Next, find the other influencers in your district – those people who talk to lots of other people, who are respected, who you want to know that you are running and why.  This list may include business and civic leaders, church and synagogue leaders, big donors in the area, block captains, etc.  Meet with these people and give them your spiel – who you are, what you are running for, and why you are running.  Keep a list of all of these influencers, as well as all of the big guns you met in step 1.  Stay in touch with both lists on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

3.  Find the Key Organizations

Now that you’ve met tons of influential people in your district, it’s time to start reaching out to key organizations in your area.  Some, like local political organizations, will be able to publicly support you.  Others, like non-profit civic groups, chambers of commerce, youth sports clubs, etc. won’t be able to publicly support a candidate, but you’ll want their leadership to know that you are running.  Ask if there would be an opportunity for you to attend (and speak at) a group meeting.

4.  Build a Team

As you make your rounds, start putting together a grassroots team of people you met who offer their support, along with your friends, family, and colleagues.  Start training this team on how to run a grassroots campaign organization.  Get them going to meetings, putting up signs, and making calls on behalf of the campaign.  To learn more, read: 5 Tips for Recruiting Political Volunteers and Run a Campaign School and Educate Your Team.

5.  Act Like a Pro

Even if you’re short on cash, your campaign has to act professional if it is going to win.  So act like a larger campaign… print up small quantities of letterhead and business cards, send out regular press releases, do a quick and easy website.  Make sure people know that your campaign is serious about winning.

6.  Hit the Streets

Now, it’s time to get out there and really start working the grassroots.  Go door to door, have your team do literature drops and hold grassroots events, get your yard signs up, and make your presence felt.  By the time this process is over, you may not be famous, but you won’t be a candidate that no one has heard of… you’ll be well on your way to establishing name ID and getting elected.   (Local Victory’s Complete Guide to Getting Your Campaign Off the Ground comes with Winning Elections at the Grassroots, a complete guide to grassroots political activity).

Remember that you can’t run a winning campaign without money forever.  As early as possible during the process above, your campaign will need to start raising money to fund your general efforts, your direct mail, your get out the vote operation and more.  The how to get elected process laid out above can serve as a basis for your efforts, but don’t make the mistake of thinking you can forget about fundraising forever… campaigns still need money in order to win.  Some great tips are provided in our recent article: Finding the Money to Start Your Political Campaign.

Related posts:

1. The Elected Official’s Guide to Getting Re-Elected
2. The Best Way to Get Politically Involved in College
3. Do You Know How to Set Your Get Out the Vote Goals?

If there’s one thing the past year has taught us, it’s that grassroots movements are alive and well in the United States.  From the grassroots organization that helped elect Barack Obama to the tea parties that are protesting his policies to the local groups lining up on both sides of the health care debate, there’s never been a better time to link your campaign with a grassroots movement.

The Pros and Cons

Of course, there are pros and cons to hitching your political wagon to a major grassroots effort:

On the positive side, grassroots organizations can provide huge boosts in fundraising and volunteer manpower; provide a great opportunity to take your message and candidate viral; are great ways to get lots of free press coverage; and often allow campaigns to communicate with the public at large far more cheaply than standard political media.

On the other hand the dangers of linking to a grassroots movement are manifold.  Campaigns that get too close to their activist counterparts risk being blamed when the grassroots organizations make missteps (which they often do); candidates can be seen as pawns of the grassroots leadership, or at least as overly deferential to their wishes; and if the grassroots effort is simply the “flavor of the day,” the campaign may fade into memory at the same time that the movement does.

Each campaign should carefully weigh the costs and benefits of linking closely with a grassroots movement, and should evaluate how the move will generate votes and impact the overall campaign plan.  If your campaign decides that a partnership would be beneficial, here are some tips on getting the most out of your relationship:

1.   Keep it Legal – Be sure to follow all campaign finance and election laws in dealing with the grassroots organizations, and be sure to remember that you are two (or more) separate groups, and that only you can be responsible for your own campaign.  Talk to an election lawyer to learn the rules in your area.

2.  Define Your Relationship – Meet with the leaders of the movement and define what your working relationship will look like.  Appoint staff members who are responsible for serving as liaisons with the grassroots effort and keep your new partners informed and engaged.

3.   Mobilize Your Forces – Grassroots movements can provide a great source of volunteers, precinct canvassers, poll workers, etc.  Often, these volunteers will not have any experience working on campaigns, and instead will have been attracted to your candidacy because of a common belief in a cause that is important to them.  Hold a campaign school, train these new volunteers, and get them out working on your behalf.

4.  Respond to Problems Quickly and Clearly – If a problem arises involving the grassroots movement, be prepared to respond quickly and clearly, and don’t be afraid to distance yourself from your partner organizations if the need arises.  Always be willing to reevaluate the relationship based on current issues, needs, and circumstances.

In many ways, linking with a popular grassroots movement is similar to building political coalitions.  For more information, read Local Victory’s How to Build Political Coalitions.

Related posts:

1. Beginner’s Guide to Grassroots Campaiging
2. 5 Secrets of Successful Grassroots Organizations
3. Running a Grassroots Contributions Campaign

Political yard signs provide a cheap and convenient way to raise your candidate’s name ID and show grassroots support.  Most campaigns want to “out sign” their opponents by placing more election yard signs in better locations than the other candidates in the race, yet most campaigns rely on the exact same methods for placing their signs.

The best way to get your yard signs up, quickly and in the best locations, is to think outside the box.   Use the traditional methods of working through your political party and giving signs out to committee people and political volunteers, and on top of that, use these three creative ways to get those yard signs placed:

1.  Target High Traffic Corners

Many campaigns try to place yard signs as they go on their regular door to door rounds.  This is a great strategy, but it often takes a really long time to get through all of the neighborhoods that you want to target.

At the beginning of your election yard sign campaign, make a list of all of the highest traffic intersections and roads in your district.  Then, have a team go out to specifically target those areas.  The best way to do this is to knock on the doors of all of the voters from your party who live at that intersection or on that stretch of road and ask them to put up a yard sign.  Then, move on to the next targeted area.  Another team of volunteers can come back to hit the rest of the neighborhood during the regular door-to-door process.

2.  Maintain a Super Supporter List

This strategy works really well for incumbents.  Most politicians who run for re-election notice that they are placing yard signs on the same voters’ lawns cycle after cycle.  This makes sense: those voters are your most ardent grassroots supporters, and they put up campaign signs for you every year.

Next time you run, instead of putting yard signs up in on these lawns as part of the normal course of your campaign, try to get them up there first.  Maintain a list of your yard sign “Super Supporters” who always put up signs for you.  The minute your signs come in, call or e-mail these people and ask if you can put up a sign.  Almost all will say yes, and won’t take convincing.  Then go out and get those signs up.  This is a great way to place 50 or 100 yard signs (or more) within a day or two.

Some campaigns even maintain lists of people who have told them they can always place signs, without calling first…

3.  Yard Sign Captains

Many campaigns have found that the best way to get yard signs up fast is to recruit neighborhood yard sign captains (often seeking out people have large networks on their block or in their community).  These grassroots leaders are tasked with placing 10 or 20 election yard signs (or more) during a defined yard sign blitz period.  These captains may also be your campaign’s precinct or other grassroots leader, or may be recruited solely for the purpose of placing yard signs.  (For more information on creating a grassroots organization for your campaign, read Winning Elections Through Local Organization).

Next time you run for office, instead of just placing your signs on an ad hoc basis, take the time to develop a yard sign plan – and think outside of the traditional box to get your signs placed fast and in the most desirable locations.

Related posts:

1. What’s Your Political Yard Sign Strategy?
2. 8 Ways to Target Your Campaign Tactics
3. Four Unique Ideas for Your Election Signage

When it comes to political fundraising, there are major efforts and there are minor efforts.  There are strategies, like major donor groups, personal solicitation, and big-ticket events that will raise large percentages of your fundraising dollars.   There are also small-ball fundraising efforts, like Internet fundraising, telemarketing, and minor donor groups, which will raise a relatively small percentage of your total campaign revenue, but which are still important to utilize in order to reach your overall fundraising goals.

Grassroots fundraising (a grassroots contributions campaign) is one of these smaller, yet still important, pieces of your overall political fundraising effort.  Grassroots fundraising is raising money for your campaign through the efforts of your grassroots organization.  Generally these donations are small… yet when dealing with a large grassroots campaign, they can add up.

How Do I Do It?

How do you go about raising money at the grassroots?  First and foremost, you need to build a grassroots organization.  You do this not only to raise money, but also (and primarily) to get the word out about your campaign, carryout grassroots activities (like going door to door) and getting out the vote on Election Day.

One you have your grassroots organization built and active, you can start to think about a grassroots contributions campaign.  This type of coordinated fundraising effort can take any number of forms:

1. Integrate Fundraising into Your Grassroots Events – Think about holding some fundraising events for your grassroots organization, or integrating some fundraising activity into your already-planned events.
2. Enlist Your Grassroots Leaders – You could also ask your campaign’s grassroots leaders to raise money for you as part of their commitment to the campaign.  For example, if you have broken up your town by ward, and you have placed a leader in each ward with a number of volunteers to support him or her, consider asking each leader to raise $100 or $500 during a certain month as part of a targeted campaign (perhaps even a contest).
3. Set-Up and Promote a Small-Ball Campaign – If you want to get creative, your campaign could also set up a small-ball fundraising campaign for your grassroots organization that involves them in a very concrete campaign activity.  For example, you could say that it will cost the campaign an average of $25 per city block to campaign effectively (the cost of that street’s yard signs, palm cards, direct mail, etc.), then promote a campaign to your grassroots organization saying you want to find sponsors for 500 blocks.  Then, aggressively promote this opportunity to your supporters.

Running a grassroots contributions campaign is hard work, but, like fundraising over the Internet, or engaging in prospecting direct mail, grassroots fundraising can help your campaign make small (but necessary) steps to reach your overall fundraising goals.

Related posts:

1. Beginner’s Guide to Grassroots Campaiging
2. Why Your Campaign HAS to go Door to Door
3. The #1 Tip for Republicans Running in Urban Districts

Everyone involved in politics is involved in setting up grassroots organizations, one way or another.  Whether you are building a grassroots effort for your campaign for public office, running a political party organization, or involved in issue advocacy, you can and should be setting up effective grassroots organizations to advocate for your cause.

Very few grassroots organizations are “moderately successful.”  In general, these groups, be they single-issue advocacy groups or arms of a campaign for public office, are either very successful or very unsuccessful.  Successful grassroots organizations are easy to spot: they’ve got lots of members / volunteers, get on the news (a lot!), and you know them by their brand.  How do these organizations become super-successful?

1.  Plan for Success

Successful grassroots organizations have a well thought out, and well-written plan.  Many people think groups like this simply sprout up organically, without much forethought, but nothing could be further from the truth.  Most uber-groups started with a written plan.

2.  Have a Hierarchy

Grassroots groups without a hierarchy usually devolve into anarchy.  Again, this may seem counterintuitive for a grassroots organization, but the group will need a leadership structure with defined responsibilities if it is going to succeed at a very high level.

3.  Build a Brand

The most successful grassroots organizations out there are recognizable by their brand (including their logo, their message, and their spokespeople).  This is true for campaign-run grassroots operations as well (just think about the Obama campaign’s grassroots army in 2008 or the Bush/RNC 72-hour Election Day corps in 2004).  Your group needs a consistent look and feel for its marketing materials, one or more well-versed press spokespeople, a logo, and a defined and consistent message (just like a standard political campaign).

For more information on building a political brand, read Political Slogans and How to Craft Your Campaign’s Message.

4.  Use Every Tool

Well-run grassroots organization use every tool at their disposal to get their message out: press releases, press conferences, a political website, volunteer activity, direct mail, door to door, rallies, etc.  Write a plan that uses lots of different grassroots techniques to make your voice heard.

5.  Ask for Members

One of the biggest reasons why small grassroots organizations stay that way is because they become insular “cliques,” where members are jealous of their role in the club and don’t really want outsiders coming in to ruin their good time.  Your group will never get big enough to have clout using this mentality.  One of the primary functions of your organization should be to grow… and that means going out and actually asking for new members… all the time, everywhere you go.

Grassroots organizations are a great tool in the arsenal of successful issue advocates, political campaigns, party organizations, and more… use these five secrets to help you build a strong and sustainable grassroots organization.

Related posts:

1. Building Political Coalitions
2. Using Incentive Groups to Build Political Momentum
3. The Secrets of Being a Political “Entrepreneur”