remember these:

• I have recruited a Campaign Manager and asked at least one person to join my core group.
• I have told my family, friends, and acquaintances that I am running, and I have asked them to join my support group.
• I have created a Facebook page or another communication channel for the support group.
• I have asked all the people in my support group to invite new people to the group.

Essential Campaign Team

Always remember, electoral work is a team effort. Nothing is as important for a campaign than people. Not money, position nor earlier accomplishments. Campaigning is carried out by the strength, dedication, and energy of the volunteers – or it is not done at all. 

Even in small campaigns, the candidate should not do everything themselves. They should have time to be a candidate: campaign amongst the voters and be as visible as possible. 

You need to learn to delegate as much as possible. Therefore it is crucial to establish the support group as well as the core group of the campaign right at the beginning. 

Every candidate should have a Campaign Manager who they trust and who offers their support and helps to run the campaign. The size of the support group varies depending on the candidate and campaign. Large support groups can include tens or even hundreds of people. Smaller campaigns have, however, also been successful. These first-rate the campaigns have been well organized and structured. 

“Campaign Manager”, ”campaign organization” and “support group” can sound like big words, but they are parts of our everyday life. They are the people – family, relatives, friends, and acquaintances – that wish to take part and help in the campaign in some way or another. The more you get people to join your campaign, the more carefully you need to think about their roles and responsibilities. This chapter will help you do that. 

campaign Manager

The first and the most important person for you to recruit to your support group is the Campaign Manager. The Campaign Manager it your right-hand person and the actual leader of the support group. 

A few good qualities of a Campaign Manager:

• organizational skills, a skill to keep many balls in the air
• social skills, a skill to inspire people and allocate tasks
• trustworthiness and productivity
• good political and communicational instincts. 

It would be ideal if the Campaign Manager and the candidate already knew each other well enough to establish mutual trust prior to the elections. It does not do harm if they are for instance old friends or have known for a long time, but it is not mandatory. It is essential though that they can work well with each other. 

When you are choosing your Campaign Manager, you should go through all your friends and even further acquaintances without prejudice. Your Campaign Manager does not have to be already involved in the Green politics – outside view can even be helpful. 

Campaign Manager’s main tasks in a nutshell:  

1) organizes and leads the concrete operations of the campaign, 2) is a support person and a trustee of the candidate, and 3) is a person with whom the candidate can ponder and weigh their campaign themes and messages. 

support group

 A support group consists of all the people who wish to be a part of your campaign. It can simply mean that “I would like to hear how your campaign is going and I wish you good luck”. Mainly it means, however, that the member of the support group wishes to do something concrete for the campaign, for example: 

• Donate time. Give out brochures, help organize events (moving things, making coffee etc.), write templates of opinion pieces/blogs.
• Donate money. Even a small amount is important.
• Tell about the candidate to their friends, family, and acquaintances.
• Donate ideas. Feedback, constructive criticism, good questions, ideas for events or campaign products etc. All help. 

Then, how do you get people to join your support group? A short answer is by asking. Contact all your friends, relatives, and acquaintances and tell them that you are taking part in the upcoming elections and ask them to support you. It is also essential that you ask these people to spread the word of your candidacy. Each supporter brings with their own social networks i.e., new group of people, to whom the candidate can be advertised and whose support you can ask.

importance of asking

At first, many candidates feel awkward about asking others to join their campaign. If that happens, try to remember:

• You cannot lose by asking. If someone is not interested, they can simply say no. Most, however, wish you good luck for the elections and are happy that you asked them.
• Election campaigns are about making the world a better place. If you feel like it’s difficult to ask people to join “your” campaign, remember that you are asking them to support important issues.
• When you ask someone to be your Campaign Manager, remember that election campaigns are important projects: it is a big deal to be asked to run one.

The next step is to receive confirmation of your candidacy and spread the word outside your circle of acquaintances. Add information on how one can join your support group on your home page and social media channels. Your local green organization and your electoral district can also help to spread the information. 

organize your support group

All support groups need a channel of communication (for example Facebook or WhatsApp group etc.). Choose a suitable one for your support group. You should also organize possibilities for your support group members to meet and get to know each other and get excited together. It is a good idea to hold regular support group meetings. They can be informal (picknick, evening events), volunteering together (making badges) or more matter-of-fact planning meetings. 

Remember to keep the whole support group informed about what is going on in the campaign! Supporters who might not be very active at the beginning of the campaign can get more involved as the campaign progresses in good and exited spirit.

You should also investigate what kind of expertise does your support group members have and come up with ways to use it. Someone can be an excellent writer and another good at making videos and great social media posts. Someone can have a lot of substance knowledge on the candidate’s topics and another own a pickup which can be used to move things around. People feel good when they get to contribute. They feel as they are part of a bigger whole and it is meaningful to them.

the core group

Particularly in bigger campaigns, it is a good idea to assemble a core group of people most strongly invested in the campaign. It does not matter what you call this group. You can call it the management team, planning team or core group. It is simply a group of people the candidate and the Campaign Manager have gathered around them to share and delegate things that need to be done. Remember that it is equally important to share your workload in smaller campaigns as well. And it is always more fun to do things together! 

use creativity

Source: Maria Halonen (Maria Halonen and Lari Karreinen: 10 askelta parempaan vapaaehtoistoimintaan. The Green Cultural Association 2010.)

Campaigning does not always have to be boring! Add some fun color to your campaign for example by introducing these titles:

• Guerilla Marketing Taskforce: responsible for the craziest ideas
• Party Coordinator: together with volunteers organizes parties and events for supporters
• Paparazzi Team: takes relaxed photos during the campaign and posts them to social media and candidate’s home page
• Bar Workgroup: campaigns with the candidate amongst party people