The Campaign Workshop Blog, is hosted by The Campaign Workshop - an advocacy and political consulting firm. We write about tactics for advocacy, membership, civic engagement, and progressive politics.  We post weekly, and also publish ebooks, host webinars, and The How to Win a Campaign Podcast. Sign up to learn more.   

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feminist foreign policy

7 Questions with Susan Markham on Feminist Foreign Policy

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

Susan Markham is a partner and co-founder of Smash Strategies. Previously, she served as Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), director of Women's Political Participation at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and a senior strategist here at The Campaign Workshop. Susan is a passionate advocate for gender equality and female empowerment, and advocates for the critical role that women play in politics and development. She also just recently released her new book Feminist Foreign Policy in Theory and in Practice. This week, we asked her 7 questions about her work and career path.

Hal Machow

Hal Malchow: 7 questions on ReInventing Political Advertising

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

Hal Malchow is a seasoned political consultant and writer with a successful career in politics. As the chairman of MHSC partners, Hal spearheaded the use of control group experiments and advanced data analytics to improve political targeting and campaign strategy. He’s worked with the US Olympic Committee, Planned Parenthood, and five Democratic presidential nominees. Through his work modeling voter lists, he set many different fundraising records for the Democratic National Committee. He has been recognized for his revolutionary work with the Sisk Award in 2005 and his induction into the American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame in 2016. His work is also chronicled in Sasha Issenberg’s book The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns, and has written political strategy, political fiction, political thriller, and young adult fantasy novels. We asked Hal 7 questions about his career and experiences and his book Reinventing Political Advertising. 

advocacy training

7 Questions on Advocacy Training with Katherine Miller

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

Katherine Miller is the author of At the Table: The Chef's Guide to Advocacy. She is involved in advocacy training, and strategist. She has previously served as the VP of Impact at the James Beard Foundation where she worked with leaders in the food system to create new and innovative programs to help address gender equity, sustainability, food waste, and child nutrition. She is a current Distinguished Fellow at GWU’s School of Media and Public Affairs, and is a professional alum of the LA Times, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the U.N. Foundation. This week, we asked Katherine 7 questions about her career and experience. 

should non profits leave twitter/x

Should Nonprofits Leave Twitter/X?

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

As nonprofits leave Twitter or X, we discuss the implications of this decision and where nonprofits can go instead. Before you go, plan the next steps and consider the impact on your organization. This post serves as an update to one of last year's most engaging discussions.

Digital Political Advertising

Digital Political Advertising for 2024 and Beyond

by Julie Watson (She/Her)

As we move into the heart of the 2024 election cycle, more people will be dedicating time and resources to creating digital political advertising plans. The Campaign Workshop has been actively involved in digital political ads for over a decade, and each year we have seen a growing emphasis on the importance and effectiveness of digital advertising within political campaigns. 
Why spend money on digital political advertising now?

ballot language

Why Ballot Language Matters

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

Ballot language for ballot initiatives matters more than anything else and can make or break your initiative from the beginning. It has long been said that ballot measure language can be the difference between winning and losing. Here are some basics on ballot measure wording and how it can make or break your measure.

Four young adults standing in a circle looking at their phones,. Their faces are barely visible.

5 Digital Video Tips for Your Next Ballot Measure Campaign

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

As anyone who’s worked on a ballot measure campaign will tell you, ballot measures tend to fly under voters’ radar. You typically need a strong ground game and a dedicated group of local volunteers to be successful. Most ballot measure campaigns also need an element of voter education and persuasion added to their programs. Without it, many voters won’t understand what the measure does and why it’s important. Ballot measures are often the very last thing on the ballot, so sometimes you simply need to remind voters to fill out the entire ballot or to flip the ballot over.

substack

Is Substack for Non-Profit Communications Worth It?

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Should I use Substack for Non-Profit communications?  Substack is primarily a newsletter and blogging platform. Think of it as a more user-friendly version of Medium that has garnered a large following. Many people I know regularly post on Substack. Initially, I explored Substacks focused on branding, organization, and food, but the platform's political content has grown, and I now follow a few political Substacks.

Brandon Wolf

7 Questions with Brandon Wolf

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

Brandon Wolf is a nationally recognized gun safety and LGBTQ+ civil rights advocate and public speaker. Brandon is a survivor of the 2016 shooting at Orlando's Pulse Nightclub. After losing two of his best friends that night, Brandon set out to honor their and the other 47 victims’ legacies with action. Brandon is a co-founder of The Dru Project, a non-profit organization that helps fund higher education to empower youth and future leaders in the LGBTQ+ community. We asked Brandon 7 questions about his experience and career path.

Steps to qualifying ballot measures

Qualifying Ballot Measures

by Phoebe Retta (She/Her)

Qualifying a ballot measure is a significant undertaking. Sometimes the most difficult part of a ballot measure campaign is just making it to the ballot. From gathering signatures to overcoming legal hurdles, qualifying an initiative takes planning, time, and (very often) a sizable investment (both in terms of dollars and human capital).

Ballot Measures

Ballot Measures: Go or No-Go Decisions

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

In today’s political climate of partisanship and mistrust, constituents are turning to the ballot measure process to bypass traditional government controls to pass legislation. 

campaign training

Campaign Training Is Key for Volunteers

by Alice McLoughlin (She/Her)

Campaign training can make the difference between a winning and losing campaign—especially training for volunteers. Although it’s important that you have a good candidate, campaign manager, or volunteer coordinator who can gather the volunteers, if those volunteers are not provided with training, they might not be of any help. When volunteers can provide much of your people power on a campaign, it’s important to make sure they know what they’re doing. A simple and effective way to get your volunteers up to speed is to send them to a campaign training!

two people at the top of a mountain with their hands up in excitement for their success

9 Campaign Plan Tips

by Phoebe Retta (She/Her)

If you’re running for office, you’re going to need a campaign plan. With these 9 campaign plan tips, you will give yourself the best chance of winning your race:

Man writing on whiteboard Campaign Plan

What is a Campaign Plan and Why Do I Need One?

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

While every campaign comes with unknown variables, the more you plan, the better prepared you’ll be to manage whatever comes your way. The best way to be prepared for success is by creating a written campaign plan.

Advocacy strategies

Advocacy Strategy Tools to Build Your Advocacy Organization

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Advocacy strategies can be time-consuming to create and difficult to execute. We have written often about the core elements of an advocacy plan, but taking the time to develop your advocacy strategy is an important step. But where do you begin? Try using strategy tools.

advocacy hurdles

Improve Your Advocacy Campaign – Common Advocacy Hurdles

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

When you’re a part of an advocacy campaign, spotting issues and fixing them are not always easy. In the realm of advocacy, there will always be bumps in the road, that is the nature of making change. Identifying common advocacy hurdles and proactively planning for solutions is a good strategy that can improve your campaign. 

member communications

Membership Communication Tips to Help You Succeed

by Alice McLoughlin (She/Her)

In our post-COVID-19 pandemic world, having a thoughtful membership communications strategy is more important than ever. For labor unions and advocacy organizations, effectively engaging members across mediums can make a real difference in realizing organizational goals and visions. Motivating members to act, such as turning out in elections or putting pressure on lawmakers to pass legislation, is a core part of member communications.

political campaign training

Why You Should Go Through a Political Campaign Training

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

Political campaign training- here is the scoop: There are lots of decisions candidates need to make before they start a run for public office and a political campaign training can help provide some clarity for first time candidates. In our opinion, attending a political candidate and campaign training is a must for any potential candidate.

member communications

Member Communication: Make Membership Outreach Count

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

For organizations large and small, member communication is the key to activating your people ahead of elections and key legislative votes. Depending on the size and nature of your group, your membership may be 1) unified around clear shared goals, or 2) dedicated to the same overarching values but at odds when it comes to the means for achieving them.

independent expenditure campaign

Independent Expenditure Campaign Tips for Digital Targeting & Messaging

by Julie Watson (She/Her)

Independent expenditure campaigns play a unique and vital role in many elections. They can support candidate campaigns by filling the gaps that they may have in their strategies, resources, or messages. These independent campaigns can use digital advertising to target different audiences, convey different messages, and use different tactics than candidate campaigns. This can help the candidate campaigns reach, persuade, and mobilize more voters.