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.   

Section Heading

Political direct mail - woman looking at document

Political Direct Mail Examples - How To Evaluate Campaign Mail

by Sophie Thurber (She/Her)

Political direct mail, even in the digital age is a critical part of any campaign’s communications program. Not only is it cost-effective and efficient, but it is also an impactful way to target and communicate with potential voters. Therefore, when hiring a Democratic direct mail firm, you want to make sure you choose the firm that will produce the best product for your campaign.

storytelling techniques

Storytelling Techniques and Writing 7 Qs With Gavin Edwards

by The Campaign Workshop

Gavin Edwards is a three-time New York Times-bestselling author and public speaker. Throughout his career, he has written twelve books and made appearances on NBC’s Today show, VH1’s Behind the Music, and NPR’s All Things Considered. The common thread between Gavin’s praised writing and skilled public speaking is his ability to tell a story in an effective and engaging way.

100 campaign management tools

Campaign Management Tools: 100 Campaign Tools List 2020

by The Campaign Workshop

So your advocacy or political campaign is gearing up for the 2020 cycle, and you’re already starting to find that you can’t possibly keep track of everything that’s going on. Fear not — the 100+ Best Campaign Management Tools List will make your campaign life easier!

political direct mail practices

Political Direct Mail Best Practices

by Elena Veatch

For over a decade, folks have written off political direct mail as a remnant of the past akin to the flip phone. In reality, political direct mail is still thriving in the digital age—and it’s playing far more than a supporting role. Direct mail and television ads  traditionally account for about half of all media spending (whereas digital ads account for only five percent of paid communications budgets on average). While mail won’t be a good fit for every political or advocacy campaign, there’s a reason it’s stuck around for so long: it’s an effective medium for persuading and mobilizing voters.

political-consulting-firms

Hiring Political Consulting Firms -The Ultimate Guide

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

Picking a political consulting firms is not an easy decision. This is, after all, going to be your largest expenses, so it’s important that you get it right. Hiring the right consultants cannot guarantee you a win but hiring the wrong ones can guarantee you a loss. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to hire a political consulting firm.

Girl hitting a pinata

Political Campaign Ads: Increasing Your Reach

by The Campaign Workshop

When planning your overall campaign strategy, political campaign ads play an important role, however they are not without their issues. One of the biggest problems with digital campaigns is that they are not tied closely enough to your overall campaign strategy. Digital tools are an important vehicle to help you reach your overall political goals and should be thought of as such.

Advocacy strategies, man holding out water bottle

Advocacy Strategies for Health Reform Advocacy Groups

by The Campaign Workshop

If you work for a health advocacy group and are in search of advocacy strategies that apply to your specific industry, then you’ve come to the right place. In this blog we outline strategies that will help you maximize your impact, increase engagement, and move people to the polls on your behalf.

Woman looking at phone with social notification icons in the air

The Future of Political Campaign Ads

While digital advertising is always in flux, in the past two years and even the last few months there have been a whirlwind of changes for political campaign ads and it’s caused some uncertainty in the industry. While we don’t have a crystal ball to see into the future of political advertising online, there are some pretty sure bets you’ll want to keep an eye on a couple of trends in 2020. Read on below to find out what we’ll be watching carefully in 2020.

Books standing up, pages fanned

Political Direct Mail Glossary

by Sophie Thurber (She/Her)

The world of political direct mail involves a lot of terms you don’t hear in everyday conversation (unless you’re one of the few amazing people who love direct mail so much that USPS regulatory updates figure prominently at your weekly coffee klatch, in which case, you’re a star).

Political direct mail stacked in folders

Hiring a Political Direct Mail Firm : Everything You Want to Know...

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him) and Joe Fuld (He/Him)

At The Campaign Workshop, we encourage and work to keep an open dialogue with our clients. When hiring a Democratic direct mail firm (or any political direct mail firms for that matter), there are a number of important questions that you should be asking during the hiring process.

coalition building, paper cutouts holding hands

Coalition Building Guide

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

If you’re a member of an organization that has spotted a need for change but doesn’t know how to make a meaningful impact alone, coalition building may be the answer for you. Though you may know the change you want to make, the hardest part is figuring out how to get started. Do you have enough resources, money and otherwise, to make this happen?

political consultant

Political Consultant: How to Hire a Campaign Consultant

by The Campaign Workshop

For any campaign, it’s crucial to hire the right people—and in many cases, your team might include a political consultant. So, what exactly is a political consultant? How does a consultant differ from a campaign manager? Do you need a consultant? and if so, how do you go about finding a good one that you can afford? If these are the sorts of questions that plague you, this is the blog post for you: political consulting explained by political consultants.

woman at desk staring into distance

What Do Digital Political Consulting Firms Actually Do?

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

These days, digital political consulting firms can be part of an army of consultants campaigns hire – including mail, phones, and general strategy. But digital is a pretty broad term and many digital firms can wear multiple hats. As a result, there is a lot of confusion about what a digital consultant actually does.

Pink house in the background with a sheet of paper with a black money sign in the right bottom corner.

Political Campaign Advertising for a Tight Budget

Not every candidate has a large budget for political campaign advertising. Digital advertising is generally the most cost-effective paid media strategy, especially if you use self-serve platforms. With platforms like Twitter bowing out of the political space entirely, there is a lot of concern about running political campaign advertising online.

Stump Speech Writing

Stump Speech: The Ultimate Speechwriting Guide

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

Here is our ultimate guide to writing a great stump speech. We all know that the candidate is the campaign’s best asset, and the stump speech is the best campaign tool for delivering a 7C’s (clear, concise, contrastive, connective, creative, compelling, consistent) message and personal story about the candidate and campaign.

Issue advocacy picture of rainbow arrows

Issue Advocacy Campaign Tips To Grow Your Base

by Sophie Thurber (She/Her)

At The Campaign Workshop, we love issue advocacy campaigns. As consultants, we get to work on a wide variety of campaigns and with a wide variety of clients. While we could never pick a favorite, working with a group of passionate people to make a substantive change on an issue they care about is our jam. People working on advocacy campaigns are the experts in their issues and are a true resource when we are working hand in hand on crafting a campaign to reach a wider audience

Rainbow slinky on a pink backdrop
Bird's eye view of a man working on his laptop on a circular, wooden, coffee table with a cup of coffee.
hand reaching for books

Book Recommendations to Round Out Your Year!

by The Campaign Workshop

Throughout the year, we’ve been lucky enough to speak with so many people who are experts across many different fields as part of our 7 Questions series. These folks made some book recommendations that we want to highlight and share with you. 

Advocacy campaign testing -blue backdrop with math equations

Advocacy Campaign Testing for Nonprofits

by The Campaign Workshop

No matter the size of your nonprofit, advocacy campaign testing should be a key component of everything you do digitally. Testing allows you to find out which tactic, message, strategy, etc., is the most effective in accomplishing your goal. Instead of relying on a hunch of what the best thing to do is—which we are often wrong about—tests allow us to find what really works.