The Campaign Workshop Blog

While they share a number of similarities, independent expenditure mail and candidate campaign mail also have quite a few differences. Both independent expenditure mail and candidate campaign mail may have the same primary goal (i.e., getting a candidate elected), but the means that they use to get there can vary.

What information independent expenditure (IE) campaigns can use depends on who you ask, and what set of laws you’re covered by. In recent years, you may have seen candidate campaigns that appear to bend over backward to make photos and b-roll videos publicly available on their website (a classic example of this being “McConnelling,” which went viral in 2014). Why? What are voters going to do with all this stuff? Well, it turns out that in most cases, the audience isn’t the run-of-the-mill voter at all. These campaigns may instead be trying to make information publicly available for independent expenditure campaigns to use.

We find it disheartening that as Democratic political direct mail consultants, the mail we see is often very undemocratic and lacks any direct response engagement tactics. Whether for politics or advocacy, it’s difficult to get real engagement from voters or constituents if you never  engage them. Political mail has traditionally been a one-way conversation With our political climate and media-saturated landscape, fostering engagement makes a ton of sense and is an overall good strategy. Here are some direct response tips on increasing voter engagement in your campaigns, fostering 2-way communication tactics/sign-ups, and making real democratic direct mail.

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.

Direct mail may not sound like an exciting medium for your independent expenditure at first blush, but if used correctly it can be one of the most effective ways to make a difference. Research regularly shows that when it comes to persuading and increasing turnout in elections, direct mail is one of the most tried-and-true methods in the campaign toolbox.

Building a strong independent expenditure direct mail program isn’t that different from some of the tips and tricks we’ve included in other posts. At the end of the day, it’s about being strategic and finding ways to think outside the box. But there are a few key things to think about when you’re running a direct mail program for an independent expenditure:

We wanted to answer some basic independent expenditure frequently asked questions (FAQs). From simply defining what an independent expenditure (aka IE) is to discussing contribution limits, this article aims to provide background and clarity on IEs and how they work.

Whether you want them or not, those election predictions are back. Every election cycle, we are asked to get off the pollercoaster and predict the future of politics. When it comes to presidential election forecasting, working in politics can make us poor judges of the outcome of an election: after all, we are determined to help our candidates win, which can make us less objective in predicting electoral odds than we should be. In other words, wanting to win is not always a predictor of winning. Check out our podcast on presidential election predictions. 

Here at The Campaign Workshop, we have written a lot about independent expenditure strategy in the past, but the key takeaways never change:

1. Know your goals.
2. Do no harm.
3. Don’t duplicate efforts.

What is direct employee feedback, and how can it help you? Building a cohesive, effective team requires effort and intentional communication at every level. As we strive to improve our skills and abilities, expand our knowledge, and strengthen our teamwork, we rely more and more on open and clear communication. To boost our efforts, we have instituted a new set of guidelines for giving and receiving internal feedback, and we’d like to share a bit about it with you.

An essential component of a good political communication strategy is the integration of effective speechwriting. Even if your campaign doesn’t plan to deliver a ton of speeches, it’s crucial to have a structured process in place for crafting and refining them.

If you’re running for office even at the local level, chances are you’ll want to have a speech prepared at least for Election Night. If the thought of writing a speech seems intimidating, don’t panic–you can follow a simple and straightforward method to create impactful speeches.

Get Out The Vote (GOTV) scripts are important because, in the vast majority of cases, they are your last chance to talk to your campaign’s core supporters to encourage them to vote. Therefore, it’s important that you make a lasting impression with these people and engage with them in a way that will resonate enough that they’ll take an hour (or six) out of their day to go vote.

Political endorsements matter, yet most political campaigns, including those for ballot measures and candidate campaigns, don’t strategize to get the most of them. Learn tips on optimizing political endorsements to maximize their impact.

Whether you are a candidate for office, running a ballot measure, or helping any campaign, political endorsements are imperative to get your campaign up and running.

Get Out the Vote (GOTV) matters. Campaigns demand long hours, uncomfortable conversations about fundraising, and massive dedication from the candidate, the campaign team, staffers, and volunteers. After all the resources (including your sanity) are poured into your campaign, a robust GOTV strategy and efforts are vital to end on a high note. 

Ramping up your political campaign or advocacy program? We’re back to help with the 5th edition of our 100+ Best Campaign Management Tools List. 

The Tools List helps organizations decide on campaign tools like never before with new resources, Joe’s 2024 Picks, and refined categories, like AI tools and easy-to-use interactive browsing. Learn about tool trends and tips below—or go ahead and get started if you already know what you’re looking for! 

Grief at work: In 2022, as part of our DEI efforts, our team started looking at factors that cause stress in the workplace. One that became apparent was grieving at work. At TCW, we define a grief event as often occurring when a friend or loved one dies, a friend or loved one becomes ill, a pet dies, or a relationship ends. These grief events are frequent in the workplace, and we estimate that a typical employee will experience this at least once, if not more while working at TCW.

By now, we’ve all heard about AI and have started to consider how it can make our lives a little easier. For many, however, AI also brings a lot of fear and trepidation. Both nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies need to carefully think through and define how they are using AI. This includes writing a nonprofit AI policy for your organization. As a creative and strategy-based company that works with nonprofits, we see both the benefits and challenges that AI can bring.

When you’re getting ready to run, one of the first things to think about is establishing a Facebook campaign strategy. No matter what level of office you are running for, Facebook is one of the most powerful communications tools modern-day political campaigns have.

Advanced micro-targeting can be the tactical advantage you need to win your campaign. Before delving into micro-targeting, voter modeling, and other advanced-targeting, let’s begin by defining targeting to ensure we’re all on the same page. This process is crucial for all campaigns-candidates, ballot initiatives, independent expenditure, and more.