John,

Campaign season is in full swing, the color of the leaves is changing, and the kids are back in school. While the temperatures may be starting to cool down, campaigns are heating up as November 8th fast approaches. All across the country, candidates and their campaign teams are giving it all to get their message out.

I want to give you a breakdown of what that looks like, and what campaigns are up to, not just the candidates, but the staff and the volunteers as well. First off, weekends are not a time to decompress and relax, quite the opposite. The majority of work that we do throughout the week is preparation for a successful weekend.

Let's start with the field team. Field is the backbone of any campaign. It is the field team that makes sure that doors are being knocked, routes are being covered, literature is being dispersed and volunteers are not only recruited, but given assignments and instructions on how to execute them.

A field organizer works nonstop to assure that come election day everyone knows about their candidate, where to vote for them, and has a plan to do just that. The majority of doors are knocked on the weekends, because that’s when people are home. That’s when volunteers donate one of the most valuable things, their free time. Campaign volunteers put in the hardwork and pound the pavement to make meaningful connections in the community in support of their candidate.

Media and tv ads are great, but it is these one-on-one conversations between neighbors that swing votes. It’s easy to tune out the ads with paid-for voice overs. An interaction with a real person is much harder to ignore and a lot easier to remember.

On Monday, the campaign is running logistics: How many doors were knocked? How many voters were contacted? How many volunteers were recruited? How many new voters were registered? How receptive were voters and were there any prevailing concerns the campaign needs to address?

Finance, everyone's favorite campaign staffer! The person responsible for making sure funds are fueling campaign operations. Chances are by this late in the campaign the candidate and the finance director have had at least a dozen arguments – and I do mean at least! The finance director has a fresh sheet of donors or prospective donors for the candidate to call, and the candidate by now is completely exhausted. They have been working all weekend 14-16 hour days fueled by nothing but junk food. Before they can even enjoy their morning coffee, the finance director is in their face encouraging to get on the phones.

Comms, short for communication, are there to make sure the campaign's messaging is in complete unison with the candidate. The candidate and the campaign need to stay on message, and they need to continuously be working to provide everyone with fresh ideas and concepts to help get the candidate's name and message out there. Comms are responsible for any statements released by the candidate. Comms makes sure constituents are updated and informed about what's going on in their district and/or state.

Digital – also known as the coolest team! The digital team is responsible for making sure emails like this one are sent, and more importantly read. Digital works closely with finance and comms. Their job is to juggle all the messages that need to go out and make sure they all get delivered. Digital oversees campaign ads. On Mondays, digital is figuring out which messages did or didn’t work and much funding is available to keep the ads going.

Campaign Managers have a pretty hard job. They have to make sure everyone is doing their jobs, especially the candidate. That is not always easy. After all, the candidate is still the boss, and it's not easy to tell your boss whether or not they are doing a good job. However, that is exactly what campaign managers need to do and do it well if the campaign has any hopes for success. On Monday the campaign manager is meeting with everyone and going through everything, and making adjustments as they feel is in the best interest of the campaign. It is vital that the candidate and the campaign manager trust each other, that is the key to a successful campaign.

You, the donor– the lifeblood of every campaign. While no campaign can succeed without any component mentioned in this email, there’s no campaign without funding. Funding from concerned citizens like you breathes life into every facet of a campaign. Your support also lends legitimacy to the campaign… No one wants to support a candidate or cause that’s propped up by soulless “special interests.”

I haven't discussed the role of the candidate, that’s because it is one that I have never done. I have done every other job in a campaign, and I can tell you right now everyone is exhausted. We know that you are too, but I wanted to give you a snapshot of what you are donating to, what your funds help support, and why campaigns are so expensive. I am asking you again, to support us so that we can continue to support all of our candidates and campaigns.

Chip in $15 Chip in $30 Chip in $75 Chip in Other Amount

Hassan Martini 
Executive director and former field, finance, comms, staffer