This document provides a campaign plan template that can be used to outline various aspects of a political campaign, including organization, finance, operations, communications, and performance management. It includes sections to define strategy, stakeholder engagement, fundraising goals, voter contact strategies, and a communications calendar. The template offers a framework to develop specific objectives and tactics for each phase of the campaign.
1. CAMPAIGN PLAN
TEMPLATE
DD/MM/YYYY
Contributed by Alex Mazer.
Except where otherwise noted, content in this document is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) licence by the
Open Democracy Project.
Your Campaign Name
2. Campaign plan framework
Organization
Finance
Operations Communications & policy
Tools
Performance management
▪ Roles, responsibilities, and capabilities
▪ Training, education, and learning
▪ Volunteer mobilization and deployment
▪ What are our goals and how do we manage performance against them?
▪ IT solutions
▪ Maps, data, analysis
▪ What does our ground
game look like? (voter
ID, GOTV, signs)
Pillars
Enablers
▪ What is the overarching plan?
▪ Who is our competition, what are they doing, and how will we differentiate?
Strategy
Community and
stakeholder engagement
▪ What are we trying to accomplish and why?
Purpose and core principles
▪ Fundraising
▪ Budget
▪ Cash flows
▪ Earned media
▪ Paid media
▪ Strategies for building
name recognition
▪ Core messages
▪ Policy platform
▪ Policy learning process
▪ Who should we
engage and how?
3. Purpose and core principles
Aspiration
Principles
1
2
4
I am running for City Council because...
Purpose
3
4. Past election results in this area
Last election
Second Last election
Third Last election
STRATEGY
7. • Issue – Description
• Issue – Description
• Issue – Description
PAST ELECTION DETAILS
Key issues during past campaigns
8. Issue
● Point
● Point
Issue
● Point
● Point
Issue
● Point
● Point
Issue
● Point
● Point
Issue
● Point
● Point
PAST ELECTION DETAILS
Other issues raised and positions taken
9. High-level campaign strategy (How we are going to win)
STRATEGY
Describe key elements of the campaign strategy (bullet points)
10. Campaign launch! E-day!
All hands
on deck
Build
momentum
and identify
supporters
Launch and
fundraising
The campaign will have [#] phases:
STRATEGY
Prepare
Exploration
MMDD
YYYY
MMDD
YYYY
MMDD
YYYY
MMDD
YYYY
MMDD
YYYY
MMDD
YYYY
Activities
Target
achieve-
ments
▪ Activity
▪ Activity
▪ Etc.
▪ Target
▪ Tartet
▪ Etc.
▪ Activity
▪ Activity
▪ Etc.
▪ Target
▪ Tartet
▪ Etc.
▪ Activity
▪ Activity
▪ Etc.
▪ Target
▪ Tartet
▪ Etc.
▪ Activity
▪ Activity
▪ Etc.
▪ Target
▪ Tartet
▪ Etc.
▪ Activity
▪ Activity
▪ Etc.
▪ Target
▪ Tartet
▪ Etc.
11. Example - The three phases of campaign operations
OPERATIONS
Identification
▪ Determine a target number of
votes to win, and supporters
to identify
▪ Get lists (past municipal
campaigns, other campaigns)
▪ Determine priority areas /
polls to target based on lists,
past election results, and other
data analytics (e.g.,
demographic, geographic, etc.)
▪ Canvass (in-person, phone)
beginning in [Month] and
gather info about leanings and
key issues
▪ Begin coffee parties (see
Persuasion) early as a means
of identification
Persuasion
▪ Small coffee parties where
candidate gets introduced to
people’s friends / neighbours
▪ Three waves of campaign
literature
– Introduction (with
endorsements)
– Policy positions (with more
endorsements) (both
targeted and Ward-wide)
– More endorsements
▪ Second canvass to reach out to
persuadable undecided voters
▪ Aggressive, creative promotions
including:
– Lawn signs
– Reflective bike stickers
– Buttons
– T-shirts
– Yard waste bags
– Tote / canvass shopping
bags
Get Out The Vote
▪ Dedicated GOTV chair whose
reponsibilities include advance
polls
▪ Promote advance polls
▪ Literature drop (i.e., door
hangers) the night before E-
day
▪ Offer rides to the polls
– Is there a way to
incorporate bikes here?
1 2 3
12. Digital strategy
OPERATIONS
Admin and Team Collaboration Tools
Contact Management System(s)
Social Media Platforms
Web platform
▪ Content management:
▪ Donation processing:
▪ Email management:
13. Voter contact strategy
VOTER CONTACT STRATEGY
▪ Number of votes needed to win: #
▪ Number of ID votes needed: #
▪ Number of core volunteers needed: #
▪ Number of casual volunteers: #
▪ Number of e-day volunteers: #
▪ Fundraising goal: $
Overall targets
Ward map - priority areas to canvass
Past election results map
14. Fundraising
FINANCE
Campaign
finance facts
▪ Spending limit:
▪ Municipal program rebates:
▪ Donation restrictions:
▪ Other notes:
Fundraising strategy
▪ Fundraising target:
▪ Timing:
▪ Size of donations:
▪ Events:
Fundraising strategy
Executing the strategy
15. Compare budget to incumbent and other past candidates
FINANCE
Raw mean
Budget Comparisons
Example:
16. Activity and status Deadline Responsible
Pledges prior to
launch
Fundraising Events
Fundraising workplan
Individual
Solicitations
Target
Compliance
Planning
FINANCE
18. 18
Options for number and size of donations
FINANCE
Option 1: mainly large
Option 2: mix of large
and small
Option 3: over 50% small
Number Amount Number Amount Number Amount
Large ($750)
Medium ($300)
Small ($100)
Very small ($25)
Total
19. Example: Communications calendar and plan
COMMUNICATIONS
Dec
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
YYYY
Policy
Camp-
aign
Other
Driver
What
Comms
vehicles
What
Comms
vehicles
What
Comms
vehicles
Policy engagement process
▪ Community events / roundtables
▪ Blog posts
▪ Interactive website
▪ Google Hangout
▪ Op-eds
▪ E-blasts
Generate and refine ideas around a set of priority themes
Release policy ideas
Release ideas / commitments
associated with priority themes
▪ Short videos
▪ Short policy papers
▪ E-blasts
▪ Press releases
▪ Community events
▪ Media interviews
Critique of issue
X (TBD)
Reinforce brand as..
▪ Speech with
PowerPoint
presentation
▪ Multiple venues
(local and City-
Wide)
Momentum
Demonstrate positive momentum in the
final months of the campaign
▪ Campaign rally / community event
▪ E-blasts
▪ Endorsements by major papers
Show of strength
Position the campaign
and its team as...
▪ Release select
campaign documents
▪ Invite media to
attend campaign
meeting
Launch &
candidate
introduction
▪ Launch event
▪ Media
interviews
▪ E-blast
▪ Launch
website
Op-eds
2-3 op-eds on select
policy issues to gain
profile on city issues
▪ Op-eds
Item 1 Item 2
Release platform
Roll-up of all policy
ideas
▪ E-blast
▪ Press release
▪ Website
▪ Platform
document
▪ Event?
23. Community and stakeholder engagement – go-forward plan
COMMUNITY & STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Who to engage? How to engage?
Discussion: quickly brainstorm the top
10-20 stakeholders
24. Stakeholder engagement completed to date – and next steps
STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS
Key stakeholders engaged so far
(city-wide and local)
Next steps for stakeholder engagement
Political figures
▪ BIAs
▪ Residents’ Associations
▪ Community Associations
Representative
bodies
Culture
communities
Community-based
organizations
Businesses
Labour
Media (to be
updated w media
scan)
Who can help
make
introductions?
▪ Schools
▪ Daycare
▪ Parents’ groups
Schools/ childcare
25. Example 1: Organization chart: campaign roles and responsibilities
ORGANIZATION
Campaign
leadership
Operations
Policy and
external affairs
Finance
Voter
mobilization
Policy
Communication
s
Stakeholder /
community
relations
Key
roles
&
responsibilities
▪ Fundraising
– Traditional
– Non-
traditional
▪ Treasury /
accounting
▪ Compliance
▪ Canvass
coordination
▪ GOTV
▪ Signs
▪ Coffee parties
▪ Data management
and analysis
▪ Policy research
▪ Opposition research
▪ Media relations
▪ Writing
▪ Social media /
website
▪ Graphic design
▪ Photography
▪ Stakeholder
outreach
▪ Stakeholder
research
▪ Event planning
Other
operations
▪ Campaign office
▪ Child care
▪ Volunteer
coordination
▪ Food / catering
▪ Entertainment
& culture
28. Policy topic
POLICY ISSUE TEMPLATE
Current context
Ideas from research/international scan
▪ List major ideas or initiatives identified that would
address the problem. Include examples, links to help
make future research easier
Critical stakeholders & positions
▪ List current stakeholders, and where known, their
positions on the issues
▪ Note if opponent has anything to say about this area
▪ List other stakeholders who are affected by or might be
interested in this policy area Suggested next steps
▪ Note if any are required (e.g., more research will be
required to understand X legislation; Candidate should
meet with Y on this issue)
▪ Make notes on the state of the issue today (e.g., the nature of
the problem, any current legislation or policy discussion)
Local relevance
▪ Make notes on the state of the issue in the Ward and/or
implications for the Ward. Be as specific as you can.
Proposed position for Candidate
▪ Note what you think the candidate should say on this
issue (don’t worry – these will all be reviewed!) and sense
of priority (e.g., Candidate should be able to speak to this
issue if asked but not top-of-mind for the ward; an
emerging issue that could differentiate him from the
opponent)
29. Stakeholder name
STAKEHOLDER PROFILE TEMPLATE
Organizational overview
Mission:
CEO/ED:
Other senior mgrs:
Annual budget:
Date founded:
Street address:
Website:
Twitter handle:
FB page:
Number of members/clients:
Major programs & positions
▪ List organizations major programs with a brief description
▪ Identify any policy/advocacy positions taken (e.g., op-eds
written, campaigns underway)
Could be a supporter
Looks friendly
Unlikely to be supportive
Board members (list names)
▪ Name One
▪ Name Two
Upcoming events/announcements
▪ Note any relevant upcoming activity
Key takeaways for candidate & campaign
▪ Note key takeaways and any ideas or implications of what
your review told you (e.g., Candidate should meet with
Jane Smith as soon as possible to discuss X)