Due to Covid-19, hosting fundraisers, knocking on doors, and attending community events, will not be possible. This year, candidates need to earn the trust of voters by smiling through masks and maintaining six feet of distance. But for millennial candidates, these limitations can be an advantage.

As a candidate, you have two main responsibilities – raise money and communicate with voters. Due to the coronavirus, both of those tasks have become more difficult, but you cannot use Covid-19 as an excuse. Below is a guide on how to communicate with voters and fundraise during coronavirus.

Communicating with voters:

Unfortunately, you cannot knock on doors. Nothing can replace face to face relationship building, but without door knocking and community events, candidates need to fill in the gaps.

Instead of door knocking, call and text voters. To start, purchase cell phone numbers of every voter in your town. Most people have had the same cell number for over 15 years, making the data very accurate and accessible. I have an excellent vendor who I purchase cell phone numbers from at an affordable price. If you would like me to connect please find my contact information below.

Similar to door knocking, you should be targeting likely voters who are persuadable. Many people will not answer their phone, but each phone call should be followed by a voicemail and text message stating who you are why you are calling them.

Next, I recommend a mass texting campaign. Since they are cheap, usually between 5-10 cents to send, you can send thousands on a small budget. Plus, texts have a 98% open rate. Unlike mail, which is often thrown away without being read, more than 90% of text messages are read.  In addition, many platforms now offer texts with multi-media messages. The multi-media message should be a short video or a graphic with your messaging. The most popular service is Hustle, but I use a different vendor who is significantly cheaper. Please reach out to me if you would like me to connect you with my vendor.

In addition to a mobile outreach effort, you need a strong social media presence. To keep it simple, you need to be posting consistently, professionally, and sharing interesting content. Plus, I recommend setting up your Facebook account to place ads. Thanks to the Russians, this is not as easy as it used to be, but there are many guides online to help you set up a Facebook ads account.

Lastly, hire a videographer. Video content receives the most traction on social media. Yes, we can all take a selfie video, but a professional video will make you look like a serious, and professional candidate. It will cost you some bucks, but it is worth the investment. Please reach out to me if you need some recommendations.

Fundraising:

Fundraising is the hardest part of being a candidate. It isn’t fun, but you cannot use coronavirus as an excuse. Fundraising is about relationships, not events. People will donate money because you asked them to, not because they want to pay $100 to eat a cold appetizer at your campaign kickoff.

Fundraisers are useful because they create a date, an urgency for the candidate to reach a certain goal. But at this time, in-person fundraisers are not feasible. As people become more comfortable eating outdoors with their family and friends, outdoor fundraisers will become viable.

If asking your friend for $100 without an event is excruciating, then consider hosting a Zoom fundraiser. Zoom will never replace the social interactions of an in-person event, but it does provide the urgency needed for some candidates to raise money.

How do I start fundraising?

1. Build a list. Go through your phone contacts, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Add all of the names to an excel sheet who might be willing to donate if you asked.
2. Gather the contact info of these people – preferably cell number and email address.
3. Call them. Email them. Text them. Facebook message them. Direct message them on Instagram. Make your pitch of why you are running for office and why you need their help.

Fundraising is about making the ask. Some people will donate, some people will not. Ultimately, Covid-19 is not an excuse to stop fundraising.

Wrap-up:

For millennial candidates, Covid-19 is an opportunity to separate yourself from your opponents. Without the ability to knock on doors or attend community events, much of campaigning will be virtual this year. To be successful, you must adjust to the new normal and use technology to communicate with voters and fundraise.

If I can be helpful at all, please reach out at matt.anderson732@gmail.com.