A political campaign is always a challenge. It is a challenge on many levels including fundraising. In fact, fundraising may be one of the biggest issues when it comes to running a campaign. A candidate without money is a campaign that is destined to fail. Still, people wonder why they should make such a concreted effort on something that may or may not work out. It is an honest question because there are many things to think about when it comes to fundraising. In fact, the most mind-numbing part of the planning might be the fact that you have to keep up with little things as well as convincing someone to give you money.
What You Have to Consider About Your Fundraising Activities
What else do you have to think about in your fundraising activities? You have to think about the fees associated with gaining money. Most of the larger more well-known processors charge a lot for their services. They can get away with it because they have so many people paying them and they also base their core businesses around for-profit businesses. If you are a political campaign then you are not looking to make a profit. You are trying to get elected. A lot of payment processors just do not understand or think about this fact.
Politics can be a battle of inches and that means that every little decision you make could swing the odds in your favor or turn the tide against you. Subsequently, you should try to make the best decisions possible in order to compete. Remember you are not competing just for yourself. You are representing the people, in theory, and you, if you have a party, are also representing your party. A lot is riding on you and you and your team should do the necessary research. You need that research in order to make good decisions that are competitive with your opponents.
Bigger Payment Processors and Political Campaign
Let us not forget that working with bigger outlets like major newspapers and tv stations in your area is very expensive. Making sure that you are getting as much value as possible from every dollar you again is imperative to get as much coverage as you can get. Some candidates get campaign funds into millions of dollars. If you have hidden fees and other fees attached to those donations then you can see how much you might be losing even though it seems like pennies and dimes on the dollar.
Your Best Choice
Your best choice is to use a service that understands what you need and tries not to take too much. They should understand that you need as much as you can get in order to compete. The catch is that you need, in most cases, a legal structure to use these platforms. A lot of them require something called an EIN. Therefore, if you choose to go down this route, then you need to make sure that you have set yourself up correctly. If you do then you may find that you are able to have a larger selection of companies with which you can work to collect your online donations.
Your Political Campaign and In-Person Donations
You may be wondering if they charge for your in-person donations. The answer is that it depends. It depends on the company. It also depends on whether or not you want to use the platform for some reason for those donations. A lot of candidates choose not to use the online platforms for these donations. Therefore, it usually is not a problem. However, it is always appropriate to ask if you have any questions. Might as well know what you are getting into before you get there.
A Well-Oiled Political Campaign Machine
If you want to run a political campaign then you should make sure that it a well-oiled machine. Make sure that you and your team consider all your options and do the research necessary to choose the right platform for you and your campaign. Also, try to use a platform that is specially-made for non-profit organizations as they charge less for donations.
