Campaign materials can be costly.  It is important to decide what are the most important materials for your race.  This will vary from race to race and county to county.  There may be tradition of 4 x 8 billboard signs in your county.  In which case, you will have to budget for purchasing those.  When you decide on those important materials, figure them into your budget.  After the campaign has been underway and you are raising more money that you thought, then you can decide to purchase some of the other material that was secondary on your list. 

    There are a few things to keep in mind when ordering campaign supplies.  Planning ahead will save you a lot of money and give you plenty of time to read drafts over for typos and mistakes.  Rush charges can dramatically increase the price of your materials so avoid those.  Also, mistakes happen when you are doing printing.  Ensuring that you are not rushing the process will minimize mistakes.  In general, you should also carefully read over drafts yourself or have your campaign manager do that.  Since it is your name and your reputation, you should not rely solely on the vendor to proofread. 


A resource for campaign materials at a great price is on www.RUNandWIN.com.


Yard Signs –211; Important to all campaigns.  Yard signs and Political Posters are typically easier to read with a color background and white lettering as opposed to white background and color lettering. 


Palm Cards – These are very effective tools in getting your message across.  You should use these for door-to-door canvassing and when you are at events and fairs.  The small size and heavier paper are convenient for passing out.  So have palm cards with you at all times and order them very early in your campaign.

4 x 8 Signs – May or may not be important in your particular race.  These can be costly but they are very effective at the same time.  Also remember that most locations use 2 signs so if you have 20 locations, you have to order at least 40 signs.


Newspaper Ads/Football Program Ads – Again these are costly but effective.  Since they are so costly, plan on these at the end of the campaign.  That is when most voters are paying attention.  Also you may have to pay for someone to design your ad.


Mail Pieces – Mail will be one of the most expensive materials you will buy.  The benefit of mail is that it goes to actual voters – registered voters from a voter file.  Nowadays, people get so much junk mail that paying for 4 color mail pieces is usually worth the money.  Having something that can catch a voter’s attention is most important.


Web Pages – These are a good resource for voters to find information about you.  It is important to remember to maintain the page throughout the campaign to ensure old information is not still posted.  There is nothing worse than out of date web pages. 
 

Lapel Stickers – Political Lapel Stickers are convenient to have at events and relatively inexpensive to purchase.   


Bumper Stickers – Political Bumper stickers are not that expensive and can be catchy. 
 
 

Item	Quantity	Cost	Priority	Month Needed

 

     Now that you have determined your budget for your school board election, you must determine how to raise the money to fund your budget.  The most important key to raising money is to remember to ASK.  This may be one of the worst parts about running for office but having sufficient funds to run your campaign is critical.  Another key is to try to ask for a specific amount.  The amount depends on your audience.

     There are a number of approaches to fundraising.  Each campaign funds their efforts differently – from self-funded campaigns to grassroots funded campaigns.  In some instances, having a grassroots funded campaign may be hard work to secure the numbers of small donations it will take but those small donors equate to voters on Election Day.  In that case, it is worth the effort. 

     Appoint a Treasurer to your campaign who is a good supporter and trusted friend.  The Treasurer is responsible for ensuring your reports are done correctly and on time.  It is important to think carefully about whom you pick so you do not miss deadlines or make errors in your reporting.  The Treasurer can also assist in raising money for the campaign but it is not necessary for that person to have that role.

       Here a couple of ideas to fund a local race:

     Letter to your friends and family – You might get a small war chest early on in the campaign if you send a note to your friends and family around the state or around the country telling them your plans to run for office. 

     Finance Committee – Enlist a couple of good supporters who know how to make a sale to be a part of your Finance Committee.  The Finance Committee can organize events for you and determine ways of raising you money.  Of course, you still have to ask for money when you meet folks but the Finance Committee can supplement your efforts.
 

Return Envelopes – After approaching a potential donor, that donor may not give you an immediate yes to making a donation.  If you have a handful of basic white envelopes with a return address for your campaign already on them, you are able to simply hand them the envelope and they can send a donation when they get home.  At events, the fundraising committee could be responsible for ensuring they are passed out.

Events – The type and price of event will vary from district to district.  Remember that the goal of the event is to raise money.  You can run yourself raged putting on a big event and not make any money.  The best-case scenario is to find a supporter who is willing to cater an event for you at cost.  These events can be a BBQ, fish fry, spaghetti dinner, steak dinner, etc.