|
In our discussion of fundraising recently (Financing a Campaign) I left out the whole issue of using the Internet to raise money.
This should be understandable as I make my living on the Internet and, therefore, it never entered my mind, what there is left of it.
The current poster boy for Internet fundraising is Howard Dean, the former Governor of Vermont and candidate for the Democratic nomination for President.
You cannot read, watch, or listen to any coverage of the campaign without an in-depth discussion of Dean's use of the Internet.
Why, it's almost as if Dean invented the Internet which, as we know he did not because we know who did.
Nevertheless, a huge proportion of his money will have been raised on the Internet.
Dear Mr. Mullings. Raising money on the Internet is why I'm reading this, so please - PUH-LEEZE - don't go rambling across those one-lane bridges down memory lane as you are prone to do. Stay, we're begging you, on the information superhighway.
Ok.
The principal reason for raising money on the internet is this: It is the second-least expensive way to raise money. The first least-expensive way is to sneak the checkbook out of the kitchen Fibber McGee drawer when your spouse isn't looking and write a check to the campaign, but that often is offset by the legal costs involved in the divorce proceedings which may well follow.
The costs of fundraising for direct mail include purchasing or renting a list, hiring a copywriter or direct mail consultant, photography, printing, and postage.
The costs for an event might be significantly less - or significantly more - depending upon who is the featured draw and how much overhead is involved - the cost of the hall, the cost-per-meal, travel expenses for the speaker, invitations, etc. The thing about an event is the fixed costs stay fixed, so there is a calculable break-even point after which the cost-per-dollar-raised drops dramatically.
As an example, if the Mullmeister is coming in to speak on your behalf for a fundraiser the costs of the airfare, my speaking fee, hotel and meals are the same whether there are eight people in attendance or 800 people. The rental of the place where the event will be held changes if you need a bigger place, but not by a factor of 100.
If a sit-down meal is involved, then you will pay per plate so that rises in synch with the number of people, but if is a reception - that is drinks and canap�s - then the costs rise much more slowly than the increase in people.
I think you understand the concept.
Now, what are the costs involved in fundraising on the Internet?
First there is the cost of purchasing a web address (www.galen4congress.com) or some such. Then you have to have someone design and build the web page. Then you have to contract with someone who will handle the credit card activity.
MIGHT I SUGGEST � Becki Donatelli and her team at Campaign Solutions which (a) does this for a living, (b) designed the Mullings website (by Chuck DeFeo who is now the webmaster for Bush/Cheney '04), (c) handles the entire on-line subscription drive for Mullings, and (d) has been an advertiser on Mullings since the day it went live way back in July of 1999.
The issues surrounding a web page will be discussed later, but in terms of fundraising here is the Prime Directive:
When you're thinking of a really, REALLY clever name for your website remember that most people tipe licke e du. Not very well.
So, "galen4congress.com" makes MUCH more sense than "awholelottapeoplewhowantrichgalentogotocongress.com" if you catch my drift.
In order to get people to go to your website it should be on everything. Every palm card, every piece of mail, every piece and type of letterhead, on the return address on envelopes, on tee-shirt, coffee cups, combs, refrigerator magnets and any other crap some campaign tchachka vendor talked you into.
Once they get there, your web page has to have something more than a plea for money.
Getting back to the Howard Dean example, his web page ranks at about number 7,150 among the 36 MILLION sites on the Internet.
(As a comparison, Mullings ranks about 114,000th out of 36 million So let's get out there and CLICK!)
Dean's web page includes all kinds of goodies, much of which make my eyeballs roll back into my head.
President Bush's website (www.georgewbush.com) is astoundingly content-rich but reflects a multi-dimensional campaign in which the web site is one aspect as opposed to Dean's approach which is totally focused on its website.
Nevertheless, if you have a website, it has to be updated with some regularity. Studies have shown that if the average person goes to a website for a third time and finds the content has not changed, they are not likely to return.
You can add things as mundane as your schedule for the day or week; the latest press release; position papers or anything else which you can sustain on a regular basis.
Nothing will turn your donors off faster than checking your website and finding the schedule for July is still up when everyone else's calendar indicates it is now September.
Don't forget that taking campaign contributions over the Internet does not absolve you of keeping track of who is giving, and getting the appropriate information for your FEC reports.
Also, the same rules about corporate contributions (forbidden - can't use the Corporate Amex card); and citizens vs. non-citizen (too complex for here, but have your lawyer explain) also apply.
In conclusion: Using the Internet for fundraising is like everything else in your campaign. It will not stand alone, but as part of an integrated system of voter contact, press operations, organizational activities, and traditional fundraising, it can add a valuable dimension to your campaign.
Click here to return to the Secret Decoder Ring page
|