Managing your

Campaign

Larissa (Cleary) Valonis

Quick Bio

• Kyle Mullins for PA Representative, 2018-Present Campaign Chair & Manager
• Mary Walsh Dempsey for Judge, 2021 Campaign Manager
• PAC 112, 2019-2022 Secretary & Treasurer
• Lackawanna County Democrats, 2019-2022 Secretary of 112th
• Campaign Volunteer / Consultant

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• Certified PA K-12 School Counselor & National Certified Counselor (NCC), 2011-Present
• Elementary School Counselor at Forest City Regional Elementary School (PK-4)
• District K-12 School Counseling Chair/Mental Health Chair
• Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA) Board Director, 2019-Present
• Assistant Chair of the Board of Directors, 2022-Present
• One of the founding members of the School Counselors of NEPA, Past-President and Secretary
• State Liaison Committee Chairperson, 2021-Present
• BS from Penn State University, University Park
• Major in Crime, Law, & Justice, Concentration in Legal Studies, Minor in Sociology
• MS from the University of Scranton
• School Counseling

TABLE OF CONTENTS

04

05

06

01

02

03

Roles

(Yours v. manager)

Q&A

Tools

Getting Started

Volunteers

Your Committee

Getting started

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You’ve decided to run for office… now what?

• Ask yourself - why did you run?
• The answer to this question will drive your advertising & marketing, recruitment of volunteers, communication with voters, etc.
• Ensure you meet minimum qualifications.

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• Clear your schedule… and your family’s schedule, too.
• It’s a commitment and sacrifice - time, money, & energy - to be a “full time” candidate.

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• Consider what you would like your campaign to look like/stand for.
• What political party will you affiliate with? What endorsements will you accept/seek?

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• Build relationships and utilize existing ones.
• Who do you know? Who do they know? Who can they introduce you to? How can you make your way into that circle?
• Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask for help, for money, for time, for support.

Getting Started continued…

• Know your community.
• What are their needs and how can you help them?
• What does their past voting record look like?
• What groups/associations exist within your community?

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• Ensure you understand your requirements as a candidate to get on ballot.
• Timelines, reporting, ethics, filing, regulations, fees, contributions/finance, etc.
• Refer to the Dept of State website and contact your local county office of elections.
• Thoroughly read and take notes of all instructions.

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• Be intentional and purposeful.
• Especially at beginning before you “announce”.

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• Identify a trusted circle/exec. committee.
• Who can you count on? Who is reliable and responsible that you can trust? Who is honest and can provide honest feedback? Who can you consult with?

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Your Committee

“A group of 2 or more persons who join together for the purpose of raising, collecting, or expending money to be used in the aid of the election of a specific candidate for public office.”

Who should & needs to be on your committee?

• The committee must have a chairperson and a treasurer, who may not be the same person.
• Chairperson’s responsibilities:
• The chairperson of a committee is primarily responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the committee. ← but this description is not “required”.
• Name recognition.

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• Treasurer’s responsibilities:
• Receiving and disbursing funds on behalf of the candidate(s). The treasurer of a committee may delegate authority, in writing, to assistant treasurers to receive and disburse funds collected on behalf of the candidate(s). The treasurer of a committee is responsible for filing campaign finance reports/statements and keeping records. ¹
• Should be detail-oriented, organized, responsive, have thorough knowledge of campaign finance laws.
• These positions must be named on your official filing with the state “Political Committee Registration Statement”.

yOUR cOMMITTEE CONTINUED…

Others to add to your “exec committee” (or responsibilities to fill):

• Advertising Company
• Logo & tagline creation, signage, website, securing advertising & slots, mailers, messaging, commercials, social media, photography, etc.
• Political Strategist
• Consultation for intentional planning, responding, messaging, and more. Offers insight, honesty, prep support for public appearances, debates, interviews, etc.
• Campaign Manager
• If your chair is not leading operations, who is managing day-to-day activities and ensuring all pieces of the campaign are in synch.
• Volunteers
• Rolling up your sleeves and doing the work.
• Filling the gaps.
• Know their strengths and weaknesses.

Volunteers

The heart, energy, and face of your campaign.

Where do you find volunteers?

Volunteers

Family

Voters you meet & connect with

“Veteran” Volunteers

(ask your party for support)

Organic/ Grassroots

Students

(HS & College)

Friends/Colleagues/Acquaintances

Volunteers & campaign activities

Not an exhaustive list

General Activities

• Petition signing/circulating
• Fundraising
• Phone banking
• Stuffing mailers
• Writing notes
• Canvassing/lit drops
• Election Day poll workers
• Sign building, delivering, identifying
• Office management
• Social calendar
• Attending/supporting/promoting/selling
• Manning HQ

“Filling the Gaps”

Knowing their strengths

• Local organizing/”community captains”
• Grassroots/organic efforts/social media engagement
• Social Media (content calendar)
• Photography
• Graphic design
• Data entry
• Transportation/buddy system
• Runner

Tips for Organizing & Managing Volunteers

Keep your volunteers engaged, included, and involved!

• Hold regular meetings & share information (be intentional).
• Schedule these at local establishments or online via zoom.
• Recommend monthly starting in December.
• Set expectations right out of the gate (goes back to - what do you want your campaign to look like/stand for?)
• Always have an agenda and plan.
• Start with a welcome and Pledge of Allegiance, provide updates including: social media asks, important dates, upcoming campaign & community events, opportunities to get involved, reminders, reports, news (such as endorsements to celebrate), etc.
• Identify and assign leaders or captains for task forces/sub committees.
• They should report to Chair or Campaign Manager.
• Be responsive.
• Set up process to take questions, recruit new volunteers, push out communication & reminders (e.g.: “Remind App”, “HootSuite”, Google Forms)
• Educate/provide training when necessary.
• Canvassing, phone banking, working the polls, talking points, etc.

Your Role

• Know everything that’s going on, but don’t micro-manage, trust your team.
• Hold weekly exec. team meetings.
• Everything is ultimately your responsibility.
• Including campaign finance & reporting.
• Face time with voters.
• GET OUT THERE!
• Ideas:
• Have a shared social calendar (Google).
• Know your community. Where are people?
• Support local businesses.
• Use buddy system/community captains.
• Attend meetings of established associations & organizations
• Email in advance to get approval.
• Introduction of self & campaign & relate back to group.
• Keep it short & concise, but memorable.
• Pick up the phone and make calls/make asks ($)/seek endorsements.
• Personalized notes to elected officials, thank yous, etc.

How Can a Manager Support your role?

• Managing, organizing, and preparing volunteers & all campaign activities
• Identify hot spots, walking routes, potential voters, etc.
• Setting agendas for volunteers & exec team meetings
• Track and monitor dates, compliance, deadlines, etc.
• Oversee social media, take pictures/promote candidate
• Schedule and prepare for events/fundraisers, coordinate with hosts/venues, etc.
• Receive receipts/request checks from treasurer, maintain lists of guests/donors at events
• Communicate with volunteers and answer campaign questions
• Consult/collaborate with to bounce ideas off of
• Triage
• Use data to drive decision making
• Create target lists for media
• Coordinate social calendar
• Volunteer-like duties (another body to “get the job done”)

Tools to improve efficiency

Remind

Hootsuite

Google Products

VoteBuilder

Social Media

& Boosting

Questions?

Thank you!

larissa.cleary@gmail.com

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