Since the guilty verdict in President Trump’s New York trial last month, Republican fundraisers have been experiencing a sort of Renaissance. Perhaps the best stat to come from this news: 30 percent of the donors after the verdict were new donors added to WinRed.
At my firm, we had clients reach out after the verdict trying to get their digital program set up because they saw how it galvanized online donations for others. In fact, our systems were processing 60 donations a minute post-verdict.
For those looking to kickstart their programs this summer, here are my five suggestions:
Trust Your Digital Vendor
I don’t mean just handing over a blank check. This summer is about being nimble and quick, able to jump on viral moments when they happen. To do that, you need to trust your consultant: Limit creative edits to just factual and legal concerns, and don’t be afraid to be risky. We’re at a point now where so many people are utilizing digital, it’s a bit like driving down the New Jersey Turnpike. There are a million billboards. You need to be the billboard that stands out.
Keep Prospecting
Prospecting has definitely picked up in recent months, and it’s not something campaigns should ignore. One thing to consider is that revenue splits are changing, especially as we start to head into the election season. More people are utilizing lists, so donors are receiving a lot more volume — another reason why your asks needs to stand out.
I always say if you’re going to be even slightly net positive after the WinRed fees, just do it because the donor that you’re going to get from these lists is invaluable. And on the next donation, on your house file, you’re going make close to 100 percent of it back.
Look For Partnerships
This is also a perfect time for other candidates to start talking to people in their spheres to try and get in their upsells on WinRed — especially as more people start to donate to others, getting that free donation off of an ally’s upsell will be huge.
Just look at the other side. Democrats have done a very good job at utilizing each other’s data. For example, I’m on Adam Schiff’s list and I rarely get an email from Adam Schiff. I’m constantly getting emails from people Adam Schiff supports, and those people are benefiting from his donors.
Take Advantage Of Big Events
August in a presidential year is typically a big month for fundraising as people start to really tune in to the election post-convention. But in many ways, this shift is already happening because the Trump trial was a catalyst event. There’s going to be a lot of news that campaigns can take advantage of this summer — President Trump’s sentencing hearing on July 11th is just one example — and they need to have their digital programs primed for these big moments.
Run Dual Tracks
Digital programs, in many cases, need dual tracks that communicate to “red-meat” voters and persuadable voters. Candidates running in competitive districts or in heavily blue areas need to consider this dual-track approach. Consider sending rev-share texts and emails to a national audience on some of the more red-meat issues — topics that you might not want to highlight with your local sends if you are in a swing district.
Your vendor can help you segment these audiences by suppressing certain parts of a district by zip code if the campaign doesn’t want to talk about these red-meat issues to voters on the fence.
Mike Hahn is the president of digital strategy and operations at Frontline Strategies.
