Keep organization simple
School election campaigns usually don’t require a complicated campaign structure.
Assign one person, the chair, to coordinate the overall campaign. Set up specific committees to handle the other facets of the campaign. Develop committees with the following responsibilities:
- Research committee ensures that all data needed by the campaign are assembled and analyzed, issues that are important to the campaign are identified, and campaign messages are determined.
- Publicity/public relations committee prepares all campaign literature based on research, themes and messages. This committee designs the materials that meet campaign requirements and then produces those materials in time for campaign deadlines.
- Volunteers committee recruits and assigns volunteers. This committee also must follow through to be sure that the needed number of volunteers is available for every campaign task.
- Finance committee raises the dollars and finds the in-kind contributions needed. This committee also files all of the required forms and reports with the local elections office.
Involve every school
Most school campaigns are not large enough to need subcommittees. However, you may want a committee chair for each school. School chairs can be included as members of the steering committee. You may also want to include representatives from employee unions or local business/community groups.
Have one leader
Campaign organizations tend to be democratic. While this is necessary to attract volunteers, make every effort to ensure that one person is in control. People move in and out of campaigns with both good and bad ideas. The chair needs to keep the committee on target.
Some campaigns name co-chairs. One person is “the name on the letterhead” — the leading citizen in the community who gives the campaign credibility. The second person is the one who has the organizational skills to make sure all the campaign tasks are coordinated and accomplished.
