I'm Keisha Carter Brown, your political and fundraising consultant, with time management advice:
- How much time do you have to win your election? Do your homework. Record how you currently spend your time with work, family, money and other activities. Then, ask yourself how much time you can give to running for office? If you can't commit a significant portion of your day to your campaign, then you should either change your priorities or find another opportunity to make a difference in your community.
- Your campaign will be a full-time job. Running for office will take over your life. Make sure your workplace, family and children are supportive of your efforts.
- Fundraising is another full time job. Depending on the office, you could be on the phone for 40 hours a week. For every 100,000 you wish to raise, you should be on the phone a minimum of 8-12 hours a week.
- You are not a superhero, it's ok to say no. The campaign will not take a backseat. Don't take on new things. It's best if you give up some commitments to focus on your campaign. Just say No.
- Have a campaign schedule. You should have a calendar ready to plan how you will spend your time: events, meetings, work, family, etc. Make sure a minimum of 8-12 hours is committed to fundraising. Also, you should create space for yourself and your family.
- More people should equal more time. Delegate responsibilities to maximize your time and impact. Don't spend too much time with any one donor or voter. You can group people together to save time. Ask excited voters to host meet and greets with your friends and neighbors.
Finally, you must remember that your time equals money, votes or both. Every minute counts, don't waste it!
