Local elections are often won and lost on margins — a few hundred votes, sometimes fewer. That means that upcoming school board seat, city council race, or state rep race — those can be won. And with Raise by ActBlue, candidates like you are doing just that.
All it takes is starting early, connecting with voters often, and having the right tools. At ActBlue, our fundraising infrastructure has helped more than 28 million Americans give to the Democratic candidates they believe in — and we’ve seen what works. Now, we’re distilling that experience into a step-by-step plan for your first 30 days — because in a midterm year like this, the outcomes of local races don’t stay local.
Let’s go win.
Week 1: Build your list and set a goal
Good news: you already have your most powerful fundraising asset. You just haven’t written it down yet.
It’s the people who already know you. The colleagues who watched you stay late. The neighbors who’ve seen you at every community meeting. The friends who’ve been waiting for you to do something like this. They’re your list — and this week, your only job is to get them out of your head and onto paper.
Block an hour this week and do nothing but write names. Think former colleagues, neighbors, people from volunteer work, your kids’ school, your professional network, and your community organizations. Anyone you could call or text right now without it feeling weird. Aim for at least 50 names. If you get to 100, you’re in great shape.
Then, sort it. Your closest supporters — the ones who will give without needing much convincing — go to the top. These are your first donors. They’re already rooting for you.
Set your first public goal this week, too. For most local races, $2,500–$5,000 is an ambitious but achievable first milestone. Pair it with a deadline, which gives supporters a reason to give.
While you’re building your list, get your campaign website up, too. Donors will look you up before they give, and a professional web presence tells them this is a real campaign worth backing. Hey Victor by ActBlue was built for exactly this moment: no tech team required, no guesswork, just a campaign site that’s ready when your supporters go looking.
Week 2: Make your first personal asks
This is the week your campaign stops being an idea and starts being real.
Your first donors aren’t just donating, they’re making a statement. They’re telling everyone who comes after them: this candidate is worth backing. That social proof is worth more than the dollars themselves.
Reach out personally to 10–15 of your closest contacts. One message at a time, written for that specific person. Not a template, not a mass email — a real note from you to someone who already believes in you. You’re not cold-calling a stranger. You’re giving a friend the chance to be part of something.
When someone gives, thank them within 48 hours. Raise makes this seamless — you can customize what every donor sees the moment they give, and again in their receipt email. Use it! A personal thank-you at that moment doesn’t just feel good; it turns a one-time donor into a long-term supporter.
Week 3: Go public
Look back at what you’ve built in two weeks: a list, a goal, a website, and real donors. Your campaign has proof of life. Now, it’s time to tell the world.
Send your first campaign-wide email. Skip the biography and lead with the one thing that made you file. Why you? Why now? Why this race? Follow it with your goal, your deadline, and one clear ask. Keep it short. Most people won’t read past the first few sentences, so try to make them count.
Share your fundraising link on social media. Donations rarely come directly from social posts, but shares do — and every share puts your campaign in front of someone new. Raise by ActBlue can generate a QR code for your fundraising page that you can drop on any printed material. Knocking doors this week? That QR code turns every conversation into a potential contribution without anyone fumbling for a URL.
Start reaching supporters by text. Text is the highest-response outreach channel most local campaigns never use. Impactive by ActBlue changes that — it lets you reach supporters directly, right where they’re already paying attention. Set it up this week while your momentum is high and your list is fresh!
And don’t let any of this replace your personal asks. The broad outreach sets the stage. The one-to-one messages are still where most of your money comes from.
Week 4: Follow up and take stock
Here’s a secret most first-time candidates don’t know: a lot of your best donors just haven’t given yet! Not because they don’t want to; life just gets in the way.
A short, warm follow-up to everyone who didn’t respond in week two is often the highest-ROI thing you’ll do all month. Acknowledge you know they’re busy. Remind them of your goal and deadline. Drop the link. No guilt, no pressure — just a genuine nudge from someone they want to see win.
Then, take a breath and look at what you’ve accomplished. How much did you raise? How many people gave? What worked, and what would you do differently next month? Reflecting on these things will make you a better fundraiser in month two.
With Raise, your dashboard makes the numbers easy. Total funds raised, donor count, average gift — all filterable by date range, right there when you need them. And when you’re ready to go deeper or tackle compliance reporting, you can pull a full CSV of every contribution with donor details, amounts, and fees already broken out. The data does the heavy lifting so you can focus on the relationships.
The bottom line
Thirty days from now, you won’t just have a campaign — you’ll have momentum. A list of real supporters. Early donors. A clear goal. Proof that people are ready to invest in what you’re building.
In a midterm year where races like yours can be decided by a handful of votes, that early momentum matters. Raise, Hey Victor, and Impactive by ActBlue are built to help you create it — quickly, and without a large team.
You don’t need to get everything right this month. You just need to get started — and you already have.
Start fundraising now
Raise by ActBlue is built for candidates like you — who need to be up and running fast, without a tech team or a compliance expert on the payroll. Your donation page comes ready to go, donor information is captured automatically at the point of contribution, and your progress is visible in real time, so you always know where you stand.
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