Step 3 of 6
Plan your budget
Build a line-item budget, set up records that make reports painless, understand in-kind contributions and finance reports, and raise your first dollars the right way.
- How to build a campaign budget for a local raceSkip the guesswork about what campaigns cost. Build your own number from the ground up, one real quote at a time, and you'll know exactly how much you need to raise.
- Campaign recordkeeping basicsGood records are what make finance reports easy and complaints go nowhere. Here's a simple system any first-time candidate can keep up with, even without a treasurer.
- Campaign finance reports explainedFinance reports tell the public where your campaign money came from and where it went. They are less complicated than they look, as long as you know your deadlines and keep good records.
- In-kind contributions explainedWhen a supporter pays for your printing or donates food for an event, that gift often counts as a contribution even though no money changed hands. Here's how to spot one and handle it correctly.
- Raising your first campaign dollarsAsking people for money is the part most first-time candidates dread. It gets easier when you're set up correctly, know your number and start with the people who already believe in you.