Before You Start

1. Fundraising

• Create a campaign account and register with NJELEC (including the EIN / registration path your treasurer and NJELEC require).
• Set up a dedicated online contribution account (for example Anedot) that collects the donor information NJELEC expects.
• Write a campaign budget and a fundraising plan as separate documents you can update weekly.
• Start with your friends-and-family network, then county committee, club, and volunteer lists — plus professional and social organizations you already belong to. Build outward from there.
• Make a schedule to call, email, and write letters. Handwritten-style letters still work for soliciting donations outside your inner circle (the letter does not have to be hand-written, but a personal font helps).

Burlington County candidates: call the County Republican Committee Executive Director for treasurer recommendations who will handle NJELEC forms and filings. See the Treasurer Guide.

2. Messaging and bio

• Craft three to five core campaign messages. Everything else — mail, doors, social, interviews — builds from those.
• Write a clear candidate bio (who you are, why you are running, and what you will do).
• Build a volunteer list from the candidate’s own contacts and from political networks (committee, clubs, past campaigns).

3. Field

• Create a field plan with a weekly schedule for door-knocking and phone calls.
• Begin with persuasion (unaffiliated voters and soft Democrats), then shift to turnout of your base as Election Day approaches.

Use the door-knock script and walk sheet when you are ready to walk.

4. Advance (events)

• Keep a shared calendar with events planned for the month.
• Call ahead when the event or host needs it.
• Provide as many logistics as possible in advance: dress code, parking, event staffing (photos, crowd control, candidate management).

5. Communications

• From your core messages, build a social media posting schedule across every platform you will actually use.
• Schedule radio, TV, and podcast interviews where they make sense for a local race.
• Plan paid amplification where the budget allows: boosted Facebook posts, YouTube ads, text messages, email, and other microtargeting / OTT options your team recommends.

Every public communication that asks for support or money needs correct “Paid for by” language. See Limits & Disclaimers.

6. Vendors, officers, and surrogates

• Decide who covers communications, field, advance, treasurer, campaign manager, and political director — even if one person wears several hats in a municipal race.
• Identify campaign consultants, fundraisers, and treasurers you may need; hire or recruit before the calendar gets tight.
• Manage vendors with clear expectations and consistent communication.
• Build a surrogate bench: reliable volunteers, high-profile supporters, and respected community members who can speak for the campaign when the candidate cannot be in two places at once.

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