By Brandy Bailey, Contributor ElectWomen Magazine

In order to run a successful political campaign there are several key staff members that are crucial to the success of the campaign:  campaign manager, finance chairperson/consultant, treasurer, communications director or press secretary, field director, volunteer coordinator, and scheduler.

The campaign manager is responsible for overseeing the entire campaign and should be the first person the candidate hires, long before she even announces her intention to run for public office.  In a small local campaign, the campaign manager is often the only paid staff member and is responsible for every aspect of the campaign that is not covered by the candidate, consultants or volunteers.  In a local campaign the campaign manager is also often the lead strategist.  In a larger, perhaps federal level or statewide campaign, political consultants serve as campaign strategists and the campaign manager coordinates and manages the other campaign staff members.  A campaign manager is involved with the development of the campaign plan and has the ultimate responsibility of executing the campaign plan.  As the primary representative for the campaign, second only to the candidate, a good campaign manager should be able to easily analyze situations and make quick but well thought out decisions.

The finance chairperson is another key staff member or consultant to the campaign who should be brought on board long before the candidate makes her formal announcement that she is running.  The importance of fundraising cannot be understated.  Raising money is absolutely critical to the success of any campaign whether it is small or large.  The finance chair will help with putting together a finance plan that outlines how much money is to be raised and how it is to be raised.  The finance chair will help raise money and will help find others who will help with fundraising.  Techniques used to raise funds vary from campaign to campaign based on the office being sought and what is needed to run a successful campaign.  Small campaigns will often have small casual fundraising events as well as candidate call-time.  Larger campaigns might include high-priced sit-down dinners, house parties, a structured e-mail campaign asking for contributions, as well as candidate call-time.

The campaign treasurer is responsible for collecting and recording of all campaign contributions and expenditures and should be one of the individuals listed on the campaign bank account.  The treasurer should also check with the Board of Elections regarding finance reporting deadlines.  Your opponent will undoubtedly be checking Campaign Filing Statements, so it is important to have a treasurer who is detail oriented and who has at least some basic accounting skills.

The communications director or press secretary manages the campaign’s relationship with the media.  He or she will construct and distribute press releases on behalf of the campaign as well as organize press conferences.  The press secretary also monitors the media for stories about the candidate or other stories that might be relevant to the campaign.

The field director is responsible for building and maintaining a database of volunteers and supporters.  The field director is also responsible for other field organizers.  The field department is responsible for direct voter contact through phone calls, canvassing, and local events.  The purpose is to make direct voter contact about the candidate in order to get the candidates message out to voters.  The results of the voter contact are then used to help further increase voter persuasion and bring out more voters on Election Day.

A volunteer coordinator can be part of your field team and can play an extremely important role in your campaign.  A volunteer coordinator will recruit and train volunteers to make phone calls and do canvassing on behalf of the campaign.  A friendly and cheerful disposition is a good quality for a volunteer coordinator to have.  Volunteers are donating their time to the campaign, so having a volunteer coordinator who can foster a fun, social, and friendly environment is helpful.

Some campaigns will have a scheduler.  This person arranges coffees, fundraising parades, festivals and other campaign activities on the candidate’s calendar.  The scheduler also arranges canvassing activities for the candidate.  A good scheduler is detail oriented, organized, and good at follow-up.  In a small campaign, the campaign manager likely takes on the role of scheduler.

Not every campaign can afford to hire someone to fill each of these roles, but every campaign can find someone to volunteer to work in these roles.  As the candidate it is important to find people you trust in order to manage these key positions, as they are a key component to running a successful campaign.