What should you expect from a Campaign Manager?
The simple answer is that it depends on the size of the campaign, but there are things that all campaign managers have in common.
The campaign manager is the project manager for the campaign. They may or may not write the plans and goals for campaign metrics, but they are responsible for knowing what’s happening and ensuring accountability in each campaign department, providing advice and feedback to staff and the candidate, interceding when necessary, and reporting all of these results to the candidate and consultants to make strategic shifts as required.
A campaign manager should have some say in the overall strategy of the campaign, but very rarely should a campaign manager make changes to the direction of a campaign without consulting the candidate or campaign advisors and consultants.
Most importantly, the campaign manager is there to make life easier for the candidate by taking day to day administrative and management activities off their plate and taking ownership of making sure deadlines and goals are being met and that the calendar of the candidate is focused primarily on external facing activities that secure votes, donations, or endorsements.
The role of a campaign manager will likely shift throughout the campaign. As one of the first hires, the initial scope of work for a manager is enormous. However, over time, as the campaign raises more dollars, some of these tasks are delegated to other staff or consultants responsible for different campaign departments (but almost never delegated back to the candidate), for example, fundraising, field, and communications.
A few examples of what a campaign manager should be doing for you, particularly on a small campaign or a campaign in the early stages, are:
Managing the campaign’s day-to-day operations with the aim of making life easier for the candidate whenever possible.
Scheduling the candidate – the CM should know the candidate’s calendar as well or better than the candidate. If a candidate is working full time in addition to running for office, the CM must ensure that the time the candidate commits to the campaign is used effectively and intentionally. (Note: This role may be delegated later to a scheduler.)
Supporting fundraising call time and follow-up on candidate calls. While the candidate should make initial calls and connections to fundraiser hosts and donors, the CM follows up through calls, texts, and emails to ensure progress continues. (Note: This role may be delegated to a finance director.)
Staff the candidate. The CM should accompany the candidate to public events to provide support and feedback, connect with possible supporters that the candidate can follow up with, ensure that the candidate doesn’t get bogged down in long conversations with voters, and provide the candidate with real-time intel when possible. (Note: This role may be delegated once additional staff is hired.)
Tracking all data related to campaign activities to ensure the campaign stays on track.
In the very early days of a campaign, you should be able to get by with a consultant, like Blue Circle Colorado, taking ownership of some of the campaign manager’s role. A candidate should never be fully responsible for the day-to-day operations of a campaign.
As the campaign heats up and the number of hours it takes to run an effective campaign increases, candidates will need someone on the campaign full-time, taking actions behind the scenes to make the best use of a candidate’s limited schedule. As soon as you need more help than a consultant can provide, that’s when it’s time to hire a CM.
If you’d like to know more about what we think is important to consider in hiring a campaign manager, or how we can help you in the meantime by taking on some of these roles, please contact us.