For the handout that accompanies this episode click here

• Richard Oglesby crafted a powerful character story for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 that resonated with voters and helped launch Lincoln to the presidency.
• Oglesby portrayed Lincoln as a "railsplitter" - a self-made man who had done hard manual labor and could relate to working-class voters, despite now being an accomplished speaker and candidate.
• A well-crafted character story allows a candidate to showcase their values, passion, professional qualifications, and personal growth in a way voters can connect with. It humanizes the candidate.
• Three effective types of character stories for candidates to consider are:
• Passion stories about their drive to serve
• Professional stories highlighting the ability to get things done
• Personal stories about overcoming challenges that shaped them
• Effective character stories focus on a transformative experience and follow a clear beginning, middle, end structure in 1-2 minutes. Jump into the action and conclude with the insight gained.
• Candidates should reflect on proud moments, challenges overcome, and lessons learned to find potential stories. Keep stories concise, practice delivery, and ensure they feel authentic and genuine. Test with others and refine as needed.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• Knickerbocker Ice Company was once the largest ice vendor, but was disrupted by technology and innovation from companies like York Manufacturing Company
• To survive, businesses need to identify fundamentals that don't change while adapting to changing technologies
• For campaigns, the fundamental is that the most effective way to win votes is talking with individual voters, but time is limited
• ChatGPT, an AI-driven chatbot, can help speed up tasks and give more time for voter interactions
• ChatGPT excels at creating first drafts of speeches, emails, press releases, or social media posts
• This short video demonstrates how to use ChatGPT to learn your writing style, create first drafts, analyze reports, and generate social media posts
• ChatGPT is a tool to speed up tasks, but it's important to check for errors and not use it for unfamiliar topics
• By using ChatGPT, candidates can gain more time for one-on-one voter conversations and give themselves the winning edge

Watch the accompanying video and refer to the one-page PDF for more tips on effectively using ChatGPT in your campaign.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• Exposure-based therapy relies on repeated, controlled exposure to a fear to diminish its impact
• Fundraising can be intimidating, but the ladder technique can help overcome fears and raise money
• The Fundraising Ladder Technique:
  • 1. Set a consistent time dedicated to fundraising activities (e.g., 20 minutes daily)
  • 2. Set a process-based goal that's easily attainable (e.g., make one donor phone call)
  • 3. Imagine a ladder with tasks on each rung, starting with modest objectives
    • Read your fundraising script out loud
    • Print your call sheet
    • Open the Excel document with the list of people to call
  • 4. Progress to more challenging tasks, like making the first call
  • 5. Gradually increase your goal as tasks become more manageable
    • Push yourself with gradual, comfortable progress, and pause if proceeding feels overwhelming
• This step-by-step method helps overcome initial resistance and makes fundraising more comfortable in just a week or two

For more tips on effective fundraising strategies, check out the accompanying one-page PDF.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• The Four Insights Assessment is a quick, efficient way to evaluate your fundraising operation
• The four questions to ask:
  • 1. What Works? - Identify successful strategies, effective tools, and good team dynamics
  • 2. What's Broken? - List everything that's not working in your fundraising
  • 3. What's Confused? - Identify areas causing confusion, such as muddled strategies or unclear communication
  • 4. What's Missing? - Consider gaps in your strategy, skills that need development, or tools that could make a difference
• Apply the 80/20 principle (Pareto Principle) to identify the 20% of factors that, if improved, could resolve 80% of your issues
• Based on your insights, jot down three actionable steps to improve your fundraising
• This exercise takes 5-10 minutes individually or 20 minutes in a group setting
• Assess what works, what's broken, what's confused, and what's missing to pinpoint areas for improvement and take decisive action

For more tips on effective fundraising strategies, check out the accompanying one-page PDF.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• Fundraising can be daunting, but remember you're finding donor partners who want to see change happen
• Four steps to jump-start your campaign fundraising:
  • 1. Calculate the minimum number of donors needed to win
    • Estimate total funds needed and divide by max donation amount (e.g., $2,000-$3,000)
  • 2. Make a list of 35 potential donors
    • Include previous donors, friends and family, and known political donors
  • 3. Create your fundraising pitch
    • Keep it under 300 words and answer who you are, why you're running, how you're different, and your fundraising ask amount
    • Use a range for the ask amount (e.g., $2,000-$10,000)
  • 4. Get your first dozen major donors (those giving over $1,000)
    • Ask all 35 prospects; expect 10-12 to say "yes"

Follow these steps to raise the money you need to win. For more details and sample pitches, check out the show notes and accompanying PDF.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• Imagine being a Republican elected to Congress in 1978 during Jimmy Carter's presidency
• The Republican caucus was full of well-intentioned but beaten-down members who had been in the minority too long
• Newt Gingrich faced repeated setbacks in trying to gain a majority in Congress
• Despite election losses in 1980, 1982, and 1984, Gingrich and his allies chose a path of cheerful persistence
• Gingrich wrote in "The Making of a Majority" that cheerful persistence was a survival skill
• They worked cheerfully every day to accomplish what they could and adjusted when faced with failures
• In today's shifting political landscape, the lesson remains: succeed by cheerfully persisting, shaking off losses, and focusing on what we can control
• Our strength lies in our ability to adapt, fight, and cheerfully persist – this is our Winning Edge

For more insights on navigating political challenges, refer to the accompanying one-page PDF.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• Failing to thank donors is one of the worst things that can happen in fundraising
• Create a redundant system, where if one thing goes wrong, there is a backup
• Example: The A-10 Warthog aircraft's design is built on redundant systems, ensuring functionality even when taking enemy fire
• Apply the lesson of redundancy to ensure donors get thanked for their campaign donations
• Use a 3-part thank you system:
  • 1. Email: Send an automated thank you within one day of receiving the donation
  • 2. Letter: Mail a thank you letter within a week, batch processing for efficiency
  • 3. Call/Text: Within a week, call or send a personalized text message to convey gratitude
• Alternative variation: Email within 1 day, personalized text within 2 days, letter within a week
• Create a simple, redundant system to make your campaign stand out and ensure donors feel appreciated

For more insights on effective donor appreciation strategies, check out the accompanying one-page PDF.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• Fundraising is a learnable skill, not a mystical talent
• The first challenge is having the right mindset: think of yourself as a partner with donors
• The second challenge is creating a fundraising plan by figuring out two numbers:
  • 1. How much you need to raise
  • 2. The minimum number of donors needed to win
• Determine the amount by asking people who have won similar seats and using a rough average
• Calculate the fewest number of donors to maximize time spent talking to voters
• Example: To raise $100,000, you would need only 30 donors giving $3,300 each (federal campaign contribution limit)
• Focus on potential donors who can give large donations and ask for a range
• Don't overcomplicate your fundraising plan; find out the average campaign cost and divide by $3,300 to determine the minimum number of donors

For more tips on effective fundraising strategies, refer to the accompanying one-page PDF.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

• Persuading swing voters to support your cause involves convincing them to keep or reject the status quo
• To convince voters to reject the status quo, you need a two-part message:
  • 1. Discuss the problems with the status quo
  • 2. Show you have a plan and why they should trust your solution
  • When discussing the status quo's problems, help voters update their opinion without feeling wrong:
• Pick a failed promise from the last campaign
  • Show the failure in a vivid way that matches the voter's experience
  • Explain why the voter wasn't wrong for giving the status quo a chance
• To show why rejecting the status quo is worth the risk:
  • Focus on the safety, certainty, and confidence of your plan
  • Provide three focus areas to demonstrate you have a plan
• Create a two-part message that allows swing voters to feel frustration with the status quo and have facts to back up their feelings

For more insights on crafting persuasive messages for swing voters, check out the accompanying one-page PDF.

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.