During election season, staying organized and efficient is essential for a win. Political campaign software helps staff members at all levels of the campaign manage complex programs and projects, making it a must-have for campaign teams.
But how does one find the best political campaign software to use? Here are some questions to consider while looking for the right tool:
What do you need your political campaign software to do?
This may seem like an obvious point, but this question can steer many campaign teams from getting overwhelmed with the number of software options available. After all, political campaign software ranges from fundraising software like ActBlue to event organization platforms like Mobilize.
Campaign teams can distinguish where they need the most support to navigate the decision-making process. For instance, campaign teams that want one-to-one, direct outreach to voters will benefit from a texting tool that allows them to send thousands of templated messages.
What is your budget?
Budget often shapes campaign decisions. Some larger campaign teams may have the budget to afford the most robust campaigning tool available, but not all teams need the most sophisticated software to reach their goals. Most software tools offer tiered pricing plans with varying levels of support, data integrations, or functionality.
However, a little can go a long way with the right political campaign software. For example, a relational organizing tool can increase impact ten-fold, often at low costs. Trailblazing campaigns have used relational organizing to help secure their victories, and studies have even shown that relational organizing is one of the most effective ways to organize.
What is the size of your campaign?
Depending on the size of their campaign, organizing teams will have different strategies that they need political campaign software to support. Statewide or national campaigns will benefit from software with robust contact management while they use email, text, or other digital forms of communication to reach voters.
On the other hand, smaller and local campaigns may rely on more in-person conversations as volunteers talk to their neighbors and other community members. So, a canvassing tool that allows off and online reporting will offer more benefits to the campaign.
To determine the best software based on campaign size, take a look at the planned strategy methods for the campaign. Will the campaign rely on a distributed organizing model or more traditional mobilization methods? These questions can guide campaign teams to choose the best political campaign management software.
How many volunteers are you managing?
As people-powered campaigns continue to gain more traction in the political landscape, diligent volunteer management and organization are essential for successful campaigns. Software tools that allow organizing teams to direct message, email, or text volunteers from a central platform will be helpful for campaigns managing hundreds of volunteers at once.
Especially as overall political engagement increases, campaigns have the opportunity to expand their volunteer base and gain impactful engagement from supporters. In this case, it’s essential to have a solid volunteer management system in place.
How user-friendly is the tool?
Many volunteer-facing political campaign software tools available today are variations of platforms built for commercial use. This doesn’t mean that they’re any less effective, but it can mean that users will require more time to onboard onto the platform. A longer onboarding time can make a big difference for part-time staff or volunteers who can only contribute a limited amount of time to campaigning.
Therefore, the user experience for volunteers and staffers should be a top-of-mind consideration, especially if the campaign relies on volunteer power. In the long run, intuitive and easy-to-use campaigning software will maximize the impact of its users.
The Best All-in-One Political Campaign Software
There’s no need to look further for the best political campaign software. Impactive is the leading all-in-one digital organizing software, built solely to advance the goals of Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations. This software offers key campaigning tools like phone banking and peer-to-peer, broadcast, and relational messaging in one platform. Mobilize supporters in minutes with swift outreach, create in-app teams for better volunteer management, and optimize their strategy with contact segmentation and distributed canvassing.
Access to Impactive starts at just $50 per month! Schedule a demo today to learn more about what Impactive can offer your team.
