What You’ll Learn
- How to create organized lists of people and groups in your political network
- How to research additional people and organizations you want to build relationships with
- How to identify the ways you will ask your contacts to help your campaign — by endorsing (or validating) you, volunteering, and/or donating
Why This is Important
You’re not going to win your election on your own. Successful candidates build a political network of friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, and newfound supporters — and organize those folks to help them implement their campaign plan. In this course, you identify the people and organizations who will help you reach the voters you need to win.
Key Resources
- Template Rolodex Spreadsheet
- Guide to Compiling & Exporting Contacts
- Supporting PACs and Organizations
- Sample New Contact Process
- Building Your Network Checklist
Related Trainings
- Intro to Volunteer Recruitment and Management — Learn how to turn your contacts into volunteers that will take leadership roles on your campaign and contact voters on your behalf
- Raising Money — Many of your contacts are potential contributors to your campaign; learn the best ways to reach out to them and solicit contributions from them
Kelly Dietrich
Trainer
As founder and CEO of the National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC), Kelly Dietrich brings more than 20 years of experience on dozens of Democratic campaigns across the country. Kelly started NDTC in 2016, where at the time it was a collection of videos covering an array of campaign topics, available to campaigns and their volunteers for free. Five years later, those videos grew into a fully fledged training program with hundreds of courses, videos, and articles about running effective campaigns. Kelly’s expertise in various areas — fundraising, staff training, sci-fi (maybe not as much) — have shaped NDTC into an industry leader in Democratic politics. Originally from Missouri, Kelly lives in Chicago, IL with his wife, daughter, and dog, Tulip, who is allegedly part cat. Beyond work, Kelly is a diehard Kansas Jayhawk and an avid poker player. Kelly also serves on the board of directors at his local park, Sheil Park. This is where he “plays” basketball, which according to his wife can only be loosely considered a hobby. Even with all these interests, Kelly remains committed to making sure high quality tools and training are available to any Democrat who steps up to run for office, work on a campaign, or make their community better.