The Campaign Team: Tasks and Roles

Campaign Team

The campaign is usually a small group of three persons or a team oaf ten people. There is no single ideal size for a campaign team – this depends on tactical considerations that may vary from party to party and depending on the size of the town/region/country, the political options, the available time, the size of the party and the knowledge and skills of the people. There is, however, a minimum size. A campaign team should consist of at least three people: a campaign coordinator, the political leader and someone responsible for communication. In this basic version, the coordinator is also the treasurer of the campaign chest.

Conditions for the Campaign Team

It is important to agree beforehand on the methods to be used and on what exactly is expected of everybody in the campaign team. Everyone in the team should explain exactly what their concerns and motivations are: what drives them to make an effort for the party, and in the campaign.

Parties should not rely only on experienced politicians in the campaign, but also make room for young people and/or people with different ethnic backgrounds. They should try to mobilize broad support for the campaign team. The elections are an excellent opportunity to involve people from outside the small group of experienced, influential party members in party activities. Finally, it is important for political parties to give the campaign team a special status within the organization. It should not be limited by personal interests, and be should given enough (financial) independence to achieve an election victory.