Carroll Printing and Promotions has been working with political candidates in creating successful campaigns for over 90 years. As the oldest Union printer in the Gulf Coast we bring a wealth of experience with the type of personal service that makes the candidate feel comfortable and confident. We have listed below a few of the keys for a successful campaign, read them over and contact us when you are ready to make an appointment, and come in and get started with your campaign.
A. Branding- The candidate’s logo or brand is what defines them and becomes the icon by which they are identified. We suggest a two color logo, it allows for great diverse application when printing different types of items and also helps keep costs down.

1. Push Cards-Push cards are an inexpensive way to advertise that allows the candidate to share some personal and professional information such as Education, Experience, Accolades, Memberships and Affiliations, and a little bit of information about the candidates family or other pertinent information. Typically, a good photo is included of the candidate, and in some cases their family photo as well. People feel connected when they see a personal side of the candidate.
2. Photography- We have a working relationship with one of the finest photographers in the Gulf Coast, Jim Olive. Jim has photographed many people from Dr. DeBakey, to the CEO’s of many corporations. We have made an arrangement to have your portrait shot at a special price far below Jim’s normal day rate. You can access his site at www.jimolivephotography.com Jim has done several photo shoots in the studio for us, and has the ability to photo enhance the shot to make the candidate look their best.
3. Yard signs-Yard signs are one of the most effective ways to gain name recognition. They are normally printed both sides to offer maximum exposure and we use a new heavy duty but economical stake that will stay put in most weather conditions.
4. Bumper stickers and Magnets- We feel that bumper stickers and magnets are part of the branding process that are inexpensive, but also have the ability to move around town and get you exposure anytime they are viewed. We use a special adhesive called a Zip Strip® on our bumper stickers that is easy to remove and won’t harm your vehicle’s finish
5. Letterhead, business cards, Thank you Notes and envelopes- We print your items on the stock of your choice. Our house stock is Classic Crest, which offers an inexpensive while professional in appearance and feel. If we are doing a mailing project with a letter we have many other economical choices in stocks to help effect economy into your project.

Voter Contact
Voter File Management – Nearly every Democratic campaign in the United States uses VAN databases to manage their voter contact programs from identification to persuasion to Get Out and Vote. VAN marries voter file data with the most powerful tools available for communicating with voters and collecting new information about them.

The voter list will allow the campaign to:
1. Coordinate candidate activity at the precinct level
2. Coordinate the volunteer’s activity at the precinct level
3. Coordinate list drops
4. Coordinate the mail campaign with target mailings by:
a. registration
b. age
c. gender
d. race
e. precinct
f. voting history
g. issues
5. Coordinate the telephone voter contact with target contact by:
a. registration
v. age
c. gender
d. race
e. precinct
f. voting history
g. issues
New Media
Blast Email – Our blast email tools provide a complete email solution fully integrated into VAN’s voter, activist, and membership databases. The package provides everything you need for loading images and building email templates, managing subscription lists, sending targeted emails, and tracking responses.
Fund Raising
“Money the life-blood of the campaign”
In all campaigns the candidate should only do two things: “ask for the vote” and “ask for money”. A campaign cannot be successful without some money. However, the successful campaign does not always have to have the most money; although it is always nice to be in the position with the largest war chest. The campaign is successful if they do the best job of utilizing the resources available to them such as the candidate and time. If the campaign is underfunded, it can still be successful if the campaign works smarter and harder than the opposition.
In any campaign the best fund raiser is the candidate; people like to give money when the candidate asks for the contribution. According to most professionals and political novices alike, the candidate should designate anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of their time to soliciting money on behalf of the campaign.
In most campaigns, some people will surface volunteering their time to assist the campaign in various activities, of which one of these activities may be fund raising. In the campaigns that are afforded this luxury, always structure the campaign fund raising carefully. Fund raising by committee is usually more successful than allowing one individual or group of individuals to solicit on behalf of the entire campaign. Utilizing the fund raising committee approach will prevent alienating individuals and allow team work to occur. In all campaigns people are more prone to give money if they know the candidate and/or align themselves with the candidate ideologically. Likewise, people soliciting donations are more likely to work on behalf of the campaign if they have hard and fast deadlines, combined with an understanding of what the money being raised is being spent on i.e… tell the fund raisers you need XX dollars for the production and mailing cost of a voter contact piece by XX date.
Remember to raise money early and often, and you can never have enough!
Tips on Effective Fund Raising
1. Know your Candidate – Knowledge is Dollars
2. Establish Realistic Goals and Provide Alternatives (for every plan A, have a plan B)
a. The “Volkswagen Campaign Version” – lean and mean, minimum dollars necessary to be successful
b. The “Chevrolet/Ford Campaign Version” – the middle of the road campaign where things go well
c. The “Cadillac Campaign Version” – the war chest runneth over
3. Establish the Fund Raising Structure
a. Fund raising by committee
b. Fund raising by individual or group of individuals
4. Selection of Solicitors – “Beware of the Bagman Approach”
a. Look for proven fund raising ability
b. Don’t mistake fund givers for fund raisers
c. Find access to fresh money, avoid solicitation by habit and desperation
5. Set Clear and Defensible Ground Rules
a. Never deviate – stick to your principles
b. Beware of the pedestal
c. Don’t be afraid to say “no thank you”
d. Never leave the candidate alone in a room with someone questionable
6. Start Early – Its Never too Early to Start
7. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for the Contribution, the Majority of the Money Raised is Never Solicited
“Be a Pack-Rat” – acquire any and all lists
Identify Fund Raising Resources
1. Ravel’s Bolero–One Ripple at a Time
a. Family
b. Friends
c. Business Associates
d. Civic Associates
e. Lobbyists (if the election law allows)
f. Labor/Business groups
g. Political Action Committees
h. Citizen Groups
i. Political Organizations
j. Voters inside and outside the district
2. List Development
a. Christmas card list
b. Address Book
c. Contributors to other campaigns
d. Party lists
e. Organization lists
f. Groups ideologically aligned with
g. Directories
h. Print-outs
i. Phone book
j. Purchased lists
k. Fellow church members
l. School Alumni
3. Targeting
a. Make the request fit the giver, if they have the money ask for it
b. Demographic analysis: party registration and income
c. Use of hot issues
d. Peer pressure
Fund Raising Techniques
1. Face to face solicitation
2. Receptions/Parties
3. Teas and coffee get togethers
4. Dinners, testimonials, cookouts
5. Telephone solicitation
6. Direct mail – To a Friend, From a Friend, About a Friend
7. Auctions/Garage sales/Car washes
8. Shared events with other candidates
9. Newspaper solicitations
10. Radio and TV solicitations – Telethons
11. Benefit performances
12. Sale of items or services