Your Timeline to Success: Planning Your First Campaign from Filing to Election Day

25 May Your Timeline to Success: Planning Your First Campaign from Filing to Election Day

One of the most common feelings among first-time candidates is a kind of productive paralysis: you know you want to run, you have filed (or you are about to), and now you are staring at Election Day on the calendar wondering how you are possibly going to get from here to there.

The answer is the same one that works for any large, meaningful goal: break it down into milestones, work backward from your end date, and take it one step at a time.

A well-planned campaign does not have to be complicated. What it does have to be is intentional. Here is a practical timeline framework for first-time candidates running for local office — along with the key questions you need to be asking at each stage.

Step One: Define Your Race — Then Work Backward

Before you can build a campaign timeline, you need to know two things: your filing deadline and your election date. From there, you can map out every major milestone in reverse.

If you have not already identified these dates, make finding them your first task. (See our companion post on candidate filing deadlines for a guide on where to look.)

Most local races follow a pattern something like this:

This framework will shift based on your race, your state, and how long your election cycle is. A school board race in a small town looks very different from a state house race in a competitive district. But the underlying logic — start early, build steadily, and intensify toward the end — applies across the board.

Assemble Your Team Early

One of the most important things you can do as a new candidate is to accept, early and without reservation, that you cannot run a campaign alone.

“You cannot run for office alone. Build your team and ask for help.”

— Katie Olson, Candidate for Utah State House District 48

Your campaign team does not need to be large — especially for a local race. But you do need a small circle of trusted, capable people around you. At a minimum, think about who will fill these roles:

• Campaign manager (even informally) — Someone who can help you stay organized, manage your schedule, and hold you accountable to your plan
• Finance chair or treasurer — Someone to manage your campaign accounts, track donations, and handle any required financial disclosures
• Volunteer coordinator — Someone to recruit, organize, and keep in touch with your volunteers
• Communications support — Someone who can help with social media, email, and any press outreach

In a smaller race, one person might cover multiple roles — and that is fine. The key is that you have people you can rely on, and that you are not trying to do every single thing yourself. Be honest about where you need help and ask for it directly.

Set a Realistic Budget — and Stick to It

Campaign budgets for local races can range from a few hundred dollars (for a small-town school board seat) to tens of thousands (for competitive city council or state legislature races). Wherever your race falls on that spectrum, build your budget based on what previous candidates for your specific seat have actually raised and spent.

Your county clerk’s office typically maintains public campaign finance records from prior elections. Pull those numbers. They will tell you far more about what it realistically costs to compete in your race than any general guideline could.

“When I ran for town council, I could raise $10,000 to $15,000. I could print out my own Microsoft Publisher door hangers. I could send out a joint mailer. It was a pretty simple thing to do on your own. But when I sat down and did the back-of-the-envelope calculation for the county supervisor race, I realized I had to raise at least $100,000, and that was daunting.”

— Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County Supervisor

Knowing your budget early lets you plan your fundraising timeline realistically. If you need to raise $15,000, you can reverse-engineer how many events, how many ask emails, and how many personal calls that requires — and spread that work across your campaign rather than cramming it all into the final month.

Key Milestones to Plan Around

Here are the major campaign milestones you will want to put on your calendar as early as possible:

Filing day — Make this a moment, not just an errand. Consider filing with a few supporters present and capturing the moment on video or photo for your social media. It signals that your campaign is real and that you are serious.

Campaign kickoff event — Schedule this within two weeks of filing. An informal kickoff — even a gathering at someone’s home — signals momentum, introduces your message to your initial supporter base, and gives you a first opportunity to ask for donations and volunteer commitments in person.

First fundraising goal — Set an early fundraising goal (often called a “day one” or “first week” goal) and promote it publicly. New campaigns that show early financial momentum build credibility with donors, media, and potential endorsers.

Canvassing launch — Going door-to-door to introduce yourself to voters is one of the highest-impact activities in a local campaign. Plan to begin canvassing 8–12 weeks before Election Day. If you have volunteers, train them before they go out. Consistency matters: a few hours per week over many weeks outperforms one intense canvassing weekend.

Get Out the Vote (GOTV) push — The final two to four weeks before Election Day are dedicated to reminding your supporters to actually vote. Identify your likely supporters through your voter contact efforts, and make sure they hear from your campaign multiple times in the final stretch — by phone, by text, at the door, and via social media.

Election Day — Have a plan for the day itself, including volunteer coverage, poll monitoring (where appropriate), and a celebration event for your supporters regardless of the outcome.

Be Realistic About Time

First-time candidates almost universally underestimate how much time a campaign takes. Running for local office while managing a family, a job, and the rest of life is genuinely demanding.

Debby Laurent, who has now served on the Orem City Council for multiple terms, reflects on her first race honestly:

“The first time I ran, it was just me and my kids. But what I underestimated was the time, the effort, and really a strategic plan.”

— Debby Laurent, Orem City Councilwoman

Plan for your campaign to take significantly more of your time as Election Day approaches. Build in margin. Talk with your family about what this season will look like. And remember: a short, intensive season of hard work is finite. Most local election cycles last only a few months from filing to Election Day.

You Do Not Have to Have It All Figured Out on Day One

Here is the most important thing to remember as you build your campaign plan: every candidate starts without knowing everything. The plan is not meant to be perfect from the beginning. It is meant to give you a scaffold to work from — and to get better as you learn.

“It’s a step-by-step process and you just get experience. Pretty soon you’re much more experienced than you realize.”

— Sue Gong, Cemetery Trustee, Madbury NH

You will make decisions that turn out differently than you expected. You will learn things about your community, your voters, and yourself that you could not have anticipated. That is not failure — that is campaigning.

Stay focused on the next milestone. Trust the process. And know that the preparation you are doing right now is already putting you ahead.

Take the Next Step

Project Elect is here to walk alongside Latter-day Saint women through every stage of running for office — from the first conversation to the final push before Election Day.

Visit projectelectwomen.org to connect with resources and community, or fill out our JOIN US form to get started today.