13.6 Campaign Staff & Volunteers

Running a campaign takes more than just a candidate. It requires a team of staff and volunteers who carry out the daily work of reaching voters, raising money, organizing events, and keeping the operation on track. Campaigns vary in size depending on the office and the resources available. A statewide campaign for governor might employ dozens of staff, while a state rep campaign might rely almost entirely on volunteers.

A campaign staffer is anyone employed by a political campaign to handle its daily operations. Staffers can range from senior managers who set strategy to entry-level assistants who help with outreach, fundraising, and logistics. Unlike volunteers, staffers are paid employees.

Senior campaign positions often include:

• Campaign manager – Oversees the entire campaign, makes strategic decisions, and manages staff.
• Finance director – Plans and manages fundraising, works with donors, organizes events, and ensures the campaign has enough money to operate.
• Communications director – Handles press relations, social media, and advertising. This person works to shape the campaign’s message and respond to opponents.
• Field director – Organizes voter outreach, including canvassing, phone banking, and get-out-the-vote efforts.
• Political director – Builds relationships with community leaders, party officials, and interest groups.
• Data director – Manages voter data, identifies key demographics, and helps target resources effectively.

Not every campaign has all these roles, but these positions are common in larger races.

Volunteers are also very important. They knock on doors, make phone calls, staff campaign offices, distribute yard signs, and help with events. Some volunteers specialize in digital outreach, such as texting voters or posting content on social media. Campaigns often depend on volunteers to expand their reach and connect directly.

For students and community members, volunteering on a campaign can be an entry point into politics. It provides firsthand experience with how campaigns operate and can lead to future opportunities in public service or political careers.

In addition to staff and volunteers, many candidates hire outside consultants to provide specialized expertise. Consultants are professionals who work for multiple campaigns rather than being employed by just one. They often bring technical skills, experience, and resources that a campaign cannot provide on its own.

Common types of consultants include:

• Pollsters – Design and conduct surveys to measure public opinion, test messages, and identify which issues matter most to voters. Pollsters give campaigns data to shape their strategies and refine their message.
• Direct mail consultants – Create and manage the production of campaign mail, including postcards, flyers, and letters targeted to specific groups of voters. They help tailor messages based on voter demographics and geography.
• Media consultants – Plan, write, and produce television and radio ads. Moreover, they advise campaigns on how to use paid media most effectively to reach voters. Media consultants are sometimes called ad makers because they specialize in creating campaign commercials.
• Digital consultants – Relatedly, they focus on online advertising, websites, social media strategy, and email fundraising. They design targeted ads, manage online engagement, and use data to track performance.
• Fundraising consultants – Advise campaigns on how to raise money, organize donor events, and expand a candidate’s fundraising network.

Consultants can be expensive, which means they are more common in statewide or congressional campaigns than in local races. Still, even smaller campaigns may hire a consultant for specific needs, such as designing a website or running a targeted mailing.