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Chip Ahlswede
Meredith Weisel
Chip Ahlswede
Meredith Weisel
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Fundamentals of PAC Fundraising
Educate ... Ask ... Recognize! Learn how to effectively use these fundamental aspects in your PAC Fundraising Plan to increase your PAC receipts. Contact GA Strategies to learn how today!
Labels:
communications,
government affairs,
planning,
politics,
strategy
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Once More Into the Breech... or Spam
Today George Will has an interesting Editorial in the Washington Post about voters tiring of all different "Apocalypse" scenarios we have run into in the past few years fiscally and legislatively.

Regardless of your opinion of all of these issues, it brings up an interesting scenario.
Many Political Action Committees and Advocacy organizations rely on the "Sky is falling" pitches for support, PAC investments and action. But are you using them too much?
The lesson to take from the current situation and apply to your organization, is... Mix it up. Eventually if the sky is always falling, your supporters will eventually get turned off because the sky never fell...
And then your appeals are... Spam...
Regardless of your opinion of all of these issues, it brings up an interesting scenario.
Many Political Action Committees and Advocacy organizations rely on the "Sky is falling" pitches for support, PAC investments and action. But are you using them too much?
The lesson to take from the current situation and apply to your organization, is... Mix it up. Eventually if the sky is always falling, your supporters will eventually get turned off because the sky never fell...
And then your appeals are... Spam...
Monday, February 18, 2013
A Gaffe(?) to Gold
After committing the unspeakable act of drinking water in the rebuttal to the State of the Union, Senator Marco Rubio was taken to task for the seemingly un-presidential act of needing water by several media outlets.
Not to mention Saturday Night Live.
However Sen. Rubio didn't just sit back and take his lumps, he turned it into a positive. Selling water bottles as part of a PAC donation. Reminiscent of Governor Chris Christie's self-depreciating humor about his weight, Sen. Rubio owned the issue, and turned it into a positive.
Quite a positive in fact bringing in over $100,000 in the few weeks since the incident.
Now in today's world of nearly a billion dollar campaigns that might not seem like much. However keep in mind the race isn't for another 3 years, we've got midterm elections between now and then, and we just came off one of those billion dollar cycles. So the number is hugely significant.
The challenge we all face is how do we turn our own negatives into a positive? Follow Senator Rubio's lead... and OWN IT.
Not to mention Saturday Night Live.
However Sen. Rubio didn't just sit back and take his lumps, he turned it into a positive. Selling water bottles as part of a PAC donation. Reminiscent of Governor Chris Christie's self-depreciating humor about his weight, Sen. Rubio owned the issue, and turned it into a positive.
Quite a positive in fact bringing in over $100,000 in the few weeks since the incident.
Now in today's world of nearly a billion dollar campaigns that might not seem like much. However keep in mind the race isn't for another 3 years, we've got midterm elections between now and then, and we just came off one of those billion dollar cycles. So the number is hugely significant.
The challenge we all face is how do we turn our own negatives into a positive? Follow Senator Rubio's lead... and OWN IT.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
A Meme Love Affair: How Quickly Your Popularity Can Sour
The Harlem Shake. You may or may not have heard of it, but it is a lesson for us all
No its not the 90s Dance Craze that adorned more rap videos than Diddy at the time.
The Meme spawned from the Baauer instrumental with deep bass lines.
From Rapper T-Pain's Version -
To a Norweigan Army Squadron -
Tons of these videos were being made and uploaded. Then this happened -

How quickly did it ascend and die? Here you go -
Out of no where success. And now dying almost as quickly as it started.
What killed it? Someone else ruining it.
Keep that in mind when you look at what you are doing.
Is there somone out there that could kill your issue, message, or fun just by attaching themselves to it? And what are you doing to prevent that from happening?
No its not the 90s Dance Craze that adorned more rap videos than Diddy at the time.
The Meme spawned from the Baauer instrumental with deep bass lines.
From Rapper T-Pain's Version -
To a Norweigan Army Squadron -
Tons of these videos were being made and uploaded. Then this happened -
How quickly did it ascend and die? Here you go -
Out of no where success. And now dying almost as quickly as it started.
What killed it? Someone else ruining it.
Keep that in mind when you look at what you are doing.
Is there somone out there that could kill your issue, message, or fun just by attaching themselves to it? And what are you doing to prevent that from happening?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Awaiting the State of the Union
As we await the newly re-elected president's address to congress and the nation, we look for some major initiatives to come out. And what are most people saying they will be?

The Presidential State of the Union in 2012 - AP
The bigger question to ask is, will any of it actually happen?
With a deadlocked congress, an unwilling Senate and an obstinate House... there is only one way to get anything through.
Over reach
Lay out the case for every single possible thing you could ever want. A political version of an eight year old's Christmas List.
Then negotiate down.
The compromise will be exactly what he wanted in the first place - another raising of the debt ceiling for a period of time, a few reforms to gun licensing (enough to keep the purists at bay and the stalwarts happy), and maybe a budget...
How can this strategy work for your organization? How can you get what you want by asking for too much? But even more importantly...
What is your organization asking for in the first place?
- Tax / Deficit / Budget reform
- Gun Control
- Health Care strengthening
The Presidential State of the Union in 2012 - AP
The bigger question to ask is, will any of it actually happen?
With a deadlocked congress, an unwilling Senate and an obstinate House... there is only one way to get anything through.
Over reach
Lay out the case for every single possible thing you could ever want. A political version of an eight year old's Christmas List.
Then negotiate down.
The compromise will be exactly what he wanted in the first place - another raising of the debt ceiling for a period of time, a few reforms to gun licensing (enough to keep the purists at bay and the stalwarts happy), and maybe a budget...
How can this strategy work for your organization? How can you get what you want by asking for too much? But even more importantly...
What is your organization asking for in the first place?
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