CANDIDATE SUPPORT

Better Campaigns, Built Together.

Community First Coalition helps working-class candidates across New Hampshire compete and win. We provide free and low-cost campaign services, develop shared tools and infrastructure, and bring together the people and resources that smaller campaigns need to succeed.

Shared capacity. Stronger Campaigns.

Running a campaign takes a lot of work. Well-funded candidates can hire professionals, purchase equipment, and invest in the systems they need. Most working-class candidates don’t have those same resources.

CFC brings that capacity together. We provide hands-on campaign services, develop tools that can serve multiple campaigns, and coordinate everything from professional services and group purchasing to volunteers and shared equipment. By pooling resources and doing the work collectively, we can help more candidates at a lower cost.

WHAT WE do for candidates

From campaign planning and fundraising to websites and voter outreach, CFC offers practical tools and hands-on support to help you run your campaign.

Strategy

Campaigns have limited time and resources, and early decisions shape everything that follows. CFC combines electoral research, practical planning, and ongoing guidance to help candidates focus their efforts, measure progress, and make informed decisions throughout their campaigns.

Assessment

A review of each campaign’s strengths, resources, and needs, with recommendations on where to focus its efforts.

Planning

A working campaign strategy with measurable goals, a budget, clear priorities, and a timeline for reaching voters.

Research & Analysis

Analysis of district election results and turnout patterns to establish realistic vote targets and inform campaign strategy.

One-on-One Support

Ongoing guidance to help candidates review progress, address challenges, and make informed decisions throughout their campaigns.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Campaigns need their systems working from day one. Every missed signup, unanswered inquiry, or disorganized contact is a lost opportunity. CFC helps campaigns establish the websites, databases, and management tools that keep their work organized and make it easier to grow.

websites

Professional, mobile-friendly campaign websites with hosting, volunteer signups, donation links, and ongoing technical support.

Contact Management

Integrated systems for collecting, organizing, and communicating with supporters, including signup forms, contact databases, and campaign email.

Project Management

Shared workspaces for organizing tasks, coordinating volunteers and contributors, tracking deadlines, and managing campaign projects.

Technical Support

Hands-on assistance with setup, maintenance, troubleshooting, and the day-to-day technology needs of CFC-supported campaigns.

COMMUNICATIONS

Reaching voters takes consistent messaging, recognizable materials, and a steady presence across multiple channels. CFC helps campaigns develop their identity, plan their communications, and produce the content needed to reach people throughout an election.

Brand & Messaging

Campaign identities, messaging guidelines, candidate biographies, and issue statements that establish a clear, recognizable voice.

Content Production

Writing and design for campaign literature, yard signs, social media, email, press materials, and other communications.

Communications Planning

Editorial calendars, campaign launch plans, and publishing schedules that organize messaging across channels.

Publishing & Distribution

Email campaigns, social media scheduling, publishing workflows, and automated communications to support consistent outreach.

FUNDRAISING

Grassroots fundraising takes persistence. Campaigns need to ask a lot of people, early and often, with the systems in place to track contributions and follow up. CFC helps establish that infrastructure from the start and provides the tools and support to sustain fundraising throughout the campaign.

Planning

Fundraising goals, outreach schedules, and tracking tools that help campaigns plan their asks and measure progress.

Donation Systems

Setup and integration of campaign-controlled donation pages, donor records, acknowledgments, and follow-up workflows.

Fundraising Materials

Reusable email appeals, social media templates, and other materials that campaigns can customize for their fundraising efforts.

Donor Outreach

Call scripts, prospect tracking, and follow-up tools that help candidates organize personal fundraising and maintain donor relationships.

ORGANIZING

Campaigns depend on volunteers and meaningful connections with voters. CFC provides organizing tools, outreach resources, and field planning support that help campaigns turn community interest into participation and prepare for Election Day.

Volunteer Engagement

Recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, and assignment tools that help campaigns organize volunteers and keep them involved.

Voter Outreach

Canvassing and phone-banking scripts, training materials, and contact-tracking resources that help campaign teams connect with voters.

Field & GOTV Planning

Voter-contact goals, outreach schedules, volunteer plans, and Election Day checklists that help campaigns prepare and coordinate turnout efforts.

Community Outreach

Event planning guides, tabling resources, RSVP tools, and volunteer coordination materials that help campaigns engage with their communities.

having cfc in your corner

We want working-class people representing our communities at every level of government. But running for office takes time and money that many people simply don’t have.

Imagine a first-time candidate running for school board while working full-time. They know their community and have plenty of ideas, but how are they supposed to run an entire campaign on top of everything else? Here’s where CFC comes in.

We MAKE A PLAN

We research the race, set goals, build a budget, and develop a strategy. Together, we decide what needs to get done and how CFC can help.

We BUILD THE CAMPAIGN

We get to work on the website, messaging, campaign materials, and fundraising systems. We also coordinate printing, production, and other shared resources.

We KEEP THINGS MOVING

We check in, track progress, and help manage the work ahead. That can include communications, field planning, volunteer organizing, and ongoing campaign coordination.

With CFC handling some of the workload, the candidate has more time to connect with voters while keeping up with work and life.

The above is an illustrative example. Services depend on campaign needs and available resources.

a community quartermaster

Small campaigns often pay more for the same goods and services because they cannot purchase in large quantities or maintain professional relationships on their own.

CFC brings those needs together. By coordinating purchases, working with vendors, sharing professional services, and maintaining common resources, we can make campaign supplies and expertise more affordable and accessible.

Group Purchasing

Coordinated orders for signs, literature, merchandise, and other materials that help campaigns access better pricing through larger production runs.

Vendor Partnerships

Ongoing relationships with printers, manufacturers, mail houses, and other suppliers, providing a consistent point of contact for pricing, production, and fulfillment.

Shared Professional Services

Coordinated access to skilled professionals, including group photography sessions, video production, and other services that can be shared across campaigns.

Equipment & Supplies

A developing collection of donated and purchased equipment, from campaign tables and tents to microphones, speakers, and event supplies, available for shared use.

Production & Logistics

Coordination of orders, production schedules, deliveries, equipment loans, and other practical details that campaigns would otherwise manage independently.

Community Resource Sharing

A network for sharing available equipment, supplies, expertise, and volunteer contributions across campaigns and participating organizations.

A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE

ONE PHOTOGRAPHER. MULTIPLE CAMPAIGNS.

Photographers often charge a minimum half- or full-day rate, even when a candidate only needs a few headshots. CFC could partner with a photographer to organize a shared photo day, scheduling several candidates for short sessions at one location. Each campaign gets professional photos while sharing the cost of the photographer’s time.

The same approach can work for printing, video production, equipment rentals, and other campaign needs.

A SHARED VOLUNTEER NETWORK

Every campaign needs people willing to help, but recruiting and organizing volunteers takes time. When an election ends, those relationships often disappear, and the next campaign has to start over.

CFC is developing a statewide volunteer network that connects people with opportunities to support candidates across New Hampshire. From canvassing and phone banking to design, technology, research, and event support, volunteers can contribute their skills where they’re needed.

By keeping people connected between elections, CFC can coordinate volunteer opportunities across campaigns, share experience, and help candidates access a broader pool of support.

THE WORK BEHIND THE WORK.

Every campaign needs people willing to help, but recruiting and organizing volunteers takes time. When an election ends, those relationships often disappear, and the next campaign has to start over.

CFC is developing a statewide volunteer network that connects people with opportunities to support candidates across New Hampshire. From canvassing and phone banking to design, technology, research, and event support, volunteers can contribute their skills where they’re needed.

By keeping people connected between elections, CFC can coordinate volunteer opportunities across campaigns, share experience, and help candidates access a broader pool of support.

common questions

CFC supports candidates running for state and local office across New Hampshire, including the State House, select boards, city councils, school boards, and other elected positions. We look for candidates with strong community ties who share our commitment to Community, Integrity, Solidarity, and Democracy.

No. CFC is an independent political committee, and we can endorse candidates regardless of party affiliation. That includes candidates running in major-party primaries, as independents, or in nonpartisan elections. Every candidate must meet our endorsement standards.

Candidates complete a questionnaire and optional interview covering their background, community involvement, campaign plans, and funding sources. CFC reviews each candidate against our standards, and our active members ratify endorsements through a consent process. Endorsed candidates also sign the CFC Pledge, which establishes our shared commitments and expectations.

Our goal is to provide campaign services for free or at low cost, with funding coming primarily from contributions to CFC. Some projects may involve outside expenses, such as printing or advertising. Any costs a campaign would need to cover are discussed before work begins.

Yes. CFC can take on campaign projects, produce materials, develop systems, coordinate resources, and provide ongoing assistance. The work we agree to handle depends on your campaign’s needs and our available people and resources.

No. Some campaigns may need a website and help getting started. Others may benefit from ongoing communications, fundraising, organizing, or campaign management support. We’ll work together to determine what makes sense for your campaign.

You do. Candidates remain responsible for their campaigns and the decisions they make. CFC can take on substantial work, including coordination and management responsibilities, while keeping the candidate involved and informed.

We expect candidates to uphold our standards, reject corrupting money, follow campaign finance rules, and remain accountable to their communities. Endorsed candidates also agree to maintain communication with CFC and follow the commitments in the Candidate Compact.

You can still get involved. CFC’s public leadership work helps people explore elected offices, understand what’s involved, and prepare for future opportunities. You don’t need to have an active campaign to start learning about the process.

How much support can I expect?

READY TO RUN? Let’s Talk

get in touch endorsements

01

Get in touch

Tell us what you’re running for, what you hope to change, and where you could use a hand. You don’t need to have every piece of your campaign figured out.

02

Get Endorsed

We look for candidates rooted in their communities who share our values. Our members vote on endorsements, and approved candidates sign the Candidate Compact.

03

Get to Work

An endorsement comes with real support. Together, we set priorities, take on campaign projects, and put CFC’s people, tools, and shared resources to work.