A political campaign is an organized effort to elect a candidate to public office. There are thousands of political campaigns each year, from the highly competitive races for president and other high-profile offices to countless local, state, and congressional elections that decide everything from school board members and mayors to local and county supervisors and treasurers. Some of these are non-competitive; others are contested and may be decided by slim margins or a change in party control.

To be effective, political campaigns must share a common message and target their audience. They must have a clear understanding of who their voters are and what issues concern them most, and they must create an argument for why the candidate is best positioned to address those concerns.

As a result, working on political campaigns is not for everyone. It’s often the case that candidates are unable to find staff to handle all aspects of their campaign, and those early in their careers will be limited to junior roles. Those more advanced in their careers will often be able to choose a role more tailored to their skills and interests, though they may be able to work only on competitive or higher-profile races.

The first step in starting a political campaign is filing with the election administration. Most elections offices have a help section online and can walk you through what paperwork you need. You’ll need a website to collect donations, and you should set up a politically focused donation processor that will collect employer, occupation, and other information required by your elections office for public disclosure.