Political campaign software is used to manage campaigns, donations, and fundraising events for elections. These products streamline campaign processes, allowing candidates and organizations to manage their resources effectively and increase voter engagement. This is in contrast to public affairs and advocacy software, which grassroots groups utilize to drive voter engagement around key legislative decisions and issues of national importance. Campaign staff, and occasionally political action committees (PACs), use political campaign software to identify and engage with constituents, manage fundraising efforts, connect with volunteers, and control multichannel outreach, all for the purpose of securing public election victories. In addition to general database functionality for tracking staff and supporters, some products can generate mail lists, call lists, and walking lists for canvassers. Typically, these tools also offer some innate web content management features, allowing candidates to develop personalized websites and pages as necessary to engage their supporters.
Even though this software category includes tools that are designed to help politically driven organizations grow their influence, many of these organizations may opt to supplement these tools with dedicated solutions like CRM software, email marketing software, social media management software, and web content management software.
To qualify for inclusion in the Political Campaign category, a product must:
- Document campaign funds, donors, and resources
- Provide tools for creating and planning events
- Possess capabilities for canvassing, polling, and reporting
- Document volunteer and staff information
