Rating: 
Summary: Valuable Advice
Review: Catherine Shaw is a professional. She knows how to organize to win an election. Her book is an exhaustive but clear compendium of political organizing at the grassroots level. You will find everything you need to know about phone banks, direct mail, voter registration lists, letters-to-the editor--how each works, how effective each is, and how to trade off if you can't do it all.The campaign I helped run and used her book in was a $5.96 million bond measure to restore and expand our historic Carnegie library. In Oregon all money measures must turn out 50% of the registered voters. Within that 50% in order to win, you must have a majority of the votes. Not an easy task. Our campaign not only turned out well over 50% but won by more than 2:1. It couldn't have happened without that book. It's the next best thing to having Catherine Shaw at your elbow.
Rating:
Summary: Practical guide to organizing and running campaigns
Review: Even if you have the old version of TCM, buy the new one. It is an expanded, improved edition. I learned everything (worthwhile) that I know about campaigns from the first book. Ms. Golden provides theory and practical tips and relevant examples. A must for political campaign organizers. Don't underestimate what it takes to run a campaign.
Rating:
Summary: Practical guide to organizing and running campaigns
Review: Even if you have the old version of TCM, buy the new one. It is an expanded, improved edition. I learned everything (worthwhile) that I know about campaigns from the first book. Ms. Golden provides theory and practical tips and relevant examples. A must for political campaign organizers. Don't underestimate what it takes to run a campaign.
Rating: 
Summary: More appropriate for first-time candidates and novices
Review: I bought this book hoping to get some ideas and insights on grassroots organizing, but I was dismayed to find that the book is much more elementary than I anticipated. It seems like a good resource for someone running for school board or a small town's council. However, if you're looking for pointers on running/managing a campaign, you may be better served by another book, perhaps Daniel Shea's "Campaign Craft." The book also fails to address the increasingly important technological aspect of modern campaigning, recommending that you keep track of your supporters via index cards. While reliable, this method is not exactly on the cutting edge of the campaign industry.
Rating:
Summary: More appropriate for first-time candidates and novices
Review: I bought this book hoping to get some ideas and insights on grassroots organizing, but I was dismayed to find that the book is much more elementary than I anticipated. It seems like a good resource for someone running for school board or a small town's council. However, if you're looking for pointers on running/managing a campaign, you may be better served by another book, perhaps Daniel Shea's "Campaign Craft." The book also fails to address the increasingly important technological aspect of modern campaigning, recommending that you keep track of your supporters via index cards. While reliable, this method is not exactly on the cutting edge of the campaign industry.
Rating:
Summary: Catherine Shaw's Campaign Manger: A Blueprint for Success
Review: I recently finished working on a local State Senate race where we used Shaw's book as a manual for each course of action in our campaign. I was very impressed with the book's clear direction and insightful reasoning. We won our race because each step we took made sense and Shaw's book influenced our decision making process in every way. I highly recommend that anyone who thinks about running or participating in a local election reads and uses Shaw's book. We would not have been so successful without it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource!
Review: I've now had a chance to read or review a number of the top-rated campaign books. Without exception The Campaign Manager was the most helpful: it's a hands-on, how-to manual that's easy to read and covers all aspects of a campaign. The biggest selling point is that it is clear the author draws from years of direct campaigning experience. Every section has great tips for saving money and being more competitive in a market where "money is king." While it covers computer-driven organizational systems there are also systems for those who are not so technologically inclined. It's clear that Shaw knows when you're working a grassroots campaign you sometimes need to adapt to a volunteers' level of expertise not the other way around. This book is a real field guide and the best tool you could have in winning an election.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource!
Review: I've now had a chance to read or review a number of the top-rated campaign books. Without exception The Campaign Manager was the most helpful: it's a hands-on, how-to manual that's easy to read and covers all aspects of a campaign. The biggest selling point is that it is clear the author draws from years of direct campaigning experience. Every section has great tips for saving money and being more competitive in a market where "money is king." While it covers computer-driven organizational systems there are also systems for those who are not so technologically inclined. It's clear that Shaw knows when you're working a grassroots campaign you sometimes need to adapt to a volunteers' level of expertise not the other way around. This book is a real field guide and the best tool you could have in winning an election.
Rating:
Summary: Democrat city - but good info
Review: This book has a Democrat slant but has good information. If you are a Republican I wouldn't recommend looking for a campaign manager in the teachers union or volunteers in union halls. GO !W! GO!
Rating:
Summary: Democrat city - but good info
Review: This book has a Democrat slant but has good information. If you are a Republican I wouldn't recommend looking for a campaign manager in the teachers union or volunteers in union halls. GO !W! GO!
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