MEMORANDUM
TO: RNC Members
FROM: Ron Kaufman, RNC Budget Committee Chairman
DATE: Monday, December 8, 2008
RE: Report from December 8 Budget Committee Meeting
Today, the RNC Budget Committee met in advance of the Winter Meeting to review final numbers for the 2008 RNC Budget and consider the 2009 RNC Budget proposal. As Budget Committee Chairman, I would like to thank the Members of the Budget Committee for their efforts today, and over this past year.
In reviewing the past year, the Budget Committee was impressed that 2008 was a record year for the RNC in a number of ways. The RNC has set a new annual record by raising more than $320 million through the end of November, a new monthly record in October with $92 million raised, and perhaps more importantly, the RNC will set new records for the overall number of contributors (more than 1.9 million) and the number of new contributors (nearly 900,000).
This year was also a record year for expenditures. In a political environment that required a strategic balance between the White House, the McCain Campaign, and other efforts for the Republican Party, Chairman Mike Duncan and his team at the RNC maximized the effectiveness of every dollar spent and had the foresight to have a reserve of funds in case election activities continued past November 4. It is important to note that this would not have been possible without the strong cooperation of the McCain Campaign. Specifically, the Budget Committee noted the following expenditures by the RNC:
+ $191 million in direct and indirect support to the McCain Campaign;
+ $20 million in direct support of the NRSC, NRCC and of US Senate and House candidates as well as support for gubernatorial races; and,
+ $100 million in direct and indirect support to all State Parties for the 2007-08 election cycle.
RNC Finance presented an aggressive 2009 fundraising plan that, when coupled with existing reserves, provides the RNC with an operational budget of $56 million in 2009. The Budget Committee is confident that the RNC will be able to meet the challenges of fundraising in the coming year with an increased emphasis on internet fundraising.
RNC eCampaign provided a plan to continue to build on the RNC’s success in 2008. At the conclusion of 2008, the RNC will have almost an equal number of email addresses as the DNC/Obama Campaign. eCampaign Director Cyrus Krohn stressed to the Budget Committee that the importance of investing in technology was whether one could prove that the investment delivered with positive results. Krohn pointed to several successes, such as the match of the RNC voter file with online publishers, which enabled the RNC to deliver targeted online ads to help candidates win in Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. Expansion of these tools will be critical to future successes in 2009 and 2010. eCampaign also demonstrated the value of having specialized technology staff. The work product of one individual on the RNC staff would have cost 5-6 times as much had it been outsourced.
RNC Political recommended shifts in staffing to provide greater and more direct service to the individual State parties. Based on the feedback from RNC Members, the largest change will be the launch of Partnership 2010. This program will include a paid RNC staffer for every state to focus on Victory operations, candidate recruitment, and voter registration. The RNC already has 15 Victory Directors from the 2008 campaign that will transition into this role. RNC Political will also increase the number of Regional Political Directors to provide greater services to each State Party. RNC Political shared the results of the investments made in 2007-08 and how they intended to build on those investments in 2009:
The decision to host Political Education programs at RNC headquarters paid two dividends: first, costs were reduced which allowed the RNC to expand the number of training sessions to accommodate more students; and second, the educational experience was streamlined and consistent in every training session. This uniformity allows our Political Education graduates to immediately help campaigns in any state, at any time.
Advances in technology, especially VoIP phones, allowed the Political team to increase the amount of voter data collected and appended to the voter file by 10,000% from 2004.
The Budget Committee heard about a new recommendation to create a RNC Policy project, the Center for Republican Renewal. As with other areas of operations, there is a need for the RNC to play a role in working with Governors, US Senate & House Members, and conservative think tanks to again be the “party of ideas.” This department will include an online presence to facilitate the debate and discussion of ideas and proposals and will draw from the 2008 Republican Platform as a primary source for policy development. The department will work closely with another new area, the RNC Speaker’s Bureau, to ensure that Republican spokespeople are delivering a coordinated message to all audiences. The Speaker’s Bureau is currently recruiting Republican surrogates and identifying opportunities for them to deliver Republican messages nationwide. The Speaker’s Bureau will specifically assist State and local Parties to book surrogates for speeches, dinners, and other events, as well as proactively look for opportunities where our GOP message needs to be delivered.
The Budget Committee noted that the absence of a Republican in the White House has implications for almost every activity of the RNC. In the presentations from the RNC Senior Staff, the Budget Committee heard recommendations that embrace this challenge and build on a solid performance in 2008.
The Budget Committee looks forward to seeing all RNC Members at our Winter Meeting in January. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at ron.kaufman@dutkoworldwide.com or (202) 484-4884.
Paid for by the Republican National Committee
310 First St., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20003 www.gop.com
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
TO: RNC Members
FROM: Ron Kaufman, RNC Budget Committee Chairman
DATE: Monday, December 8, 2008
RE: Report from December 8 Budget Committee Meeting
Today, the RNC Budget Committee met in advance of the Winter Meeting to review final numbers for the 2008 RNC Budget and consider the 2009 RNC Budget proposal. As Budget Committee Chairman, I would like to thank the Members of the Budget Committee for their efforts today, and over this past year.
In reviewing the past year, the Budget Committee was impressed that 2008 was a record year for the RNC in a number of ways. The RNC has set a new annual record by raising more than $320 million through the end of November, a new monthly record in October with $92 million raised, and perhaps more importantly, the RNC will set new records for the overall number of contributors (more than 1.9 million) and the number of new contributors (nearly 900,000).
This year was also a record year for expenditures. In a political environment that required a strategic balance between the White House, the McCain Campaign, and other efforts for the Republican Party, Chairman Mike Duncan and his team at the RNC maximized the effectiveness of every dollar spent and had the foresight to have a reserve of funds in case election activities continued past November 4. It is important to note that this would not have been possible without the strong cooperation of the McCain Campaign. Specifically, the Budget Committee noted the following expenditures by the RNC:
+ $191 million in direct and indirect support to the McCain Campaign;
+ $20 million in direct support of the NRSC, NRCC and of US Senate and House candidates as well as support for gubernatorial races; and,
+ $100 million in direct and indirect support to all State Parties for the 2007-08 election cycle.
RNC Finance presented an aggressive 2009 fundraising plan that, when coupled with existing reserves, provides the RNC with an operational budget of $56 million in 2009. The Budget Committee is confident that the RNC will be able to meet the challenges of fundraising in the coming year with an increased emphasis on internet fundraising.
RNC eCampaign provided a plan to continue to build on the RNC’s success in 2008. At the conclusion of 2008, the RNC will have almost an equal number of email addresses as the DNC/Obama Campaign. eCampaign Director Cyrus Krohn stressed to the Budget Committee that the importance of investing in technology was whether one could prove that the investment delivered with positive results. Krohn pointed to several successes, such as the match of the RNC voter file with online publishers, which enabled the RNC to deliver targeted online ads to help candidates win in Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. Expansion of these tools will be critical to future successes in 2009 and 2010. eCampaign also demonstrated the value of having specialized technology staff. The work product of one individual on the RNC staff would have cost 5-6 times as much had it been outsourced.
RNC Political recommended shifts in staffing to provide greater and more direct service to the individual State parties. Based on the feedback from RNC Members, the largest change will be the launch of Partnership 2010. This program will include a paid RNC staffer for every state to focus on Victory operations, candidate recruitment, and voter registration. The RNC already has 15 Victory Directors from the 2008 campaign that will transition into this role. RNC Political will also increase the number of Regional Political Directors to provide greater services to each State Party. RNC Political shared the results of the investments made in 2007-08 and how they intended to build on those investments in 2009:
The decision to host Political Education programs at RNC headquarters paid two dividends: first, costs were reduced which allowed the RNC to expand the number of training sessions to accommodate more students; and second, the educational experience was streamlined and consistent in every training session. This uniformity allows our Political Education graduates to immediately help campaigns in any state, at any time.
Advances in technology, especially VoIP phones, allowed the Political team to increase the amount of voter data collected and appended to the voter file by 10,000% from 2004.
The Budget Committee heard about a new recommendation to create a RNC Policy project, the Center for Republican Renewal. As with other areas of operations, there is a need for the RNC to play a role in working with Governors, US Senate & House Members, and conservative think tanks to again be the “party of ideas.” This department will include an online presence to facilitate the debate and discussion of ideas and proposals and will draw from the 2008 Republican Platform as a primary source for policy development. The department will work closely with another new area, the RNC Speaker’s Bureau, to ensure that Republican spokespeople are delivering a coordinated message to all audiences. The Speaker’s Bureau is currently recruiting Republican surrogates and identifying opportunities for them to deliver Republican messages nationwide. The Speaker’s Bureau will specifically assist State and local Parties to book surrogates for speeches, dinners, and other events, as well as proactively look for opportunities where our GOP message needs to be delivered.
The Budget Committee noted that the absence of a Republican in the White House has implications for almost every activity of the RNC. In the presentations from the RNC Senior Staff, the Budget Committee heard recommendations that embrace this challenge and build on a solid performance in 2008.
Our success in Georgia with US Senator Saxby Chambliss and in the two Louisiana Congressional races makes for three wins in a row for a GOP that was supposed to be “destroyed, demoralized, and humiliated” on Election Day. It would seem that the media reports of our demise and of how long it would take for Republicans to catch up were greatly exaggerated. The Budget Committee would also note that the RNC is far more prepared for the challenges of 2009 and 2010 than any media outlet would care to recognize.
The Budget Committee looks forward to seeing all RNC Members at our Winter Meeting in January. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at ron.kaufman@dutkoworldwide.com or (202) 484-4884.
Paid for by the Republican National Committee
310 First St., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20003 www.gop.com
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
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