Here are a few tips for making the most of your holiday cards!

• When writing your holiday cards, consider a quick note about why you are running for office. Add the URL of your campaign website, and encourage friends and family to sign up for updates from your mailing list.
• Holiday cards are a great reason to reconnect with acquaintances. Expand your list by using the ai???Everyone I Knowai??? app in PIES. This will help you brainstorm your contacts, like school friends, business contacts, fellow congregants, teammates from intramural sports teams, and your wedding guest list. A holiday card from you will jog their memory ai??i?? priming them for a phone call later asking for their support.
• Once updated, add your holiday card list to the ai???Contact Databaseai??? app in PIES. If you keep your list in a spreadsheet, you can upload in minutes. That way your holiday card list becomes a list of potential supporters.
• You can use the magnifying glass button in the ai???Contact Databaseai??? to start researching past giving and identify potential donors. Figure out whether the people on your holiday card list have given to other candidates or political action committees that share your values. For those who arenai??i??t likely donors, you can ask them for other kinds of support, like knocking on doors, staffing your events, or providing a public endorsement statement on your behalf.

Holiday cards are often time-consuming, but these steps will help make your campaign more productive in the New Year. Two birds with one stone!

Don’t have a PIES account yet, or not sure how to access it? Bringing PIES to your campaign begins by completing our candidate questionnaires here — or just email us at help@campaignpies.com with any questions.