Case Studies
Tobacco Excise Tax Constitutional Amendment Referendum
Campaign in Colorado
Resources Required
Describe the
individuals and groups whose paid or unpaid
participation was essential.
- Coalition Members
- Community Leaders
- Media
- Medical and Health Professionals
- Public Health Professionals
- Public Health
Professionals—Local Health Dept.
- Public Health
Professionals—State Health Dept.
- Voluntary Health Organizations—ACS, AHA, ALA
- Other—children's advocacy
groups; health access advocacy groups; health
care organizations, including the Colorado
Hospital Association and the Colorado Public
Interest Research Group
Personnel
| Title/ Position |
Responsibilities/ Skills Required |
Source |
Hours/ Duration |
|
Campaign Manager |
Responsibilities: direct overall campaign;
implement campaign plan; oversee fundraising;
manage campaign budget; coordinate and integrate
the “moving parts” of the campaign into a
unified whole; hire and supervise staff,
consultants, and contractors; assign staff
duties and responsibilities; ensure effective
communication within the coalition, between the
coalition and its partners and collaborators,
and with external entities; advise Executive
Committee of the campaign when requested.
Skills strategic thinking; incisive
decision-making; leadership; communication;
negotiation; multi-tasking; budget management;
policy advocacy; personnel management;
coalition/team building; mediation;
collaboration; media advocacy; fundraising;
group facilitation. |
Project
Staff |
Full-time
for 10 months |
|
Executive Committee of the Campaign
(Representatives of the American Cancer Society,
American Heart Association, American Lung
Association, Colorado Hospital Association,
primary health care advocacy group, CTEPA and
other health advocacy groups) |
Responsibilities: determine campaign goals
and desired outcomes; develop campaign plan;
approve and monitor campaign budget; guide
campaign implementation; select campaign
leadership; approve campaign media content and
creatives; assure campaign funding; supervise
campaign manager; arrange campaign evaluation.
Skills: negotiation; mediation;
collaboration; inter-personnel; fundraising;
policy advocacy; communication; strategic
thinking; listening. |
Other:
Members' time contributed by their organizations |
As needed
over a 12-month period to guide the campaign to
achieving its goals |
|
Field Outreach Staff |
Responsibilities: implement campaign plan at
the community/regional level; coordinate
local/regional grassroots signature collection;
educate voters; identify and turnout
pro-amendment voters; recruit, organize, train
and supervise grassroots activists; oversee
grassroots activities; identify audiences and
schedule speakers; develop and oversee unpaid
media advocacy activities; as directed by the
campaign manager.
Skills: community organizing;
collaboration; political; policy advocacy;
motivational; multi-tasking; recruiting;
training; communication; time management;
coalition/team-building; media advocacy. |
Project
Staff |
Three staff
members full time for 10 months and an
additional 3-4 staff members full time for 3
months |
|
Media Director |
Responsibilities: develop and manage paid
and unpaid media campaigns; coordinate with
public relations, advertising and direct mail
contractors; select creatives for television,
radio and print media as well as signage and
direct mail; purchase media airtime and space;
organize press-related events and activities;
prepare and distribute press releases; as
directed by campaign manager.
Skills: broad background and experience
in media development and placement. |
Project
Staff |
Full time
for the final 4 months of the campaign |
|
In-kind Staff |
Responsibilities: implement campaign plan
activities and strategies as assigned by
campaign manager.
Skills: determined by specific campaign
assignment. |
Other:
Colorado Public Interest Research Group and
other organizations assigned their own staff
members to work on various aspects of the
campaign. |
Equivalent
of 7-12 full-time employees for the final 3
months of the campaign |
Additional Staff and
Information
Although the
campaign co-chairs were neither paid or volunteer staff
of the campaign, the leadership role they played
significantly enhanced the campaign’s effectiveness.
They were the public faces and spokespersons for the
campaign.
The campaign’s public relations contractor assigned a
three to four person team to work on the campaign,
including one person assigned to raise campaign funds.
A facilitator was hired through the summer of 2004 to
assist in building the Steering/Executive Committee and
to guide the Committee in determining campaign goals and
outcomes.
A consultant with experience in planning and
implementing voter referendum campaigns in California to
raise tobacco excise taxes worked for the campaign
through the summer of 2004.
A contractor was hired in late spring/summer 2004 to
collect 90,000 signatures to place the amendment on the
November ballot.
A lobbyist was hired during the 2004 legislative session
to ensure the legislature did not vote to place a
competing tobacco excise tax proposal on the November
2004 ballot.
Legal services were secured to prepare the amendment for
submission to the Title Board.
Materials/Resources
Required
Office
space with a full gamut of office supplies and
equipment: computers, fax, copiers, phone
Media design and production
Television and radio airtime, print space
Direct mail
Printing
Postage
Web-site development and upkeep
Page last modified 07/25/2007
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