Political fundraising and election campaigns.

They build and run the machine that raises the money for a campaign, a party or a movement: how much is needed and where it can come from, the pages and ask sequences, the meetings with major donors, tax designations, data and disclosure rules. I do it alongside the campaign team, with tools that stay yours at the end.

In three circles, in this order. First the candidate’s inner circle: family, friends, long-standing supporters, who provide the cash to start. Then major donors and companies, with direct asks and a precise figure. Finally small donations, through email, SMS, social media and events, which grow once the campaign becomes visible. Where the law requires it, everything goes through the campaign treasurer and gets reported.

Parties and movements on the official register, electoral lists, individual candidates’ committees, referendum committees and political associations. They can take donations from private individuals and private companies; public bodies and state-owned companies are excluded. Reporting duties differ by type of organisation, and that is the first thing to settle before opening the taps.

Italy sets an annual cap per donor per party, and giving to a registered party earns a tax deduction. Above a certain threshold the donation must be declared and appears in the public lists published by the Chamber of Deputies: public, searchable by anyone, forever. Donors should be told that before they sign, not after.

The useful window opens well before polling day and closes on it. In practice you need at least eight to ten weeks to build lists, materials and ask sequences. With less time you still raise money, but only from the circle closest to the candidate: family, friends, long-standing supporters.

Both, at different moments. Major donors and the inner circle provide the starting cash that lets you move. Small donations come later, once the campaign is visible, and they are worth more than the money they bring: they are public proof that someone is behind you. A campaign living on large cheques alone is fragile, and easy to attack.

Yes, and it does not have to be expensive. You need one place where donations, signatures, volunteers and contacts live together, because the same person is often all three. Without it you lose half the work the day after the vote and start from scratch at the next campaign. I built two of them, Mira and Forager, for exactly this reason.

Yes. Political finance rules differ country by country, so outside Italy I work alongside your local legal and accounting advisers: they own compliance, I bring the strategy, the machinery and the tools. I have worked on European coalitions spanning 16 countries and on a petition running in 27 languages.

No. I work with people fighting for civil rights, the rule of law and individual freedoms, in Italy and in Europe. It is a choice, not a pose: you only raise money well for a cause you believe in. If we disagree on that, better to say so on the first call.