Modern political campaigns are increasingly technology-driven operations, requiring sophisticated tools for voter targeting, volunteer management, fundraising, communication, and data analysis. One of the most significant strategic decisions campaign leaders face is whether to invest in custom-built technology solutions or leverage existing commercial platforms.
This decision has far-reaching implications for campaign budgets, operations, and ultimate effectiveness. At VoterDataHouse, we've advised hundreds of campaigns on this crucial choice. In this article, we'll examine the key considerations to help you make informed decisions about your campaign tech stack.
The Evolution of Campaign Technology
Before diving into the build vs. buy decision, it's worth understanding how campaign technology has evolved:
- First Wave (1990s-2000s): Basic websites, email lists, and rudimentary databases
- Second Wave (2008-2016): Social media integration, mobile apps, and commercial campaign management platforms
- Current Wave (2017-Present): AI-powered analytics, integrated omnichannel platforms, and sophisticated custom tools
Today's campaigns operate in an environment where both commercial options and custom development capabilities have matured significantly, making the build vs. buy decision more nuanced than ever before.
The Case for Buying Existing Solutions
For many campaigns, especially those with limited resources or standard requirements, leveraging existing commercial platforms offers compelling advantages:
Speed to Implementation
Commercial solutions can typically be deployed within days or weeks, compared to months for custom development. In the time-constrained environment of a campaign, this rapid deployment can be crucial.
Our data shows that campaigns using commercial platforms can be operationally effective 3-5x faster than those building custom solutions from scratch.
Predictable Costs
Subscription-based platforms offer predictable monthly expenses that can be easily budgeted. Custom development, by contrast, often involves unforeseen costs and scope creep.
On average, commercial solutions end up costing 30-50% less than expected, while custom solutions frequently exceed initial budgets by 40-100%.
Reliability and Support
Established platforms have been battle-tested across numerous campaigns and typically offer professional support teams and documented knowledge bases.
This infrastructure is particularly valuable during high-pressure periods like GOTV, when technical issues can have catastrophic consequences.
Feature Richness
Commercial platforms benefit from continuous development based on feedback from many campaigns, often resulting in feature sets that exceed what a single campaign could reasonably build in-house.
Even well-resourced campaigns typically find that commercial solutions offer 80-90% of their required functionality out of the box.
Integrated Ecosystems
Many commercial platforms offer integrated solutions across multiple campaign functions, solving complex data integration challenges that would be difficult to address with custom development.
The Case for Building Custom Solutions
Despite the advantages of commercial platforms, there are compelling scenarios where custom development makes strategic sense:
Unique Strategic Requirements
Campaigns with truly innovative strategies may find that existing tools don't support their novel approaches. Custom development allows for implementing unique methodologies that could provide competitive advantages.
Several recent breakthrough campaigns built custom tools around specific outreach or mobilization strategies that simply weren't supported by commercial platforms.
Integration with Legacy Systems
Campaigns associated with established organizations or parties may need to integrate with proprietary systems that commercial platforms can't easily connect to.
Data Ownership and Privacy Concerns
Custom solutions offer complete control over data storage, processing, and access—considerations that may be particularly important for sensitive targeting data or donor information.
Long-Term Cost Efficiency
For ongoing campaigns or organizations running multiple races, the initial investment in custom development may be amortized over years, potentially resulting in lower total cost of ownership compared to recurring subscription fees.
Competitive Differentiation
Major campaigns sometimes build custom tools specifically to gain advantages that opponents using commercial platforms cannot match.
Key Decision Factors
When advising campaigns on build vs. buy decisions, we recommend evaluating these critical factors:
| Factor | Favors Building | Favors Buying |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Duration | Long (>12 months) | Short (<12 months) |
| Budget Size | Large (>$1M tech budget) | Limited (<$1M tech budget) |
| Technical Team | Strong in-house developers | Limited technical staff |
| Unique Requirements | Many specialized needs | Standard campaign functions |
| Timeline to Launch | Flexible (3+ months) | Urgent (weeks) |
| Scale of Operation | Very large (national) | Small to medium (local/state) |
The Hybrid Approach: A Practical Middle Ground
In our experience, most successful campaigns adopt a hybrid approach that combines commercial platforms for standard functions with targeted custom development for strategic differentiators.
This approach typically follows these principles:
1. Commercial Core + Custom Extensions
Use established platforms for core functions like CRM, email, and donation processing, but build custom tools that extend their capabilities in strategic areas.
For example, a gubernatorial campaign we advised used a commercial field organizing platform but built a custom predictive model that integrated with it to optimize volunteer assignments.
2. Buy for Standard, Build for Strategic
Invest development resources only in areas that provide genuine strategic advantages, while using commercial solutions for standardized functions.
A recent congressional campaign leveraged standard platforms for most operations but built a custom application for a unique constituency service model that became a cornerstone of their messaging.
3. API-First Integration
Select commercial platforms with robust APIs that allow for integration with custom components and data flows.
The most technically successful campaigns in recent cycles have created integration layers that allow commercial and custom tools to work together seamlessly.
Case Studies: Real-World Tech Stack Decisions
Case Study 1: State Legislative Campaign
Context: Limited budget ($150K total), 8-month campaign timeline, standard district with typical voter demographics.
Decision: 100% commercial solution approach, using integrated platform for voter contact, volunteer management, and fundraising.
Outcome: Campaign was operational within 10 days of kickoff, maintained 4:1 contact ratio compared to opponent, and won by 3.8 points despite being outspent.
Case Study 2: Gubernatorial Campaign
Context: Medium budget ($5M), two-year campaign cycle, competitive state with complex constituency groups.
Decision: Hybrid approach—commercial platforms for email, donations, and volunteer management; custom development for constituency outreach and a unique geographic targeting system.
Outcome: Custom constituency tools drove 28% higher engagement with key voter groups; campaign won a competitive primary and general election.
Case Study 3: Presidential Primary Campaign
Context: Large budget ($30M+), 18-month campaign cycle, national operation requiring massive scale.
Decision: Primarily custom-built approach with a proprietary data infrastructure, custom field organizing tools, and unique targeting algorithms.
Outcome: Campaign's technical infrastructure supported rapid scaling to over 20,000 volunteers and staff across 50 states; overperformed polls in key states.
Evaluating Commercial Solutions
If you're leaning toward commercial solutions, consider these evaluation criteria:
Integration Capabilities
Look for platforms with robust APIs and pre-built integrations with other tools you plan to use. The ability to exchange data seamlessly between systems is often more important than any single feature.
Scalability
Ensure the platform can handle your peak volume, especially during critical periods like fundraising deadlines or GOTV.
Campaign-Specific Features
Generic CRM or communication tools often lack campaign-specific functionality like FEC compliance, walk list generation, or turf-cutting.
Pricing Model
Evaluate whether pricing scales with contact volume, user count, or other factors that might fluctuate during your campaign.
Data Portability
Ensure you can easily export your data in standard formats, both during and after the campaign.
Planning for Custom Development
If custom development makes sense for your campaign, consider these best practices:
Phased Approach
Break development into smaller phases with clear deliverables, rather than attempting a monolithic project.
Technical Leadership
Invest in experienced technical leadership with campaign experience—commercial software development is fundamentally different from campaign technology.
Documentation & Training
Budget time and resources for documentation and staff training, which are often overlooked but critical for adoption.
Contingency Planning
Always have fallback plans for critical functions in case custom development encounters delays or issues.
Conclusion: Making the Right Choice for Your Campaign
The build vs. buy decision is not one-size-fits-all. Each campaign must evaluate its specific needs, resources, and strategic priorities when making technology decisions.
In general, we recommend that campaigns:
- Start with a clear understanding of their strategic and operational requirements
- Evaluate commercial solutions first, especially for standard campaign functions
- Consider custom development only for unique strategic advantages or specific integration needs
- Adopt a hybrid approach where it makes sense
- Prioritize data integration and flow across all systems
Remember that technology should serve your campaign strategy, not the other way around. The best technology decision is the one that most effectively helps you identify, persuade, and mobilize your voters within your resource constraints.
At VoterDataHouse, we help campaigns navigate these complex decisions with unbiased guidance based on your specific situation. Whether you're running for school board or the Senate, making informed technology choices can dramatically impact your campaign's effectiveness and ultimate success.