ABSTRACT
Internal political marketing is the hidden part of political marketing. Ineffective internal political marketing has the potential to derail political marketing strategies, branding and communication efforts. In the 2008 and 2012, US presidential campaigns the Democrats made it as easy as possible for volunteers to get involved in campaigning for the party and then the presidential candidate Barack Obama. The principle behind this was that structures should be organised to suit the volunteer, not just the party. If campaigns and parties create organisations that follow these principles and thus make volunteering enjoyable socially, a place to gain self-esteem and discuss politics they are more likely to attract and retain volunteers. Lower levels of organisation of parties need to follow suit otherwise the marketing of local politicians can be limited by the skill level and knowledge of volunteers at this level of government. Fundraising is an important activity that generates resources to fund political marketing activities.
