While PPC HQ has a stated goal of transitioning from NationBuilder to a custom IT solution, NB remains the most fully featured platform available at this time. Two indispensable features are communications with supporters and fundraising via credit cards. You need both of these features now.
If I have time, I might do some videos on NB setup, as part of another initiative I have in planning. PPC TV is intended as a Media Hub and directory for such content. In the meantime, the basic steps to setup NB are:
- Obtain the domain URL of your choice from an ISP. Get two if you want one for your candidate. We use Canspace ISP
- Login to your ISP and change the URL NameServer settings to point to NB, as shown in the graphic below
- Obtain the most inexpensive hosting package for that domain which includes POP email. NationBuilder email integration does not work with GMail, Hotmail, etc
- Configure your email accounts. Generic accounts are good because of future personnel changes. Changing email forwarding is a simple fix. Some examples are here: Email Examples
- Obtain the Starter NB account NationBuilder Starter Plan (pricing is in USD). We started with the monthly but then shifted to yearly. Plans can be suspended between elections to reduce costs
- Call NB and tell them to change the Mail Exchange (MX) records for your domain(s) to point back to your ISP (Canspace for us). This might seem convoluted but it eliminates restrictions that all ISPs put on eMail blasts such as the number per hour and per day. Email blasts will be sent directly from NB without going through your ISP
- Contact PPC HQ and have them provide website templates and contacts for your riding to propagate to your new NB sub-nation
- Starting from the PPC templates mentioned in Step 7, customize your website(s) as required. Do not start website customization without using the HQ templates or you will end up redoing all your work later
- Configure the default NB payment processor for CC donations. This requires a multi-step verification process involving your financial agent
- Your basic structure is now in place
- NB has addons for canvassing and for telephone banks. We tried FieldEdge for canvassing with some success and got set up on CallHub but never used it because we ran out of time. The idea of a distributed call center for volunteers to reach out to electors has appeal to me. Robo-calling less so. You can pick your own poison. NB has integrations with other 3rd parties but vendor software evaluation and selection turned out to be a full time job. We would benefit from a national solution for these features
