decide if running for office is right for you. Take a personal inventory. Do you have the time, family support, name recognition, fundraising ability, drive to win, and public speaking skills necessary to run a good campaign? 2) Do you volunteer for causes like the PTA or the neighborhood watch? Make a list of your fellow club members, family, friends, and colleagues you think will support you. Be realistic about how much time, money, or effort your friends and associates will be able to provide, given their daily work and family demands and priorities. Exploratory Committee Meeting You are not going to run for office alone. You will be relying heavily on the people around you. Do not decide to run for office alone, but involve those people who will be working on your campaign in the decision. The first thing a prospective candidate usually does is to host a small gathering in their home to pitch the idea and see what kind of support might be available. It is very important to get the right people at this meeting. Do not simply invite your friends. Invite people who will be critical of the idea. Make sure that someone present has been involved with a campaign before. If they want you to run, the people at your exploratory committee meeting should ask you very tough questions, be very impressed with your answers, and express their enthusiasm about your campaign without hesitation. As the prospective candidate, you will want to hear