Frequently Asked Questions

What is PIES? What can it do?

PIES takes care of all the nuts and bolts of running for office, so you can focus on what really matters — getting your message out, building your base of support, and getting voters to the polls.

With PIES you can create a beautiful, professional website in minutes that keeps you connected to your supporters, and helps you gain some new ones. You can build and maintain your lists of donors, endorsers, and press contacts, track your call time and key field metrics, and build customized handouts for your volunteers, all while keeping your supporters energized with email updates and online petitions.


What kind of races is it for? What size races is it for?

PIES is for progressives who are running for office, seeking a position in the Democratic Party or related organization, or working to get their fellow progressives elected.

PIES’s nuts and bolts tools can provide valuable help to your campaign, staff, and volunteers whether you’re running for school board in a thousand-voter district or launching your Congressional campaign to represent 750,000.


Who's building it?

We’re the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC, BoldProgressives.org), a million-member grassroots organization dedicated to building progressive power while organizing for democracy issues and economic populist priorities.

PIES is steered by PCCC co-founder Stephanie Taylor, a former union organizer and a pioneer in the area of scalable field work, using technology to achieve electoral results. She has spent 20 years working on labor, electoral, and advocacy campaigns throughout the country.


Why are you doing this?

We want thousands of Elizabeth Warrens to run and win races up and down the ballot. We believe that government should reflect community, with representatives as diverse and rich in experience as the people they represent. But we understand that running for office can be intimidating, and it can be difficult to know where to start and what to really focus on to win.

A central part of our work at the PCCC is getting knowledge, in the form of best practices and training, into the hands of progressive candidates and their staff. So now we’re baking our hard-won campaign knowledge into easy-to-use software tools to give you all the nuts and bolts you’ll need for your campaign without wasting time or money.


How much does it cost? Why isn't it free?

PIES costs $25/month per campaign, or $275/year (one month free) for an annual subscription. You’ll have full administrative access to create as many user accounts as you want at no additional cost.

We wish we could make PIES cost-free, but in order to stay compliant with campaign finance laws around the country, we are offering PIES as a paid service. This allows us to scale and invest in improvements while keeping overhead low -- and keeping it affordable to you!


Can you give me a free trial account?

Sorry, we can’t -- for the same reason why we can’t give it away for free. Our lawyers won’t allow it. :-)


Who owns my data?

You do! We won’t use any of your data without your permission, and if you choose to stop using PIES, you can take it with you, without jumping through any hoops.

All your data is always available to you, and can be downloaded to store on your personal hard drive or import into other databases, CRMs, and hosting providers at no additional cost.


Do you harvest my email lists?

Absolutely not. Your email lists are yours alone.


Should I use this instead of NGP VAN?

PIES complements NGP VAN, helping you run a smart, strategic best-practices operation. NGP VAN is a great option for managing your compliance (in fact, we deliberately didn't build a compliance app for PIES, because why reinvent the wheel?)


How can I get access?

If you’re a bold progressive running for office, seeking a party position, or organizing to get fellow progressives elected, we’d love to talk about how PIES can help! Start here and tell us a little about where you are and what you're planning, and let us know if you’d like a demo. Next steps will be based on what you’re running for.


Do I need to pay extra to give my staff and volunteers access?

Nope! PIES is available at a flat monthly rate per campaign, and you can add as many user accounts as you want.

Even better, you can turn on and off access and set up accounts all on your own without needing to wait for our team. You can even decide what slices of PIES to give to each user. For example, you can give your campaign manager access to everything, while restricting your call time manager to our Call Time Tracker application, and even letting your volunteers download their own canvassing checklists or report on their house party RSVPs without giving them access to more sensitive information.


What if I lose my race?

You have a few options if you lose your primary or general election.

At PCCC, we generally recommend keeping your account active between election cycles so you can keep your mailing list, engage your supporters, and stay visible online and in your community to build momentum for progressive policies.

However, if you’d prefer shut down your account, you’ll be able to download and keep all your data at no additional cost. Just contact us to request an export. You’ll be welcome back at any time.


Still have questions?

Email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!


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$25 per month

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