At the moment, I'm a political campaign consultant. I've worked on campaigns for federal government as well as state government. This has involved a variety of responsibilities, though none of these descriptions are totally accurate because every day brings new and interesting challenges:
Field:
I've been responsible for finding and organizing volunteers and interns for direct community outreach via phone banking and canvassing. The goal is to spread the campaign message, but also identify supporters. I would also organize events such as house parties and community forums, arrange participation in parades, or any number of other things to improve visibility in the community and keep volunteers energized. When I did this I worked with 3 other guys in a field office and we were collectively responsible for about 400 volunteers and 12 interns to cover an area of ~100,000 registered voters. The campaign didn't win, but it wasn't our fault: our area exceeded campaign goals
Finance:
On another campaign I was in charge of all fundraising. This involved organizing fundraisers, researching prospective donors, writing fundraising letters and e-mails, and most of all working with the candidate every day to make fundraising calls. Thanks to the donor research done by the rest of the finance staff, some trusted volunteers, and me, there were always new prospects to call, and the majority of any day involved making sure the candidate sat down, called people, and made a direct ask for a specific donation amount. No one likes this part, and candidates hate it the most, but it needs to get done to pay the campaign expenses. One thing I actually liked about it though was that the only person who worked more closely with the candidate was the campaign manager, so that was enjoyable. We ended up raising about $100,000 a month on average.
Communications:
On two campaigns now, I've been responsible for writing e-mail blasts to supporters and have been involved with managing the campaign website. The most recent campaign I worked on, where I was campaign manager, didn't have a communications director so I did everything involved with that role. This included press releases, filling out endorsement questionnaires, writing all website content, and writing all campaign e-mails. We worked with a campaign consulting firm to design our mailings, which were mostly based on the website content.
Campaign Manager:
Other things I've had to do as campaign manager include finding an office, finding and hiring a campaign staff, and managing the campaign budget (this most recent one was ~$100,000). Early on in the campaign when it was just the candidate and me, the job involved going out into the district to collect enough signatures so we could get on the ballot. Shortly after that, we looked at other candidate's signatures, found someone who didn't meet the requirements and filed a motion to get him taken off the ballot (we succeeded). Since it was a small campaign, I also spent a lot of time participating in the basic field work of canvassing and phone calls. The biggest part of being a campaign manager, though, is managing the candidate. Managing his/her time, spirits, and coaching him/her regarding what to say and what not to say if they're inexperienced.
And, like I said, a lot more. Something new every day.
At this very moment, though, I'm unemployed and looking for the next campaign to work on. At the same time, I'm keeping my eyes open for other opportunities. For example, I'm applying to work in Antarctica next year! (It's extremely competitive so it's unlikely I'll get it, but worth a try!)