Before I ever made a decision to run, I was cautioned by several people that it’s not cheap. There’s a lot of out-of-pocket expenses while running, and even some if you win the office (though TI reimburses a majority of those, once in office). Expenses may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution.

Here’s a spreadsheet with what my campaign cost. In summary, it was about $12,000, mostly due to attending 12 conferences (6 districts in the fall, 5 in the spring, plus regional), at almost $600 each (travel, hotel, registration, meals, usually two nights each).

Plus there was the international convention at the beginning of the campaign, and the convention where the election was held. Those were about $2000 each with travel, hotel, registration, and meals, though I probably would’ve gone to both of those anyway, even if not running. Since I won, TI will be reimbursing the return flight, some convention costs, and a couple of nights at the hotel.

Your costs might even higher, depending on what it costs to travel to the farther-flung districts in your region. Airfare can be quite expensive to small towns (though hotels can be correspondingly cheaper). You may be taking unpaid time off work, depending on your situation, and how much vacation time you have to use.  I always have weekends off work, but I took 12 Fridays off for traveling to the conferences (to be there for the Friday night activities), plus almost a week for each international convention.

If you’re thinking about running, be prepared for this. Even after winning, there are significant expenses and days off work. In Region V, directors traditionally visit every district twice (both spring and fall conferences), but only one of those is reimbursable by TI — the other one is out of our own pocket. It’s less travel than as a candidate, though, since the two directors split those, with each attending just four conferences each season (fall and spring), out of eight districts. Directors may want to visit districts outside of the conferences as well, again at their own expense.

For 2008-09 in Region V, it’ll be less travel than usual since our International President, Jana Barnhill, will be at the D54 and D22 spring conferences. Michael Smith and I will each attend three in the spring.

If you’re thinking about running, prepare a budget, be ready for the expenses, both as a candidate, and if you win. It’s a serious commitment in time as well as money, but very very rewarding!