President Barack Obama’s campaign is reaching deep into a bag of fundraising gimmicks to boost donations, with an eye toward a fundraising goal of $60 million as the clock ticks down to the end of the first quarter since the president announced his re-election bid.

Obama has been raising money for both his campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Campaign insiders told Roll Call the combined fundraising goal for both through the end of June is about $60 million. It’s an attempt to match what President George W. Bush raised in conjunction with the Republican National Committee during the same time period of his re-election campaign.

The first-quarter take of a campaign’s fundraising operation is often seen as a metric of where it stands — and where it might be able to go. The president’s figures will be held up against the Republican 2012 field, and Obama’s campaign appears to be looking to increase the quarter haul with small donations before June comes to a close.

Call it the Rodney Dangerfield fundraising strategy — an “I get no respect” shtick.

In a recent email solicitation to supporters, Vice President Joseph Biden wrote, “The President and I have a routine — we get lunch together almost every Friday. But all I get is lunch.”

Biden then went on to offer supporters a chance to win a dinner by giving money — at least $5 — to the campaign.

It’s not the only unorthodox fundraising strategy the Obama campaign has been using in recent days.

Julianna Smoot, the deputy campaign manager, sent out a solicitation on Tuesday with the subject line: “How about a T-shirt?”

The email offered a 2012 T-shirt to anyone who donated $30 or more.

Team Obama in 2008 logged every bumper sticker or button purchase as a contribution, helping him bring in a record fundraising haul.