Authentic

If you’re getting ready to launch a new campaign, set up a nonprofit or other organization, or just feel like you’re ready for a fresh perspective, look no further. We’re a one-stop shop for all things digital and we’d love to work together! Our services include: ?? General Consulting ?? Online Fundraising ???? Digital Advertising ?? Logo and Branding ?? Graphic and Web Design ?? Social Media ?? Mobile Messaging ?? and more Our team has helped campaigns big and small in races for president, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, senate, house, state legislature, and mayor. We’ve worked with both established organizations and organizations that are just getting off the ground. We’ve even helped a few small businesses maximize their digital footprint. Whatever you need, we’re here to help. ?? Email us at [email protected] to get started.

Elon Musk wants to dismantle key Democratic Party infrastructure like ActBlue. Let’s be crystal clear about why ?? ActBlue is the backbone of Democratic grassroots fundraising. It allows everyday people—not billionaires—to fuel campaigns from city council to the White House. It’s how we compete with the right-wing megadonor machine. And now, Musk and his allies are trying to destroy it. They’re spreading outright lies—accusing ActBlue of crimes that aren’t even possible. The whole thing is absurd. But the goal isn’t truth—the goal is to create a pretext for a partisan Congress and a weaponized Justice Department to take down key Democratic infrastructure. We’ve seen this playbook before. I know because they came after my company last yewar with similar BS conspiracy theories from crackpots like Laura Loomer. We fought back and won by hanging tough and telling the truth about what Authentic does and who we serve. These kinds of attacks are not normal. There used to be an unspoken rule: You don’t go after campaign staff and infrastructure just to cripple the other side. But Republicans are throwing out the rulebook because they know that if they succeed in dismantling ActBlue, Democrats may not be able to compete in 2025, 2026, or 2028. And let’s be clear—the disinformation being spread right now isn’t just an attack on ActBlue. It’s an attack on all of us. If they can successfully come after ActBlue, they will use that success to come after everybody on the Democratic side: consultants, staffers, tech, donors, and everybody in between. We cannot let Republicans threaten our ability to raise grassroots contributions for Democrats and progressives. We cannot let them abuse the power of the federal government to spread conspiracy theories that damage our democracy. Corrupt billionaires like Elon Musk want to rig the game, to make it easier for them to win elections. But our power lies in our numbers. Let’s show them we’re not backing down by supporting ActBlue publicly, using the platform to elect more and better Democrats in 2025 and 2026, and sharing this post—if you can. #StandWithActBlue

I’m not ready to share the full job description just yet, but I’m looking to hire a Special Assistant to work directly with me across multiple projects and companies. This person will be an employee at Authentic, with all the awesome benefits that come with it. I’m looking for someone who can help with three main areas: 1?? Administrative Support – Managing my calendar, email, schedule, coordinating meetings and travel, and handling other logistical tasks. 2?? Content Creation – Helping me get more organized and strategic about my thought leadership across various platforms. 3?? Special Projects & Strategic Support – Joining important client meetings, preparing briefs, working on proposals, and assisting with outreach materials. To me, this is an ideal role for someone who has some campaign experience but is looking to step off the trail. It’s a unique opportunity for someone who wants to grow quickly and gain direct exposure to high-level work—whether that means supporting my clients, managing big projects, or honing their leadership skills. Think of it as a trial-by-fire mentorship: you’ll work closely with me every day, acting as an extension of myself while learning a ton along the way. This is not a “carry my bags” or “grab me lunch” type of role. It’s a serious position for someone ready to dive in, take ownership, and contribute meaningfully. My hope is that this person will eventually grow into a leadership role at Authentic—or use this experience as a springboard to pursue their own ambitions (which I will help them achieve if things workout), whether that’s working on campaigns or joining another organization. So, if you know an ambitious person who’s angry about the election results and looking for a fast-paced, dynamic opportunity—someone who’s organized, creative, and ready to do the work—send me a message on LinkedIn or tag them here.

I have some thoughts on the letter that some Democrats sent to ActBlue this week. I share their concerns about exploitation in the space, which is why we work hard at Authentic to run ethical digital fundraising programs that don’t scam people. The work we did this year for Adam Schiff, Tammy Baldwin, and Jon Tester was intentional and thoughtfully executed. We raised hundreds of millions of dollars without using scams—proving it can be done. That said, I declined to sign the letter. Here’s why: * ?????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ??????????. Some of the tactics it criticizes are fine. They’re essential tools for raising the money we need to compete. (Also, I’m 100% behind getting rid of Final Notice emails, but is that ActBlue’s place to enforce?) Some of the ideas hurt ActBlue's ability to succeed and would cripple our ability to raise money, forcing campaigns to abandon the platform. Scammers aren’t going to stop—they’ll migrate to other platforms with even less accountability. ActBlue has been proactive, shutting down some of the worst offenders. Weakening them would hurt the entire ecosystem when we can least afford it. * ?????????????? ???? ?????????? ????????????, and we need to rally around them. Republicans want to dismantle ActBlue. They see it as a cornerstone of our party’s infrastructure, one of the reasons we’ve been able to compete with billionaires like Musk. They’re lying about it—and creating public infighting makes their job easier. ActBlue isn’t the problem—it’s our greatest asset. Its team works tirelessly to build tools that help Democrats win, all while navigating ethical challenges in good faith. We should be rallying around them. * ???????????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????? than they solve. This topic is important, but it shouldn’t be leaked to the press and Pod Save America. Letters like this don’t pressure anyone into action—they fuel the media narrative of “Democrats in disarray,” distracting from the real threats. If we want to address scams, we need to focus on the right targets—the FEC, Congress, and collaborative efforts within the party—not targeting our most important fundraising platform. I care deeply about cleaning up digital fundraising and have spent two decades building programs that respect donors while delivering the money we need to win. Our team has worked to show that it’s possible to be bold, aggressive, and ethical at the same time. We need more people in the arena doing the work—not targeted media campaigns against our greatest ally in that fight. I have a lot of respect for the organizers of this letter and those who signed it, but they missed the mark here. P.S. Don’t attack the people who are working on these programs. The organizers of the letter did a good job here, but a lot of other people haven’t. Digital staff are under extraordinary pressure to deliver and are easy punching bags for people who have no problem accepting checks from ActBlue to fund their work. ?

Congratulations to our team at Authentic for winning two CampaignTech awards this morning—both for our innovative tool, Spark! This suite of AI-powered tools helps our clients better connect with Democratic activists and raise more money online.

What an honor to be named "Strategist of the Year" at the Shorty Impact Awards last night. In my acceptance speech, I talked about how there isn't going to be one big idea that saves us over the next four years. It's going to be a million little acts of resistance. Here’s a clip:

Last week was rough, but I do want to take a moment to celebrate our team at Authentic for doing some amazing work. 77% of our clients won, including some major Dem victories—Tammy Baldwin, Adam Schiff, Pat Ryan, Angie Craig, Jeff Jackson, and more. That said, some of the losses really stung—particularly Jon Tester (our firm's oldest client) and Whitney Fox (who I think ran an incredible campaign.) Already having a lot of conversations about 2025 and 2026. I'm sad, but ready to go for the next cycle. We're not f*cking going anywhere. If you're already thinking about 2025 and 2026, feel free to send me a message on here or check out our website: authentic.org

If you're coming off a campaign and need someone to talk with about your career, next steps, experience shares, that kind of thing—my door is open. I know how much it sucks to be jobless after spending a year on a campaign. I used to work in call centers during down periods for campaigns. Customer service support for AT&T, amongst other things. Happy to give advice and help open doors. DM if you're interested, or tag someone you think could use the connection.

CNN has a new story up today that's breaking my heart about how so many elderly individuals, including those with dementia, are being taken advantage of by political consultants and campaigns through our digital fundraising programs. When I got my start in online fundraising back in 2008, I really believed we could bring people together to build movements that could challenge corporate power and make our democracy stronger. But I'm not so sure about that anymore. While the number of vulnerable people exploited might be small compared to the total pool of online donors, I can’t ignore what's happening to these people. Today's CNN article highlights how aggressive fundraising emails and texts have trapped elderly people—many facing cognitive decline—into making repeated donations. One story detailed a person with early-onset dementia who gave over $100,000 to Ted Cruz' campaign. Now, let me be clear: I think Democrats run more ethical fundraising programs overall. No doubt about it. I've been insanely proud of our team over the last several years in raising over a $1 billion online without scamming people. But there's not a single tactic the Trump campaign or other groups on the right have used in the last few years that wasn't originally used by a bad-faith actor on the left. We saw last week that ActBlue removed two groups for misleading people into believing they were supporting the Harris campaign when they weren’t. These scams are a real issue, and we must set a higher standard. This winner-take-all mentality isn't just undermining our ability to build lasting movements—it's actively harming individuals, and I believe it’s making it harder to win elections by eroding trust. We have to do better. And the solutions must come from multiple places: consultants need to be more mindful of their strategies and tactics; campaigns must set clear expectations for their fundraising practices; tech vendors must crack down on bad actors; and, critically, state and federal governments need to regulate this space more effectively. It’s still the wild west out here, and that’s unacceptable. We owe it to the people we’re asking to support our causes to treat them with respect and integrity. Let’s be better. We must be better. P.S. I'll drop the article in the comments, so you can read it for yourself. Horrible, gut-wrenching stuff.

Hear ye, hear ye! Authentic's Spark: Reactivate tool is setting and breaking its own records — and can be a real game changer when it comes to hitting or surpassing your advocacy and fundraising goals. If you're looking for ways to bring inactive supporters back into your program during the final weeks of this critical election cycle, all while protecting your deliverability, learn more and get in touch at sparktools.ai today!