Democrats have a "missing middle" problem with political donors. Here's how we can fix it.

When I started as a volunteer peer-to-peer fundraiser in 2015, I had no idea what I was doing. I got stage fright talking in groups of more than 10 people at a time, so the idea of hosting a fundraising house party was more than anxiety inducing. I didn’t know anything about fundraising email practices, so I was nervous to hit that “Send” button and just be another unread email in our collective overfilled inboxes.

If I let all of that negative self-talk become true, I would have raised $0 for grassroots organizations I cared about. Instead, I fought through that initial anxiety: I set up one-on-ones with friends I knew working at tech companies who could write a check larger than $20, I reached out to people who work professionally in email fundraising to teach me the fundamentals, and I signed up to give fundraising pitches at others’ intimate fundraising events. And from that, I was able to raise much more than $0 for organizations I truly care about.

Not everyone has the time or interest to dive that deeply, so let’s say you only have an hour of time. Comparing political volunteer opportunities out there, the highest impact you can have is with donor organizing.

Sources: Analyst Institute 2020 Meta Analysis Turnout Findings, various field organizers. Analysis details can be found here.

Donor organizing is the highest impact volunteer opportunity for anyone who can raise $250 in an hour.

This could be you! In one hour you can send an email to 5 friends asking them to each donate $50, or spend 10 hours preparing to host a house party that raises $2,500. Coming out of that hour, you'll know you've made a noticeable impact for a progressive cause you care about.

There are millions of people like me who want to make strategic political investments and can give more than the $5 that grassroots fundraising appeals target, but not enough to be invited to private meetings with Democratic leadership.?Campaigns have not targeted us in the past.?Donor organizers can help these “middle dollar” donors make meaningful contributions to candidates who need support and can win, as well as to pro-democracy voter empowerment groups. (Credit to volunteer-led donor organizing group Force Multiplier for highlighting those of us in this “missing middle” of donors!)

But when you type “how to volunteer for Democrats” into search engines, what you get is typically the following:

• Canvass
• Phone bank
• Text bank
• Postcard
• Donate

Why do we as a progressive space stop at “please donate”? If we on the left pride ourselves for our organizing prowess, why aren’t we saying, “please donate, and then ask 3 of your friends to also donate”?

I’ve launched Donor Organizer Hub to change this. You don’t have to be rich, politically connected, extroverted, or “expert” to become a donor organizer. All you need to do is:

1. Care about making an impact
2. Take the next step to get started (in just 15 minutes - seriously - here)

As any organizer would, my ask for you is:

• Do you know of groups of people - organizations, networks, listservs, clubs, or group chats - where a new political volunteer opportunity would be welcomed? This could a WhatsApp group, book or wine club, any virtual or IRL excuse for people to gather.
• Do you know individuals who are: resourceful (they do their research before deciding which vacuum to purchase), well-organized (they book the dinner reservations for friends), or passionate (they aren't afraid to speak their mind - whether at the dinner table or a school board meeting)?

If either answers are “yes,” have them set up a 15-minute introductory one-on-one with an experienced donor organizer to get started. The status quo of politics doesn’t have to be our reality: we can channel our anxiety and frustration into serious impact.