Donating and volunteering to defeat fascism and win governing power

As my son likes to say, “Let’s goooooo!”

The way I think about it, there’s no way to have the world I want without winning the power to govern, to shift policy and practice at the level of government.  

While my long term goal is learning how to run a pick and roll, and building a healthy, just society…in the short term, winning governing power¹ would make a significant difference on every issue I care about, from climate to militarism, tax reform to health care.

So much is at stake this election year. As my friend likes to tell me, Hitler was elected and fascism is on the menu. 

Ahhhh!!

Ok. I was just screaming into my pillow. I’m back. 

I’ve known for a while that this year was going to be a lot. Since I’m a planner and also a visual learner, I started the year by buying a full-year wall calendar. On it, I planned out a few really fun things, like attending a basketball camp this Summer (where I hope to learn the aforementioned pick and roll), and also blocked off time to do what I can to win defeat fascism and win progressive governing power this Fall. 

I am writing you today as part of this year-long goal. Quite selfishly, I’d rather not interrupt this Organize the Rich storytelling project, yet so many things in my life, in our lives, will be a lot harder if Trump is elected.

So…are you ready to defeat Trump and the MAGA Coalition, and help build a robust democracy with an economy that works for all on a peaceful, sustainable planet?

Are you ready to move through discouragement and despair?

As Maurice Mitchell said on a call recently “Cynicism is a tool of the far right.”² One way we can affect this election is how much each of us is able to move through the hard feelings and, as the saying goes, “believe that we can win”. Belief is a magical thing. Belief + the many many actions of people like us, organized together…can move mountains. 

How do we do that?  

For all who want to donate: 

Yes! Great! And please, heed the call of the All by April campaign, and move that money now. 

Graphic from All by April campaign.

Moving your money now will mean your support can be invested in the people power that is most effective at getting out the vote.

“Early Money Helps Groups” graphic from Movement Voter Project’s Guide to Strategic Giving.

But where?

To grassroots base-building organizations around the country working on local elections, and building progressive power for the long haul. These are the groups that know how to get out the vote. These are the groups that don’t close up shop after the election is over but work in their local communities before and after election day, linking a long-term vision to short-term campaigns. Biden is not investing in a robust ground game. We need to! 

And, whenever possible, be willing to move c4 or PAC dollars (not tax deductible). These non-tax deductible dollars are more flexible dollars and often harder to fundraise.

As Rajasvini Bhansali recently wrote in a Solidaire Action email:

1. Give to grassroots base-building organizations. 

2. Give early.

3. Give multi-year commitments.

4. Give 501(c)(4) and PAC money whenever possible.

There it is. 

What national groups am I supporting?

If you’ve been reading this blog you know a few of my favorite groups, and I’m glad to share more details below. This is an incomplete and non exhaustive list. It also includes a number of donor networks and funding intermediaries that focus their efforts on moving the wealthy, appropriate for my writing and not equally accessible to all.³ 

• Working Families Party - I love WFP! It is both a faction within the Democrats and its own independent Party. It is both building power outside of the two party system, and shifting what’s possible within it. WFP is unapologetically for the multi-racial working class, and, in the last 5 years, has expanded nationally, with 14 state parties and many more on the way. Want to learn more? Watch the recent response to the State of the Union by Philadelphia City Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke. It is one of the US-based political projects that I am most hopeful about these days. 

• Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) - White people, my people, continue to make up a majority of the US electorate. We need white people, as part of a multi-racial coalition, to win progressive governing power. And SURJ is doing the work, in poor and working class white communities, in rural communities, and in Blue states and cities. I love and trust SURJ, its leadership and strategy. Watch their recent funder briefing or check out this slide deck to find out more.

• Way to Win - Way to Win is a smart, strategic, women-led funding intermediary that raises tens of millions of dollars for progressive groups and candidates around the country. I highly recommend them, especially if you’re a data nerd and want to dive into the numbers showing how progressives and Democrats can win governing majorities in key states around the country. They have a robust communications strategy and have launched a project specifically to build Latin@ political power called Valiente. 

• Groundswell Action - Do you care about reproductive rights and reproductive justice? Do you believe in the leadership of women of color? Do you believe in the freedom to make the reproductive choices that are best for your family?! Groundswell has been funding the reproductive justice movement and supporting the leadership of women of color for years.  They continue to provide essential, flexible, long-term funding to a whole ecosystem of key electoral organizing groups around the country, and are uniquely (in the world of philanthropy) led by and directly supporting women of color. Read their 2022 Impact Report here. 

• Movement Voter Project (MVP) - MVP is one of the key fundraising shops for our grassroots electoral organizing ecosystem. Over the last decade, they’ve moved hundreds of millions, from over 40k donors, to build the local organizing infrastructure needed to win a progressive decade. They are one of the best one-stop-shops for donors ranging from single digits to six figures. Check out their Guide to Strategic Political Giving to learn more.

• Seed the Vote - Seed the Vote is the volunteer training and logistics hub for huge national groups like WFP, SURJ, People’s Action, Sunrise Movement as well as powerhouse local groups in swing states around the country. They enable thousands of volunteers to plug in and are jet fuel for our GOTV (get-out-the-vote) efforts!

Other national groups I’m a fan of…

Solidaire Action, Tides Advocacy,  Asian American Power Network, Women Donors Network (WDN) Action, and the Democracy Alliance.

Each of these groups, in their unique way, is moving money and attention towards the grassroots electoral organizing that will be key to getting out the vote and winning this November, and for the long haul. 

Everything about this ecosystem of organizations and funders is imperfect. Do the base building groups have the power and reach that we ultimately want?! Not yet! Do the funders on this list give multi-year c4 support to the groups they fund?! Mostly not! Do the funders help the groups they support develop their individual donor fundraising capacities, so they’re less dependent on fickle philanthropic dollars?! Not that I know of. 

Each group has their strengths and challenges, and they’re the best we’ve got at this moment. They are a great way to move your dollars to the frontlines.

Would you like to give directly to local organizations rather than through the national groups and philanthropic intermediaries named above? 

Great! 

Get in touch with any of the groups above and ask about their state based recommendations. I’ve shared the information I have access to below.

• Both WFP and SURJ, like Asian American Power Network (AAPN), are unique on the list above, as they are not funders, but are national groups with local affiliates and/or chapters. To learn about the state based priorities of WFP, check out this map. To learn about SURJ’s state based plans, check out this slide deck. Check out this slide deck to learn about AAPN’s plans.

• Check out the grantees list of Groundswell Action, organized by state.

• Check out this map and list of state based priorities from MVP.

• Get in touch with Way to Win about their Plan to Win 2024, and their state based recommendations.

• Read through the list of groups supported by Solidaire Action’s Black Liberation Pooled Fund, Movement Infrastructure Fund or Unity and Power Fund. 

If you’re a person with wealth or work for a foundation, I also recommend getting to know your state based c4 donor alliance, like California Donor Table or Georgia Alliance, that are a part of Committee on States.  

There are so many great organizations to support!

And the key is to move that money now. Don’t wait to get scared watching the Republican National Convention or the escalation of rhetoric this Fall. 

Talk to your people now (whether your partner, friend or professional advisor) to assess what you can do, knowing that investing in democracy, in the chance, even just the chance, to win governing power at the local, state and federal level could be game changing for our collective future.

Ok. So you’ve made your donations. 

But, you’re shouting at your computer screen, “I’m more than just a donor! Stop treating me like an ATM! I have more time, energy and passion to offer. Where can I volunteer to phonebank and doorknock?”

You’re so right! Good question!

You can volunteer your time with Seed the Vote and get plugged into phone banking and door knocking with deeply rooted local organizations in swing states around the country. I love Seed the Vote and highly recommend their work. They’re kind of like a travel agent/concierge service focused on plugging volunteers into grassroots electoral organizing.

You can also sign up with Working Families Party or SURJ or Working America (the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO) to plug into volunteer programs that will put your energy to good use. 

Want to be a volunteer fundraiser? 

What a good idea! I looooveee fundraising. Really.

Get trained up with Donor Organizer Hub or Movement Voter Project for specific support around volunteer electoral fundraising. 

For more general fundraising training, check out Wealth Reclamation Academy of Practitioners, Compass Point workshops, The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator, Rhea Wong, Securing the Roots (for those in Philly), Resource Organizing Project (for New England based orgs), Community Centric Fundraising, the Development Commons at Justice Funders, and the incredibly useful archives of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal.⁴

Learning to fundraise can be a powerful and fun way to contribute to progressive movements. 

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Which organizations are you volunteering with and/or donating to?

What groups do you want to shout out in the comments below?

School me! School us!

And let’s celebrate together at the end of the year, when we’ve made so much more possible than we could have ever imagined on a rainy day in March. 

1. Grassroots Power Project has proposed a vision for and definition of governing power in this recent publication. You can also read this book to learn more about what this work looks like on the ground: Power Concedes Nothing: How Grassroots Organizing Wins Elections.

2. You can listen to Maurice’s full comments starting at minute 5 of this recent WFP Political Plans Donor Briefing. The video password is blockandbuild.

3. A general rule of thumb - if the website for a funding intermediary or donor network doesn’t have a “Donate Now” button easily accessible, it is not trying to fundraise from a broad, cross-class audience.

4. I am a huge proponent for increased investment in grassroots fundraising training. I think the social justice sector has woefully under-invested in individual donor fundraising support, skills-development and infrastructure. This has led to an over-reliance on philanthropic dollars and rich people. Rather than having the wealthy be one piece of a larger funding puzzle, the wealthy are the main piece. This is not a healthy dynamic, and makes it harder to organize the rich. When organizations feel like they need the rich more than the rich need them, it’s a rotten foundation from which to create partnership, solidarity and mutual interest.