Like it or not, fundraising is a critical component of any political campaign. It takes a lot of money to host events, conduct door-to-door outreach, purchase mailers, and other core campaign activities! These days, the political cycle is constant, and liberal seats nationwide are threatened by well-funded GOP campaigns; that means Democratic fundraising is required year-round.
Raising money from wealthy donors and interest groups is a tried-and-true method, but Democratic fundraising is increasingly driven by grassroots campaigns that ask everyday supporters to contribute small amounts of money. But basic fundraising appeals can get stale quickly; voters need new reasons to give when the same old fundraising emails aren’t performing. Here are a few highly effective examples of Democratic fundraising:
1. Twitter Fundraising Campaigns from Sitting Senators
In early 2020, Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) took to Twitter to raise money for Democratic Senate races, focusing specifically on seats with Republican incumbents. Murphy and Schatz used a casual, conversational style to invite their 1.3 million combined Twitter followers to chip in, and often received retweets from other prominent senators. The Democratic fundraising effort was remarkably successful: Murphy and Schatz raised over $4 million with very little effort.
2. Rapid Response Fundraising Texts
In the fall of 2019, Dan McCready was running in a special election to fill North Carolina’s 9th Congressional seat. The McCready campaign used Impactive as a digital campaign headquarters, mobilizing volunteers and growing their supporter list with innovative strategies. The campaign frequently developed rapid response fundraising texts based on breaking news in the race, asking for $5 or $10 donations when voters were feeling particularly outraged about the opposing candidate. In total, over 300 volunteers sent over 750,000 messages to friends and voters about the race.
3. Virtual Democratic Fundraising Event with the Cast of Hamilton
As the 2020 presidential race neared its conclusion, the Biden/Harris campaign stepped up efforts to reach (and raise money from) all types of voters. One such effort was the campaign’s virtual fundraising event with the cast of the hit musical Hamilton. Original cast members performed a special number for event attendees, then participated in a Q&A moderated by the musical’s director. In order to attend, viewers had to donate any amount to the Biden/Harris campaign.
4. Virtual 5K Promoted on Social Media
It’s always effective when candidates develop personal brands based on their unique background and interests. North Carolina Senate candidate Sarah Crawford built her brand as an avid runner, and was struggling to mobilize support during the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual 5k fun run was a natural fit! Crawford’s supporters could donate small amounts to register for the 5k, with participant medals and other perks for runners.
5. Post-Debate Fly Swatter Sale
At the vice-presidential debate near the end of the 2020 presidential campaign, a fly landed on Vice President Mike Pence’s head (and remained for a surprisingly long time), generating a torrent of memes. The Biden/Harris campaign acted quickly to offer $10 branded fly swatters, to great success: 35,000 swatters sold quickly, generating $350,000 in gross revenue for the campaign.
Voters respond to creative Democratic fundraising tactics, and Impactive can facilitate many of them. With Friends and Family Messaging, volunteers can reach out to their personal contacts to drum up small-dollar donations. Donors can share why they support the campaign with Video Story Collection; that user-generated content is a valuable asset for social media.
Democratic fundraising is difficult, but innovative ideas like rapid-response text messages and virtual events boost engagement from supporters and ultimately generate more donations. After all, there are millions of Americans looking for a way to chip in for more progressive representation.
