The Virginia Primary & Supporting the Democratic Nominees

Last night saw the conclusion of the 2009 Virginia Democratic primary. From the state assembly to the governor's race, there were many contested (and heated!) races. As in any state, there were passionate supporters doing everything they could to help their chosen candidate. 

But as primary concludes, and a nominee chosen (such as Creigh Deeds for Governor or Jody Wagner for Lt. Governor) comes an expectation, and sometimes a challenge, for party unity. Candidates typically play a role in this phase with the phrasing of their concession speeches, but those words are only so effective in how quickly and widespread they are communicated to one's supporters.

In a good sign for Democrats in Virginia, the leading statewide campaigns made use of their websites and email lists to share their words and call for support of the nominee. In an even better sign, they made an immediate call of financial support for their (now) former opponents. Here at ActBlue, we're also proud to have been an immediate, accessible, transparent, and easy way for campaigns to start fundraising for the nominee while enabling the nominee to know and give credit to new donors. 

Here are a couple of screenshots of that in action last night from the Virginia primary.

In the Lt. Gov. primary, Mikel Signer directed his supporters via email to give to Jody Wagner on ActBlue. 

 

In the Gubernatorial primary, both Terry McCauliffe and Brian Moran are sporting front page banner asks on their websites, directing their supporters to consider giving to Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds (as shown below). 

On the front page of his website, Brian Moran links to an ActBlue page specifically created for that purpose, allowing both campaigns to be able to track new donors. 

ActBlue was able to help dozens of campaigns large and small this primary season in Virginia. We congratulate all the winners and look forward to a Democratic sweep in November. 

ActBlue Now Active for State Races in New York

ActBlue is pleased to announce that we're now active for state races in New York.  You can now contribute to Democrats running in state elections through ActBlue.  Better yet, set up your own page and start fundraising!

Everyone here at ActBlue is very excited about this development.  To mark the occasion we'll be livebloging on The Albany Project tonight, 1/31/08 starting at 7PM.  Political Director Erin Hill, Deputy Political Director Nate Thames, and Netroots Coordinator Melissa Ryan will be on hand to answer you questions.

To learn more about this exciting development here's our press release:

ACTBLUE GOES LIVE IN NEW YORK STATE

CAMBRIDGE, MA, JANUARY 31, 2008? ActBlue, the online platform that allows Democrats to raise funds for the candidates of their choice, is now active in New York State. With the launch, ActBlue puts a new tool into the hands of Democrats across the state, allowing them for the first time to support not only federal candidates but statewide candidates, party committees and Democrats running for State Senate and State Assembly.

State party co-chairman David Pollak heralded ActBlue's arrival in New York today.  "ActBlue has proven to be an invaluable resource for Democratic candidates across the country," says Pollak. "By adding functionality for state legislative candidates, ActBlue will play a critical role in helping Democrats at the grassroots level get involved in the effort to take back the New York State Senate."

Beyond party activity, the entry of ActBlue into New York will make it possible for individuals in New York State to start mobilizing friends and colleagues in support of Democratic candidates at all levels.  Much as in Virginia, where a broad coalition of activists and bloggers joined hands through ActBlue with Governor Kaine and the state party to take back the Virginia Senate for the first time in a decade, ActBlue will facilitate cooperation between New York Democratic institutions and communities of Democrats from upstate to Manhattan.

"This is something that those of us focused on state level races in New York have been wanting for at least two years, and we are beyond excited that this day has finally come," says Phillip Anderson, editor-in-chief of the Albany Project, a prominent blog devoted to Democratic victories in New York State. "I think that we may look back on this day a year from now and see this as a real game-changing event in the effort to take our state government back."

ActBlue has enabled individuals and groups across the country to raise more than $36 million for Democratic candidates and committees since 2004. More important, says executive director Jonathan Zucker, ActBlue has built a new kind of infrastructure capable not only of raising untapped millions at unprecedented speed but also of mobilizing support for Democrats in the closest races. "Building infrastructure is the most important thing we can be doing as a party," says Zucker. "We ran wheezing behind Republicans for years when it came to infrastructure, but ActBlue's $36 million is proof positive that we're not only catching up but on course to win."  Zucker is expecting ActBlue's funding total to top $100 million this cycle.

ActBlue will be live blogging from their headquarters tonight from 7 to 8 at the Albany Project, online at http://thealbanyproject.com.

Making Democracy More Democratic

Over at Horses Ass, blogger David Goldstein gives his take on the importance of ActBlue.  It's a spot on analysis both of what ActBlue does and why it matters. 

Emphasis Mine:

When people talk about the progressive “netroots” the first thing that comes to mind are the plethora of local and national blogs that have grown to challenge the legacy media’s diminishing control over the political narrative. But in fact it is much, much more than that, and one of the most exciting and important netroots developments of the past few years has been the growth of ActBlue, an online fundraising clearinghouse that is beginning to enable the financial power of the people to challenge the entrenched power of corporate America.

The US Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that money is speech, and in that context, the special interests of the ultra-wealthy have long spoken louder than the interests of the average Joe, but by democratizing fundraising, introducing efficiencies and creating new grassroots opportunities that flip the traditional top-down model on its head, ActBlue has begun a process that could eventually free candidates from the financial stranglehold of corporate sponsors. The fact is that money, and the media it buys, be it television, radio, direct mail or other, is the primary means by which candidates communicate their message to voters; no realistically achievable amount of doorbelling or coffee klatches can win a congressional district on its own, and no candidate can be expected to compete for votes without securing at least a somewhat level financial playing field. ActBlue provides a tool that doesn’t just enable progressive campaigns to tap into the aggregate resources of the public at large, it enables the people to organize ourselves in support of the candidates we prefer, as opposed to merely those candidates the political establishment would prefer we be limited to choose from.

Most of us can't afford to max out to candidates.  What we can do is come together and maximize the impact of contributions to a campaign.  ActBlue exists to give you that power.  We're a resource for you.

Blogosphere Day Supports ActBlue

There is no better day than today to use the "Blogosphere" category for this post on the ActBlue Blog.

While you can see more of the action over at the Open Left where I'm guest hosting today, here is an updated roundup of all the posts so far talking about ActBlue on the 4th Annual Blogosphere Day.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released this statement.

I am immensely proud that 17 of my Senate colleagues have joined me in using ActBlue to build our Democratic majority, and I expect many more to do so this election cycle.

Blogosphere Day celebrates the greatest aspiration of our democracy: people coming together to change the direction of their country.  By enabling Democrats from all walks of life to work together, to pool their passion and energy, and to elect candidates who represent their values, ActBlue has created a unique strategic advantage for the Democratic Party.

Your investment in ActBlue builds resources for our best candidates, our best activists, and our best ideas -- and your contribution today makes the biggest difference as we pave the road to November 2008.

Please support ActBlue today.

Sen. John Kerry was blogging at Firedoglake.

Just a few months ago, we made the strategic decision to partner with ActBlue on all of our fundraising. One reason for that was that we wanted to take advantage of some of the innovative possibilities ActBlue make possible, such as our ŇRoadblock Republicans’ campaign. We’ve already raised nearly 100K targeting ActBlue’s Democratic nominee funds for the opponents of some key Republican Senators. The idea that someone could raise funds in a pressure campaign like that targeting specific members was pretty new, and it got a lot of attention on the Hill. And, hopefully, gave my Republican colleagues another factor to consider when they think of blocking more legislation to really change course in Iraq.

The other reason we partnered with ActBlue was to support the overall efforts of the netroots. And that’s why I’m writing today to support Blogosphere Day, and it’s drive to raise funds for ActBlue. The time to build infrastructure for next year’s election is right now, and ActBlue will bring in tens of millions of dollars for Democratic candidates and progressive causes over this cycle. They are the largest vehicle for the expression of the financial power of the netroots, and that power goes a long way towards bringing about a new progressive future for our country.

Gen. Wesley Clark posts at Huffington Post.

That's why today is so important. Today is Blogosphere Day -- a day that realizes the great promise of our democracy: people coming together from across America to change the direction of our country. In the past, the progressive blogosphere has united on July 19 to support a specific candidate, and I was proud to support Blogosphere Day candidates Paul Hackett and Ned Lamont.

Now on the 4th annual Blogosphere Day, it's time to invest in our infrastructure, and that means supporting ActBlue.  This isn't just about 2008, 2010, or any specific election. It's about building support for activists, for new ideas, and for candidates from the local to national level.  Supporting ActBlue not only strengthens the progressive movement, but it strengthens our democracy.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois writes at Daily Kos.

Today, on the 4th annual Blogosphere Day, we celebrate the many important ways that progressive blogs have changed our democracy for the better -- while also making sure we nurture and invest in the blogosphere, making it an even greater force for positive change in the months and years ahead.  That's why I hope you'll support ActBlue.

By building our online Democratic infrastructure today, especially ActBlue, we're creating a platform that will support all of our candidates, our activists, and our ideas in 2008 and beyond.  ActBlue has already done so much to help our progressive movement -- now it's time for us to help them.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy released this statement.

Today we celebrate one of best things to happen to the Democratic Party in a long time: the emergence of vibrant online communities that connect Americans through healthy discussion.

2006 was a landmark year for Democrats and ActBlue's fundraising technology was a big part of that success.  Now as we look to grow the Democratic Majority in 2008, I'm thankful that Actblue and the larger community of blogs and other online technologies are here to provide the kind of energy and resources we need to win.

Sen. Chris Dodd has released a statement about Blogosphere Day.

Today is the fourth annual Blogosphere Day and the netroots are coming together to support ActBlue. I congratulate ActBlue for their continued success as the online clearinghouse for Democratic action. They have helped Democratic candidates around the country and at all levels of government raise over $25 million since 2004.

Yesterday, blogger Matt Stoller wrote, "ActBlue is a representation of what is great about our country, that the principles of diversity, openness, transparency, and collective action can and do work." I couldn't agree more. ActBlue has set the ground for Democratic growth nationwide, by removing traditional barriers that have limited political participation.

ActBlue has enabled the Democratic grassroots to come together and effectively support Democratic success -- their work deserves wide recognition for its value.

As a candidate who has benefited from ActBlue's work, I'm proud to donate on Blogosphere Day in support of ActBlue's continued efforts to provide tools that enable all Democrats a chance to succeed and help turn America "blue."

Web Clips

I wanted to take some time today to look at a few news clips out on the Internet that reflect the changing way in which we are looking at online contributions. The first one comes from Albuquerque Tribune about Democratic candidate Martin Heinrich who uses ActBlue and is running for Congress in NM-01.

Online support, however, is growing and is key to reaching people he probably otherwise wouldn't, he said. And sites like actblue.com are an easy way to get donors to give over an extended amount of time, including on an automatic, monthly basis.

"For working folks, it's a much more manageable way to give," he said.

Recurring contributions are a great way to spread out a larger contribution over a longer period of time. For families on limited or fixed incomes, this allows for easier participation in the political process, something that should not be limited to any one class of people. ActBlue has enabled this from the beginning, helping candidates and county parties set up steady revenue streams. In the future, we'll look to provide our users with tools to better track these recurring donations and visually plan out donations.

Our next piece actually takes us to a blog story about another ActBlue campaign, that of Steve Novick running for the Oregon Senate seat held by Gordon Smith (R).

According to the Novick for Senate campaign, in the 48 days since his announcement, the campaign has now raised over $100,000 from 300+ donors. At this moment, 253 of those donations for $56,797 have come via ActBlue.

Wow, would you ever expect to see over 50% of a federal campaign's initial contributions made online? In "big-money" politics you might be more accustomed to a large number of high dollar checks providing the initial boost; clearly, this is changing. No one source of funding need be dominant, and we recognize that ActBlue's ability to expand the donor pool is helping to diversify campaigns and their funding.

Nominee Funds Revisited

Last month ActBlue created Democratic Nominee funds for all federal offices.  At the time I wrote:

We recognize that it's early in the 2008 cycle and many candidates are not anywhere close to announcing a run for federal office, be that a U.S. Senate seat or Congress.  It's natural that during this time, potential candidates are testing the waters, talking to friends, and contemplating the financial needs of any campaign they may choose to embark upon.

As of today we're going to help make that last decision a little easier to encourage Democrats to run for office. We've created "Democratic Nominee Funds" for every Republican-held Senate and House seat.   All of the money raised for these funds will be held until after a state's primary election and then transferred to the Democratic Nominee to help them with their general election campaign against Republicans.

In the past month we've seen more states adopt this strategy to help create buzz and attention around senate races. Texans have raised ~$1000 amidst the ongoing chatter about potential candidates. Now with the talk about Oregon's Peter DeFazio mulling a bid against Sen. Gordon Smith, draft pages are popping up in the form of OR-Sen Nominee Funds. In addition, Blue New Hampshire is starting to raise funds for the nominee against Sen. Senunu.

While you may not raise millions for the eventual nominee, Democratic Nominee Funds can be a helpful tool to raise awareness, buzz, media, and some helpful cash for Democratic candidates at the federal level.

UPDATE: I just noticed that http://defazioforsenate.blogspot.com has launched using the ActBlue as part of their 'draft' effort. Very cool!

The Pace of Fundraising

Political Insider points out a rather amazing statistic.

"Assuming the Dem WH field pulled in $70M over the past Q, that means they collectively raised cash at a rate of about $778K/day, $32K/hour, or $9.00/second."

Seeing as that collective number on the Dem side looks to be more like $75 million or more, that can be revised to $833K/day, $34.7K/hour, or $579/min, or $9.65/sec.

I went ahead and calculated this for ActBlue (between last Tuesday night when we hit $20 million through to end of the quarter on midnight Saturday). Inclusive of all candidates, from state house to President, fundraising online through ActBlue ran at an average clip of $311K/day, $13K/hour, $216/min, or $3.60/sec for that period.

I would do it for the entire quarter but it's not directly comparable because ActBlue serves so many candidates who are not doing intense presidential level fundraising.  The last week is a better measure since the bulk of it is presidential money.

End of Quarter Blog Asks

On Monday I posted a tip for spicing up ActBlue fundraising pages by embedding video into 'asks'. This is a very powerful fundraising tactic--especially when the asker and audience have an existing relationship.

Over at Calitics, a great community blog in California, they've taken that suggestion and run with it. I've included a screenshot of their pitch to the right (click on it to view a bigger version in a new window). Besides the video, Calitics’ blogger Brian uses several of the principles of fundraising to make a really compelling plea for his candidates.  Some of the successful elements they have included:

1. Create Urgency- The pitch is for end-of-quarter donations.  Brian clearly states that there’s a deadline before which donors need to fundraise.  And he timed his pitch just a couple of days away from the end of quarter.
2. Be Specific- Rather than overloading their page with a dozen candidates, Brian stuck with three candidates that have a common theme.  The majority of ActBlue donors give to an entire page's slate of candidates…remember that when choosing your slate of candidates.
3. Make it Personal- Brian, a Calitics blogger, is asking his own blog readers to donate. They have an existing relationship and a degree of trust built up. Potential donors are more likely to give when asked by someone they know and the pitch is personal.  They’re less likely to donate when spammed by someone they don’t know.
4. Think Longterm- The Calitics’ ask offers the option of giveing once or of setting up a recurring contribution. Recurring donations are growing in popularity on ActBlue, with over 1000 users having chosen that option for a variety of candidates.   If a donor can’t contribute a lump sum amount at once, recurring contributions allow them to invest in the page in installments.

Most of these elements are included in their Calitics ActBlue fundraising page as well. To improve the impact, some ideas might be to include the text from the Calitics post next to the video on their ActBlue fundraising page itself or add the recurring contribution buttons below the embedded video. If that happened, their ActBlue fundraising page could be e-mailed around to additional friends or registered users of the Calitics blog extending the end-of-Quarter ask into a new medium.

One other thing that might help the effort is to set a goal, similar to what the bloggers at Raising Kaine have done (screen shot at left again, click to enlarge). They are shooting for $20,000 to all their endorsed candidates by the end of the state quarter on Saturday, giving a real sense of momentum to their efforts. Adding some text about that immediate goal on their fundraising page would be perfect to tie it together with their blog posts.

While it is early in the cycle, bloggers can build upon their early adopters to make effective asks in creative ways that fit their audience. What ideas might you add?

Quote of the Day

From the comments of this post on MyDD.

"Act Blue is the most important invention since fire."

Now we've got to work on taking down sliced bread. More on that in upcoming weeks (no seriously).

End of Quarter Fundraising

Having blown past $20,000,000 yesterday, we've already added another $140,000 to that total in less than 24 hours. What's driving it? End of quarter fundraising for 1Q 2007!

For ActBlue this week, it has been John Edwards driving most of that. His presidential end of quarter fundraising has now pushed him to the #1 slot on the ActBlue Pages listings in terms of donors (and very shortly also in terms of total amount raised). The combined Netroots Candidates page had held that spot up until this week with Senator Boxer's Pac for a Change now holding in 3rd place.

But donors are filling in everywhere, including the state level. Fundraising driven by the bloggers at Raising Kaine have pushed over $15,000 into legislative candidate coffers. Kudos to them are well deserved (as is this graphic indicating their success so far).

March 31st is a federal quarterly deadline (and also one for Virginia as they have state elections this year). We exect this spike to continue through the end of the week and are of course fully prepared to handle any and all traffic. This one should be fairly reasonable being so far out from 2008 but it is the first major reporting date of the 07/08 cycle.

For those that have created their own fundraising pages, now is a great time to put in a pitch for extra donations to help your candidates put up respectable first quarter numbers!