The whole ActBlue team just got back from a few days in the dry heat of Las Vegas, and while LeBron was partying we were hard at work helping the Democrats at Netroots Nation 2010. We got to see some of ActBlue's favorite activists (hey Edgery), daily reads (hiya Markos), and movement builders (what's up Adam Green?).
But the real story was that you couldn't turn around without running into a Democratic candidate eager to meet with the activists who support them, and a whole bunch stopped by the ActBlue booth (when they weren't bowling up a storm, like NH Senate candidate Paul Hodes). We'll have some videos of these folks up soon enough, but I wanted to highlight an anecdote from Las Vegas that encapsulates one of the many ways ActBlue helps campaigns every day.
Rebecca Bell-Metereau and Judy Jennings, candidates for State Board of Education in Texas, are running on perhaps the most sweeping campaign theme of the year – they are running to save history. This election might not get so much attention if not for the current Texas State Board of Education's farcical abuse of its power to make the history curriculum more conservative – an abuse that can affect students nationwide if the textbook writers have to adjust their language accordingly. Rebecca and Judy are both ActBlue users, and are some of the most effective state-level fundraisers on ActBlue. I got a chance to meet them both in Las Vegas, and ended up chatting with Mykle Tomlinson, their campaign manager. He mentioned some great news – they just finished a new fundraising video! But how best to use it?
Within minutes I had my laptop open and Mykle was creating Save History's newest page – a page more effective thanks to ActBlue's infrastructure that let's them put the video right on the contribution form. Now, when Judy Jennings and Rebecca Bell-Metereau share this video with their supporters, there will be a chance to donate and watch in one place, making donors happier and campaigns more effective.
Though they seem small, interactions like these are a large part of what we do every
day. Acting Blue for six years has given us a certain knowledge
base on fundraising – we've seen how campaigns use our tools well, and we
know what works. Since we're a PAC, not a business, we're happy to
share our knowledge with any and all campaigns – it comes down to doing our part so Democrats win. Helping candidates like Rebecca and Judy tweak their efforts in just the right way means they raise more money, bring more people into their campaign, and end up saving history.
