Coming off of a historic midterm, small-dollar donors, campaigns, and organizations made Q1 2019 the strongest start to an election cycle in ActBlue’s lifetime. This start is especially noteworthy when you compare the numbers from this past quarter to the exceptional numbers from just two years ago, when the resistance and huge surge of first-time candidates began to emerge and fuel unprecedented grassroots participation. As the numbers show, this movement has only deepened: 6,217 groups raised money through ActBlue in Q1 ‘19, more than twice as many groups raising during the incredible first quarter of the 2018 cycle. And small-dollar donors gave $174,506,038 through ActBlue to their favorite candidates and causes — by far the most dollars raised in any first quarter of an election cycle in our history. It’s clear the energy and action from small-dollar donors we saw during the 2018 election is here to stay.
Topline Numbers
| Q1 '15 | Q1 '17 | Q1 '19 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributions | 791,935 | 4,171,950 | 5,404,378 |
| Total Amount | $27,242,863 | $111,364,174 | $174,506,038 |
| Average Contribution Size | $34.40 | $26.69 | $32.29 |
| Unique Campaigns, Committees, and Organizations | 1,731 | 3,079 | 6,217 |
This immense and early grassroots participation is already driving the 2020 cycle, but it’s also giving Democrats running right now in state-level races the resources to lay out the critical groundwork they need to win. Supporters gave 32% more money in Q1 ‘19 to state candidates with elections this year than in Q1 ‘17 (not including gubernatorial races). Keep reading to see all of the numbers from Q1 ‘19.
ActBlue Express
| Q1 '15 | Q1 '17 | Q1 '19 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New ActBlue Express Users | 45,397 | 342,840 | 542,612 |
| % of Total Volume via ActBlue Express | 55.8% | 59.9% | 60.6% |
| % of Total Contributions via ActBlue Express | 60.2% | 64.8% | 64.2% |
Over 60% of the dollar volume in Q1 ‘19 came from ActBlue Express users who saved their payment information on ActBlue so they could give again with just a single click. That pool of ActBlue Express donors skyrocketed this past quarter with 542,612 people joining our ActBlue Express universe of over 6.4 million users. These motivated donors made Q1 ‘19 the second biggest quarter ever for new ActBlue Express users. All of this participation means more voices are being heard in our political processes and institutions that have been dominated by conservative mega-donors and big money interests for years.
Mobile
| Q1 '15 | Q1 '17 | Q1 '19 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % of Contributions via Mobile | 25.3% | 39.4% | 53.3% |
| % Mobile for ActBlue Express | 27.5% | 40.4% | 53.1% |
Q1 ‘19 was also the first quarter in ActBlue history when over 50% of contributions were made via mobile devices! A big reason for this growth in mobile has been candidates and organizations increasingly prioritizing direct communication with supporters about the impact of their grassroots enthusiasm. Small-dollar donors are engaging with these announcements and taking action to support their favorite campaigns and organizations in real time. Making sure it’s easy to give on mobile means supporters can donate wherever they are, whenever they are moved to do so. This is why we focus so much on donor experience. By building contribution forms that work seamlessly on mobile, we ensure small-dollar donors can always participate.
Recurring Contributions
| Q1 '15 | Q1 '17 | Q1 '19 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Recurring Volume | $7,803,912 | $29,574,762 | $32,989,001 |
| % of Total Volume | 28.6% | 26.6% | 18.9% |
Customer Service
| Q1 '19 | |
|---|---|
| Total Incoming Calls | 26,205 |
| Email Conversations | 66,908 |
If you have questions about this post, you can always get in touch with us at info@actblue.com. If you’re looking to set up an ActBlue account for your group, contact support@actblue.com!
