Being of service to the grassroots movement is one of the pillars of ActBlue. That is why it is so important to us to invest in our Customer Service team to ensure they have the people they need to support donors and fundraisers alike! The Customer Service team strives to provide efficient, accurate, and friendly service to all of our users. They’re a diverse group made up of three teams, Account Operations, Admin Support, and Donor Support. If you’re interested in joining ActBlue and supporting members of the small-dollar donor movement, apply here!
Halie B, Admin Support Specialist
What is your favorite part about the workplace culture at ActBlue?
Since my first day at ActBlue, I’ve been told that no matter the subject, questions are welcome, encouraged, and valued. I have found this to be true every day since! At ActBlue, you never have to fear that you’ll be shamed for not knowing something or needing clarification, or that your coworkers will blow you off when you ask. Across all departments and levels, my fellow ActBluers receive my questions with kindness and answer them with care, and I strive to do the same in return to continue to foster an environment of curiosity and learning.
Describe your typical day at ActBlue.
At the beginning of a typical day, I’ll jump straight into the Support Queue, which is the inbox for support requests we receive from admins for the campaigns and organizations that fundraise with us. Admins’ needs vary widely: On a given day, I might assist folks with managing their two-factor authentication, reconciling unprocessed contributions, creating and customizing forms for selling tickets to events, and likely a few completely new issues I’ve never been asked about before!
I’ll be in touch throughout the day with members of my own team, as well as colleagues in other departments, both to request help with my workflows and to provide help to others when I can. And last but definitely not least, I’ll always be sure to set aside some time to chat, bond, and exchange GIFs with my teammates!
As a member of the Customer Service team, how does your work contribute to ActBlue’s goal of uplifting small-dollar donors?
My team supports and guides entity admins in building out online fundraising programs that allow them to connect with small-dollar donors and fuel people-powered movements. We also act as a liaison between the admins who use our tools and the ActBlue Technical Services team, escalating the technical errors and feature requests that admins flag for us so that ATS can fix and improve our platform based on that feedback. Similarly, we help facilitate communication between entities and their donors, so that the needs of all parties can be met!
Merlin L, Donor Support Manager
What is your favorite part about the workplace culture at ActBlue?
My favorite part of the workplace culture at ActBlue is the ability I have to treat the people I manage with compassion and understanding. I’ve been in jobs in the past where as a manager, I was expected to demand the same level of excellent output whether a person was grieving the loss of a loved one, was sick, or was dealing with complicated and stressful matters outside of their control.
I am fortunate to have people on my team that care deeply about the mission of ActBlue and our donors. I see evidence of that commitment every day, so it is a privilege to support them however I can. That doesn’t happen in a vacuum– the Donor Support team is staffed in such a way that we have enough people to cover for each other when these life situations arise. Our caring culture also stems from when we had a very small team just 2 years ago. We grew so quickly and somehow managed to hold onto that sense of respect for each other as people.
Describe your typical day at ActBlue.
The Donor Support team has distributed schedules, which means most of us work a weekend day as part of our regular workweek. I start on Sunday and end my week on Thursday. I am also one of three managers that works into the evening hours, starting at 2pm ET, to support our evening associates. During this time, I monitor our Donor Support Slack channels for any requests that require a manager.
Most of my time is spent interacting with members of the team I manage. I check Slack, email, and Zendesk to address any questions they have about changes to our work, help solve issues they’re facing while trying to resolve donor requests, and generally try to create the best work experience I can for all of us. At times, that includes communicating directly with donors in instances where a manager’s input is needed to resolve complex situations.
Since I manage 6 people, it’s common for me to have at least one 1:1 a day. In those meetings, we get to catch up on things going on in our lives and at work. I care deeply about everyone on my team and make the most of those opportunities to connect, understand their needs, and communicate my own so we can be effective partners within our respective roles.
As a member of the Customer Service team, how does your work contribute to ActBlue’s goal of uplifting small-dollar donors?
I believe that the best way I can uplift small-dollar donors is to uplift the folks that engage with them directly. When our Support Associates have their work needs met, including a sense of belonging, appreciation for their efforts, clarity around what the priorities are, and expectations about quality and quantity, they are able to focus their energy toward providing donors with the best care possible.
Antonio M, Donor Support Associate
What is your favorite part about the workplace culture at ActBlue?
I have gotten really close with my sub-team, but beyond that, the whole Donor Support Team collaborates together frequently. We have a lot of team meetings where we get to discuss our work as well as our personal lives. I really appreciate these opportunities to bond with the people I work with, especially because many of us work such vastly different schedules. We also spend time staying up-to-date on all of the political and social issues that affect us each day, and the team acts as a great support system for each other during difficult times.
Describe your typical day at ActBlue.
I work 4PM-12AM ET Sunday-Thursday, so my days typically begin when many people at the company are signing off. Luckily, there are a few others who also work my schedule, so we get to collaborate frequently. Typically, I will start by catching up on any announcements I missed during the “regular” work day, then I will dive into responding to any replies I’ve received from donors I was working with recently. After that, the majority of my day is spent working on new tickets and helping donors with any issues they may have. I am also often able to act as a representative for donors, advocating for donor-suggested improvements to the platform as well as donor-centered processes. I am quite close with my sub-team, so throughout the day we help each other out with any questions we may have, as well as add a nice layer of fun to our important work!
As a member of the Customer Service team, how does your work contribute to ActBlue’s goal of uplifting small-dollar donors?
Since my job is to directly work with our donors, I feel like I have an important role in helping achieve this goal. My number-one responsibility is to put in the effort to make each donor’s experience as positive as possible. Typically, when a donor reaches out to the Donor Support Team, it is because they had an issue during the donation process, so I strive to help these donors as efficiently and kindly as possible. It’s important to me that my interactions with donors leave them feeling good about their donations, as well as feeling good about using ActBlue.
If you’re interested in joining our Customer Service team in working to support small-dollar donors and Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations, check out job listings here!
