Staying Strong. In the second quarter of 2022, small-dollar donors were engaged and energized and took action, supporting candidates across the country and organizations doing critical work. About 2.8 million unique donors gave 11.8 million contributions to 16,059 campaigns and organizations, totaling nearly $513 million with an average contribution size of $43.31. Donors gave more than double the number of contributions and dollars this quarter compared to the same period during the last midterm election cycle.
This quarter, in particular, included consequential events that sparked an ongoing national dialogue and moved donors to act: the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the support for gun safety groups in the wake of nationwide mass shootings, as well as the primaries taking place around the country.
Small-dollar donors gave $20.6 million on the day of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, making it ActBlue’s largest day of the 2022 cycle by contributions and dollars raised.
Our numbers showed an influx of first-time donors in May and June 2022, as people stepped up to act. For example, eight out of ten of the biggest days of the cycle for first-time donors occurred in the days following the Dobbs opinion, the Uvalde, TX shooting, and the Dobbs draft opinion leak.
Moved to Act. One important trend we’ve seen so far during the first two quarters of 2022: Donors are getting activated and involved in supporting state and local campaigns and nonprofits working on some of our nation’s most pressing issues. For example, fifty-five percent (55%) of first-time donors this cycle – through June 30, 2022 – gave their first contribution to a non-federal campaign, committee, or organization.
Take a Deeper Dive. Read on to learn more about ActBlue’s fundraising trends during the second quarter of 2022, and how small-dollar donors are meeting the moment through their support of candidates and causes nationwide.
TOPLINE NUMBERS
| Q2 ’18 | Q2 ’20 | Q2 ’22 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributions | 4,901,874 | 18,035,138 | 11,843,235 |
| Total Amount | $210,780,877 | $710,028,849 | $512,986,153 |
| Average Contribution Size | $43.00 | $39.37 | $43.31 |
| Unique Donors | 1,401,780 | 5,739,956 | 2,796,006 |
| Unique Campaigns, Committees, and Organizations |
9,070 | 12,142 | 16,059 |
U.S. House and Senate
Boosting competitive races. The trend we continue to see, cycle over cycle, is this: Donors give to competitive races. They know that Democrats are working hard in districts and states nationwide to protect our majorities.
Compared to the last midterm election cycle in 2018 — a historic year for small-dollar donors helping to propel Democrats to victory in the House — House and Senate candidates raised twice as much money from double the number of contributions.
State and local
Acting locally, too. Small-dollar donors are giving to state-level races, driven by the alarming attacks on voting rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQIA2S+ rights, and so many other issues lobbed from Republicans in states around the country.
Donors made double the contributions and more than doubled the dollars they gave to state legislative candidates this quarter, outpacing the same period in 2018. Donors also gave twice as much money to in-cycle candidates for Attorney General this quarter than in the same quarter in 2018.
We also see strong support for gubernatorial candidates and candidates for secretary of state. In this quarter, donors gave more than four times the number of contributions to both in-cycle gubernatorial candidates and secretary of state candidates, compared to the same time in 2018.
Donors gave three times as much money to in-cycle gubernatorial races and nearly tripled the amount they gave to in-cycle state secretaries of state candidates compared to the last midterm cycle.
Nonprofit
Unleashing grassroots fundraising power for nonprofits. This quarter demonstrated how small-dollar donors are taking action to support issues and causes. The number of unique donors giving to nonprofits doubled, and those donors gave more than three times as many dollars to unique organizations – with more than triple the dollars raised, and more than double the unique donors than in the same period in 2018.
Our MICO team — Movement, Issue, and Charitable Organizations (MICO) — continues to serve nonprofits who want to build sustainable small-dollar programs and engage their supporters.
CYCLE-TO-CYCLE COMPARISON
| 2018 cycle through Q2 ’18 | 2020 cycle through Q2 ’20 | 2022 cycle through Q2 ’22 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributions | 25,894,484 | 70,242,917 | 56,383,386 |
| Total Amount | $912,839,661 | $2,297,585,821 | $2,148,724,004 |
| Average Contribution Size | $35.25 | $32.71 | $38.11 |
| Unique Donors | 3,609,270 | 10,795,166 | 6,027,782 |
| Unique Campaigns, Committees, and Organizations |
12,298 | 18,499 | 23,853 |
ACTBLUE ADVANTAGE
ActBlue makes taking action easy to support candidates, causes — or both. With tools to build grassroots fundraising programs and teams in place to help organizers maximize those tools, ActBlue is the trusted source that people can rely on to drive change.
| Q2 ’18 | Q2 ’20 | Q2 ’22< | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % of Contributions made with a Saved Payment Method or Digital Wallet Option | 53.1% | 63.5% | 70.4% |
| % of Contributions made via a Mobile Device | 42.8% | 56.0% | 61.3% |
RECURRING CONTRIBUTIONS
| Q2 ’18 | Q2 ’20 | Q2 ’22< | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Recurring Volume | $41,466,412 | $72,111,152 | $65,818,765 |
| % of Total Volume | 19.7% | 10.2% | 12.8% |
