Powering change. Small-dollar donors remained dedicated to powering change up and down the ballot in the third quarter of 2023, giving steadily to Democratic candidates and progressive causes. Nearly 1.8 million unique donors gave 7.8 million contributions to 14,592 campaigns and organizations, totaling more than $283 million dollars with an average contribution size of $36.29 – and every one of those metrics has improved since the second quarter of this year. These numbers show that small-dollar donors continue to play a pivotal role in shaping our democracy and in the fight to protect our rights around the issues that matter to them, including reproductive freedoms, LGBTQIA2S+ legislation, climate, and gun safety at the state and local levels.
Moved to act. In the aftermath of the devastating Maui wildfires, small-dollar donors opened their hearts and wallets to contribute to Maui disaster relief efforts. The surge of support in the days following the fires led to the highest number of first-time donors across the platform this quarter. This is evident in our non-profit sector, which had a 55.4% rise in contributions and a 69.4% increase in dollars raised compared to Q3 2019.
Sustaining momentum. In response to continued attacks on our fundamental freedoms, small-dollar donors are driving change up and down the ballot. Donors are pushing back against an extreme Republican agenda that limits participation in our democracy, restricts access to reproductive health care, and aims to reverse the progressive policy wins we fought hard to achieve.
As we get closer to the 2024 elections, donors are increasingly focused on giving at the federal level, with 76.6% of donors giving at least one federal contribution this quarter. We’re also seeing sustained growth in state legislative races, where consequential off-year elections are coming up. Donors are working hard to protect our freedoms in states like Ohio, Missouri, and many others where abortion rights are under attack, and they are becoming increasingly involved in the fight for fair redistricting in states such as Alabama and Georgia. These races saw the total dollars raised increase by 66.2% and the average contribution size increase by 50.5% compared to Q3 2019.
On the local level, donors raised more than double compared to Q3 2019, with a 69.2% increase in contributions. The numbers also show an increase in repeat donors for campaigns and causes this quarter; 56.2% of donors gave multiple times, either new contributions or recurrences, with an average of 4 contributions per donor, up from 50.5% in Q3 2019, demonstrating donors continued engagement and support for movements at different levels.
A closer look. Our platform’s accessibility continues to play a key role in powering change. This quarter, 65.8% of all contributions were made via mobile devices, which is an increase of 7.3 percentage points from Q3 2019. Read on to learn more about the fundraising trends across ActBlue in the Q3 2023 cycle and how small-dollar donors showed up for candidates and organizations across the country.
TOPLINE NUMBERS
| Q3 2019 | Q3 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions | 10,466,567 | 7,809,841 |
| Total Amount | $297,113,012 | $283,398,429 |
| Average Contribution Size | $28.39 | $36.29 |
| Unique Donors | 3,095,508 | 1,772,131 |
| Unique Campaigns, Committees, and Organizations | 8,984 | 14,592 |
Congressional races
Small-dollar donors continue to drive change by powering competitive congressional races.
- Q3 2023 Senate races had a 54.9% increase in individual small-dollar donor contributions and a 22.4% increase in total dollars raised compared to Q3 2019.
- Q3 2023 House races had a 22.6% increase in average contribution size compared to Q3 2019, and the House and Senate had a 12.0% increase in total dollars raised.
In the States
In the states, we saw a steady increase in fundraising for legislative and gubernatorial campaigns.
- State legislative races had 518 additional campaigns, committees, and organizations fundraising compared to Q3 2019, marking a 29.2% increase in entities.
- Gubernatorial fundraising saw double the contributions and dollars raised this quarter compared to Q3 2019. Additionally, there were 63.9% more unique donors and 26.7% more candidates.
ACTBLUE ADVANTAGE
Mobile giving and technology advantages are crucial to Democratic success. ActBlue makes taking action easy – whether you’re giving to a candidate or a cause. This quarter we’ve seen:
- The share of contributions made with a saved payment method or digital wallet option increase by 11.9 percentage points and the share of contributions made via a mobile device increase by 7.3 percentage points, relative to Q3 2019.
Payment Methods
| Q3 2019 | Q3 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| % of Contributions made with a Saved Payment Method or Digital Wallet Option | 58.5% | 70.4% |
| % of Contributions made via a Mobile Device | 58.5% | 65.8% |
