We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about our monthly statistics posts, so we’ll be continuing them throughout the 2010 cycle. Today we’re looking at numbers from March 2010, and you should stop by late next week when we’ll release our end of quarter numbers. The purpose of these posts is to provide information, and nothing below should be construed as an endorsement of a particular candidate or committee.
The March 2010 overview:
| Number of contributions | 58,626 |
|---|---|
| Total raised | $5,228,392.83 |
| Average contribution size | $89.18 |
| Distinct committees receiving money | 1,250 |
| Distinct fundraising pages receiving money | 1,124 |
| Fundraising pages created | 1,002 |
Granted, every statistic is higher than it was in February, but March numbers are buoyed by the end of quarter (EOQ) fundraising push by federal candidates. To exempt that variable from our analysis, let’s compare March 2010 to March 2008. Keep in mind, though, that ’08 was a presidential cycle, and March was the last EOQ deadline before the decisive Pennsylvania Democratic primary. Nevertheless:
| March 2008 | March 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributions | 25,345 | 58,626 | 130% |
| Volume ($) | $3,707,838.92 | $5,228,392.83 | 41% |
| Mean Donation | $146.29 | $89.18 | -39% |
| Committees | 787 | 1,250 | 60% |
| Pages Created | 564 | 1,002 | 78% |
| Pages w/ Money | 654 | 1,124 | 72% |
NB: “pages” here refers to fundraising pages, which are landing pages that make a specific fundraising ask. For an example page, click here.
The massive increase in volume and contributions, combined with decrease in average donation size, speak to the increasing power of grassroots fundraising generally, and, as we’ll see below, issue-oriented grassroots fundraising.
Let’s take a look at the Top 10 Campaigns & Committees for March 2010 (by donors).
| Committee Name |
Bill HalterType
AR-Sen, 2010Donors
11,887Amount
$390,112.82 PCCC – Progressive Change Campaign CommitteeOrganization8,603$109,664.77 Democracy for AmericaOrganization5,692$52,880.09 Krystal BallVA-01, 20103,587$35,793.04 Ann McLane KusterNH-02, 20103,456$35,193.03 Anthony WeinerNY-09, 20103,071$64,608.18 Alan GraysonFL-08, 20102,494$57,163.94 Connie SaltonstallMI-01, 20102,188$92,463.60 Dennis KucinichOH-10, 20101,788$36,188.49 Betsy MarkeyCO-04, 20101,205$27,998.14
In March, the top 10 (as always, ranked by number of donors) includes some new faces. As was the case last month, the PCCC and DFA take their spots on the podium, eclipsed only by Arkansas Lt. Governor Bill Halter, who is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Blanche Lincoln. Lt. Gov. Halter amassed over 10,000 ActBlue donors in a single month with the backing of labor unions, progressive advocacy organizations, and Netroots PACs. For a more complete listing of the groups fundraising for Halter on ActBlue, click here.
What’s particularly interesting about this month’s top 10 are the interconnections between candidates and both policy issues and advocacy groups. Krystal Ball and Anne McLane Kuster–#4 and #5, respectively–earned their berth thanks to a fundraising page set up by the PCCC. They are challenging “Blue Dog” Democrats who opposed the public option in the recent healthcare bill, an issue of concern to many PCCC donors. The candidates ranked 6-8 also structured their fundraising efforts around the recent healthcare bill.Reps. Grayson and Weiner saw their candor about GOP opposition to the bill rewarded by online donors, and Saltonstall is running against Rep. Bart Stupak in Michigan.
The larger point being that our volume in March reflected–in real time–the momentum and enthusiasm that was building behind healthcare reform.
You can see that firsthand in the list for Top 10 Fundraising Pages for March 2010.
| Name | Donors | Raised | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dumplincoln | 5006 | $116,478.85 | $23.26 | |||||
| pelosi-tv-ad | 3577 | $68,669.03 | $19.19 | |||||
| 2010pccc | 3402 | $66,266.55 | $19.47 | |||||
| weinercdthc02242010 | 2909 | $56,459.33 | $19.40 | |||||
| pccc_main | 2042 | $41,152.28 | $20.15 | |||||
| pccchalterfield | 1968 | $32,449.24 | $16.48 | |||||
| orangetoblue2010 | 1850 | $66,934.74 | $36.18 | |||||
| standupkucinich | 1124 | $21,366.66 | $19.00 | |||||
| conniesaltonstall | 780 | $35,644.27 | $45.69 | |||||
| graysonboldprogressive | 718 | $13,211.30 | $18.40 |
Quick points:
- Three of the top 10 ActBlue fundraising pages benefited Arkansas Senate candidate Bill Halter.
- Over half of the pages directly mention or motivate donors to give to candidates because of health care issues.
- Six of March’s Top 10 fundraising pages by numbers of donors were created by the PCCC
- Democracy for America, Daily Kos, and the Firedoglake Action PAC all had fundraising pages that made the list.
Some of the common features used on these 10 fundraising pages were the inclusion of embedded video and the use of ActBlue’s goal-based fundraising thermometers. Be sure to check out some of the other pages linked above as well as our recent post that covers some important tips to get some ideas of how to make your next fundraising page more successful.
