Donate to these 8 organizations to help Dems win up and down the ballot.
Already donated directly to the campaign and looking for more ways to support Dems with your dollars? I've got recs and links for you!
“I’ve already given to the campaign. Where else should I donate?”
Friends and family members have been reaching out to me with this question a lot in the last few weeks, so I thought I’d write a short newsletter with some answers. Before I get into it, I want to acknowledge that not everyone is in a position to make donations, and volunteering or even talking to friends and family about the election can be an equally if not more valuable way to contribute. But for those of you who are looking for a way to make a difference with your dollars, I have put together some recommendations with links and information for your consideration.
Most folks know they can support a candidate by donating to the Democratic Party. What is lesser known is the absolutely essential constellation of organizations that build critical movement infrastructure, recruit candidates, train campaign staff, develop tools, organize volunteers, and deploy resources to the places they are needed most. For these organizations, every dollar makes a difference.
Here are eight such organizations for your consideration:
1. ARENA
Arena powers Democratic victories by training, convening, and supporting the next generation of progressive candidates and campaign staff. I co-founded Arena nearly eight years ago, because I believed (and still believe) we need a new generation of leaders to transform our politics. We are proud to have helped elect rising stars like Lauren Underwood, Andy Kim, and Lina Hidalgo. Not only are they working hard to create a better future for their communities; they are shaping a new political discourse and transforming our political culture.
In 2017, we started by providing expert coaching directly to candidate campaigns and quickly learned that even the best candidates can’t win on their own, especially in the most competitive races. They need the teams, tools, and training to bring winning strategies to life. So we set off to equip candidates with just that.
In 2019, we launched Arena Academy, and have since trained more than 8,100 campaign staff and volunteers. If you want to make sure a campaign is using cutting-edge, evidence-based tactics, don’t just invest in the tactic: invest in training the people who make the strategy and decide which tactics will be used across all aspects of the campaign. I’m clearly biased, but in my opinion there is no organization that will make your dollar go further.
One of my favorite things to introduce people to is the Arena Toolbox, which includes free resources on everything from campaign planning and budgeting to developing persuasive messaging to running impactful GOTV programs. More than 84,000 candidates and campaign staff have used the Toolbox since it went live. And Arena is not only making campaigns more effective, we’re also making them more reflective: 57% of Arena-trained staff identify as women, 54% identify as BIPOC, and 37% identify as LGBTQ+. Arena is developing an enduring talent pipeline for the long-term and supporting the teams that will lead us to victory this November because we can walk and chew gum at the same time when we invest in people. Donating to Arena will make a difference not only in this election, but in many elections to come.
2. RUN FOR SOMETHING
Run for Something recruits and supports young progressives to run for office. Since launching in 2017, they have recruited nearly 100,000 young people to run for state or local office across all 50 states. NBD. I’ve worked directly with RFS team on multiple occasions, and can attest to the consistent excellence of their work. Their mission is critical, and so is their message. They are changing our country’s attitudes about who can run for office and win, and who gets to make the policy that shapes so many fundamental pieces of our lives. After you’ve donated and combed through the plentiful resources on their website, be sure to order the book.
3. ZINC COLLECTIVE
Zinc Collective powers three separate organizations: Blue Leadership Collaborative (BLC), DigiDems, and Zinc Labs. BLC recruit campaign managers, and retain and develops diverse campaign talent. They help them get trained and build long-term career paths in politics, where we suffer from so much brain drain cycle over cycle. DigiDems provides funding, expertise, and technological resources to the most competitive races for Democrats. They also deploy staff to these races and make sure campaigns are cyber-secure. Finally, Zinc Labs incubates tech infrastructure and runs pilot programs aimed at innovating political technology. Check out one of their recent resources: Quickstart AI guidelines for campaigns.
4. SISTER DISTRICT
Sister District builds enduring political power in state legislatures, races that are having ever-increasing impacts on our lives (consider the 20+ abortion bans states have passed since 2022). They are incredibly smart about their targeting, investing in Presidential battleground states with nested competitive Gubernatorial, Senate, House races, key ballot initiatives, and competitive state legislative elections where we can flip or stave off Republican control. While you’re on the site, check out the new DownBallot Voter Toolkit (this is the culmination of a project I’ve been working on with the brilliant Sister District team for the last year)!
5. SWING LEFT
Swing Left, founded in the wake of the 2016 election, mobilizes volunteers and resources to swing battleground states and districts. You can donate to their 2024 Impact Fund, and your donation will go directly to the support the most competitive races across their 12 Super States, or write letters to voters in swing districts via their partnership with VoteForward.
6. EMERGE
Emerge America has been around for a while. They train women to run for office, and have 1200 alum in public office. They train across 45 states, D.C., and U.S. Territories so once you donate, think about a woman you know who should run for office, and see if there’s a training coming up in her area.
7. PEOPLE’S ACTION
People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots power-building organizations. They build the power of poor and working people in urban, rural, and suburban communities to win change through issue advocacy and elections. AND they are leading what they call an Organizing Revival, sharing organizing best practices and training volunteers on relational tactics like deep canvassing. They were the first to run a massive persuasion and deep canvassing experiment in a Presidential election (I was lucky to be one of many strategists on the advisory team), and you can read all about it here!
8. THE ALLIANCE FOR YOUTH ACTION
The Alliance for Youth Action is a nation-wide network of youth organizations to turn out younger generations and turn up their voices. Their mission is to empower young people’s organizations to strengthen our democracy, fix our economy, and correct injustices through on-the-ground organizing. While they are not a partisan coalition, the youth vote could make up the margin of victory in many races this year, so supporting their work is one way to support Dems. If you know someone who needs to update their voter registration or make their voting plan, check out their #VoteReady Center and donate to the Alliance here.
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There are so many more amazing organizations than I had time to write about today. These eight are among those I find to be most impactful at scale, and they are all working across the country and across various communities. If you’re looking for more recommendations, or looking to donate exclusively in support of a specific community, constituency, or state, drop me a line. There is a much larger pool of organizations that are worthy of your dollars and doing vitally important work.