Nonprofit organizations dedicated to defending free speech, supporting LGBT teens, preserving a woman’s right to choose, and more have seen a major surge in donations since last Tuesday’s election:
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which supports women’s reproductive rights, received donations from 182,000 people in the week after the election, about 40 times more than in a typical week, a spokesman said on Wednesday. Of those, 45,000 people donated in the name of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, a vocal opponent of abortion who has fought to deny federal funds to the group. [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union, which defends the rights of the individual, said on Monday that it had received more than $7 million from about 120,000 donations over the five days after the election. During the same period after the 2012 election, the group collected less than $28,000 from 354 donations. [...]
The Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, saw a 50-fold increase in online donations on the day after the election.
The Sierra Club, the Trevor Project, and others report similar upticks in support. That’s all good news. They’re going to need the money. What may be even better news is this:
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties and outreach group, gained more than 500 volunteers in the two days after the election. NARAL Pro-Choice America, which fights for abortion access, reported on Wednesday that it had signed up 290 times as many volunteers since the election as in an average week.
In a typical month, She Should Run, a group formed to encourage women to run for office, might hear about a few dozen to a few hundred potential candidates, a spokeswoman said. In the last few days, it heard about more than 2,500.
Giving money, if you have it to give, is crucial. Nonprofits and movement groups need to pay rent and buy office supplies and hire staff. But giving time is at least as important. We need the energy of the people protesting in the streets and lamenting on Facebook to be funneled into organizing, into systematically building power over the next four years. Money is the fast part—the thing you could do immediately after the election to feel like you were doing something. Now it’s time to think what else you can give to the causes your mind went to first when the results of the election became clear.