This is the biggest election year I have ever seen. With so many House, Senate, Gubernatorial and state legislative races in addition to the presidential race, one can spread donation money very thin and not really make a dent. However, there is a way to concentrate your firepower in such a way that your donations can have an impact on all levels of government: County Democratic organizations.
They are usually not very flashy, they don't get much attention and usually the work is not at all glamorous, but they typically do the GOTV, phone banking and lit drops that are essential to turnout out the vote. Also, they work on the entire ticket and not just one race, so helping out these organizations can have an impact on multiple races. Here are some very good examples.
Michigan - Michigan is NOT a blue state. As a matter of fact, the only time in the past 20 years that it was reliable was the 1996 election. John Kerry thought he could rely on it, but learned the hard way that it was not and had to visit it the day before Election Day. Barack Obama is not making that mistake and neither are local Democrats, especially with two red-to-blue pickup opportunities and a fight to either preserve or bolster our majority in the State House. Metro Detroit will again be the focal point and The Oakland County Democratic Party will be working hard to deliver votes for Obama, congressional candidate Gary Peters in the-red hot MI-09 as well as picking up seats in the State House and County Commission. I have even heard that they plan to make a hard run for Sheriff as well. I can tell you by experience that they are a top notch organization and your money will not be wasted. If you are in a more quiet part of the state, perhaps you might want to direct some resources there.
Ohio - The Buckeye State will again be a key battleground in the presidential race but there are no less than four competitive congressional races as well. So you might want to chose from among the Stark County Democratic Party (OH-15 and OH-16), the Ashland County Democratic Party or, for a more focused approach, the Hamilton County Democratic Party (OH-01 and OH-02).
Colorado - Colorado is a purple state trending blue. Obama stands a good chance of winning here, but we have a tight Senate race and a very good shot at picking up the CO-04 district. The Larimer County Democratic Party will be in the heart of the fight to elect Obama, Mark Udall and Betsy Markey to the White House, Senate and Congress and this is a county where a few dollars can go a little further.
There are many counties I can point to in New Mexico, Oregon, Florida and elsewhere and perhaps you can share them with me. For people like us, it might be the best investments we can make.