While I never wanted to write this entry I'm compelled by the continuing problem of small service providers to failed campaigns being unable to get paid.
Fundraising is, of course, difficult at best. It is the single biggest campaign problem.
Yet when a campaign agrees to accept professional services that vendor must be paid. Period. When I have consulted with 'services in kind' it's understood that there's no money involved. But there have been many vendors, of many different types of services, that haven't been paid. That's unacceptable.
This doesn't happen because the people involved are bad folks or have the intent to not pay their service providers.
Look at the number of campaigns that ended in debt. Remember, when you hear of or see a campaign in debt that means someone didn't get paid. Imagine not being paid for your job. That will give you some idea of the issue. The uphill, activist campaign honestly believes it can raise the money when they make the commitment but....it winds up breaking an agreement based in trust. That hurts financially but also in other, more personal, ways.
That break in trust becomes overwhelmingly true when the campaign/candidate starts avoiding communication. That tells anyone watching that they can assume there's no continuing effort to pay the vendors. Now that's painful.
Perhaps the progressive left must continue raising cash so these campaign's don't remain in debt. If that were to become an organized effort it would help many people.