I know we have many different incomes and resources here...as well as many different opinions.
As someone who’s been here since the beginning and always been a grassroots volunteer, I also know that a diary can have an impact beyond the numbers of those who comment on it or recommend. That’s why I’m suggesting that now is the time for any of us who can, to take a look at our budgets and see if there’s any extra room to give.
Inspired by this 2020 election year and the powerful movement for Black Lives that has risen in every state, I have two simple and urgent suggestions.
1. Donate to support Voter Registration and Mobilization
Right now, June 11th of this presidential election year, is a perfect time to support crucial 2020 election year priorities.
These donations will get ramped up and deployed right now, during this summer and fall, and will make a huge impact.
And for anyone lucky to have some savings in place, it may not be that hard to find funds in the budget, especially given Covid-19.
For example, when we did this, my wife and I saw right away that the clothing and vacation envelopes we keep were building up surplus that a) we don’t need given work from home and b) that realistically we can’t and won’t use anytime soon. Like many folks here, we give steadily to our causes, but when we looked at it in the light of our changed needs, it was not hard to free up additional dollars to make some one-time contributions at this crucial moment.
I know donating more isn’t possible for every one of us, and we’ll each do it in our own way, but maybe you’ll find the same?
Here are some suggestions for those of you considering making a donation right now:
Movement Voter Funds
These funds, grouped into headings like “Black-led Organizing Fund” and “Big 5 Battleground Fund” send your donation directly to groups that work to organize communities on the ground. This is the same type of crucial local organizing work that came under attack with the right wing assault on ACORN. I highly encourage you to dig in at the link and find a Movement Vote fund that fits your goals and ideals (some of them are more focused on immediate electoral politics and voter registration and others for long term power building) or drill down further and find an individual organization, or even pick multiple funds like we did.
DLCC
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, like the DGA, may not be the most popular or exciting place to put your donations. But, if you like WINNING and TAKING BACK POWER that lets us PASS LAWS, state legislatures are where it’s at in 2020. And with Census-mandated redistricting in the cards that will set the table for the next decade, your donation is even more impactful. The DLCC works tirelessly to change the balance of power to favor Democrats in all 50 states, and your donation right now will make a MASSIVE and LASTING impact and dovetails nicely with the Presidential and Senate races, too!
DSCC
In 2008, I dropped everything, sublet my small apartment in California, and went to Nebraska to work on the Scott Kleeb for Senate campaign. The team at the DSCC in D.C. was immediately helpful to me as a staffer and they definitely kicked the tires and paid attention to our chances of winning that year. With so many US Senate seats popping up as competitive, you might be tempted to donate to your favored candidate or race, and, as someone with “netroots-favorite” experience, I do understand that logic. But I think the opposite today. With so many possibilities, you get the most bang for your buck donating to the organization that really knows who needs the funds, which poll numbers are the most promising, and where and when those dollars can best be spent. If I only had $50 to give to any political committee in 2020, the DSCC would get every penny of it.
Additional organizations that are worth a look: Sister District, FairFight, MomsDemand, Indivisible, National Democratic Redistricting Committee
2. Make a long-term commitment to Black Lives
Years ago, I took a part-time assignment to help a small environmental nonprofit raise money. As part of my role, I spoke to many nonprofits doing racial justice and environmental work in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is a world where small amounts of money make a massive impact. Based on that experience, I can tell you that nothing funds long term work for justice and sustainability like individuals and foundations who make the slow, steady monthly contributions that keep the lights on and the doors open.
You can think of these dollars as the virtual cup of coffee that wakes up your favorite organizations every single day. And, yeah, even $10 a month makes a difference when you think about it that way.
The bottom line is your commitment to a monthly contribution is a profound difference maker. The Labor Movement has long known that pooling together small amounts of money on a regular basis builds real organizing and institutional power.
The movement for Black Lives is calling on all of us to rethink what our “business as usual” looks like. A key way to make sure that we change the status quo is to change, even in a small way, how we spend our money not just now, but into the future.
The best monthly commitment is to an organization that makes sense to you, that fits; that’s how you will stick to your commitment.
You can find suggested lists of some organizations inspired by Black Lives Matter here and here, but let me offer an additional suggestion.
Whether it is donating to a national organization like the NAACP or maybe to Planned Parenthood or the ACLU or to a local, grassroots, community-centered non profit where you live, you may be able to find a way to deepen that donation by harnessing programs at your employer or church or social organization. You might be able to find matching funds or inspire others to join you.
And when you “expand the list” of organizations on the matching program at your workplace, you pave the way for more dollars and more donors to build power for decades to come. You expand what’s possible.
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Conclusion
You’ll notice that I haven’t suggested that you give to any individual candidates, though there are many good reasons to do so.
Right now, at this moment, in my opinion there are two things more important than donations to individual candidates:
- Having the most powerful summer EVER for voter registration, protecting the vote and building Democratic infrastructure to win elections this fall
- Working to see that folks who have enjoyed the economic benefits of what this nation has to offer make lasting commitments to fund organizations that work to change the status quo in our country in favor of justice and a sustainable environment for every last one of us.
Thanks for reading and considering what I have to say!