Donating to Win!
- Indivisible Evanston
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
by Steven Sidell
With better understanding of current voting trends and improvements in technology, donating for maximum impact has become more strategic. If you're still responding to "urgent" emails and text messages requesting funds, continue reading to help you decide where to spend your money in the upcoming mid-term elections.
Voter Turnout is Crucial!
We know that voter turnout is going to be crucial in the upcoming midterm elections. We need to win so overwhelmingly that the opposition will have no standing to assert that the election was "rigged."
Donate Now!
It's really important to donate right away because the work has already started--to organize campaigns, hire staff and to get folks registered to vote.
State Legislatures Are Part of the Strategy
The Supreme Court decision on Callais basically allows states to gerrymander Black and Latino majority districts out of existence, so we must focus on state legislatures as well.
Get the Best Bang for your Buck!
How can we get the best bang for our buck when making donations this election cycle and beyond? I have been attending meetings of several organizations that are researching community based organizations. What I'm hearing is that the best approach to getting out the vote is a relational approach--people from a community working within their own community to reach out to neighbors, friends, relatives, and others in their circles.
This approach is more about registering, empowering, and mobilizing historically disenfranchised voters who form the base of the Democratic party -- rather than contributing to big TV ad buys, or even the top-of-the-ticket candidates. I believe that this approach is a winning strategy.
These are 6 organizations I have been following that I highly recommend. I encourage people to go to their websites and familiarize yourselves with their work and recommendations so you feel comfortable with their suggestions.
To win in 2026 and beyond, they plan to reach out to millions of unregistered likely Democrats using their one-of-a-kind database and every outreach method possible (e-mail, text, postcards and in-person) in every single swing state and district where new Democrats will make the most impact.
This is a great organization and they have the proof that their voter registration strategies work. One dollar donated equals one new registered voter. Donations to Field Team 6 are really impactful to getting likely democrats registered and voting.
Focus for Democracy Action (F4D) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that helps donors make the most impactful contributions possible to strengthen democracy.
They rigorously evaluate and support nonpartisan programs, which make up the majority of their work. Additionally, a portion of their work is directed toward programs that advance pro-democracy candidates, where electoral outcomes are critical to protecting democratic values and fundamental rights.
They apply rigorous, metric-based scientific research to recommend 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations and political action committees (PACs) with the highest impact per dollar spent.
Movement Labs tests new ideas using randomized controlled trials and then identifies the best-performing and triples down on them. They are "fueled by innovation, guided by evidence, and supported by advanced data." One focus is helping flip state legislatures to protect everyone's votes.
Movement Voter Project funds local organizing and movement-building groups working to shift culture, win power, and shape policy. They raise money from donors, then channel it toward the most impactful organizations and power-building work around the country.
The States Project has the tools, data and strategy to win state legislatures for lawmakers who will protect everyone's votes. They have expanded their maps based on the new Supreme Court decision.
Walk the Walk USA recommends the most effective and ethical path to Democratic victories in federal, state, and local elections to combat the rising tide of authoritarianism and to strengthen democracy.
Walk the Walk USA recommends strategic funding opportunities for initiatives that utilize the most effective voter engagement tactics, in the most competitive geographies, supporting the most impactful voters. They recommend local grassroots organizations run by people from the communities they serve. These groups use research-proven tactics to engage communities to win. They promote Democratic issues among multi-racial working-class voters, and with support from the Walk the Walk USA network, they are hard at work right now engaging voters. They believe that working relationally with historically disenfranchised voters who form the base of the Democratic party -- rather than contributing to big TV ad buys, or even top of the ticket candidates -- is a much more powerful approach.
And One Addition!
From my friend and Indivisible colleague Shelley Sutherland: "I was one of those people who kept responding to text messages until I discovered Oath! On Oath, you can easily search by candidates or issues you care about (like reproductive rights, gun safety, etc.), and they help you tailor your giving to impact what is important to you. Honestly, though, I'm so outraged about so many things, that after doing that for a few months, I just set up monthly giving here on "autopilot", and they will use my donation for maximum impact."