Read This Before You Donate

Updated 3/14/2026

Make your contributions count! 

If you're like most of us, you're getting texts and emails from candidates and organizations, all insisting that they need your help urgently! Here's a guide to help ensure our donations go to organizations and races that are top priority, effective and relevant.

Senate Races

Consider donating to these campaigns that have a reasonable chance of flipping from red to blue in the mid-terms:

Dan Osborn, Nebraska

Josh Turek, Iowa

Mary Peltola, Alaska

Sherrod Brown, Ohio

Seth Bodnar, Montana 

Organizations that Support Democracy

Below are some great sites that help you determine where to give effectively consistent with your values. They all come highly recommended.

Indivisible National: Indivisible would rather be driving action than fundraising. This link shows you all the ways you can donate: directly to a local group, in a loved one's honor or memory, etc.

ACLU Illinois and ACLU National: The ACLU is challenging a growing wave of attacks on people’s rights and freedoms. Their lawyers, advocates, and organizers need your help. Donate to support voting rights, LGBTQ equality, reproductive freedom, free speech and more in every state.

Activate America: Empowers activists to help elect Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Contest Every Race: Has a mission to encourage candidates to run everywhere, with emphasis on rural areas, so vital to our election objectives.

Democracy Docket: Founded by election attorney Marc Elias, whose law firm is leading litigation to defend our voting rights and elections. 

Field Team 6: Focuses on voter registration for Democrats. “Register Democrats, Save the World”. 

Focus for Democracy: Encourages giving money through “giving circles” and focuses on data based research to get the highest impact for each dollar spent. They host events you can attend where they recommend organizations.

Force Multiplier: They provide research-based recommendations on candidates and groups defending democracy, resisting authoritarianism and ensuring people can and do vote.


Oath Vote: Empowers donors to give to candidates more strategically. (Recommended by Jessica Craven).  Oath Vote analyzes thousands of elections from President to school boards to find which candidates are likeliest to benefit from your support. They provide their recommendations for free and don’t sell or share your contact information.

Run for Something: Provides extensive assistance, especially for younger candidates. They have a roster of hundreds of thousands of potential and declared candidates across the country.

The States Project: Focuses on getting Democratic majorities in state legislatures.

States Win: Formerly Sister District, this organization targets selected legislature races by supporting Democratic candidates, mobilizing volunteers, engaging voters, and equipping lawmakers with the tools to effectively govern.

Swing Left: Helps win elections for Democrats by making it as easy as possible for anyone to have maximum impact on the elections that determine the balance of power in our country.