The ActBlue Blog

Finance directors, this one is for you!

2013-03-11T17:25:08-04:00

We know you want your fundraising data to be accessible, digestible, and shown to you in real-time. That's why we spend so much time developing and enhancing our campaign dashboards to fit your needs. But you can’t always be monitoring your dashboard.

That's why we're introducing our new contribution email alerts. Now you can sign up to receive an email every time your candidate, committee or cause receives a donation over an amount of your choosing. That means you can follow up with a high dollar donor right away and work on building a good relationship.

The average contribution size for most groups is pretty low - it was $34.82 on ActBlue last month - and these donations make up the backbone of most online fundraising program. Everyone knows we love donors of all sizes, but high dollar donors are often very important to organizations, helping them fund new projects or reach quarterly goals. And they’re investing a significant amount of money because they believe in what you’re doing, so you want to be able to keep an eye on them.

To sign up, go to your committee's page and click on the "User Access" tab. There you'll see everyone with access to the committee. Click on "create a contribution alert" under your name or a team member's name and enter an amount for the threshold. You'll receive an email alert for any donation over this amount. If you want to edit the amount, you can come back to this page at any time.

And we're always looking to make our tools work better for you, so if there's something you'd like to see on ActBlue, feel free to drop us a line at info AT actblue DOT com.

Special thanks to Molly Ritner and Greg Berlin (both at the DCCC) for working with ActBlue to design this feature. We love our power users!

March '13: A heck of a month

2013-03-07T14:00:01-05:00

You'd never know it was an off-year here at ActBlue!

Our office has been busier than ever working to develop the tools we'll need for 2014 and beyond. Continuing to innovate is the best weapon we have against the Republicans’ SuperPAC money.

But we're not the only ones who've been busy. We've helped raise $5.67 million in February this year for 802 different campaigns, committees and causes, beating our February 2012 numbers by $600,000! Yep, that's right, we helped raise more money this past month in an off-year than we did last February before a presidential election.

Donors are more committed than ever to victory at the ballot box and beyond. That $5.67 million came from an impressive 162,892 donors, with an average contribution size of $34.82, which is proof that grassroots fundraising can compete with big special interest money when you work hard at it.

We hit a huge milestone in February: we reached 500,000 Express users - who can contribute with just one click - after adding 23,525 in February alone and 429,597 since last year.

Why is that such a big deal? Well, our Express donors landing on a contribution form convert at a rate of 87.86% versus 12.67% for everyone else. That means more Express users = more money.

We're also looking ahead and envisioning what 2014 will look like. And we know it'll involve a lot of mobile. We're already seeing 8.54% of donations in March come in on mobile, compared to 4.27% at the same time last year, and that number grows each month. Our site is mobile optimized, rigorously tested and easy to use on any browser, because we want to help you meet your supporters where they are.

Guess what? Those Express users, yeah, they convert x4 the rate of other donors on mobile and make up 73% of total mobile donors. And that my friends is a pretty big deal.

If February was this good, we can't wait to see what March and the end-of-the-quarter brings!

As always, we're here to help you get the most out of your online fundraising program. Just drop Patrick Frank a line: frank AT actblue DOT com.

2013 Numbers: $5.67m in February

2013-03-05T09:35:56-05:00

Hannah Brown

2012 Numbers: The Final Tally

2013-02-01T15:34:52-05:00

Welcome to 2013! Barack Obama is still President of the United States. The U.S. Senate is still in Democratic hands. You could be forgiven for thinking not much has changed. You'd be wrong, as the numbers below show. Millions of Americans used ActBlue to show that their voice matters. While Mitt Romney was busy running down half of the country, many of them were busy ending his run. There are plenty of reasons why the election turned out the way it did, but you should never doubt your place among them.

Number of contributions	2,896,327
Total raised	$136,497,244.45
Average Contribution size	$47.13
Committees receiving money	3,895

Here's what 2012 looks like compared to 2011 and 2008 (last presidential election year). Percentage change is year over year:

	2008 Total	2011 Total	2012 Total	Change
Contributions	341,747	685,830	2,896,327	322%
Volume ($)	$49,469,263.74	$41,121,132.96	$136,497,244.45	232%
Mean Donation	$144.75	$59.96	$47.13	-21%
Committees	2,452	2,344	3,895	116%

Here are the five top committees, by number of donors, for 2012.

Name	Race	Donors	Dollars
DCCC	Party Committee	1,127,706	$36,344,427
DSCC	Party Committee	440,747	$18,644,200
Elizabeth Warren	MA-Sen	98,331	$2,961,178
PCCC	Organization	92,920	$1,160,340
CREDO SuperPAC	SuperPAC	81,780	$2,295,125

New Year, New Election, New (York) City

2013-01-28T13:31:25-05:00

In November, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will be term-limited out of office, and will no longer hold the title of "Hizzoner." For the first time in 12 years, the mayoralty will once again be up for grabs, along with at least 22 city council seats, and 4 out of 5 borough presidencies. That's why we're excited to announce that after months of work with our partner, the New York City Campaign Finance Board, we are offering our fundraising tools to the city’s municipal candidates--from the mayoral candidates on down--including those who will receive public matching funds

Here at ActBlue, we've always been about making your voice heard, helping you pool the resources of your supporters to increase your impact, and making sure that no donation, no candidate, no vision is too small.

The Board is proactive when it comes to regulating money in politics, and their efforts have created one of the country's best public financing systems. Naturally, the system comes with strict regulations, especially for credit cards processed online. This means that smaller campaigns don’t always have the opportunity to fundraise online because of time constraints and prohibitive costs--which translates into lost opportunities and fewer connections with supporters. However, since ActBlue shifts much of the resulting burden of compliance and legal work from local campaigns to our staff, even the smallest NYC campaign can now raise money online using our tools.

When candidates sign up for ActBlue, they’re also getting a chance to tap into our community of 500,000 registered ActBlue Express users. They are our most dedicated donors, who make most of their political contributions through ActBlue and convert at a significantly higher rate due to our one-click donation process. This gives candidates a higher return on their fundraising initiatives, making the program a great resource for our campaigns. We’re excited to share it with NYC candidates so they can benefit as well.

Most of the money raised through ActBlue comes in the form of small dollar donations - $50.27 was the average donation during the last election cycle. That's important for New York City, where candidates can receive matching funds of up to $6 per dollar donated on contributions under $175. ActBlue was built specifically for grassroots fundraising, and we couldn't pass on a chance to team up with a city that supports our vision.

We hope you'll take a look around the site, search for your favorite New York City candidates, spread the word or sign up here. No campaign is too small--or too big--to start putting power in the hands of supporters.

2012 Numbers: $12m August

2012-09-27T13:29:12-04:00

On ActBlue, August pushed us north of $12 million for the month and put the Big Number within striking distance of $300 million. That's huge. And while the top 5 committees for August raised more than $6m of that total, none of them had an average donation size larger than $40. The rest of the $12 million went to nearly 2,000 other committees. There are around 500 races that get you a seat in Washington D.C., which means that 1,500 other candidates and committees are raising money through ActBlue.

Across the aisle, the folks at the top of the organization decide to drop huge sums of money on a few races. Over here, hundreds of thousands of donors give what they can to support thousands of candidates across the country. I don't know if you've seen the polls lately, but it looks like our way is working a little bit better. And now, the numbers:

Number of contributions	309,877
Total raised	$12,785,110.61
Average Contribution size	$41.26
Committees receiving money	1,981

Here's what August 2012 looks like compared to August 2011 and 2008 (last presidential election year). Percentage change is year over year:

	August 2008	August 2011	August 2012	Change
Contributions	21,267	78,172	309,877	296%
Volume ($)	$2,706,849.69	$3,051,815.13	$12,785,110.61	319%
Mean Donation	$127.28	$39.04	$41.26	5%
Committees	1,068	916	1,981	116%

Here are the five top committees, by number of donors, for August 2012.

Name	Race	Donors	Dollars
DCCC	Party Committee	129,318	$4,215,738
DSCC	Party Committee	40,678	$1,585,605
CREDO SuperPAC	SuperPAC	16,120	$385,933
Democracy for America	Organization	13,674	$274,859
Mazie Hirono	HI-Sen	9,499	$227,671

2012 Numbers: $8m in July

2012-08-28T15:25:05-04:00

Not only are the July numbers strong, they reflect how broad ActBlue has become. While the top 5 recipients make up a significant portion of July's volume (~$4.5m) that leaves another ~$4m that flowing through ActBlue to smaller candidates, committees and causes. It's evidence of the broad base of support that ActBlue represents, one that is changing the way people raise money. It couldn't be more timely. And now, the numbers:

Number of contributions	200,247
Total raised	$8,346,045.09
Average Contribution size	$41.68
Committees receiving money	1,836

Here's what July 2012 looks like compared to July 2011 and 2008 (last presidential election year). Percentage change is year over year:

	July 2008	July 2011	July 2012	Change
Contributions	19,906	66,746	200,247	200%
Volume ($)	$2,565,814.49	$2,678,159.69	$8,346,045.09	212%
Mean Donation	$128.90	$40.12	$41.68	4%
Committees	1,043	861	1,836	113%

Here are the five top committees, by number of donors, for July 2012.

Name	Race	Donors	Dollars
DCCC	Party Committee	85,045	$2,695,553
DSCC	Party Committee	31,359	$1,319,036
Elizabeth Warren	MA-Sen	11,798	$241,687
Democracy for America	Organization	8,575	$198,614
PCCC	Organization	8,376	$119,989

2012 Numbers: Q2 Roundup

2012-07-17T17:16:06-04:00

Here's the short version: $27 million sent to Democrats via ActBlue with an average donation under $50. That's incredible. To put it in perspective, we tripled the amount of money we sent over the same period in 2011, and quadrupled the number of donations. We sent that money to twice as many campaigns. So when we talk about grassroots power, we're talking 8 figures.

Number of contributions	582,951
Total raised	$27,186,771.78
Average Contribution size	$46.64
Committees receiving money	2,476

A for-profit company would love to take these numbers to their shareholders. Since we're a non-profit, we're bringing them to you. While 2012 is a presidential election year and that pushes the numbers upward, you can glance at our 2008 numbers to see how much we've grown over the interim.

	Q2 2008	Q2 2011	Q2 2012	Growth
Contributions	61,617	142,027	582,951	310%
Volume ($)	$13,423,736.96	$9,110,160.70	$27,186,771.78	198%
Mean Donation	$217.86	$64.14	$46.64	-27%
Committees	1,390	1,106	2,476	124%

Here are the five top committees, by number of donors, for Q2 2012.

Name	Race	Donors	Dollars
DCCC	Party Committee	182,345	$5,343,811
Tom Barrett	WI-Gov	26,827	$2,010,889
DSCC	Party Committee	46,091	$1,875,056
Democratic Party of Wisconsin	Party Committee	45,048	$1,105,153
PCCC	Organization	24,270	$244,764

Staying Ahead of the Curve

2012-07-11T15:07:07-04:00

Our mission is to increase participation and transparency in the fundraising process, and we work hard to make sure our features match that goal. No matter how you measure it--3,000,000 donors, more than a quarter billion dollars sent to Democrats--it's been a success. Here's one example:

A while back we noticed that mobile web traffic was exploding, so we built a mobile donation form that would make it easy for people to donate with their phone. We also realized that data entry, already a pain on a regular computer, would be even more difficult on a phone. Long story short, we made our mobile form play nice with ActBlue Express, a feature that allows donors to create a profile so they don't have to retype their info every time they want to give.

The combination proved extremely potent. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of users with an ActBlue Express account, and the mobile conversion rate has grown steadily. ActBlue is hardly the only political entity out there with a quick donate option or a mobile form. But we're different in one important respect: we provide these tools to every campaign that accepts donations through our site. They're available to you whether you're a state senator or a federal candidate, whether you're a donor who gives $25 or $2,500.

Why does that matter? If you follow politics, you've probably seen something about Democratic discomfort with the Citizens United decision. As Republican SuperPACs ramp up for 2012, Democratic campaigns are worried that they won't be able to keep up with the Adelsons. Donors, meanwhile, are concerned about entrenching a system they dislike. ActBlue is a way out of that dilemma. Candidates don't have to put themselves at a competitive disadvantage vis a vis Republicans. Donors can give quickly and easily, without embracing GOP tactics.

By taking a settled piece of campaign finance--the ability of individuals to support campaigns--and updating it for the digital age, we've massively increased participation and transparency in fundraising. Oh, and sent nearly $100,000,000 to Democrats this cycle.

That's what we're here to do.

NN12 Reflections

2012-06-18T14:07:15-04:00

Hopefully, those of you who made it to NN12 are rested and recovered a week later. If you managed to swing by the ActBlue booth and pick up a sticker or bottle opener, so much the better.

It's an important conference for ActBlue, because it allows us to connect with the people who make this engine run. This year, the conference was dominated by talk about Citizens United and all the undisclosed cash that decision has allowed into our political system. With that discussion in mind, it was nice to see all the regular folks who thanked us for doing what we do.

We should be thanking you. We built ActBlue, but you make it hum. Without the voices and donations of ordinary Americans flowing through ActBlue, there'd be no counterweight to the undisclosed corporate cash flooding our elections--and make no mistake, that would be just fine with them.

So thanks for your support, your generosity, and your passion. For those who couldn't make it, we hope to see you next year.

2012 Numbers: $9m in May

2012-06-14T12:38:39-04:00

The run up to the Wisconsin recall election pushed our May numbers skyward to over a quarter billion dollars (!!) by the end of the month. Sure, we would've preferred a rather different outcome, but there's a lesson in Wisconsin that's more than gloom and doom: small donors have the power to create a national political event.

From the protests through both rounds of elections, this has been a story driven by small donors, including those who sent millions to Wisconsin Democrats using ActBlue. The top five entities for May all come in with average donations under $40. That kind of engagement forced the GOP to commit astronomical sums of money to a race that wouldn't have existed otherwise.

In short: grassroots donations sustained a state-level political struggle that lasted more than a year, and elevated it to national prominence. That's a win, even if the returns didn't go our way.

Number of contributions	208,071
Total raised	$9,049,579.70
Average Contribution size	$43.49
Committees receiving money	1,794

Here's what May 2012 looks like compared to May 2011 and 2008 (last presidential election year). Percentage change is year over year:

	May 2008	May 2011	May 2012	Change
Contributions	18,290	45,034	208,071	362%
Volume ($)	$3,095,177.15	$2,627,655.58	$9,049,579.70	245%
Mean Donation	$169.23	$58.35	$43.49	-25%
Committees	878	721	1,794	149%

Here are the five top committees, by number of donors, for May 2012.

Name	Race	Donors	Dollars
Tom Barrett	WI-Gov	43,137	$1,509,842
DCCC	Party Committee	41,138	$963,184
Democratic Party of WI	Party Committee	24,158	$657,544
DFA Recall Campaign	Organization	12,887	$309,818
PCCC	Organization	12,395	$121,737

2012 Numbers: First Quarter Roundup

2012-04-20T11:42:15-04:00

If you've read the last few monthly numbers posts you're aware that it's been a good year for Democrats on ActBlue. But looking at our Q1 numbers, you can see that a huge amount of money is flowing to candidates and committees that don't make our top 5 for the quarter. While everyone else is consumed with the ups-and-downs of the presidential race, we're quietly helping Democrats up and down the ballot get what they need to win.

Let's take another angle on that: if every seat in Congress were constested, you'd have around 500 committees getting money. ActBlue has 2,050 recipients. That's the best expression of the kind of work we do, and how it ripples out across the country. Now, the numbers:

Number of contributions	333,928
Total raised	$18,070,391.02
Average Contribution size	$54.11
Committees receiving money	2,050

So, these numbers are the gold standard for year-over-year growth. While 2012 is a presidential election year and that pushes the numbers upward, you can glance at our 2008 numbers to see how much we've grown over the interim.

	Q1 2008	Q1 2011	Q1 2012	Change
Contributions	52,149	180,537	333,928	85%
Volume ($)	$6,945,713.73	$8,712,756.77	$18,070,391.02	107%
Mean Donation	$133.19	$48.26	$54.11	12%
Committees	992	881	2,050	133%

Here are the five top committees, by number of donors, for Q1 2012.

Name	Race	Donors	Dollars
DCCC	Party Committee	103,592	$3,036,757
Elizabeth Warren	MA-Sen	26,827	$1,310,832
Democratic Party of Wisconsin	Party Committee	20,974	$423,339
Democracy for America	Organization	20,602	$468,190
PCCC	Organization	16,566	$166,313