Concrete Things and the Small Donor
The fundraising successes of the internet detailed in the IPDI Political Consultants' Online Fundraising Primer make the method seem promising. We see younger voters giving, we see more small donations. Good things? Sure, why not. Makes me feel better about young voters and small donations. Now, if only we could get poor people to give, maybe they'd start listening to us.
In any case, to get a big donor to give we work them, personally. A small donor? Oh, send them a letter, if they come to an event give 'em a card, whatever. The internet adds a point of contact. I've given money over the internet, I've given money a couple of times, all over the internet. Even on a few campaigns I've volunteered on.
The internet is a sufficiently concrete point of entry. A point of contact that can be called up by the voter, rather than targeted by the campaign. This may be one of the equalizing effects of the internet. Now if only everyone had some money to give to the people they want to see in office.
In any case, to get a big donor to give we work them, personally. A small donor? Oh, send them a letter, if they come to an event give 'em a card, whatever. The internet adds a point of contact. I've given money over the internet, I've given money a couple of times, all over the internet. Even on a few campaigns I've volunteered on.
The internet is a sufficiently concrete point of entry. A point of contact that can be called up by the voter, rather than targeted by the campaign. This may be one of the equalizing effects of the internet. Now if only everyone had some money to give to the people they want to see in office.
5 Comments:
I agree that the Internet is in fact a point of entry for the average person and the Internet does provide a point of contact that can make even the most average person feel like a valued part of any campaign.
In the past if I wanted to donate I would have to put it on myself to find the contact information to a campaign, mail in a check and oftentimes not receive any verification other than the check being cashed that the campaign utilized my donation.
There were far more steps involved and the average person was not likely to take the time and effort to donate. Now donations are just a click away and a thank you note from the campaign is an email away. The ease to which I should be able to donate to a campaign is vast and will continue to change the political landscape.
dcae makes a good point. Pre-internet, I don't know how I would have gone about making a donation. If I heard a good radio ad, what would I have done? Called the station?
Of course, if I were prepared to donate a lot of money I'm sure they would have found me.
Perhaps the reason we heard so much talk about small donors in the last cycle is that, for the first time ever, they had an easy way to actually donate.
Great post. The Internet certainly allows for average, everyday Americans to become more involved in the process. Like Mike D and dcae, I don't really know how I would gone about contributing prior to Internet fundraising.
Though it is easier to give money to candidates because of the internet I don't know how much fairer it is.
Though most people do have internet access, if not at their home through their local library, that does not mean that they are willing or even know how to donate via the Net.
Further, I have not seen many, if any, attempts to bring online donating to people who would not usually do so. Until we begin to open then technology to those who normally wouldn't use it, we cannot call it revolutionary.
The most revolutionary thing I've seen in my life is Pop Rocks that turn into bubble gum. In 1996, as it was the first presidential race I could vote in I was excited, so I made a donation to the Clinton campaign by calling the state office, getting an address and sending a check.
In 1988 I remember my mother giving money at a rally for Jesse Jackson in the primary. Then sending a check for the Dukakis campaign, I think that she may have had the information based on contact from the campaign through the campaign knocking on our door. Things have gotten more and more expensive since.
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