New Donors
In 2018, the DPO had 2,935 new donors, contributing $281,372. Of these, 2,726 contributors donated $100 or less, for a total of $150,321.
Sources:
- GSI (telemarketing firm): 1,120 contributions
- Mail Program: 424 contributions
- Online/Email/End of Year: 1,631 contributions
- President’s Council: 10 new members
- Capitol Circle: 12 new members
- Grassroots: 34 new members totaling
In 2017, the DPO had 3,290 new donors contribute $341,377, of which 2,999 new contributors donated less than $100, for a total of $184,493.
Sources:
- GSI: 622 contributions
- Mail Program: 187 contributions
- Online/Email/End of Year: 2,055 contributions
- President’s Council: 17 new members
- Capitol Circle: 13 new members
- Grassroots: 52 new members
Prospecting
GSI (the DPO telemarketing firm) in 2017 we identified 825 prospects who contributed $39,163. In 2018, 764 prospects contributed $35,735. Through our new direct mail program, the DPO had 184 new prospects contribute in 2017-2018.
Grassroots Monthly Donors
In 2017, 196 Grassroots Monthly Donors contributed $16,299 to the DPO. In 2018, 292 Grassroots Monthly Donors contributed in total $34,860 to the DPO, a huge increase that reflects greater participation in the party and a positive response to the Party’s vigorous fundraising programs.
Capitol Circle
The Capitol Circle is made up of monthly donors who give $500 per year, and donors who give $500-999 as a single donation. 2017 had 36 Capitol Circle donors, 12 of them giving monthly, who contributed $15,400 to the DPO. 2018 saw 47 individual donors in the Capitol Circle, 20 of them giving monthly, who contributed $18,960 to the DPO.
President’s Council
Each year hundreds of hours of call time and at least that many hours of preparation go into securing sponsors and renewing and gaining new President’s Council members. The President’s Council is made up of monthly or one-time donors who give $1,000+ per year. In 2017 President’s Council donors contributed $100,482 to the DPO. In 2018, President’s Council donors contributed $151,016 to the DPO.
Sponsors
In 2017 and 2018 combined, the DPO raised more than $514,000 in sponsorships, including more than $197,000 from annual sponsors. We gained 13 new sponsors in the past two years, including six from union organizations.
Mail Fundraising Program
The DPO sent eight fundraising mailers in 2017, adding up to more than 57,000 letters. The program netted $59,463, with an average contribution of $66.50. The DPO sent 10 fundraising mailers in 2018, totaling more than 100,000 letters. The program netted $99,757, with an average contribution of $78.
GSI
In 2017 GSI, our telemarketing fundraiser, contacted 1,221 donors who contributed $61,053 and in 2018 reached 1,824 donors who contributed $109,069.
Fundraising Events
Events are an important way for the DPO to raise money through sponsorships, ticket sales, and donations, while also providing an opportunity for the community to come together to hear from our elected officials, celebrate our accomplishments, and inspire each other to continue working hard to elect more Democrats. Key DPO fundraising events include:
2017 Wayne Morse
- The Meet and Greet with Congressman Keith Ellison had more than 60 leaders from the local Islamic and grassroots activist community.
- More than 41 elected and former elected officials participated in the night, including Governor Kate Brown, Representative Earl Blumenauer, and Treasurer Tobias Read.
- More than 60 volunteer hours from more than 30 volunteers supported the event
- The event raised $206,965.
2018 Wayne Morse
- The Latino Caucus hosted a Meet and Greet and had more than 50 members of the Latino Community meet with the Keynote Speaker, Secretary Julian Castro.
- More than 29 elected and former elected officials participated in the night’s events, including Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Treasurer Tobias Read, and Senator Ron Wyden.
- More than 45 hours from 20 volunteers supported this event.
- The gala raised $204,355 in sponsorships, ticket sales, and night-of donations.
Other events
- SCC Weekend Fundraisers (after expenses):
- 1st Qtr Platform Convention in Salem: Nan Wood Honeyman Dinner & President’s Council Reception featuring Louisiana State Senator & DNC Vice Chair of Civic Engagement and Voter Participation Karen Carter Peterson. We raised $33,245, including the pitch: $23,595
- 2nd Qtr Dinner in Pendleton — More than 130 attendees
- 3rd Qtr Dinner & President’s Council Reception in Eugene — More than 200 attendees
- 4th Qtr Holiday Party — Sold 358 tickets.
- Progressive Lawyers Event with Keynote AG Ellen Rosenblum, had more than 60 attendees, raised $9,967.
- Election Night raised $95,511 (vs. $89,900 in 2016).
Hustle
The DPO used Hustle, a text messaging service, for targeted fundraising leading up to the November election and for end-of-year fundraising. In October, the DPO texted 5,324 cell phones, and in November and December texted 8,056. In total, the Hustle campaigns raised $4,506 from 71 individual donors. The Hustle software distinguishes between cell phones and landlines, and finds duplicates in our lists. It also allows for tagging wrong numbers, so by exporting our lists from Hustle, we were able to clean up a big portion of our recent donor list.
Thank yous/Donor Postcards
In 2018, the DPO designed three different thank you postcards and sent 1,500 handwritten postcards to donors. This new program is an important component of maintaining donor relationships.
