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ActBlue

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ActBlue
Formation2004
TypeNonprofit political action committee
Location
Executive Director
Erin Hill
AffiliationsDemocratic Party
Websitesecure.actblue.com

ActBlue is a nonprofit technology organization established in June 2004 that enables left-leaning nonprofits, Democrats, and progressive groups to raise money on the Internet by providing them with online fundraising software. Its stated mission is to "empower small-dollar donors".[1]

Activities

Co-founder Benjamin Rahn at a fundraiser in 2006

ActBlue does not endorse individual candidates.[2] The organization is open to Democratic campaigns, candidates, committees, and progressive 501(c)4 organizations. Groups that use ActBlue pay a 3.95% credit card processing fee. As a nonprofit, ActBlue runs its own, separate fundraising program and accepts tips on contributions to pay for its expenses.[3][1][4]

ActBlue was founded in 2004 by Benjamin Rahn and Matt DeBergalis.[5] In February 2016, ActBlue launched AB Charities, an arm of the organization that makes ActBlue's fundraising tools available to nonprofits.[6] Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns used ActBlue for contributions.[7] 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden has also used ActBlue for fundraising.[8]

Federal Election Commission Reporting

ActBlue reports to the Federal Election Commission all contributors to Federal campaigns, regardless of the amount.[9] When a candidate for a Federal election raises money through ActBlue, ActBlue serves as a conduit for election law purposes.[10][11] All conduit contributions are itemized and reported. By contrast, there is a $200 threshold for reporting individuals who contribute directly to a candidate committee. Many small donors, whose names would ordinarily be shielded, are thus exposed to the public.[12]

Fundraising

Several records for the year of 2020 were broken in the week following the killing of George Floyd, with over $19 million raised on May 31st, the highest so far that year. On June 1st, that yearly record was again broken with $20 million in donations. Over half of donations in the week following the killing went to charitable (non-political) causes, including one ActBlue page devoted to a bail fund which raised over $1.5 million dollars from over 20,000 donors.[13]

In the 2018 midterms elections, ActBlue raised $1.6 billion for Democratic candidates.[14] According to FEC data, from January 2017 to October 2018 Beto O’Rourke had raised $45m through ActBlue for his unsuccessful run against Ted Cruz, 48% of which came from outside Texas.[15]

In 2019, ActBlue raised roughly $1 billion for a wide variety of campaigns.[16] The Daily Beast notes that between January and mid-July 2019, ActBlue brought in $420 million, and that "According to the organization, that total came from 3.3 million unique donors and was dispersed to almost 9,000 Democratic campaigns and organizations, with $246 million coming in the second quarter alone."[17]

ActBlue raised $19 million in its first three years, from 2004 to 2007.[18] In the 2005-2006 campaign, the site raised $17 million for 1500 Democratic candidates, with $15.5 million going to congressional campaigns. By August 2007, the site had raised $25.5 million.[19]

In 2019, the Republican Party created a rival platform, WinRed, to counter ActBlue's strength in small-donor fundraising.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b Pindell, James (10 May 2017). "How a Somerville nonprofit revolutionized American politics". The Boston Globe.
  2. ^ Willis, Derek (9 October 2014). "How ActBlue Became a Powerful Force in Fund-Raising". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. ^ Kroll, Andy. "The $2 Billion Powerhouse Behind Jon Ossoff". Mother Jones. No. July/August 2017.
  4. ^ "Pricing". ActBlue.com. ActBlue.
  5. ^ Wayne, Leslie (29 November 2007). "A Fund-Raising Rainmaker Arises Online". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  6. ^ Hill, Erin (17 February 2016). "ActBlue Charities is HERE". ActBlue.
  7. ^ "Case study: Bernie 2016". Revolution Messaging. Revolution Messaging.
  8. ^ "Chip in to elect Joe Biden". ActBlue. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  9. ^ "What happens to my money when I donate?". Retrieved 2020-07-14. As required by federal law, ActBlue reports and itemizes (that means list the donor name & information) for every single federal donation that comes through our platform, including donations under $200.
  10. ^ "Earmarked contributions". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  11. ^ "Why is ActBlue considered a PAC? | ActBlue Support". Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  12. ^ Primo, David M. (18 August 2019). "Personal Data About Small-Donor Democrats Is All Over the Internet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  13. ^ Goldmacher, Shane (1 June 2020). "Protests Spur Surge in Donations, Giving ActBlue Its Biggest Day of the Year". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  14. ^ Isenstadt, Alex (23 June 2019). "GOP to launch new fundraising site as Dems crush the online money game". POLITICO. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  15. ^ Lavine, Carrie; Zubak-Skess, Chris (October 25, 2018). "How ActBlue Is Trying To Turn Small Donations Into A Blue Wave". Fivethirtyeight. Graphics by Rachael Dottle. ABC News.
  16. ^ Hakim, Danny; Thrush, Glenn (9 March 2020). "How the Trump Campaign Took Over the G.O.P." The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  17. ^ Resnick, Gideon (17 July 2019). "ActBlue Has Brought in a Whopping $420 Million This Year". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  18. ^ Mosk, Matthew (11 March 2007). "Donations Pooled Online Are Getting Candidates' Attention". Washington Post.
  19. ^ Helman, Scott (7 August 2007). "Internet-based PAC driving Democratic push". The Boston Globe.
  20. ^ Isenstadt, Alex. "GOP to launch new fundraising site as Dems crush the online money game". POLITICO. Retrieved 2019-06-25.

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