Trey Gibson: Our view is that your memo is such an important piece and I’d love to know how it has been received since you released it. Have you noticed any questions or changes from donors in response to the memo since it dropped?

Billy Wimsatt: Wow – thank you so much for reading it and asking! 

I’ve been really encouraged by the response. The good news is that a few handfuls of donors really took the message to heart and are making their biggest donations ever – including a handful of heroic people who are really stretching themselves and giving at the million-dollar level.  

I just heard from another unexpected person who wants to give a million dollars today! Hopefully this will be a trend! 

Seeing donors who were typically giving $1,000 or $25,000 donors decide to give $1 million or some other number that is truly a stretch for them has been incredibly inspiring. And there were lots of other people who increased their giving substantially (eg from $50,000 to $100,000) and were intentional about giving early in January – that was great to see. 

The bad news is that we still have a loooong way to go to get the frontline electoral organizers hundreds of millions of dollars they need to do their work.  

We need a movement of at least a few hundred seven-figure donors to “see the light” from the Bat Signal and make the decision – with their families and their financial advisors – to make their largest donation ever. And to understand clearly that in historical terms, 2024 really is that moment we have all been waiting for. It’s time to stop being reluctant bystanders, to strap on our superhero capes, and become major protagonists in the 2024 story. 

In short, we need many more people to read it, share it, get together with their folks, and ask themselves the question: “What is the biggest thing we can do – individually and as a group?” in terms of donating and inviting others to join us. 

One of the other most encouraging trends we have seen is people inviting their friends and family. People are getting their folks together to do a “Zoom Salon” to discuss this idea with a small group of friends or networks. That’s how we’re going to do this – through hundreds of smaller conversations that add up to the hundreds of millions of dollars that are needed.  

Trey Gibson: Why do you think progressive donors didn’t give to grassroots voter engagement organizations in 2023 at the same level that they did leading into the last two elections? 

Billy Wimsatt: I think it was a confluence of reasons – none of which are surprising:

One, people were exhausted and depressed from the never-ending pandemic.

Two, people are exhausted and depressed by politics.

Three, our inboxes are overloaded with incessant spammy political fundraising emails.

Four, the economy and the market were bumpy – which contributed to a feeling of uncertainty – and a lot of people’s financial advisors told them not to sell stocks or give.

Five, people were caught up in the political circus and getting distracted by the twists and turns of the news cycle instead of thinking about how we can be strategic as donors and funders regardless of what happens in the news cycle.

Six, most donors always take a break during on “off years” – which we know, of course, are actually the crucial years for building the infrastructure we need during the big election years.

Read the full article about funding democracy by Trey Gibson and Billy Wimsatt at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.