Why Give to Politics?
One question many donor organizers get asked - and ask themselves as they get started - is, “Why give to politics?” Especially with Trump out of office, some people feel like the work is done.
We asked some donor organizers to share their answers. The answers were as diverse as the donor organizers themselves. Answers fell into these categories:
1. Tailoring to issues an individual cares about
“Ask them a question first: what issues do you care about? Then connect that to political giving. For example, for me personally, I give to politics because I want a safe, healthy planet for my son and for the future of humanity. And only massive systemic change that comes through political and policy change will make a dent in climate change.”
“‘Politics’ is at the fulcrum of how society decides how it will respond to most societal issues. Presumably, a donor cares about many things in society, ranging from democracy to civil rights to climate to wealth inequality to immigration etc etc. While it is hard to move the needle in politics, when you do move it your impact is felt across almost every issue you care about (and even ones you don't).”
“Because every issue you care deeply about, whether that’s climate change, voting rights, women’s rights, have their roots in politics. If we want change we need to be willing to give toward change—to elect, or vote against, those running for office.”
“My answer is not uniform. I tailor it to the person's interests/background. Could have a climate angle, a reproductive rights angle, a save democracy angle...I do usually like to point out that political giving is 1-2% of American philanthropy and, until money is out of politics, we need more money in it from more people or else power will continue to be concentrated with a select few.”
“Politics and having the right people in power is key to every other issue one could care about—economic justice, climate, etc.”
2. Defeating Authoritarianism and Trumpism to Save Democracy
“Democracies throughout the world, including our own representative republic form of government, are being threatened as never before by rising authoritarian populism. It is critical that the forces of racism, sexism, nativism and anti-democratic proclivities - the rallying cries of authoritarian populism - be confronted and opposed lest we lose all hopes of liberty, justice and opportunity for all.”
“Trump is a symptom, not the cause, of our country’s political troubles.
We are finishing the war against racism and misguided economic self interest that was not finished after winning the battles of the Civil War and New Deal. We barely won against a petty, narcissistic, dishonorable candidate.
Trump won more popular votes than Obama, and more Republican won than in 2016 or 2018. But for the pandemic illuminating Trump’s flaws, we probably would have lost. We cannot count on that wind at our back in future.
These are extraordinarily threatening times for the world as we know it. We’ve had it easy, and this is our test. It’s time to step up the way our ancestors did during the Civil War and World Wars I and II.”
“Trump may be out (for now), but Trumpism has poisoned our democracy, and now lives on among members of the House and Senate, governors, and state legislatures (as does voter suppression). If we don’t get refocused ASAP, there’s a good chance we’ll lose the House in 2022 and the White House in 2024 (with high likelihood of a Trump run, again). In which case, this “new dawn” is but a 2-year reprieve from Trumpism. Is that what we fought for?!”
“We know precisely how bad things can get when we don't play a role in our political life. It is our responsibility as American citizens to protect democracy and ensure that we never have a repeat of what we have already endured as a country.”
“Trump’s people are still active and determined to take power at all levels and the restrictive voting laws being enacted could mean Democrats are shut out of power for the next decade.”
“If they were just giving because of Trump, I'd do some version of "Trump is a symptom of a broader disease of our dysfunctional democracy. We have to still work on the disease by pushing back against white supremacy and by reforming our democracy.""
“The philosophy of most current Republicans will hurt those who have little, and many who have suffered unbelievable injustice for several hundred years are still subject to second class citizenship in many areas of the country. The economic and life opportunities for many are so limited as to be repressive; and the lack of empathy and community responsibility of individuals who follow that brand of Republican rhetoric, is gambling with people’s lives, and that cannot be allowed to prevail. So I do what we do for all of them, as well as because I can’t stand to see bad people making bad laws, leading to bad outcomes, individually, and generally, for a just society.”
“My immediate reaction was "Because I love my country!" I identify as a patriot. Participation as a citizen of this country is an ongoing process with short-term and long-term personal and shared goals. The work is NEVER DONE. The timely immediate necessity of support for our political system is to SAVE AND STRENGTHEN OUR DEMOCRACY. We have seen how fragile our system actually is. There is an ongoing need to protect it if we want it to survive and flourish through commitment of resources of many types. The major forms are through personal involvement(s) and financial.”
3. Money is critical given small margins / Making money go the furthest
“If you want absolute certainty that your dollar reaches people in need, politics is not for you. But government money dwarfs any philanthropic contribution. So in exchange for uncertainty, you get big leverage.”
“As Pete Buttigieg said, it seems like the house isn’t on fire anymore, but the house is still on fire. Democratic margins are teetering on the brink of nothingness and in many key state governments we lost.”
“Biden won by a narrow margin, the senate “majority” could not be thinner, and the majority party virtually always loses house seats in the mid-terms.”
“The question is not if to give to politics, but how to give most effectively. How do we ensure our money has the greatest chance of supporting our desired outcome? How do [we] avoid having our funds simply fill the bank accounts of political arms merchants with no vested interest in the outcome?”
“Overall, progressives lost ground in 2020, in spite of spending more money than the other side. We need to fundamentally change our strategy to establish an enduring progressive majority in America.”
“I think supporting candidates who will lead on your values and priorities in Congress is one of the ways to make the greatest impact with your dollars!”
4. Highlighting the influence governments have in our daily lives
“Until campaign finance reform is fixed, this is not optional.”
“Politics impacts everything we do. The ability to influence government budgets has -- as we've seen in recent weeks -- trillion dollar implications. So I view political giving as a way to influence the broader decisions made by politicians. It is also a way to shift the scales in favor of communities or issues that often get less attention and less investment; for instance, supporting power building organizations focused on people of color, women candidates, and the like.”
“My answer to the question is that the work doesn't end after you get the people who represent your values elected to office. Making sure they can message to their constituents, keep the issues front and center and support others who will help get important legislation enacted is work that continues after election day. Not to mention at this point, we have very thin margins, so we cannot afford to stop working and supporting the candidates and issues we care so deeply about.”
5. Supporting people in purple and red districts
“The Constitution obligates us to build trust with majorities of voters in states across the country, not just relatively thriving large metro areas. Rather than self-righteously assert the justice of our cause, we need to do the hard work of learning how to build trust with more people living in communities we misunderstand, ignore, and disrespect.”
“[W]e found things so dismal for our own philosophy in Florida when we first moved there. Having loved most of my adult life in the middle of the very progressive Upper West Side of Manhattan, I felt those local politics, particular, synced for my needs. Then things got really dark and dismal after Scott, Trump and DeSantis were elected in Florida. So I do this, not primarily for myself, as I have been fortunate enough to have lived through the best of times, and I do not do this for my adult children, as THEY have also benefited from unprecedented opportunities and economic growth in their lifetime, but I do this for my grandchildren, who are just starting out on their life journeys, and for all those who have not been as fortunate as we.”
6. Fighting for future generations
“I need to be able to tell my children and grandchildren I did everything in my power to win this war against the forces of systemic injustice — not just in America, but also the world.”
7. Building infrastructure
“Building bench strength in local elections leads to cultural change over a generation – which is exactly what the Rs did starting in the early to mid 70s and continued till today which is why Ds consistently poll better, get more votes, and lose elections. It’s the dog catcher elections that matter more in 10-15 years than the presidential election today.”
“The long term answer: Political contributions, carefully made, contribute to (1) improving the system by which candidates are recruited and elected, (2) trying to assure fair access to the ballot box (voting rights), (3) involving the greater population in the political process through education, volunteerism, developing and expanding public awareness, issue advocacy, voter registration, and protecting the political process that leads to truthful, productive, impactful governance. There are always more reasons depending on one's personal and political perspective. This is a start.”
Special gratitude to David Slifka and our work at VDAs Together bringing this question to donor organizers in August 2021.
Are you ready to share with people you know why they should give to politics?