Wikipedia

ActBlue

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ActBlue[1] is a is a nonprofit American fundraising platform and political action committee (PAC) founded in 2004. ActBlue builds technology and infrastructure to be used by Democratic campaigns and has been described as “the center of a transformation in how political campaigns work.”[2][3] It is focused on mobilizing small-dollar donors and, as of June 2024, has raised $13.7 billion for left-leaning and Democratic candidates and causes since it was established.[4] ActBlue is organized as a PAC, but it serves as a conduit for processing individual contributions made through the platform. Under federal law, these contributions are made by individuals and are not considered PAC donations.  

ActBlue
Formation2004; 20 years ago (2004)
TypeNonprofit political action committee
Location
President and CEO
Regina Wallace-Jones
AffiliationsDemocratic Party
Websitesecure.actblue.com

History

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ActBlue was founded[5] in 2004 by Benjamin Rahn and Matt DeBergalis. Rahn and DeBergalis were joined in 2005 by Jonathan Zucker and Erin Hill. Zucker took over as Executive Director in 2007[6]; he was replaced by Hill in 2009. In 2023, Regina Wallace-Jones replaced Hill as President and CEO of ActBlue.[7]

In 2008, ActBlue introduced ActBlue Express, which allowed donors to save their payment information. That year, small-dollar donors gave $21 million on ActBlue – six times what they raised in the 2006 cycle.[8]

In 2011, opponents of Act 10 in Wisconsin used ActBlue to organize and mobilize against Governor Scott Walker-supported legislation that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for public employees.

In February 2016, ActBlue launched AB Charities, an arm of the organization that makes ActBlue's fundraising tools available to nonprofits.

Both the 2016[9] and 2020 Democratic presidential nominees, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, used ActBlue during their primary and general election campaigns. Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 primary campaigns also used ActBlue for fundraising. Sanders’s use of ActBlue was particularly notable as it represented the first time a major Democratic presidential candidate eschewed money from super PACs in favor of grassroots fundraising. This strategy would later be replicated by other Democratic political figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In the 2020 Democratic primary, all the Democratic presidential candidates used ActBlue.

In December 2020, ActBlue voluntarily recognized the Campaign Workers Guild as its staff union.

In 2023, ActBlue announced that it was laying off roughly 17 percent of its staff as part of what the group said was a "restructuring" that would help ensure "long-term financial sustainability."[10]

In 2024[11], President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign used ActBlue.

Organization

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Co-founder Benjamin Rahn at a fundraiser with Mark Warner and Ciro Rodriguez in 2006

ActBlue does not endorse individual candidates.[12] 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.[13][14][15]

ActBlue was founded in 2004 by Benjamin Rahn and Matt DeBergalis.[16] Rahn and DeBergalis were joined in 2005 by Jonathan Zucker and Erin Hill. Zucker took over as Executive Director in 2007;[17] he was replaced by Hill in 2009. In 2023, Regina Wallace-Jones replaced Hill as Executive Director.[18]

 
ActBlue logo (2004–2023)

In February 2016, ActBlue launched AB Charities, an arm of the organization that makes ActBlue's fundraising tools available to nonprofits.[19]

In 2023, ActBlue announced that it was laying off roughly 17 percent of its staff as part of what the group said was a "restructuring" that would help ensure "long-term financial sustainability." ActBlue said the staff reductions would primarily impact the non-technical sector, allowing the organization to hire "technical and specialized roles."[20]

Federal Election Commission reporting

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ActBlue reports to the Federal Election Commission all contributors to Federal campaigns, regardless of the amount.[21] When a candidate for a Federal election raises money through ActBlue, ActBlue serves as a conduit for election law purposes.[22][23] 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 be shielded if giving directly, are made public.[24]

Fraud allegations

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In July and August 2024, statewide officials from three Republican-led states launched investigations into ActBlue, citing allegations that the platform had stolen people's identities to conceal illegal donations, including from overseas. ActBlue called the investigation from Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares a "partisan political attack and scare tactic".[25][26][27] A related United States House Administration Committee investigation into ActBlue was also expanded during this time.[25] ActBlue had previously been the target of fraud accusations by right-wing activists, though experts have expressed doubt about the veracity of these claims.[25][27][28][29]

Republican members of Congress have also expressed concerns that ActBlue was not verifying donors' credit card information using Card Verification Value (CVV) codes. A spokesperson for ActBlue said in August 2024 that they had begun expanding CVV verification in 2023 and were now requiring it for all new credit card donations.[25][30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Federal Election Commission: Committee Profiles, ActBlue". fec.gov. February 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "ActBlue.com, Customer Service, Donor Guides, About ActBlue". Actblue.com.
  3. ^ Schneider, Elena (October 10, 2020). "How ActBlue has transformed Democratic politics". Politico. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "ActBlue". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Wayne, Leslie (November 29, 2007). "A Fund-Raising Rainmaker Arises Online". The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  6. ^ McCarthy, Aoife (December 3, 2007). "Suite Talk: Taking care of business". Politico. p. 4. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Chery, Samantha (January 19, 2023). "Political fundraising platform ActBlue names its first Black female CEO". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 10, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Case study: Bernie 2016". Revolution Messaging. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  9. ^ "Bernie 2016 A full-service digital revolution". revolutionmessaging.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  10. ^ Greenwood, Max (April 3, 2023). "Democratic fundraiser ActBlue lays off portion of staff". The Hill. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "Donate to elect Harris-Walz and Democrats nationwide". ActBlue. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Willis, Derek (October 9, 2014). "How ActBlue Became a Powerful Force in Fund-Raising". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  13. ^ Kroll, Andy. "The $2 Billion Powerhouse Behind Jon Ossoff". Mother Jones. No. July/August 2017. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  14. ^ Pindell, James (May 10, 2017). "How a Somerville nonprofit revolutionized American politics". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  15. ^ "Pricing". ActBlue. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  16. ^ Wayne, Leslie (November 29, 2007). "A Fund-Raising Rainmaker Arises Online". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  17. ^ McCarthy, Aoife (December 3, 2007). "Suite Talk: Taking care of business". POLITICO. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  18. ^ Chery, Samantha (January 19, 2023). "Political fundraising platform ActBlue names its first Black female CEO". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  19. ^ Hill, Erin (February 17, 2016). "ActBlue Charities is HERE". ActBlue. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  20. ^ Greenwood, Max (April 3, 2023). "Democratic fundraiser ActBlue lays off portion of staff". The Hill. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  21. ^ "What happens to my money when I donate?". ActBlue Support. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2024. 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.
  22. ^ "Earmarked contributions". FEC.gov. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  23. ^ "Why is ActBlue considered a PAC?". ActBlue Support. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  24. ^ Primo, David M. (August 18, 2019). "Personal Data About Small-Donor Democrats Is All Over the Internet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  25. ^ a b c d Lapowsky, Issie (August 27, 2024). "ActBlue is a Democratic fundraising juggernaut—and now conservatives are coming for it". Fast Company. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  26. ^ Velazquez, David (June 24, 2024). "Secretary of State launches investigation into Democratic PAC". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Mirshahi, Dean (August 2, 2024). "ActBlue calls Miyares' investigation into fraud claims a 'partisan political attack and scare tactic'". WRIC ABC 8News. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  28. ^ Alamdari, Natalia (May 7, 2024). "Letters warning of fraud, calls to form 'your militia': Election conspiracies spread in Nebraska". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  29. ^ Sears, Bryan P. (June 20, 2023). "Expert: Claims of campaign finance irregularities are dubious". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  30. ^ Schorsch, Peter (April 14, 2023). "Delegation for 4.14.23: Abortion". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  31. ^ Isenstadt, Alex (June 23, 2019). "GOP to Launch New Fundraising Site as Dems Crush the Online Money Game". Politico. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
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