Targeted Strategic Fundraising (boots on the ground)
In 2022, we collectively made the decision to be more strategic with our Balloon Juice fundraising, targeting key swing states and (often) underrepresented groups.
- We focus primarily on boots on the ground organizations in crucial swing states where our money can have the greatest effect.
- We particularly target groups which prioritize voter registration and turnout in voting-suppressed communities.
- We work on building ongoing relationships with these organizations – these are not ‘one and done’ efforts.
- Your financial impact is expanded through external matches that we ask the organizations to find for our donations.
- Your financial impact is expanded with internal donation matching (“Balloon Juice Angels”)
In the Fall, Balloon Juice fundraising will expand to assist under-funded Congressional and Senatorial candidates, including some local races with national implications.
When you donate through a Balloon Juice ActBlue thermometer, your personal information will not be provided to the organizations or campaigns, unless you choose to share it.
Fundraising goals have been met for all the groups we have supported so far in the 2024 cycle. That said, every one of these organizations can benefit from more donations as we head into November.
*except, of course, our current effort, which is in progress
New Fundraising in October 2024
Four Directions – Native Vote in Montana (Jon Tester Boost)
Four Directions ramped up its operations in Montana in 2024 to support the reelection of Senator Jon Tester, who is strongly supported by the Native American community. Montana’s tribes comprise about 5% of the voting bloc, nearly twice the margin by which Tester won his last race.
Four Directions is expanding their work with additional tribes, and more funding will allow them to reach more people.
Four Directions – Nevada (Duck Valley Indian Reservation)
There is unique opportunity for us to make a difference in Nevada, funding organizing on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Elko County, NV. It’s a small tribe, but in Nevada, a few hundred additional votes could mean the difference between a win and a loss in Nevada.
We’d like to try to get them $20k, but until we clear a couple more of the existing thermometers off the board, we are setting the goal at $15,000.
Nebraska Senate Field Organizing (Dan Osborn)
Dan Osborn is an interesting candidate. He’s a steamfitter by trade, and became well known in 2021 for leading a successful strike at a Kellogg’s plant in Omaha. This year he competed for the Democratic Senate nomination – but then turned it down. Walking away from the Democratic Party is probably good for one’s reputation in Nebraska.
We made arrangements for our funds to be used solely for field organizing!
NC Black Alliance – Election Protection / Ballot Curing
Our partners in North Carolina (NC Black Alliance and NCAAT in Action) have, with our help, flooded North Carolina campuses with canvassers and “ambassadors” to register, educate, and turn out the newly-energized BIPOC youth vote. With their other in-state partners, they’re working together to avoid duplication of effort. This fundraiser will also continue to support this effort.
But mostly with this effort we are helping with Election Protection in NC.
Our NC partners predict that there will be 150,000 ballots in November that need “curing” to correct minor things that must be fixed in order for a person’s vote to count. Not a typo: 150,000 ballots!
There is so much work to be done post-election in order for people’s votes to count: identify, contact, and assist voters whose ballots are challenged as deficient.
Here’s an NPR article explaining “ballot curing.
In an election likely to have razor-thin margins, these challenged votes could change the outcome!
*plus a $3,500 check not reflected in the thermometer.
NCAAT in Action – Election Protection / Ballot Curing
Our partners in North Carolina (NC Black Alliance and NCAAT in Action) have, with our help, flooded North Carolina campuses with canvassers and “ambassadors” to register, educate, and turn out the newly-energized BIPOC youth vote. With their other in-state partners, they’re working together to avoid duplication of effort. This fundraiser will also continue to support this effort.
But mostly with this effort we are helping with Election Protection in NC.
Our NC partners predict that there will be 150,000 ballots in November that need “curing” to correct minor things that must be fixed in order for a person’s vote to count. Not a typo: 150,000 ballots!
There is so much work to be done post-election in order for people’s votes to count: identify, contact, and assist voters whose ballots are challenged as deficient.
Here’s an NPR article explaining “ballot curing.
In an election likely to have razor-thin margins, these challenged votes could change the outcome!
North Carolina – 3 Key Judicial Candidates
Allison Riggs – NC State Supreme Court Justice (KEEP)
The seven-justice NC Supreme Court has a 5-2 Republican majority. The MAGA court threw out a voting rights case and allowed the legislature free reign to gerrymander the state. Justice Riggs is a social justice attorney who was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper, and is up for partisan reelection against a Republican challenger who ruled that life begins at conception while on the Court of Appeal. More about Judge Riggs here.
Carolyn Thompson – NC Court of Appeals (KEEP)
Incumbent Judge Thompson is also up for partisan re-election. She is African-American and focused on victims of domestic violence while in private practice. As a state legislator, her opponent, Thomas Murry, tried to exempt NC from the ACA and pushed draconian voter ID laws. More on Judge Thompson here.
Raymond Smith – Challenger, State Senate (FLIP!)
Raymond Smith is an African American Gulf War veteran and former NC state Assembly member. Smith was drawn out of his district (total coincidence, I’m sure!) so he is running to flip a Senate seat in the Goldsboro area and shatter the Republican super-majority. Let’s hope the Republican power move backfires on them. More on Raymond Smith here.
Organizations listed by state and in alphabetical order.
Arizona
Four Directions – Native Vote in Arizona, Phase I
Four Directions Native Vote is a Native-founded and led voting rights organization dedicated to advancing access to the ballot box and getting out the vote across Indian country. Four Directions focuses on “relational organizing” – the act of mobilizing personal contacts within the volunteer’s network. In Arizona, the native vote was larger than Biden’s margin of victory in 2020.
Four Directions – Native Vote in Arizona, Phase II
Four Directions ramped up its operations in Montana in 2024 to support the reelection of Senator Jon Tester, who is strongly supported by the Native American community. Montana’s tribes comprise about 5% of the voting bloc, nearly twice the margin by which Tester won his last race.
Four Directions is expanding their work with additional tribes, and more funding will allow them to reach more people.
Worker Power – Voter Registration Canvass Team
Worker Power recruits and trains workers and young people to be agents of political change in their communities. Balloon Juice sponsors teams of paid canvassers to register and turn out voters in key swing districts in swing states (Arizona and Georgia).
Worker Power – Leadership School Training for Canvass Team Leaders
Worker Power’s leadership training school educates a new cohort of leaders who will campaign in key races in the 2024 general election and will help build a progressive movement beyond this year’s election cycle. Balloon Juice sponsored tuition for a trainee, who will lead a canvassing team in Arizona in the Fall.
Balloon Juice for Worker Power Fall 2024 GOTV
Worker Power has surpassed 500,000 door knocks this year! With over 300 canvassers executing 7,500 shifts, they have turned their small, 20-person off-season team into the largest field operation in Arizona, knocking on 20,000 doors daily. To date, they have already spoken in-person with more than 90,000 voters to drive turnout for federal, state, and local races while boosting support for the Arizona Reproductive Rights initiative.
Montana
Four Directions – Native Vote in Montana, Phase I
Four Directions ramped up its operations in Montana in 2024 to support the reelection of Senator Jon Tester, who is strongly supported by the Native American community. Montana’s tribes comprise about 5% of the voting bloc, nearly twice the margin by which Tester won his last race.
Four Directions – Native Vote in Montana, Phase II
Four Directions ramped up its operations in Montana in 2024 to support the reelection of Senator Jon Tester, who is strongly supported by the Native American community. Montana’s tribes comprise about 5% of the voting bloc, nearly twice the margin by which Tester won his last race.
Four Directions is expanding their work with additional tribes, and more funding will allow them to reach more people.
Four Directions – Native Vote in Montana, Phase III – one last boost!
Four Directions ramped up its operations in Montana in 2024 to support the reelection of Senator Jon Tester, who is strongly supported by the Native American community. Montana’s tribes comprise about 5% of the voting bloc, nearly twice the margin by which Tester won his last race.
Four Directions is expanding their work with additional tribes, and more funding will allow them to reach more people.
Thermometer coming soon!
Nevada
Four Directions – Native Vote in Nevada
Four Directions was instrumental in implementing voter services (registration offices, ballot drop boxes, early voting sites, and Election Day polling places) at Nevada’s remote reservations. Four Directions focuses on “relational organizing” and getting out the vote. Las Vegas has one of the fastest growing Native populations in the county.
North Carolina
NC Black Alliance – Youth Voter Registration in 4-Year Colleges (Phase I)
The Campus Engagement Project is targeted at North Carolina’s 11 historically Black colleges and universities. The project is committed to ensuring that these campuses have access to fair elections, voter resources and voter education. Balloon Juice is helping the Project expand their mission to other campuses with predominantly African-American student populations.
*plus a $2,500 check not reflected in the thermometer.
North Carolina – Rapid Response for NC Black Alliance Increased Safety & Security for GOTV Teams
In the South, political violence and the backlash to efforts that invest in equity and justice are not new issues. But racial tensions are heightened as a result of the recent political violence. The pro-democracy community is grappling with what racist intimidation can be expected to look like. They are doing scenario planning on all levels.
Black and Brown communities have had to deal with the enduring threat of white supremacist violence, police violence, and legislative violence for generations. But, for North Carolina organizers and canvassers, this feels different. Canvassers report being followed and verbally harassed. We are funding personal safety devices and staff time to coordinate and react to safety issues.
*THE FULL $10,000 WAS RAISED, AND THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL SECURITY HAS BEEN MET. FURTHER DONATIONS ARE NO LONGER NEEDED. THANK YOU.
North Carolina Black Alliance Youth Engagement In 2-Year Colleges (Phase II)
This is an organization with a ten-year history of successfully registering and turning out young African-American voters on North Carolina’s 11 HBCU campuses. We wanted to help them expand to two non-HBCU Black majority campuses (Phase I) and we raised funds for that. Now in Phase II we’re helping them expand to certain Community Colleges, which educate many more Black students than the state’s HBCUs.
North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) in Action
Here’s what’s so exciting about NCAAT in Action.
NC is a critical state + Youth Vote + the AAPI Community.
They have a charismatic young director i(and founder of the organization) and staff. We are helping NCAA expand its outreach to AAPI and BIPOC youth aged 18-25 in 10 target counties on 53 campuses and high schools with the most racially diverse populations.
Wisconsin
Four Directions – Native Vote in Wisconsin
Biden won Wisconsin by 20,500 votes in 2020. Four Directions focuses on getting out the vote in the 11 federally recognized tribes in Wisconsin. The 90,000+ strong native population voted overwhelmingly for Biden and is credited with flipping the state.
High Schools Across 5 States: AZ, MI, WI, OH & PA
The Civics Center
The mission of The Civics Center is to make voter registration part of every high school in America. With this fundraiser, we’re expanding our reach into Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as some of our other targeted states (Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin). At a cost of ~$1,000 per school, our $25,000 goal will support voter registration in 25 new high schools.
- Four Million Americans turn 18 every year!
- That’s 16,000,000 potential new voters in every presidential cycle.
- Fewer than 35% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
- 75% of registered youth voted in every presidential election between 2004-2020.
- Roughly 340,000 people turn 18 each year in Arizona, Pennsylvania an Wisconsin.
- The margin of victory in the 2020 presidential election in those three states was 111,692.