This morning I asked:
Is it crazy to hope that we can meet our $25,000 goal for VAAC within a week?
I now know that the answer is “no, it is not crazy!”
Why am I so sure?
In the last two days…
A Balloon Juice Angel has written a check to VAAC for $5,000.
We completed two $1,000 angel matches this morning.
A new Balloon Juice Angel stepped forward this morning with an offer to match $1,000.
That means we have two Balloon Juice Angels left, offering to match $1,000 each.
How We Get to $25,000
Because of the $5k check, when the thermometer reads $20k, we will have reached our $25k goal.
We are currently at $16,301 $16,476.
We have two Balloon Juice Angels pledging $1,000 each, so that’s $2k guaranteed.
Which leaves only $1,700 about $1,500 needed in order to reach our $25k goal.
Angel Matches Today
The two final angel matches today will match any amount up to $250.
As I write this, we are already $300 nearly $500 into the $2,000 match amount.
Let’s do this!
The Past 15 Months
In early 2021, we looked back on what Balloon Juice was able to raise for the 2020 cycle (plus Georgia in Jan 2021) and we wanted to do two things going forward: 1) provide early money, and 2) focus on groups that are doing boots on the ground organizing.
We did the research, talked with the groups, figured out what we could do for each effort that the groups couldn’t do without us, set a fundraising goal, arranged for external matches in almost every case, held a blog Q & A, and a zoom Q & A, and mostly tried to raise about $25k for each specific effort.
That is what I would call our “high-dollar” goal-oriented fundraising – where 1) we developed a relationship with a group. 2) had a very specific goal and a match amount to reach, and 3) had an amazing number of Balloon Juice Angels to help us get there.
But we’re getting fairly close to election season, so Voting Access for All Coalition (VAAC) will be our last “high-dollar goal-oriented” fundraising until after November. By Feb 2023, win or lose in November, we’ll be looking at providing early money and doing the high-dollar goal-oriented fundraising again.
(I’ll write a post next week looking back at the big picture and the difference we have surely made these past 15 months.)
But for today, let’s take a look at the next 5 months.
From Now Until November
We are still researching boots-on-the ground organizations and we will still be putting up BJ thermometers, but after we reach our goal for VAAC, there won’t be external matches or a concerted effort to reach a particular goal.
So in a week or so we might put up 3 links to good boots-on-the-ground organizations in North Carolina. And a week or two later we’ll put up links to 2 or 3 groups that are focused on the youth vote, etc.
We still think that boots-on-the-ground is generally a better investment than contributing to a campaign – because those boots can identify and bring in voters who can vote for every race from dog-catcher to senator – but may also have thermometers for things like “these 5 races can turn the legislature from red to blue” in MI or PA or some other key state. We may also have thermometers for donations to candidates and state and local parties.
More on that once DougJ and I have a chance to talk. In the meantime, you can certainly chime in below with suggestions of great boots-on-the-ground efforts or let us know if yours is one of the states where just a few seats in the state legislature can change the balance of power.
Back to Today
So, back to today… we need just over $1,500 dollars in matching donations in order for the 2 remaining angels to add their combined $2k and for us to complete this last big high-dollar effort before the election.
We Did It!!!!
A big thank you to every single person who donated (and to the married ones!), to every person who wrote an encouraging note, to every person who offered to be an angel, and to our Balloon Juice angel who wrote the $5k check.
Thank you one and all!
Balloon Juice for VAAC
Watch their one-minute video.
You won’t regret it.
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Exciting News: $1,500 To Go + Other Fundraising NewsPost + Comments (54)