12 Comments
⭠ Return to thread
founding
Oct 13, 2022·edited Oct 13, 2022

So, for donations to have an effect - you need to start with a close race - that seems clear.

However, do you have any insight into the mechanisms by which dollars turn into votes?

Is get-out-the-vote spending most effective? Running TV ads? Donations to PAC's vs candidates?

Also, ActBlue seems to charge a lot for credit cards* - like 4 percent. WinRed *is not even a non-profit*!

Are these places value-add in terms of picking the best way to give, or are they silent on that once some outside party develops a list?

*I also get the feeling that ActBlue is charging 4% for bank debits? I am not sure.

But, if this is the case, they should just stop doing that.

Expand full comment
author

I don't think there is great evidence on the differential benefits of various expenditures. I believe candidates get the lowest ad rates.

Considering the large amounts of money flowing through campaigns, it seems surprising that there are not more donation aggregators.

Expand full comment
founding

Alternatively, I might wonder "how does ActBlue raise over $1 billion each cycle anyway?".

I mean, why not just give to candidates or to the Party PAC?

Then again, I have never understood why paypal is so popular. Just another middleman skimming a bit off the top ...

Expand full comment