Dear MoveOn member,
This is Rahna Epting, MoveOn’s executive director.
I’m reaching out to you because September 30 is MoveOn’s most important quarterly Federal Election Commission fundraising deadline of the entire 2024 election cycle. Frankly, it’s the most important deadline for us of the entire four-year cycle.
Moments this important come just a few times in a lifetime.
In moments like this one, we cannot afford to fall short. But unfortunately, MoveOn is facing a $683,711 budget shortfall.
If you were planning to give any money (or additional money, thank you!) between now and when the polls close on November 5, to help elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz and defeat MAGA and Project 2025—or if I have just convinced you to give—then please:
Please donate $7 a week through Election Day to help fill MoveOn’s critical budget gap and stop cuts to MoveOn’s election work before our midnight FEC deadline on September 30.
No, I’m sorry, I can’t make a weekly donation.
We have a huge opportunity right now because a new front has opened up in the race to control the White House: North Carolina has become a pivotal battleground state, and we have made the decision to add it to our Tier 1 target list. After CNN’s bombshell report about the MAGA candidate for governor, Mark Robinson, the state’s political landscape has shifted dramatically.1 Vice President Harris has taken an extremely narrow lead over Donald Trump there, and we have a chance to win critical Electoral College votes and elect a civil rights champion as North Carolina governor.2
But electoral efforts in North Carolina were not part of our original budget. We need to expand our program without making cuts to the critical work we’d already planned in other states.
That’s why our meeting the September 30 FEC fundraising goal is now more important than ever.
Please make your final donation to MoveOn now, before midnight on September 30; $7 a week through Election Day–or whatever you can afford–will go a long way.
No, I’m sorry, I can’t make a weekly donation.
The decisions we make now will determine how fully we can execute our plans to combat the rise of extremism and protect and strengthen our democracy.
This will not be the last email you get from me about this election. In fact, I may send you another fundraiser or two. But here’s the thing: While we may be able to make small changes to our program after this email, I won’t sugarcoat this … If we don’t meet our fundraising goal by September 30, we’ll be starting the final stretch from behind. We could be forced to scale back our work in the coming days, and then play catch-up.
And if we keep falling behind, we will not be able to reverse all of our cuts … even if more dollars come in later.
That’s because critical online advertising space fills up early, vendors require upfront commitments, hiring staff and contractors (even on a short-term basis!) takes time, and raising and spending money requires certain operational delays.
So while last-minute opportunities will inevitably appear, the bottom line is that if we cannot fill our funding gap now, we will have to think carefully about our plans to expand into North Carolina to take advantage of this new path to victory, and we may ultimately air fewer ads, host fewer events, staff fewer vote-tripling sites, and reach fewer voters between now and November 5.
Because of the Electoral College, the race for the presidency is a coin flip, control of the House of Representatives is on a razor’s edge, and the Senate could be won or lost by one seat. And I want to make sure all of us do everything we possibly can to win in November.
Will you chip in $7 a week through Election Day—or whatever you can afford—to help us close this budget shortfall?
No, I’m sorry, I can’t make a weekly donation.
Here’s why your support before the September 30 deadline is so crucial:
- The time to fund MoveOn’s innovative strategies is running out. MoveOn has never needed to match Republican spending dollar for dollar. We specialize in creating effective strategies that deliver more impact for less money. In 2020, our friend-to-friend voter turnout strategy was five times more effective than traditional methods like phone-banking and door-to-door canvassing. However, our strategies require upfront resources and lead time, and our time to effectively expand this work is rapidly running out.
- We’re in the final stretch. The funds we raise by September 30 will determine the scope of our efforts in these final weeks. This includes our innovative vote tripling program, which, in previous years, has been up to five times more effective, per dollar invested, at getting out the vote than traditional methods such as TV ads.
- Every moment counts. The earlier we secure the necessary resources, the more effectively we can deploy them where they are needed most.
All too often, we get a wave of donations at the very end of an election cycle. And we will let you know when new opportunities appear and put any last-minute donations to good use. But I’ll level with you: If we don’t close our $683,711 budget shortfall by September 30, we’ll be starting the final stretch behind. We simply cannot afford to do that, because so much is at stake.
Don’t wait until October to make your final election donation to MoveOn. Please, click this link right now to donate $7 a week—or whatever you can afford.
No, I’m sorry, I can’t make a weekly donation.
I don’t want to look back after the election and wonder if we could have done more. I want to know that we seized every possible opportunity to make a difference.
To do that, we need you now more than ever. Together, we can rise to this challenge.
Thanks for all you do.
–Rahna Epting, Executive Director
P.S. At MoveOn, we don’t rely on billionaires or corporate donors. Our power comes from grassroots supporters like you.
So, please, if you’re able, make a donation of $7 a week through Election Day. Your contribution before midnight on September 30 will directly fund our efforts to mobilize voters, expand our reach in critical states like North Carolina, and fully implement our strategic plans in these final crucial days.
No, I’m sorry, I can’t make a weekly donation.
Sources:
1. “‘I’m a black NAZI!’: NC GOP nominee for governor made dozens of disturbing comments on porn forum,” CNN, September 19, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/19/politics/kfile-mark-robinson-black-nazi-pro-slavery-porn-forum/index.html
2. “Harris has 1-point lead over Trump in North Carolina poll,” The Hill, September 24, 2024
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4897268-north-carolina-harris-trump-poll/
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