Not Just for Presidential Candidates: Bringing the Power of Small-dollar Donors to the Local Level (Sponsored Panel)
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Friday, Jul. 12 4:30 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Friday, Jul. 12 5:30 PM (Eastern)
https://www.facebook.com/NetrootsNation/videos/2397532280289537/
The 2018 elections made it clear that investing in small-dollar donors is more than a feel-good idea—it’s a winning strategy. This is especially true in state and local races that don’t cost as much as federal races and are not always in the spotlight. A few dollars can go a long way toward resources at the local level, and a passionate grassroots supporter base will spread the word about your campaign more enthusiastically than any reporter. Learn from fundraising practitioners and a local candidate how online grassroots fundraising at the state and local level has evolved thanks to technology and what you can do to start building a strong small-dollar donor program today, no matter the size of your campaign!
This panel is sponsored by ActBlue
Moderator
Rachael Junard
Deputy State and Local Outreach Director at ActBlue.
Other sessions: Manager Confessions: Somehow We Manage
Panelists
Genny Castillo
Genny Castillo is Regional Engagement Director for SEAP. Genny is focused on bridging the gaps for community members and policy impact. Genny is responsible for coordinating local programming to bring SEAP to the people. Her professional experience includes being COO of BLUE Institute, the premier training program to prepare more young people of color for the leadership of electoral campaign in the South and Southwest. During the 2018 campaign cycle, Genny served as the Latinx Constituency Director through the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Coordinated Campaign. Genny served as the Director of Caucus Services and developed one of the nation’s most successful state legislative caucus internship programs from 2011-2017 for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus. Genny received her B.S. in Sociology from Berry College and her A.M. in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. Genny is a graduate of the GALEO Institute for Leadership, LEAD Atlanta Class of 2016 and the GPEE Education Policy Fellowship Program. Genny is a mentor with the Latin American Association and a facilitator for the GALEO Institute for Leadership.
Ivan Cheung
Ivan Cheung is the Director of Strategic Communications and Digital at the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. During the 2018 cycle, Ivan led the committee’s digital and multimedia teams, overseeing record-breaking grassroots fundraising, rebranding, and a major organizational investment in digital. Ivan joined the DLCC from Blue State Digital, where he was most recently an Associate Creative Director tasked with helping advocacy and non-profit clients shape their online programs. He also previously served as Digital Director for Katie McGinty’s U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, and worked as a member of the marketing department at Human Rights Watch.
Helen Gym
Seated in 2016, Councilmember Helen Gym is a longtime educator and community organizer and the first Asian American woman elected to Philadelphia City Council. In her first term, she led a schools agenda that championed the successful end of a state takeover of the Philadelphia school system, passed a tax on soda distributors to fund pre-K, and restored nurses, counselors, music programs and safe drinking water to every public school. She established the city’s first legal defense fund for renters facing eviction and introduced and passed the nation’s most expansive “Fair Workweek” law to give stable schedules and a path to full-time hours for 130,000 part-time workers. She is Vice Chair of Local Progress, a network of progressive municipal electeds, where she leads national efforts to support Sanctuary Cities, affordable housing, and public education.
Other sessions: What Philly Taught Us: How Philadelphia Activists Beat School Privatization to Restore Local Control, Pennsylvania Caucus, Daily Kos/Netroots Nation Presidential Candidate Forum, Combatting Fake Clinics: Local, State and National Efforts to Fight Back, Building the Bench: Racial Equity and Diversity at the State and Local Level, Building a Movement to #EndPoverty in America
Tori Taylor
Tori Taylor is an organizer with a decade of experience working for progressive organizations and leaders in over twenty states. She currently serves as Head of Political & Organizing at Swing Left, a national grassroots organization that helped take back the House in 2018. During the 2018 cycle, She was a senior political advisor for the Democratic National Committee under the leadership of Chairman Tom Perez and later managed a Red to Blue congressional race in her home state of North Carolina. Previously, Tori served as National Deputy Women’s Vote Director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. She has also served as State Campaigns Manager for Center for American Progress Action Fund, specializing in state-based issue advocacy. Tori also spent three years at EMILY’s List, helping elect Democratic candidates at the state and local level and managing their national training program. Tori is an alum of President Obama’s campaign, working on his reelection campaign and directing youth engagement efforts at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. She is the former National President of College Democrats of America.