Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Team: Information and Resources

Click HERE to see all of our campaigns

Click HERE for SSPA’s philosophy on fundraising (use the SSPA Targeting tab)

Fundraising Team Resources:

Fundraising Resources

Mike’s Peer-to-Peer Fundraising letter

Dear (Friend’s name),

(a personal paragraph of connection with the recipient), e.g.  “Hope and trust you are well. Fran and I are still biking a bit and I’m consulting”

I think you’ll agree with me that our country needs a Congress that will make meaningful progress on the issues that are important to us including (pick one or more from this list, or add your own:  gun safety, reproductive freedom, prescription drug cost, medical care for all, voting access and honesty in elections, the Supreme Court). In the 2022 election, we need to do all we can to help Democrats take a WORKING majority in the Senate.  That’s why I am asking you to contribute to the Silver Spring Progressive Action (SSPA) “Truer and Bluer Senate Victory Fund.”  If you are already convinced, you can stop reading and click here to donate.

I trust SSPA because I know they have looked at the candidates and they have identified where our contributions are most needed and will make the biggest difference. In a time when half of the Democratic contributions are wasted on unwinnable races or supporting candidates and groups that are already awash in cash, SSPA has verified that the people on its list can win, and NEED our money, and they need it soon.

Click here to give to the 2 Senate candidates who need financial help now:  John Fetterman in Pennsylvania and Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin. These are Senate races where our contributions are most needed right now. By the way, every penny of your contribution goes to the candidates – SSPA does not get any of this money.

Give now, and then bookmark the page so you can give whenever you have political stress that needs to be relieved! Click here to see all of the races, Senate, House, and state-wide, that SSPA has identified as crucial and tippable this year.

Please join me in donating at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sspa2022senate to help ensure we will keep our democracy!

Your Name

Christine’s Peer-to-Peer Fundraising letter

Hi, (first name),

As always, thanks for all your hard work on behalf of our local Democratic Party!

Of course you know that the future of our country (not to mention our planet) is at stake in the November midterm elections, and I bet you’re as eager as I am to make sure we end up with solid Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, so that Joe Biden can actually get some stuff done in the next two years.
 
This is doable! Let’s make it happen!
 
I’ve been really active for the past three years with Silver Spring Progressive Action — have written hundreds of get-out-the-vote letters, sent thousands of get-out-the-vote texts, and in 2020, I earmarked fully 25% of my annual expenditures to tight races in key States.
 
SSPA is really cool. Our motto is “Tipping Tight Elections.” Our political junkie geeks research key House and Senate campaigns all over the country to find the tightest, winnable races, so that we know we’re putting our precious financial resources where they can truly make a difference.
 
Here are the 2022 Senate candidates we’re targeting for support:
      • John Fetterman, the current Pennsylvania Lt. Governor.
      • Mandela Barnes, the current Wisconsin Lt. Governor.
Both are super exciting candidates running against truly horrible opponents.
 
I’ve made a commitment to asking 100 people — friends, family, former colleagues, neighbors, members of my faith community and random acquaintances — to join me in donating to Fetterman and Barnes.
 
Do it ladies! You’ll feel great after you hit the “donate” button, I promise! If you use this link, I can track how much $$$ my efforts generate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sspa2022senate
 
IMPORTANT: Your donations go DIRECTLY to the candidates. SSPA does not take a cut; we’re an all-volunteer operation. 😊
 
Oh, and then bookmark this donate link so you can give whenever you have political stress that needs to be relieved! 😂
 
Let’s celebrate together in November, OK?
 
Your faithful servant,
Your Name

Ken’s Peer-to-Peer Fundraising letter

NOTE: Links in this Sample Messsage have been disabled since most of the campaigns are over.

Subject: Deciding how you can Tip Tight Elections (made easy)

Dear (first name),

Greetings! I trust you and family are well, active — and worried (as (my spouse/significant other) and I are). Our once-robust democracy is clearly in peril as we face the November midterm and 2024 election cycles—re gun safety, reproductive freedom, election integrity, the Supreme Court…

We each have two choices: Door 1) just watch the news and decline, or Door 2) get off the couch and act somehow to contribute to change.

Everyone needs to act and contribute—NOW, as midterm elections are November 8th!

Here is a tool to help solve 2 common barriers: Deciding which candidates need funds the most?, and How to contribute?

About half of Democratic contributions are sent to unwinnable races or candidates and groups already awash in cash (say Mark Kelly in Arizona).

(My spouse/significant other) and I have volunteered since 2019 to canvass and work with a DC-area small nonprofit started by retired US EPA staff that focuses solely on its motto: “Tipping tight elections”. The model of Silver Spring Progressive Action (SSPA) is to do the years-long, hard analytic work to find a few elections where a small amount of outside canvassing and fundraising could tip them into wins for progressives—against the growing darkness.

SSPA’s comparative advantage is its commitment to continuous, real-time statistical and political analysis, updated weekly or monthly, by its volunteer policy geeks. A Targeting Team (in which (my spouse/significant other) is active) continually sifts through polls, Cook Political Report and other ratings, fund raising to date by Dem candidates compared to their opponents, and political updates to do this difficult work—so you can benefit from their mastery of news and numbers.

I’ve committed to ask 50+ people to join me in donating to Senate candidate Mandela Barnes (or other campaigns below). Your action can help resist the slide into authoritarianism. (I’ve been training canvassers and door-to-door canvassing in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state). Sorry to bother you, if you are not interested.

Right now, we are fundraising for just 1 candidate for Senator– in a close campaign in Wisconsin against the troglodyte Ron Johnson, so we don’t have to rely on the whims of Manchin & Sinema: Mandela Barnes (Wisconsin’s Lt Governor, link here to his campaign) – currently being badly outspent by his Republican opponent Ron Johnson $17m to only $7m for Barnes … use this link to DONATE to Barnes or Senate candidates (super easy, clear and secure).

Your TOTAL donation goes directly to the candidates—-SSPA is all-volunteer. (Note that only Option 3 is tax deductible…)
(We also are working to reelect other progressive Senators—but they are currently well-funded, e.g., Kelly in AZ, Warnock in GA, and Cortez Masto in NV, and to elect John Fetterman in PA, and Cheri Beasley in NC).

Or — you can donate via SSPA to 4 other fund-raising campaigns we are targeting:

Option 2) Hold the House in 2022: SSPA targeting now identifies 24 tippable House races Dems could win – with support, but we are fund raising for 8 who most need money. (Here is link to SSPA’s website map and list of districts and candidates – in NH, PA, VA, NC, MI, OH, NM, AZ, CO, NV, OR.)
Link to donate to House candidates: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sspa2022holdthehouse?refcode=233

Option 3) Tax Deductible Groups to Empower Voters: we are fundraising for two 501 c(3) local community organizations supporting expanding democracy: Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute; and Votolatino Foundation. Link to donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sspa-c3?refcode=233

Option 4) Expand Voting in Communities of Color in NC and PA: New Pennsylvania Project and New North Carolina Project are young organizations working in their communities in key states.
Link to donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/spsa2022-02?refcode=233

Option 5) SSPA Stamps and Operating Fund: SSPA founders and volunteers pay all costs of mailing tens of thousands of letters to voters, postcards, shipping letters to the states, etc. – any help, say $200?, would be welcome! Link:
https://ssprogressiveaction.org/stamp-and-operating-fund/

Thanks for reading this —-and for considering acting NOW to help! Stay in touch,

Your name
Your email address
maybe your phone number

Ann’s Peer-to-Peer Fundraising letter

Dear (Friend’s Name)

Believe me, I never thought I’d be sending emails to friends/family/neighbors asking them to donate to political campaigns.  But, then, I also never thought that so much could hinge  on just  one election—like the one just a few short months from now .  It’s not hyperbole to say that democracy is at stake (not to mention the future of the planet).

Since the 2018 midterm elections I’ve been volunteering w ith Silver Spring Progressive Action (SSPA) .  Our motto is “tipping tight elections” . Our success is based on finding elections that are “win-able”, with just a  bit of outside help—in this case, with cash $$ donations.  We don’t waste our time/your money where there’s not much hope of winning—no matter how outstanding the candidate is.

SSPA is guided by high-level statistical analysis, done by in-house geeks.  They do that work—so  you don’t have to.   Right now we’re focusing on 2 candidates for Senator (in PA and WI)

          John Fetterman (currently Pennsylvania Lt Governor)

          Mandela Barnes  (currently Wisconsin Lt Governor)

A boost of financial support—right now, from people like us—could very easily “tip” the election  to these candidates .

(PLEASE NOTE:  Your TOTAL donation goes directly to the candidates—-SSPA is an  all-volunteer operation)

 Here’s a testimonial from a recent donor: 

“I’m retired and can afford to make donations but I never knew where my money would make the biggest difference.  Focusing on true “toss-up” races —where candidates are about even in fundraising — makes so much sense.  I just gave to SSPA candidates in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin gubernatorial races. They know what they are doing”

 Okay, so my  commitment is to ask 50 people like you—friends, family, former colleagues, neighbors, random acquaintances—to  join me in donating to these 2 campaigns—using the link below.   Please consider if this is something you would like/are able to help with. If so, here’s the link:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sspa2022senate

Thanks for slogging through this long email—-and doing what you can to help  us reach our goal!

Your Name

Mark’s Peer-to-Peer Fundraising letter

Dear (Friend’s name),

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.   Savor that for a moment and enjoy the feeling of freedom, of justice, of another step on the road to equality.  Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

If you’ve heard enough already and want to chip in, click here.  Otherwise, please keep reading.

Clarence Thomas is 74 years old.  Samuel Alito is 72.  John Roberts has been on the Court for 17 years and is 67.  It’s very likely that Joe Biden will have the opportunity to appoint at LEAST one more Supreme Court Justice.  A Democratic-controlled Senate is key to ensuring that appointees like Ketanji Brown Jackson are confirmed and not sidetracked as Mitch McConnell did to Merrick Garland.

We need a Senate that passes progressive legislation and isn’t subject to the whims of Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema.

The people of this county want, and deserve, better.

So I’m asking you to support Democrats in six Senate races that in very close.  These contests will likely determine control of the Senate, and therefore, the Supreme Court.  We need to help win these elections and our money can make a difference, a big difference.

Click here for a Senate that will help get us a Supreme Court that thinks and understands the world more like Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and less like Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Barrett.

Thank you so much for your support.

Your Name

Sample Thank You letter

Dear (Donor’s name),

On behalf of Silver Spring Progressive Action, a huge THANK YOU for your contribution.

We know you get lots of emails asking for money.

We thought we would send an email acknowledging your donation. If you want to join us or take action to ensure democracy, here’s our website: https://ssprogressiveaction.org/

Let’s win in November!

Your Name

What to say when people ask why we’re not raising money for their favorite candidate

From Dori:

I know it feels rewarding to respond to emotional appeals, and there are good reasons for doing so – to show support for a cause even if winning is unlikely or not immediate, to demonstrate the popularity of a cause or person, to build for the future, or just because it feels good and right. That is not how SSPA makes its recommendations, but I understand how someone would donate this way anyway – even I do it occasionally.

SSPA guidance is made “with ice water in our veins” – completely unemotionally, simply based on who we feels has the best shots in tight elections (no sure bets, no lost causes) and who needs money to get there. Especially when control of a chamber is at hand – as it is with the Senate – we simply must put our efforts in races that are most likely to get us the overall result we want.

With that in mind, I honestly believe that our two Senate recommendations reflect the best targeting I have seen: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/sspa2022senate – and are the best investments one can make in keeping the Senate in Dem hands and to strengthen it so we are not as reliant on votes from Manchin and Sinema. Keep in mind that while these are the best places for investments (because Mandela Barnes in WI has less money than his opponent, and John Fetterman has slightly more than his opponent but not enough to flip the seat), they are not the only key Senate elections this year. In addition to these two, we are also working very hard to re-elect Kelly in AZ, Warnock in GA, and Cortez Masto in NV, and to elect Cheri Beasley in NC. These remaining four candidates are currently well-funded, and I believe our money is better invested in the PA and WI races – but we are phonebanking, texting, and writing letters for all, and canvassing for the ones in nearby states. We are keeping an eye on all six of these pivotal races and will adjust if needed, as new data comes in.

We often get asked why we have not included Tim Ryan in OH, Val Demings in FL, Beto O’Rourke in TX, and several others.  The answer is always the same.  Using Tim Ryan as an example – we think he’s great, and J.D. Vance is truly terrible. And we are keeping a very close eye on this race. Currently, the six candidates mentioned above are both better bets and, if five of the six are victorious, that would give us a 52-seat majority. It would be great to have more, and it would be great to have Tim Ryan in the Senate. But we don’t want to make our efforts too diffuse. These candidates currently have a relatively low chance of victory, and that is not something that we as an organization can bank on. Should these races become more competitive (and we watch them literally daily), our recommendations may change as well.

Again, this does not mean that there aren’t good reasons to contribute to Ryan’s campaign. But it does mean that we don’t consider it a best bet to win and strengthen the Senate.  So give to Ryan if your heart tells you to.  But please also give with your head, here.