End-of-Quarter Online Fundraising Hijinks

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, of the summer. Well, of the summer fundraising season. Okay fine — maybe it’s not that wonderful a time at all, but it’s certainly interesting, at least if you’re into raising money online. Why? Because June 30th is the end of the quarter, meaning that candidates are rushing to collect as much as they can before the end of the reporting period. The more cash raised, the better — both because money equals advertising and because money equals credibility in the eyes of reporters and political professionals.

Here in the e.politics bunker, we’ve been besieged by fundraising messages from candidates across the spectrum, so let’s pull out a few fun examples. First, a DNC email that employs a classic strategy: an ask from an a different source than their usual sender and employing a subject line intended to stand out. Plus, note that the message is trying to raise a specific amount of money for a specific set of tasks, also a classic way to motivate donors. Second, let’s point out the only explicit ask I’ve received via Facebook in quite a while, which is actually surprising considering that I’m “friends” or “fans” of a slew of politicians. A Facebook message is basically the same as email, since recipients can click on the “donate” link directly from the text, and it seems odd that my inbox hasn’t been flooded with them.

Finally, let’s look at Texas Governor Rick Perry’s answer to both to the much-used fundraising thermometer and to the oh-so-trendy moneybomb — a “money cannon” (Revolutionary War-style, natch) that will fill in with color as his campaign approaches its financial goal. A little Tea Party pandering, anyone? With Democrat Bill White apparently nipping at his heels, Perry may be feeling the heat from more than just a Lone Star summer this time around.

– cpd