A Few Recommendations for Giving Tuesday: Build It! Move It! Protect It!
December 3, 2024
This is a short post with some recommendations for you if you are interested in donating to some organizations doing voter building, mobilization, and protection work but you don’t know who to support. These are organizations I support. I am not suggesting they are the best or the only groups to support - there are plenty and you can see more if you check out my previous Giving Tuesday posts here and here. Other donation ideas based on the Build It! Move It! Protect It! strategy can be found here (build and move) and here (protect). But if you can only choose a few and don’t know where to start, here are my recommendations.
It’s that time of year again when you are getting slammed with email, text, and social media pleas for donations. It’s Giving Tuesday!
You are probably just catching your breath from the nonstop fundraising solicitations from political campaigns. I don’t know about you, but I am still getting those. This is the time of year for me to text-reply “STOP” to campaign solicitations. I typically give to political campaigns during the election cycle, not afterwards. The rest of the time is for supporting groups doing the work on the ground year-round.
There are millions of good causes, projects, and groups to donate to today, and if you have something in mind don’t let me change it for you. Today, I want to plug a couple of advocacy groups I support. I chose four organizations that adhere to the Build It! Move It! Protect It! strategy.
BUILD IT: Helping nonprofits register and engage new voters
Nonprofit VOTE supports advocacy nonprofits working to help people vote. Nonprofit VOTE also organizes National Voter Registration Day, which this year engaged over 5,000 nonprofits and 2 million people in voter registration activities, and helped register 310,000 people aged 18-24.
BUILD IT, MOVE IT: Organizing and mobilizing voters in a battleground state
Worker Power does the continuous on-the-ground organizing that has turned Arizona from a safe Republican state to a battleground state. Worker Power deployed 500 canvassers to hit 1.3 million doors in Arizona this year. While Harris lost the state, Worker Power’s efforts almost certainly made the difference in electing Democrat Ruben Gallego to the Senate.
MOVE IT: Helping voters overcome obstacles to voting
Vote Riders helps voters to cast their votes, particularly in helping voters comply with onerous Voter ID laws. Vote Riders expects a new wave of Voter ID requirements in the states to be enacted next year. There may even be a federal law now that voter suppression forces have control of Congress and the presidency. Vote Riders provides free services to voters to help them comply with these laws so that they are not prevented from casting their votes.
PROTECT IT: Protecting the right to vote in the courts
Legal Defense Fund litigates to support expanding voting rights and stop racial discrimination in redistricting and other election matters. Created in 1940 by the NAACP, LDF was the driving force in many voting rights and anti-discrimination cases (such as Brown v Board of Education). LDF continues to play an essential role in protecting the right to vote in the US. LDF is offering 100% match to donations today.
Happy Helping!