ActBlue Rolls Out Policy Changes to Crack Down on ‘Bad Actors’
ActBlue is rolling out major changes to its account use policy in an effort to crack down on what it called “bad actors” in the fundraising ecosystem.
In an email to account administrators this week, the Democratic fundraising behemoth said that it had tightened its solicitation standards and introduced new provisions that allow ActBlue officials to request documentation from fundraisers showing how contributions are being used.
The changes are intended to address some of the most pressing concerns of practitioners, who have accused ActBlue of not doing enough to protect donors from fundraising scams and deceptive practices on its platform. It also comes as so-called “spam PACs” – committees that use aggressive, often misleading, solicitations to rake in money – face renewed scrutiny.
“The digital fundraising landscape has evolved dramatically, and with it, we’ve seen practices emerge that undermine donor trust and hurt all of us,” Regina Wallace-Jones, ActBlue’s CEO and president, wrote in an email to ActBlue account administrators announcing the use policy changes. “When donors encounter misleading solicitations, impersonation, or excessive spam, they lose confidence – not just in bad actors, but in our entire movement.”
Under the new account user policies, ActBlue will ban outside groups from using the name or likeness of candidates, elected officials or organizations “in a way that falsely implies endorsement, affiliation, or authorization without documented written permission.” The platform is also prohibiting fundraisers from making false claims in their solicitations, such as claims about unverified or nonexistent donor matching programs.
If fundraisers reach out to potential donors with promises of matching programs, Wallace-Jones’ email reads, “you must be able to provide documentation verifying your matching program upon request.”
Cracking Down on Fundraising Spam
The changes also include “clearer standards for respectful donor engagement” to protect donors from “excessive solicitations and aggressive fundraising tactics.” If ActBlue receives repeated complaints from donors about an organization’s fundraising tactics, it will investigate the matter and work with the group on “corrective action.”
“This isn’t about policing every email, it’s about addressing patterns of behavior that damage donor relationships across our ecosystem,” Wallace-Jones wrote.
Josh Nelson, the CEO of the ad platform Civic Shout who helped organize a letter to ActBlue late last year raising concerns about exploitative fundraising practices on the platform, said he was pleased with the changes announced by ActBlue this week. He said that while those changes didn’t go as far as he would have liked, they were a significant step in the right direction.
“While the reforms fall short of what we called for in last year’s open letter, they represent a significant step in the right direction,” Nelson wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “If strictly enforced, these reforms have the potential to significantly decrease the number of donors being exploited on ActBlue.”
ActBlue, which has powered Democrats’ grassroots fundraising for two decades, has run up against steep challenges in recent months. In addition to facing calls from some Democratic practitioners to crack down on bad actors on its platform, ActBlue is also under investigation by the Justice Department for alleged campaign finance violations.
Democrats have universally condemned that investigation as an effort by President Donald Trump to attack his political opposition.
