How One PAC is Working to Combat Donor Burnout After 2024

One of the most influential Democrat-aligned political action committees is taking a new approach to grassroots fundraising: fewer pleas for money in exchange for more donor engagement.

EMILY’s List, the fundraising powerhouse that has helped elect hundreds of pro-choice Democratic women to public office, rolled out a new program – dubbed Friends of the List – late last month allowing grassroots donors to sign up to give at least $15 a month to the PAC.

In exchange, those donors are exempt from frequent fundraising texts and emails soliciting one-time donations. They’re also given access to a suite of content, including a Substack publication called “Friends of the List” that features items like interviews with staffers and updates on how the group is spending its money.

Christen Sparago, the interim vice president of digital at EMILY’s List, said the goal is to help grassroots supporters feel “more engaged” and “less like an ATM” at a moment when many small-dollar donors are growing weary of near-constant fundraising pleas.

“In the aftermath of the 2024 election and with critical elections still ahead, donors are feeling burnt out,” Sparago told C&E. “We recognized that this moment demands a change in the way the Democratic Party engages with the grassroots. We listened to feedback from our supporters that their inboxes needed a big-time break.”

Campaigns and committees on both sides of the aisle have grappled with donor burnout in recent years as small contributors have been plied with requests for one-time donations. Fundraisers have repeatedly expressed concern that desperate-sounding pitches have lost their effectiveness, while donors complain that they’re being hit up for money on a near-daily basis.

‘The Unsung Heroes of the Democratic Party’

Sparago said that asking supporters to commit to a recurring donation program in exchange for fewer texts and emails will allow EMILY’s List to do more long-term financial planning. 

Since Friends of the List launched on March 26, the group has seen over 1,000 new monthly donors, whose contributions total around $21,000 per month. Beyond that, EMILY’s List has engaged nearly 2,000 new donors. About 375 of those contributors are now monthly sustainers, according to the group.

Sparago said that since the program launched, EMILY’s List has increased its active email list by about 15 percent.

“Monthly donors are the unsung heroes of the Democratic Party,” Sparago said. “They allow us to plan financially in a way that one-time donations just don’t allow. This was purely our effort to meet folks where they’re at.” 

Sparago said that she’s hoping Friends of the List can become a model for other Democratic organizations. Instead of treating relationships with grassroots supporters as purely transactional, she said, organizations should work toward engaging with their donors on a deeper level.

“EMILY’s list was created to build fundraising support for women that weren’t getting the investments they needed to win races. And knowing that reality requires us to stay innovative and to try new things,” Sparago said. “This happened to be a very successful thing that we tried, and I think we feel pretty satisfied seeing the results come in and knowing that donors are engaging more deeply.”

“The future for the party is to have meaningful relationships,” she added. “That’s what people are clamoring for and that’s what we’re trying to deliver.”