DNC Kicks Off Search for New Organizing Tools
The Democratic National Committee is soliciting proposals for a new set of organizing tools amid a deeper conversation within the party about the future of its technology and data infrastructure.
The committee published a request for proposals – or RFP – last week seeking “a broad range of potential tools, from systems that bring innovation to managing voter and volunteer data to platforms that facilitate ongoing voter outreach and volunteer engagement.”
“[W]e are seeking partnerships with vendors that will support Democratic organizing not just this year but for cycles to come,” Arthur Thompson, the DNC’s chief technology officer, wrote in the RFP. “We are seeking proposals both for off-the-shelf tools our campaigns can use immediately, and for opportunities to co-develop or pilot tools that could transform organizing over the next four years and beyond.”
It’s unclear exactly what kind of proposals the DNC is looking for. The RFP says that the process is intended to help the national party “identify the tools and technologies that will power the next generation of organizing at the DNC and at every level of the ballot around the country.” The DNC said it will accept proposals on a rolling basis through May 16.
A memo from DNC Chair Ken Martin released last week outlined a plan to “invest in modern tech that supports feedback loops, surfaces qualitative insights, and centers the user experience of organizers and volunteers.”
The Future of Democratic Tech
Still, the RFP comes at a moment when Democratic operatives across the country are discussing ways to upgrade and revamp their organizing and voter-contact systems, including NGP VAN, the database that most Democratic campaigns and organizations have relied on for years.
The New York Times reported last month that problems with NGP VAN during the 2024 election cycle prompted top Democrats to intervene in order to keep the system functioning. In a statement to the Times, NGP VAN’s general manager defended the voter database, insisting that it remained the “gold standard of political organizing tools” and “enabled the largest voter outreach program in human history without stability or downtime issues.”
The DNC still relies on NGP VAN, and the committee’s RFP did not specify whether it’s looking for proposals to build a new CRM. But other groups are already taking steps in that direction.
The Movement Cooperative, which provides tech and data support to progressive organizations, rolled out its own RFP earlier this year for a next-generation CRM. Julie Barnes, the group’s CEO, told C&E last month that the current organizing and voter contact tools available to progressives are “not keeping pace with the kind of innovation that we want to see.”
“We have to start building for the next 10 years,” Barnes said. “And we can’t do that with tools that were built for door-to-door canvassing and phone banking.”