I came back to help make the Democratic Party the top-tier organization I believe it can  --  and should  --  be.

Hi, I'm Caitlin, the Chief Mobilization Officer at the DNC! I oversee the Mobilization Team here, which manages all of our communication with grassroots supporters. Today, I'd like to share with you a little bit about myself and my team's work at the DNC -- work that is funded by the generosity of supporters like you. I've spent the last decade working at the intersection of digital and politics, including at EMILY's List and campaigns like Obama 2012, but the main thing to know about me is that it's my second time at the DNC.  I was deputy digital director during the 2014 cycle. And you may be wondering... after everything the DNC went through in 2016, why would I be fired up to come back? The answer is easy: I came back to help make the Democratic Party the top-tier organization I believe it can  --  and should  --  be. I started last fall with that mission and one audience in mind: our grassroots supporters. Our supporters are the Democratic Party's most valuable asset. You make up the core of volunteers for Democratic candidates across the country, are hands-down the best messengers to spread the word about what Democrats are doing, and simply put, you fund the DNC's work. In 2017, more than two-thirds of our fundraising came from donations that were $200 or less. In thinking through how you can best engage with the Democratic Party, I realized there were a number of things that needed to change to put our supporters first and foremost in our work. And those changes are what I'd like to talk about today. Now, I'll be the first to admit this email is a little wonky, but if you're interested in some of the behind-the-scenes thinking that goes into the tweets, videos, mail pieces, and emails we send every day, then this email is for you. MEMO: The DNC's Mobilization Team 1. GETTING OUTSIDE THE DNC: GRASSROOTS MOBILIZATION A dedicated team of digital experts for state parties and campaigns While previous staff at the DNC had been able to provide digital expertise to state parties and campaigns on a one-off basis, there was no staff dedicated to sharing best practices. Enter the Grassroots Mobilization team, a group of digital experts dedicated to sharing digital best practices, testing, and the latest technology with Democratic campaigns and state parties every day. We've also taken steps to reduce the cost of digital organizing technology to make it easier to run innovative, supporter-focused digital organizing programs. Testing our tactics in special elections At the DNC, we're now playing in many special elections  --  so far, with great results. We no longer only get one shot on Election Day to test, innovate, and share our findings. We're doing it 365 days a year and getting smarter with every race we play a role in. We're providing digital best practices and support to campaigns you may be familiar with, like Virginia's landslide gubernatorial and history-making House of Delegates races and Doug Jones' historic Senate win in Alabama. We ran a digital boot camp in April to train digital directors from across the country on the latest digital fundraising, paid media, and digital organizing trends. Our work doesn't stop there, though. We're also helping out in races that don't always hit the national radar, like running digital ads encouraging Arizona voters to return their vote-by-mail ballot in the AZ-08 special election; deploying a get-out-the-vote program in Wisconsin's state Supreme Court election in March, helping elect a judge who will play a role in the state's redistricting; or creating a texting program in Keisha Lance Bottoms' Atlanta mayor's race in December  --  a program that she says helped her win. 2. HOW WE RAISE MONEY TO WIN ELECTIONS: DONOR MOBILIZATION Online + offline integration We've now fully integrated our online fundraising efforts, including email, social media, digital ads, and SMS, with our offline fundraising efforts, which include telemarketing and direct mail. Previously at the DNC, the Marketing team and the Digital teams weren't coordinating much on strategy  --  in fact, they barely talked at all! Not only does separating your online and offline grassroots fundraising efforts provide a disjointed user experience, it stifles innovation. Our two programs are now one robust, multi-channel program  --  allowing us to communicate with donors via their preferred channel, be hyper-targeted in list acquisition, and test some really nifty multi-channel touches, like using peer-to-peer SMS tools like Hustle to let mail recipients know that a new mail piece is en route to their home or sending a physical welcome package in the mail to every new donor we get online. These changes are lifting our fundraising margins and, often, paying for themselves. Rebuilding our relationship with donors I began this job knowing full well that some Democratic donors, both longtime and new, had lost their faith in the Democratic National Committee, and perhaps the Democratic Party overall. That meant that my team's job was to rebuild that relationship, starting from square one. Historically, the DNC hadn't communicated a lot with our supporters about what we actually do to help candidates and state parties, leaving our value proposition somewhat unclear. We decided to take a different tack this cycle and start treating our grassroots donors as we'd treat our high-dollar donors  --  like investors who deserve to know what we are planning to do, how it's going, and what we're doing differently this time. In the past six months, we've shared everything from the truth about our 2017 fundraising to what the DNC actually does to help candidates win to behind-the-scenes emails just like this one. While this falls into what we might call the "unsexy content" category, we've got a great response to laying out the how and why of what we do  --  both in terms of engagement and raising money. Case in point? In May, one of our top-performing fundraising emails was a 2,000-word memo from our Political and Organizing Director Amanda Brown Lierman on our four organizing programs for 2018  --  an email that didn't even directly ask for money! Building a fundraising base for the long-term Unlike a campaign, the DNC doesn't go out of business after Election Day  --  and our fundraising strategy should follow suit. To build a steady fundraising base for the long-term, we've begun to focus more on recruiting donors to make a monthly sustaining donation instead of a one-time contribution. In the past, we'd only targeted repeat donors with that ask, assuming it was too high-bar of an ask for most of our supporters. But this year, we've tried sending our full list thoughtful, long-form asks to make a recurring donation to the DNC, and have been blown away by how well they perform  --  it's not uncommon for a full-list recurring email from Tom Perez to raise as much money in pledged monthly donations as an average one-time DNC fundraising email! This strategy has paid off big time: Since the beginning of 2018, we've increased our online recurring donor base by a full 60 percent. And because we're being straight with supporters about what we're asking them to sign up for, our three-month recurring donation retention rates have jumped 22 percent relative to last year's. 3. A FOCUS ON STORYTELLING: MESSAGE MOBILIZATION Putting a premium on rich content Just as we've been working to rebuild relationships with our grassroots supporters, we're working to rebuild the relationship with our supporters online  --  and bring new supporters into the fold. We're aware that winning the hearts and minds of Americans isn't necessarily going to happen 280 characters at a time. So we've invested in growing our video team, putting a premium on long-form, documentary-style video content. Instead of relying on news clips, we're connecting political issues with Americans' daily lives and digging deep on how public policy directly impacts real people -- from a Dreamer in Texas worried about deportation to a laid-off auto worker in Michigan. We're also doing regional deep dives with candidates to showcase the work Democrats are doing in every corner of the country, even in the reddest of states. WATCH NOW WATCH NOW WATCH NOW Uplifting diverse voices within the party We're also putting an intentional focus on highlighting and uplifting the diverse voices in our party. As the national party, we have a significant reach, and we're sharing our microphone and letting Democrats tell their own stories  --  from musician and undocumented immigrant Gustavo Guerrero sharing his hopes for our country to Rep. Terri Sewell explaining, in her own words, the power of black women voters in Alabama propelling Doug Jones to victory. This commitment extends beyond the voices we uplift to the voices actually creating the content we produce. We're proud that nearly half of our team identifies as a person of color, and that perspective is invaluable  --  and necessary  --  in the work we create every day. If you're interested in learning more about what the DNC Mobilization Team has been up to and everything we're planning to do between now and Election Day, be sure to follow us on Medium, where we'll be posting regularly. Whether it's the team at DNC headquarters or the millions of incredible Democratic supporters across the country -- our party works best when all of us are involved. You've donated to the DNC in the past, and we are grateful for your support. This year's midterms are critical, and our party is counting on grassroots donors to renew their commitment to electing Democrats I hope you will consider making a contribution to the DNC this election cycle. There's a lot at stake in this year's midterms, but if we work together, we have the chance to decide which direction our party -- and our country -- will take. Thanks for taking the time to learn a little about my team, and as always, thank you for your continued support. We truly wouldn't be able to do it without you. Caitlin Caitlin Mitchell Chief Mobilization Officer Democratic National Committee P.S. One of the most exciting details about our fundraising numbers is that our monthly sustainer base is up 60 percent this year! Why? Because it shows that Democrats across the country are making long-term investments in the future of our party. If you're able, please consider making a monthly sustaining contribution to the Democratic Party today, Pat. It will make such a huge difference headed down the stretch to Election Day. DONATE

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