Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Post

I could not agree more with Geri Mannion about how a strong democracy supported by an engaged public is core to almost everything positive we want to accomplish in the future. Too many donors view a stable democracy as a given, taking it for granted, and don’t support this essential infrastructure outside of election season. That instrumental approach does little to build trust. Too much of what is given is only about turning out voters, and that misses crucial opportunities to imagine what a strong multiracial democracy could look like and how it could deliver for Americans in the future. Shoring up the existing system we have is important but insufficient. That’s why Democracy Funders Network created the Better Futures Project.

Yes, absolutely agree. And, a point worth considering is that so much of the funding for candidate marketing seems to be wasted, on unimaginative marketing campaigns that resort to annoying and endless donation asks via emails and texts. These marketing strategists abuse and erode citizens’ good will. They use misleading subject lines that falsely suggest opportunities for civic participation as their ‘hook.’ Their wrongheaded approach, with the endless onslaught of these asks, seem much more likely to turn potential voters off, than to have any significant success attracting voter interest and engagement.

Glad to see you are still at it. Dammed straight democracy is a marathon and not just a sprint at election time. So hard to break that habit. Keep on keeping on ……

Very well said! When I was involved in civic engagement work in Florida, we often received funding only in the last six months before an election. This meant we had to scramble to hire and train canvassers and complete the bulk of the work in a short timeframe. However, to truly keep the community engaged, we need funders to support sustainable civic engagement efforts year-round, not just when an election is approaching.

It is discouraging to see the relatively low amount of institutional funding to address this serious social issue. Since Donor Advised Funds hold such an enormous amount of individual philanthropic resources, I’d be interested in seeing if a focused campaign directed to those donors would increase the pool of money going to local, state and national efforts to expand voter participation.

A great article Geri Mannion I've been involved in several #evaluations recently with #civicengagement groups, and almost everyone mentions the "funding cliff" that they expect to experience after the election. We would never operate on a patient and then say "come back the next time you have a heart attack." Same thing = healthy communities require steady investment. Thank you for your #leadership!

So important!--particularly the significant multi-year support for networks of organizations doing the vital ongoing work of building and sustaining local and national civic participation efforts and responding quickly to new developments.

Philanthropy made a big impact in the creation of California's fair maps in 2010 and 2020 and the creation of many of the US independent redistricting commissions.

Right on, Geri!

Well said!