In Fall 2013, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) launched the Sustainability Initiative to address one of the greatest challenges facing base-building community organizations: the need to generate new revenue independent of institutional funders and achieve financial stability to scale up organizing.
A major barrier to building a scaled-up, national voice for low- and moderate-income families in the United States is the lack of a workable financing model. Since 2008, social justice organizations have experienced widespread financial instability as heavy reliance on...
In Fall 2013, the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) launched the Sustainability Initiative to address one of the greatest challenges facing base-building community organizations: the need to generate new revenue independent of institutional funders and achieve financial stability to scale up organizing.
A major barrier to building a scaled-up, national voice for low- and moderate-income families in the United States is the lack of a workable financing model. Since 2008, social justice organizations have experienced widespread financial instability as heavy reliance on institutional support has been confronted by a national economic crisis and a consequent reduction in foundation giving. At the same time, although nationwide individual giving has actually risen by 2.7%, social justice organizations have failed to increase their individual donor capacity.
The Sustainability Initiative began initially with the goal of developing resource materials and offering technical assistance for organizations interested in building dues-paying membership and small donor field programs. In 2016 the program expanded its scope and began working with affiliates to develop and manage field programs that build recurring monthly dues-paying membership and small donor bases through door-to-door and street canvass programs. The overall vision of this field program is to developing a recurring revenue model that can become financially independent and ultimately generate a net revenue for our affiliate organizations within 2 to 4 years of launching a canvass program; along the way, our field programs will also engage tens of thousands of people about our affiliates’ organizing work, and get thousands to become active participating members of these organizations.
CPD began building this program with 2 affiliate organizations in 2016, adding 3 more organizations to the program in 2017 and 7 more in 2018. To date, our field programs have recruited almost 8,000 recurring monthly members and donors, generating almost $100,000 a month in recurring monthly dues. The original two field programs – with Working Washington in Seattle and VOCAL-NY in Brooklyn – are on track to begin generating a net revenue by the end of 2018.
Moving forward, CPD will continue to work with affiliates to grow these canvass programs while developing best practices in retaining recurring monthly members and organizing people who come in to contact with our affiliates through our field work.
Our interviews pointed to some best practices in the field.
Our interviews pointed to some best practices in the field.