A friend of mine just got this email yesterday from, presumably, Jake Hajdu, Executive Director of the DPW. I’ll post it here for you folks to decipher because I couldn’t make any sense of it.
I’m writing to you today because our most important FEC filing deadline of 2015 so far is coming up this Tuesday, but I am not asking for money. Why is it so important to raise money now for 2016? Take it from me—it’s critical. We can’t wait around until the last minute to build our infrastructure and organize our ground game. If we do, we’ll lose.
Already, your dollars have been spent on essential aspects of winning this election. Because of your support, we were able to:
• Fund county party offices around the state
• Put an organizing director on the ground in January
• Overhaul our website to improve our communications and rapid response program
• Build our infrastructure to support Russ Feingold
Long story short, every dollar that is donated goes to work almost instantly helping to ensure every Democrat is able to win big this fall.
Thank you for all you do,
Jake
Steve, thanks.
Ms. Laning and DPW should compensate you for the “tough love.”
Writing’s hard work. I don’t know anything about fundraising, but imho this is an embarrassment to Jake, to Ms. Laning, and to DPW.
Among other serious concerns, it”s a textbook example of a writer wasting the reader’s time. If DPW sent me this, it would remind me NOT to open their emails.
Omit words that repeat what the reader already knows, that don’t perform, don’t convey meaning.
“I’m not asking you for money, Steve. But when you do give us money we use it well. So don’t stop giving us money. Donate now!”
Reminds me of an old boss of mine: whenever he said, “I don’t want to criticize, Dev…” I knew criticism was coming.
Cat, we may have had a boss in common, or maybe they were related.
I think it’s a trendy management defense mechanism.
All the DPW’s fundraising emails babble on about some “FEC filing deadline”, as if I don’t give money right now, I won’t be able to give later to help Feingold’s campaign. Who is really gullible enough to fall for this trope?
Rather embarassing, and it’s the sort of thing I had hoped would end with Martha Laning’s election.
I can’t recall opening any petition or call to support an issue or candidate from “wisdem” without a “gotcha” for donating.
The new gal has to establish some priorities on what is important or relevant and what is not. The present method is deceiving, insulting, and worst of all reduces all to a “the sky is falling” false or all inclusive category.
And by the way, my membership DOES NOT IMO authorize distributing, selling, or forwarding my name or address to other political entities in and out of Wisconsin.
cc: Chairwoman Laning
Three things struck me.
1. Hajdu says he’s not asking for money but he sure sounds like he’s asking for money.
2. Which Democrats does he hope will win big this fall? The one running against Kshama Sawant out in Seattle?
3. The DPW has an organizing director on the ground? Who is this person and has anyone ever seen him/her?
“Army of altruists, on the alienated right to do good,”
https://libcom.org/library/army-altruists-alienated-right-do-good
is a long, anthropology analysis of why the working class votes Republican.
I’m not sure I agree with most of what he says, because in a lot of cases I’m not sure I understand. What I think I understand, imho has value for Democratic messaging. IMHO fundraising starts with the message. Tell me why I need to be a “Democrat.” Once Dems do that, it’s easier to fundraise, get people to volunteer for phone banks, GOTV (get-out-the-vote)…. With an aging population, there are plenty of old Dems, with lots of life experiences, sitting at home looking to volunteer. IMHO, it’s from that group that precinct captains and a platoon of others helping will come. That’s the kind of support County chairs need to be effective.