Online Donations Taking Center Stage in US Politics

Small dollar donations are becoming important in politics. This movement started with Obama and has been executed beautifully by presidential hopefuls, like Bernie Sanders who is attempting a second run in 2020.

Small dollar donors have proven effective for some presidential runs and are proving to be powerful in this election cycle.

Donald Trump was able to raise $36 million for his re-election campaign, and Bernie Sanders has raised $18 million in just one quarter.

Small dollar donations are getting to these candidates through online donations, which is becoming one of the most important tools candidates have at their disposal.

Why are Online Donation Tools so Important?

No matter how famous a political figure is, he or she is still asking for small donors.

Big names like Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Donald Trump are all asking for money. Part of the reason they are doing this is because reaching regular folks has never been easier. All it takes is sending a few emails or posting social media posts that link back to a donation page.

It should also be pointed out that Americans today are interested in politicians who are not depending solely on donations from the ultra-wealthy. Being able to say that one’s political campaign is people-powered is a powerful thing, but it seems this would not have happened without online tools.

The following are a few reasons online donation tools are becoming so important to US politics:

●     Access

The internet is not only reserved for rich people. The internet can be accessed by people using their internet router or even free wi-fi that is available in libraries, local restaurants, and stores.

Some people even donate using computers in libraries, so people don’t have to own a computer or smart device to contribute to their favorite candidate.

Online tool companies have learned to capitalize on this access, which has made it easier for candidates to reach people.

●     Platform-Friendly

Another reason online donation tools have found success is because they are platform-friendly. There is a significant amount of people using different social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter among others.

Political campaigns find people using these platforms and simply link to their online donation tool. Being able to reach someone in one platform and lead them to a place to donate is an incredibly powerful skill that is possible because creators anticipated this need.

Some of these donation tools allow donors to share their activity without revealing personal information. This is another way donation tools help motivate donors because they get to tell everyone they know about their donation and support for a certain political candidate.

●     Simplicity

Complications have never been a friend to any organization seeking donations. Most people have a hard time donating any amount of money, and complications can devastate a group that wants donations.

The good thing about online donation tools is they are definitely not complicated. Their models are based on making donations as easy as possible. Some of these donation tools already have suggested donation buttons that donors can simply click before being redirected to a safe page where they can enter their billing information.

These tools also make it easy for a donor to customize his or her donation, which is another advantage. People who are not willing to spend too much do not have to feel embarrassed to put a dollar if that is all they want to put, which could be a problem for people asking for donations in person.

Donation tools also make it easy to start a recurring weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly donation by simply clicking a button or two when a person is donating. All of these touches make donating a lot easier, and it is all thanks to the internet as well as these donation tools.

These are just some reasons why donation tools are so important to politicians nowadays though there are others; for example, it is easier for politicians to collect contact information from supporters through these tools. This contact list is pretty important because it is a list of Americans who are politically-inclined and are willing to participate in the process. Email lists can be used for other reasons, such as scouting locations for events.

The changes online donation tools are bringing to politics seem to be positive ones, and it may be important to keep an eye on how these tools continue to develop.