Indivisibles,

Your friendly co-founder of Indivisible here. I’ve been saying this a lot: Over the next 20 months, we’re going to rebuild the Democratic trifecta, codify abortion rights, and pass democracy reform to toss MAGA into the ash heap of history. I don’t know that all of this will happen. But I do know that Indivisible is structuring all its work over the next 20 months to help make it happen. 

Impact above all else. “Help” is the operative word. We can’t dictate the future, but we can increase the odds that we get to where we want to go. And to go from that top level goal to an actionable plan, we ask ourselves some basic questions.

How do we protect the Senate majority and pick up a seat in Arizona? How do we defeat some of these vulnerable House Republicans and defend our vulnerable Dems? How do we close off the path to an electoral college majority for Trump or DeSantis? How do we prepare to govern with the power we win next year? How do we support local Indivisible groups to increase our odds of success on each of these fronts?

These are the questions guiding our strategy at Indivisible. It’s how we determine where we put our resources, how we structure our teams, how we choose what campaigns we run, and how we support the nationwide movement of Indivisible groups. It' show we maintain our integrity.

Why integrity matters: It’s important to me that we operate with integrity because without that, we won’t have impact. I want Indivisible leaders to trust our strategic advice. I don’t want people on this email list to feel like ATMs who just always get asked for money. I want you to actually organize and take action. We do our damndest to be straight with you -- because otherwise we know damn well that we’ll lose people. You’ll click the unsubscribe button. You’ll check out because you’re let down by yet another operation that promises big things and doesn’t deliver. And our movement will suffer.

So I don’t want to make false promises, but here’s a promise I can make: Every dollar donated to Indivisible goes toward implementing strategies to increase the odds we defeat the anti-democratic zealots this year and next.

That means different work every single month to keep up the pressure and build momentum. Building momentum every month means running campaigns every month, which means raising grassroots donations every month! That’s why at the end of this email, I’m gonna ask you to consider joining our group of monthly supporters with whatever makes sense for you -- $50, $25, $5 a month (if you’re champing at the bit, you can do that here). But before we get there, let’s get specific about where Indivisible’s strategic logic takes us over the next three months:

August: Protecting democracy in Ohio…and for the rest of us

There’s an under-the-radar threat to democracy on the ballot in Ohio next month. Specifically, Republicans have scheduled a last-minute election on August 8 that would raise the threshold for voters to amend the state constitution via referendum from a simple majority to 60%. Why are they doing this? Because they’re worried that this November, pro-abortion advocates will successfully pass an abortion rights ballot initiative. Why should you care if you’re not in Ohio? Well, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is up for reelection -- and he’s one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats up next year. A popular abortion rights ballot initiative will not only protect the rights of Ohioans -- it will keep public attention on an issue that we win on, help us identify friendly voters to get more of them out to vote next November, and therefore help Sherrod Brown get reelected. In summary, the strategic logic is this:

1. Defeat GOP attempt to gut democracy in August
2. Successfully pass a state-level abortion rights referendum in November
3. Increase turnout for Sherrod Brown next November
4. Rebuild the Dem trifecta to codify abortion rights and pass democracy reform.

September: Government shutdown fight

Republicans in the House are already gearing up to force a government shutdown at the end of September (see reporting here). Their demands are extreme. They are planning to go back on the deal we reached last month to avert the default crisis. Republicans are doing this for a simple reason: They want to hurt Biden and the Dems. Painful cuts to essential programs aren’t just bad for Americans, they’re bad for the economy. But the Republicans believe if they cause Biden and the economy pain, it increases their odds of defeating him next year. So we’ll be organizing just as we did during the debt ceiling fight to prevent this outcome. Let’s follow the strategic logic again:

1. Pressure vulnerable Republicans to drop their demands.
2. Stop a government shutdown and avert politically damaging budget cuts.
3. Hold vulnerable Republicans accountable for siding with the extremists in their party
4. Rebuild the Dem trifecta to codify abortion rights and pass democracy reform.

October: Setting the stage for a nationally-crucial win in Arizona

Arizona is the most important state for rebuilding the trifecta next year -- the road to our House majority, picking up a senate seat, and retaining the presidency goes through Arizona. As in Ohio this year, there is an opportunity to put an abortion rights referendum on the ballot next year. Beginning in September or October, Indivisibles plan to kick off their petition gathering efforts to get this on the ballot. If we succeed, it will provide a boost to every race next year by getting more of our voters out next election day. Here’s the strategic logic:

1. Gather signatures to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot next year
2. Drive turnout for Democrats in key House districts, in the senate race, and for the presidency.
3. Rebuild the Dem trifecta to codify abortion rights and pass democracy reform.

Different strategies, different geographies, different timelines → same goal. Did you notice that repetition? Three different campaigns in totally different parts of the country, but our strategic logic always comes back to the same place. We engage in these campaigns both because they’re worthwhile campaigns on their merits, and also because they directly contribute to our top-level goals. So I’ll say it again: Over the next 20 months, we’re going to rebuild the Dem trifecta, codify abortion rights, and pass democracy reform.

We run campaigns with integrity, and we raise money with integrity. Part of my job as co-executive director is to work with the team and movement leaders to set these strategies. Another part of my job is helping raise the money so we have the resources to run these campaigns. Organizers, messaging support, training, grants to local groups, reimbursements for earned media actions, clipboards for signature gathering -- all this costs money. If I want more signatures collected, I need more clipboards; if I want more clipboards, I need to raise more money. It’s simple math!

One of the many cool things about Indivisible is how we raise this money. We do not now, nor have we ever, nor will we ever take money from corporations or political figures. Grassroots donations are now and have always been our single largest source of support. There’s no huge funder out there directing our strategies. That means we get to set our strategy based on one key metric: Will it impact our likelihood of rebuilding the trifecta to codify abortion rights and pass democracy reform over the next twenty months?

The biggest thing that helps us plan months ahead and map out future opportunities are recurring donations. Our average recurring donation isn’t much -- less than $50 per month -- but thousands of grassroots donors combine to create a foundation of resources that we know we can count on.

So here’s my request: sign up for a recurring donation to Indivisible. Doesn’t need to be much -- $50, $25, $5 -- don’t overstretch yourself. Give what makes sense for your budget. And if you’re not happy with the campaigns we’re running or think that we’re not having the impact we’re promising, please stop the donations! There’s no scam here -- you’re not locked in. You don’t have to call anybody or jump through hoops to cancel -- you can just click through or shoot an email to [email protected] and we’ll take you off -- no hard feelings. But if you share our goal and want to help us get there together, please think about setting aside a few bucks a month to help us plan for the next 20 months. And if that's not possible at the this time, you can also make a one-time gift here.

Thank you for considering this -- I can’t tell you how much this helps without making this email even longer.

Until next time

I’m lucky that I get to raise money for a movement organization with a sterling reputation and a track record of success. We defeated the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in 2017, we built the blue wave in 2018, we defeated Trump in 2020, and we converted the supposedly inevitable red wave of 2022 into a trickle -- all while investing in the largest active pro-democracy movement in the country. 

Our north star now is clear -- a future where MAGA is thoroughly discredited and we’ve built the power necessary to safeguard our rights and freedoms. This is what fires me up. It’s why going on year seven, I’m still organizing with Indivisible. This is where I can work to help us get there.

Whether you can donate or not, you’re traveling this path with us. And we’re going to get there together.

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin

Ezra Levin Co-Executive Director Pronouns: He/him