We’re ready. We’ve put so much time, energy, and thought into this project over the past several months, and I could not be more excited to finally share it with all of you!
Here’s how it started. As my time in Congress came to a close, I found one thing weighing heavy on my mind: What do I do with this amazing network of supporters, volunteers, donors, digital followers, staffers, and friends? With no plans to run for office again anytime soon, how can I rechannel the resources that I was so lucky to have towards people and causes that need and deserve this same kind of support?
Most importantly, how can the community we built, together, stay in the fight, together?
That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to Groundwork Project.
The premise of Groundwork Project is simple: We’re going to invest in community organizing -- the people who make change happen and make it last.
A lot of political organizations like this focus on supporting individual candidates or campaigns. We’ll do some of that, too. But we are going to dedicate the bulk of our time and resources to supporting organizers, advocates, and activists on the ground -- in Massachusetts and across the country -- who show up year-round to engage and educate voters, build trust in their communities, and work towards a more progressive future. And we’re going to look far beyond traditional “battlegrounds” or political hotbeds, to places that political power circles tend to write off as unwinnable, or unworthy of time and attention.
Why? Because we believe that is the single most essential component to the Democratic Party’s future. If we want to deliver on the biggest issues you and I care about, if we want to build a party that is more representative, inclusive, and fair… then it’s long past time that we put community organizing at the center of our work.
Georgia made it crystal clear just how effective that kind of long-term, deep, and sustained organizing can be. This isn’t new or news to anyone in the grassroots. But for years, traditional Democratic institutions have under-resourced, under-valued, and under-recognized the importance of local political infrastructure and year-round voter engagement.
It’s time to re-imagine how we party-build. It’s time to abandon boom-or-bust campaigning, where massive amounts of money, attention, and volunteers parachute into certain states a few weeks before Election Day, only to dry up the day after.
Today, I’m asking you to be a Founding Donor for Groundwork Project. Every dollar in the door today will help us provide support to groups on the ground who are already out hustling for the next election, the next challenge, the next fight. Chip in now to become a GWP Founding Donor.
As a GWP Founding Donor, you will be the first to hear about our virtual launch events and get updates as we get up and running. In the coming weeks we are going to be working collaboratively on an action plan for 2021. We’ll be identifying groups in Massachusetts and nationally that are doing amazing work and talking to them about what they need -- and how we can help. We won’t just be offering money. We’ll be offering volunteers, amplification, and anything else we can. We’ll be listening. And listening some more. And we’d love to have you be a part of that process.
We’re eager to get Groundwork Project up and running and help make an impact immediately. Together, we can help build a better, more connected, more responsive Democratic Party, from the ground up. Become a GWP Founding Donor now.
The political air feels lighter since inauguration day, but there’s no doubt the road ahead of us is still tough. We are charged with not only recovering from the wreckage of Donald Trump, but with rooting out the injustice and ugliness that led to his rise. That cannot be done with drive-by campaigning. That cannot be done by showing up only once every two -- or four -- years.
Those of you who know me know how much I value showing up in politics. You know that I believe deeply in elected officials -- and a political system -- that focuses on the forgotten, the marginalized, and those left out of traditional power circles. Those people and places will be at the heart of Groundwork.
There’s a lot more to come from me. I want to share with you exactly how I envision our work in Massachusetts (And why Massachusetts? Isn’t this a safe blue state?) And I want to talk about the rest of the map; where I believe a little investment now will make a world of difference two, three, five, ten years down the line. In the meantime, thank you for joining me in this new chapter. Thank you for sticking by my side.
More soon,
Joe