Dear John,

Imagine if you could give a first-time, working class, no-corporate-cash rural candidate everything they needed to get off the ground... for $884.31. You can. (Here's a donation link.)

It's no secret: most political donations are wasted. People spend hundreds, thousands, even millions of dollars with big, out-of-state consulting firms... on flashy tactics (that don't work)... for candidates who were hand-picked by the political establishment. Maybe worst of all, these donations leave nothing behind but soon-forgotten slogans and ads.

We try to do the opposite.

WV Can't Wait's average donation is about $39. We take each donation seriously, because we know our people don't have a lot of money to throw around.

Our candidates are working class. Their friends don't make max donations or own local newspapers. When you run, the establishment is telling you that the only way to win is by playing a game you can't afford to play. They tell you not to be yourself--to appeal to some non-existent middle-of-the-road voter instead of the people in your community. You can't help but second guess yourself. That's where we step in.

We're the political machine for the candidates who can't buy their own. And we can't do that without your help. (Make a general election donation here.)

Here's what that looks like: If you make it through the rigorous WV Can't Wait endorsement process, we start by giving you $250, no strings attached. That first donation helps with initial costs. It also gives you a foundation and confidence to ask friends, neighbors, unions, and other groups for support. Then, our Digital Director helps you put together a personalized webpage, if you need one. We even host it on our site, to keep costs down. Our Finance Director helps you set-up your bank account, EIN number, and finances -- so that you can start collecting donations (and so that you and your team can spend more time campaigning, and less time trying to figure out complicated paperwork). Our Field Director helps you identify your win number, connects you with potential volunteers, and trains you and your team on how to use the voter file. Each of those hours of support from one of our staffers costs us about $35, but you don't pay a dime.

You and your team will also get invited to 4 candidate trainings -- where y'all can meet other candidates and get basic training on volunteer recruitment, field, communications, and finance. We cover the costs of those too.

As the campaign progresses, our team will foot the bill for some of the most effective GOTV strategies to help you win. We pay for your first 1000 personalized door cards, a text banking program, and simple Facebook ads. Again, we keep costs low by using templates, experienced staff, engaging volunteers, and bulk buying (always from unionized West Virginia vendors).

Finally, we're the folks you call when you're stuck. We'll offer you free mental health services, personal security support, and just day-to-day crisis management.

Add it all up: $884.31.

All that support would cost tens of thousands of dollars (and hundreds of wasted hours) if you had to work piecemeal -- cobbling together fancy political consultants who don't know squat about West Virginia. We use people power to make our money power even more effective. It's the only shot we've got in a rigged game.

Best of all -- these investments last far beyond one election. Every dollar stays in West Virginia, building political infrastructure that survives. If you win, we'll give you monthly governance training, a community of electeds to lean on, and on-going policy and communications support. If you lose, you can still look back on the dozens of candidates and volunteers who've been trained on as many as a dozen new leadership skills and tactics. We've built new relationships, recruited new volunteers, and reached more voters--and we'll stay in touch for years to come. (Win or lose, we also work with every candidate on ways to use their campaign to do real good before election day: canned food drives, issue press conferences, Narcan mailers.)

Thanks for all you have already contributed in time and money to WV Can't Wait. Maybe today's the day you start a monthly donation of $36.85--which adds up to $884.31 every two years, enough to help us add another candidate. Maybe you can donate $500 or $50 or $5 right now. Maybe you want to hop on the phone and find some other way to contribute.

Every bit helps.

In solidarity, 

Stephen and Katey, for the WV Can’t Wait team

* $884.31 is an amount, based on one of our candidates during the spring cycle. That number varies up or down a little, depending on what a candidate needs. Folks can find all campaign finance information at wvsos.gov. 

** Here's that big blue Donate button one last time. Our average donation is about $39. It really adds up!

WV Can't Wait is a movement to win a people's government in the Mountain State. For more information, visit wvcantwait.com.