2017-2019

In 2017, a handful of East Bay neighbors – each deeply alarmed by the outcome of the 2016 election – launched a volunteer initiative called Flip the House aimed at imposing a check on Trump by wresting control of the U.S. House of Representatives from Republican hands and delivering it to the Democrats.

Given limited time and resources, our founders brought an economist’s mindset to the question of how to have the biggest possible impact on the 2018 midterms. Instead of writing postcards or knocking on doors, we decided that our efforts would be better spent galvanizing our concerned friends and family to donate at levels far beyond what they’d ever given before. Imagine if our little group were able to multiply our power by raising $50,000 to help flip the House blue . . . .

Given the urgency of the situation, our communities were enthusiastic about digging deep to help flip the house, and they wanted guidance about where to donate. In response, the founders, in consultation with a major donor advisor, developed a set of investment recommendations, through which our collective dollars would have an outsized impact. We ultimately identified a set of competitive but lesser-known congressional races in which a relatively small increase in donations could tip the Republican-leaning race toward a Democratic win. In the end, we exceeded our wildest hopes by raising over $700,000 for 20 candidates, 10 of whom eked out victories – enough to flip the House and thwart Trump’s MAGA legislative agenda.

2020-2022

When the same small but mighty team – at this point calling ourselves Flip the Vote – started gearing up for the 2020 presidential election cycle, we conducted extensive research and analysis to curate evidence-based recommendations to share with friends and family.

With more lead time to conduct research and prepare for this election, we homed in on an investment strategy proven to be even more impactful than donating to campaigns. By exercising our cumulative fundraising power, we could fund a substantial portion of the budgets of a set of effective grassroots groups working in key swing states to register and inspire the numbers of voters needed to tip elections from the presidency on down the ballot. This strategy has the added benefit of supporting lasting electoral strength and leadership in traditionally marginalized communities of color.

We were just gearing up to throw a couple of local house parties when the COVID lockdown forced us to pivot. We decided to try pitching our strategy to friends and family over Zoom. A couple of virtual parties led to a couple of more, and before we knew it,  our now 12-member volunteer leadership team had facilitated 135 house parties and created a community of over 5,000 informed and committed donors. These parties generated $7 million for groups working to expand voter registration and mobilization in key swing states. It was those very states that handed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris a sweet victory and helped take back the U.S. Senate. 

In advance of the 2020 election, our recommended partner groups registered more than one million voters and engaged millions more. They helped generate slim Democratic margins in places that mattered most, while also building powerful coalitions around important local issues, striving for representation and accountability from their elected officials, and combating systemic racism and voter suppression.

2022-2024

In the 2022 midterms, we raised $3 million for our tireless grassroots partners. This time, our collective efforts helped Democrats expand their Senate majority, allowing President Biden to appoint more federal judges who will protect the shared democratic freedoms and values we hold dear. We also staved off a red wave, leaving a far slimmer GOP majority in the House than anyone predicted. Moreover, no election deniers won their races for secretary of state or governor in any of our partner states.

To build on Flip the Vote’s substantial growth and successes, we formalized our operations in 2022 by transitioning from an all-volunteer-led initiative to a 501(c)(4) nonprofit housed at Tides Advocacy, with Laura Pearl stepping in as Executive Director and the rest of the leadership team becoming an active volunteer Advisory Board. This has allowed us to implement the infrastructure necessary to deploy a growing volunteer corps as we gear up to raise more than ever in the 2024 election cycle toward our vision of a just, equitable, and inclusive democracy.*

*All donations made at house parties and via this website go directly to our partner groups. Flip the Vote covers 100% of our small internal operations budget separately, thanks to a small group of generous donors.