Democratic Direct staff members have over 50 years experience running grassroots campaigns for candidates, ballot measures, and independent advocacy groups. Our field operations combine cutting edge technologies with tried-and-true methods that give our clients a consistent winning edge.
Our expertise in data management, web platforms, phone systems, and mobile technologies ensures the most efficient use of every volunteer and staff hour.
At Democratic Direct we've overcome spending disadvantages large as 20-1 by developing efficient, disciplined, and strategic person-to-person contact programs.
Every campaign is different and we'll work with you to identify needs. We've worked on campaigns led by a small group of volunteers for 18 months. We've hired, trained and managed hundreds of paid staff in just a few weeks.
Non-profit Management
Democratic Direct provides full-service management for non-profit political organizations. We know how to get you off the ground quickly with reliably, scalable, and easy to use systems.
Democratic Direct provides specialized direct voter contact, staffing, and technology services to ballot measure and candidate campaigns. We know how to get you off the ground quickly with reliable, scalable, and easy to use systems.
The team at Democratic Direct has extensive experience in large scale grassroots organizing, electoral campaigns, issue advocacy around land use issues, and has an intimate knowledge of San Francisco and Bay Area politics.
We offer a wide variety of services for campaigns and ballot measures.
Fundraising
Campaigns need resources to be effective. Democratic Direct's 30+ years of fundraising experience will ensure you have the most effective fundraising campaign possible. We will evaluate your list and determine fundraising strategy and goals. Most importantly, we can personally contact your donors and secure contributions. High quality personal contact results in higher contributions, more resources, and a greater chance of overall success.
Strategy
Successful campaigns are those that successfully implement their strategies. It's not enough to come up with a winning strategy -- the best plan, never implemented, is worthless. A campaign's strategy must guide decision-making at all levels. Democratic Direct's extensive campaign experience will give your campaign a winning edge in identifying and implementing a workable, winning strategy.
Management
Effective campaigns need to be run efficiently, and small details can make big differences. An organized, welcoming office with friendly staff means your volunteers get more work done, come back more often, and have more fun. A productive and well-run campaign office ultimately contacts more voters -- we don't need to tell you that a handful of votes is often the difference between winning and losing.
Voter Contact
It all comes down to one person talking to another. The most effective way to communicate your ideas to voters is personal communication with peers. When a voter hears good things about a candidate from an individual they trust or relate to, they become a staunch supporter. While personal communication is the most important component of a campaign, other means of communicating ideas are often quite cost effective and can serve to round out an overall direct voter contact effort. Democratic Direct will work with you to develop voter outreach methods that fit your budget, timeline, and goals.
Data
Supporter and voter data are increasingly important aspects of any political campaign. Democratic Direct's campaign experts have both technical and campaign backgrounds and can help you build the list you need to win. We provide list cleaning services, can match your existing list with consumer and change of address data, and can help capture all the information your volunteers and staff collect.
Non-profit Management
Provides full-service management for non-profit political organizations.
Fundraising
Recruiting and retaining members, donors, and supporters for nonprofit organizations has never been more challenging. Unfortunately, many organizations approach this task unprepared for the realities of successful membership recruitment. Democratic Direct and our staff have decades of experience recruiting and building membership bases for organizations in the Bay Area. We can employ a variety of methods in a cost-effective way to diversify and grow your membership list, giving your organization more funding, broader and deeper constituencies, more volunteers, and more political clout.
Advocacy
Changing public policy, be it legislative or administrative, is exciting and challenging. Each campaign is different, and Democratic Direct will draw on yeas of Bay Are advocacy experience as we work with your organization to develop and implement a strategy to win. Our campaigns are well executed, flexible, and creative. Our staff have a record of winning against all odds and have worked with some of best public interest advocates in the country at all levels of government, from Capitol Hill to town halls.
Outreach
Organizational presence at public events is an important part of developing strong ties with a community. Being part of the fabric of life -- at the farmers’ market, summer street fair, block party, or community forum -- is a good way to build name recognition and trust. Democrat Direct will ensure your message gets out in an effective way that is true to your organization. Our trained organizers are excellent communicators and will represent your organization well.
Web
These days communicating with constituents is much more than a web site, but simply having the latest tools does not guarantee success. Democratic Direct will work with your organization to design an effective web-based communications strategy that utilizes the right tools for the job. We'll share best practices to ensure you maximize your electronic communications.
Data
Supporter and donor data are increasingly important aspects of any organization. Democratic Direct's campaign experts have both technical and campaign backgrounds and can help you build the list you need to successful. We provide list cleaning services, can match your existing list with consumer and change of address data, and can help capture all the information your volunteers and staff collect.
Project Title
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The team at Democratic Direct has extensive experience in large scale grassroots organizing, electoral campaigns, issue advocacy around land use issues, and has an intimate knowledge of San Francisco and Bay Area politics.
Michael Bornstein, Principal Member
Michael has 30 years of professional experience in managing non-profit political organizations and electoral campaigns that includes five years as the Executive Director of the San Francisco Democratic Party and ten years as the Director of the Sierra Club, San Francisco Bay Chapter. He is the founding member of two 501c4 non-profits including Evolve-CA.org. He has extensive experience in land use and issue advocacy campaigns that have started as educational efforts and have grown into successful ballot measure and candidate campaigns.
His extensive electoral management experience includes presidential elections down to local candidate campaigns. He has managed every aspect of state and local ballot measure efforts including the initial conception, qualifying for the ballot, and managing the campaign. His political campaign experience includes the design and management of large scale direct voter contact programs that have recruited and managed thousands of volunteers.
Other relevant experience includes building and working with large and diverse coalitions that included political organizations, nonprofits, organized labor, businesses, and community organizations. His extensive background in San Francisco and regional politics includes chairing multiple ballot measure and candidate campaigns, winning election twice to the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee, and serving as an appointed commissioner in San Francisco.
Some of his specific land use campaign victories similar to this campaign include blocking a multi- billion dollar runway expansion into San Francisco Bay and a stopping a massive expansion of the Hetch Hetchy water system. Both of these campaigns had to overcome the perception that these were unstoppable projects with overwhelming public and political support.
Ben Grieff, Campaign and Staff Director
Ben has 10 years of professional experience in managing non-profit and electoral campaigns including work for the San Francisco Democratic Party and San Francisco Labor Council. He has experience running ballot measure petition drives, direct voter contact efforts and grassroots fundraising campaigns. Ben’s diverse campaign experience includes voter engagement efforts in five states from the Presidential level down to local school board races.
Ben has extensive experience using grassroots organizing to overcome political opposition to issues such as Prop 13, known as the third rail of California politics. Managing a staff of organizers, Ben built a network of nearly 1,000 elected officials around the state who have gone on the record supporting Prop 13 reform. By employing strategic grassroots organizing tactics, he has changed the political narrative around a once untouchable issue.
Project Title
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by Flat Icons. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by Flat Icons. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
