What are we waiting for?
Why we’re launching “Organize Anyway”
Right now, Republicans are organizing. Relentlessly.
They’re not waiting on polling memos. They are not hesitating because cable news and television hasn’t caught up. They are not holding back to see which way the wind blows. They’re showing up--in school board races, in state houses, churches, and on every social platform controlling the narrative.
Take the Republican budget bill.
Right now, House Republicans are pushing a sweeping bill that slashes Medicaid, eliminates clean energy investments, and gives over $4 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations. It hands Donald Trump sweeping new executive powers, ramps up mass deportations, and strips protections from working people—all under the guise of a “budget.” And they’re moving fast: they plan to pass it by Memorial Day.
This is what organizing looks like on the right: ruthless, coordinated, unapologetic. They’re not waiting. They're using every tool to reshape the country in their image. And unless we organize just as relentlessly, they’ll get away with it.
Meanwhile, we have witnessed too many Democratic campaigns and organizations sitting still and reluctant to organize. Specifically, investing early and organizing consistently.
We’ve had countless conversations with people who know the stakes. They care deeply. They want to win. But they’re “waiting.” Waiting for money to come in. Waiting for someone else to go first. Waiting until later in the year or next year. Waiting until the moment feels right.
We’ve got news:
The moment is now. The cavalry isn’t coming. We have to be the cavalry. And putting it off will only make it harder down the road.
At Contrast Campaigns, and in our experience as organizing leaders, we’ve seen firsthand what’s possible when people decide to stop waiting and start organizing. Volunteers show up. Donors donate. Voters move. Communities get louder and more confident in their fight.
And yet we keep watching this critical year slip by with far too little action.
We also recognize that “organizing” can mean something different for everyone. When we talk about organizing, we mean:
Building lists & relationships. A lot of organizing can be boiled down to a simple exercise in building lists and relationships. Lists of volunteers willing to take action or lead other volunteers, lists of donors, lists of constituency leaders, or just lists of voters curious to know more about your candidate or cause.
Communicating. Is your campaign reaching out to supporters to talk to them? How? Who? Why? Where and when? What are you saying to them? What are they saying to you? How and when are you following up about that?
Activating. How are you getting 100 people to that speech, protest, or public gathering? What are you asking supporters to do to help you win or achieve your goal?
Empowering. There's no one tactic to rule them all. Good organizers leverage every network and relationship possible to empower supporters to be part of leading, not just participating in, your campaign. Nothing can be more impactful than thousands, hundreds, or even just a dedicated few supporters who see your mission as their mission.
So, we’re launching this series: Organize Anyway
We’ll be sharing real ways people, campaigns, and organizations can organize right now–whether you’re one person with a few hours to spare or a leader at a national organization that’s looking for a place to start. These won’t be vague platitudes about “mobilizing.” We want to share strategies. Tactics. How you can organize right now. Specific things that work and how they can happen even with limited resources or money.
Think of this as a small bite-sized blueprints and here are just a few examples:
How to launch a volunteer program from scratch
How to control the narrative online via organizing
How to get donors to fund organizing
We also want to spotlight people who are already doing it—and doing it without permission. Teachers who are turning classrooms into hubs of resistance. Creators using their platforms to move voters. Local leaders who are building something real, while others are still deciding what their “2025 priorities” are.
We’re not here to shame anyone. We want to push, to provoke, and to organize.
While we don’t have time to wait for a perfect plan, we have to organize anyway.
If you’re already organizing, tell us about it! We want to lift it up. If you’re not sure where to start, we hope this series is helpful. If you’re pissed off about how little is happening, you’re in the right place.
Subscribe. Share this. Send it to the people who need to read it.
And then let’s get to work.