In politics, money talks, but online fundraising has really helped close the money gap between men and women. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, women are the majority of low-dollar donors to Obama- in the $200-499 level. In this post, I present some ways to think about your political giving strategy.

Because men usually have more money than women, they give larger amounts to political campaigns and causes. For example, according to USA Today, “Women account for 59 out of more than 500 top fundraisers in Republican John McCain's campaign. Democrat Barack Obama has 148 female fundraisers out of more than 500.” But these are bundlers, big money donors. Bundlers enlist friends, family, and colleagues to contribute the maximum amount to a candidate in order to deliver a large “bundle” of cash to a candidate, often in the millions. Most of us aren’t bundlers, but this doesn’t mean our money doesn’t count: it sure did for Obama, to the tune of $28 million online in January alone (Dean raised $40 million in the whole primary cycle, back in 2003-4). In low-dollar donations (which the FEC considers less than $200), women have power.

During the primary cycle, women made half of the donations to Obama and Hillary (a big first). I don’t have figures for McCain. So how do you get the most bang for your buck when making political and advocacy donations? If you only have $50, do you give to Obama or your Congressional candidate? An environmental or health care PAC or the candidate? I asked some politically savvy women, and here’s what they said. I’m going to apologize in advance: I’m a Democrat, and this piece focuses on Democrats. But most principles apply to the other side too.

Local, Congressional or Presidential?

Giving to the presidential candidate of your choice is exciting and allows you to become involved in a new community. When you give, you often get invited to events and such that non-donors don’t. And even if you think Obama and McCain are awash in cash and don't need yours, trust me, every little bit does help. During the 2004 race, I would sit in front of a screen and hit refresh every minute- I loved the donor who’d put us over the top of our goal at the end of a long day, even if it was only by $25. An especially good time to give is at the end of the fundraising quarter or during a special fundraising drive like a match campaign when every dollar you give is matched- you’ll no doubt get hyperbolic emails from the campaign announcing such events, so keep an eye out.

But giving to your Congressional or Senate candidate, or even your State Rep or Senator has a different kind of meaning. Consultant Tracy Russo, who was John Edwards Online Communications Director, says, “I think regardless of the amount you have to give, you get the most bang for your buck when you give early in the process. It helps the candidate you are supporting get the footing they need to make their race a success.”

Myrna the Minx/aka Tracy Viselli in Nevada says,

“This election cycle, the Obama campaign seems really committed to doing what they can to help candidates up and down the ticket--that's been my experience in Nevada anyway.
However, I have been urging people to contribute to women candidates whose policies match their own issue positions at the local and state level, because we have a historic number of Democratic women running for office in our state and I want to see them all elected. While the national level elections are important, our state budget, infrastructure, and social services are in such a dire state, that our state and local elections are even more important. I also stress that small amounts can make a big difference--national fundraising entities will step in and help out candidates if they have proven fundraising ability. Emily's List and the DCCC Red to Blue program are good examples of this in action. They are helping two of our congressional candidates (Jill Derby and Dina Titus)”.

Nevada could have an all-female Congressional delegation come November!

Personally, I really like to support women candidates, no matter where they are. Joanne Bamberger relayed this comment from Madeline Kunin, Vermont’s former Governor, from Kunin’s chat at firedoglake last week. Kunin replied,

"Fund raising can be a problem. The biggest obstacle for women running for office is not necessarily gender, but whether they are considered a viable candidate. Once I was elected, I had much less trouble raising money to get re-elected.
Women should be encouraged to give money to women candidates and time–one woman was able to run for city council in Pittsfield, MA because a group of women agreed to provide home cooked meals for her family twice a week and drive her kids wherever they needed to go. That made the difference.

Not everyone can run for office, but everyone can help a woman get elected, and ASK her to run. Women, more than men, need to be asked."

This cycle, I’m going to target a few women candidates at several different levels and donate to them. The rest, I’ll give to Obama. For Democrats, ActBlue.com is a great way to find candidates across the country and fundraise for them.

How much should I give?
As much as you want! You can max out to both the candidate and the national or state Party. After the Convention, fundraising switches to the General Election, which means if you've maxed out in the Primary, you can still give. If you want to become a bundler, several Internet tools make it easy to do. my.barackobama.com has a great "friendraising" tool, and McCain has a cool tool that allows you to host events and houseparties.

Obviously, if you have a small amount to donate, you want it to make the biggest impact. There are two ways to do this: donate to a local race, or donate as part of a larger movement. This doesn’t rule out donating to one of the big boys: you can choose to make your donation in response to a news event or email solicitation that really matters to you. You can also respond and donate to your chosen candidate when his or her opponent does something you find abhorrent! Trust me, the campaign will notice.

Joanne/aka Pundit Mom has a fantastic way to donate a small amount of money and make your voice heard in a big way. “I've been trying to do a $27 Political Revolution at PunditMom, and some of the responses I got have been interesting -- people who had never made a donation or were thinking of giving $15 upped their donation to $27. I know these are small amounts -- I think many women don't think about $100 for political giving or have $100 for it.

Meghan Gaffney, and independent fundraising consultant, says,

“I am a fundraising consultant and someone who has worked for committees and campaigns. When it comes to online fundraising, I can tell you that making a small contribution as a part of a larger group really makes an impact. It is much easier for candidates and groups (Political Action Committees (PACs), committees, etc) to understand what you care about when you give as part of a group. For example, giving in response to a solicitation by your local choice group (Planned Parenthood, NARAL) for a candidate sends a message that choice matters to you. Same with giving to a candidate through Emily's List, League of Conservation Voters, Blue America, etc.

"If giving online, I would also be aware that if you are solicited by a PAC or campaign committee for a candidate that PAC may be taking a cut of your contribution-- ie. giving $100 to Joe Smith for Congress through a solicitation by PAC X, Joe might only get $80 and PAC X might get $20. There are a ton of possible scenarios.”

So you have to weigh those options. Another thing to remember is that while contributions to 501C(3) non-profits are tax-deductible, political donations and donations to Political Action Committees are not. Most non-profits have political action divisions, often referred to as C(4)s. Planned Parenthood Federation, for example, is a non-partisan C(3) non-profit, but the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, whose mission is to elect a pro-choice president, is a C(4). So if tax-deductibility or non-partisanship is important to you, make sure and check the small print.

On that note, you may choose to forgo political donations altogether and contribute to your favorite non-profit, or split your giving between a non-profit and an issue-based political action committee. For example, MomsRising.org (a c(4)) does valuable political work but they are not affiliated with a candidate, so if I support increased family leave I might give to them and a PAC like Emily's List that helps get pro-choice women candidates elected. Or I might continue to choose to support my local environmental non-profit but give a little extra to the League of Conservation Voters. Non-profit expert Britt Bravo said, "There are services like Charitynavigator and Guidestar that help you pick the best charity for your cause." Here's a link she sent with helpful resources for giving.

Happy giving!