My name is Matt Adler and I'm a student at Washington University in St. Louis recently elected to be the sole male Barack Obama pledged delegate from Missouri's fightin' 3rd CD. I ran to give youth voters a voice in the process, and am excited to see that the work my friends and I put in sending out letters, making phonecalls, and leafleting the caucus convinced other delegates that we deserve a seat at the table! I'm working with other young delegates and elected officials to make the convention a launching point for a movement to get more young people elected to office. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capitalize on this election's incredibly energy and organize a new generation of progressive leaders. But I need your creativity to get there!
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I believe in the power of grassroots organizing. That is why on caucus day, I organized 15 Wash U students to help me leaflet the other delegates. Up against far more established players such as the former Mayor of Clayton and the Chair of the St. Louis Democratic Party, I had to make the case just like Obama: I'm not the most experienced candidate, but I represent the voices of youth voters coming out in record numbers this election season to energize our party and put Barack in the White House!
Now that I've been elected, how can I apply these grassroots strategies to my fundraising? According to estimates from other delegates, my trip to Denver is likely going to cost over $1000 due to the fact that hotels raise their rates tremendously for the convention. I have looked into crashing at someone's apartment, but after having talked to people in Denver and from Missouri, they have suggested I stay at the hotel with the Missouri delegation. This affords me free meals with the rest of the group as well as free and constant transportation to the convention center (there are shuttles). They have told me that staying outside of the hotel would cost me tons of money in cab fares, make me miss out on building relationships with the rest of my delegation on behalf of youth voters in my state, and make it much more difficult to run an effective workshop on getting young people elected. As a soon-to-be college grad, I want to make this trip as affordable and successful as possible. I need to raise funds to get to Denver so I can represent youth voters' voices and jumpstart the movement to get more young people elected!
How can I raise this money to represent us at the Democratic National Convention? To clarify, I am not soliciting donations, I am asking for your ideas on how to fundraise! I am new to the political process and don't have much experience raising funds but want to do it in an ethical, inclusive, and effective way. Please be respectful of the fact that I spent the time to write this diary because I believe in progressive politics and the exchange of ideas. I want your advice, please share it!