Politicians Are Trying a New Fundraising Approach: Honesty
- Candidates try to overcome donor fatigue by leveling with them
- Frantic tone, frequency of emails for cash turn off recipients
Tim Scott
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
A major fundraising deadline this week has campaigns flooding supporters’ inboxes with frantic appeals for cash and some candidates trying a new tactic to stand out — transparency.
The heavy use of email fundraising, which helped campaigns such as former President Donald Trump’s reach grassroots supporters, has become a less effective approach for raising money as weary donors ignore repeated email blasts warning of dire consequences if they don’t give.