About ActBlue

Our Mission

ActBlue is a Federal PAC that enables anyone — individuals, local groups, and national organizations — to fundraise for the Democratic candidates of their choice.

Launched in June 2004, ActBlue created and deployed the next generation of online fundraising technology, and has raised over $44 million for Democratic candidates and committees.

Previously, only the most well-funded and technologically-savvy groups have employed these powerful fundraising methods. But with ActBlue, groups and individuals need only choose their candidates and make their solicitations.

By providing all the technical, financial, and compliance systems, ActBlue enables every progressive organization and individual to make the most of their networks - rapidly raising otherwise untapped millions for Democrats in the closest races.

Want to join in? Learn how to ActBlue.


ActBlue in the Press

For press inquiries, write to press@actblue.com.

For press inquiries or a press kit, please e-mail press@actblue.com


The ActBlue Team

Staff

Jonathan Zucker, Executive Director, spent the 2004 election cycle with the Democratic National Committee, where he served as National Director of Operations for Finance, overseeing technology, legal, compliance, vetting, and data-management for the DNC's $100 million major-donor program. Prior to the DNC, Jonathan worked with a wide variety of progressive and Democratic organizations as a fundraiser, legal counsel, and field organizer, including The Interfaith Alliance, Human Rights Campaign, GenderPAC, and the Democratic Leadership Council. Jonathan holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale and a J.D. from Georgetown.

Erin Hill, Political Director, has worked in the Massachusetts State House, on Capitol Hill, and the Democratic National Headquarters in fundraising, operations, and legislative research. In the 2004 cycle, Hill served on the finance staffs of the Kerry-Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College with a degree in English literature and a concentration in Public Policy Studies.

Marissa Doran, Director of Strategy and Communications, joins ActBlue after returning from England, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. At Oxford, her work focused on the ways in which political actors argue about crisis and change, from franchise expansion in the United States to violent struggle in East Africa. She received the Terence Ranger dissertation prize for her work on the ‘Mchape’ crisis in Malawi at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Marissa has lived and worked on four continents, and for the Supreme Court of the United States, the Boston Consulting Group, and three Democratic campaigns. A Truman Scholar, she has done extensive work in public service, particularly in the realm of energy sustainability. Marissa holds a B.A., cum laude, in History from Williams College, where she held the Ruchman Fellowship, and an M.St. in Modern History and an M.Sc. in African Studies, both with distinction, from Oxford University.

Steven Gold, Staff Counsel, comes to ActBlue with five years’ experience as in-house counsel for the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, a national non-profit organization, and for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. He has extensive experience in a wide variety of legal disciplines, from campaign finance law to fair lending law to civil and criminal litigation. Steven previously advised on the formation of a separate segregated fund established by a non-profit organization with tens of thousands of members. Most recently, he was trained in mediation and now acts as a volunteer mediator resolving disputes in district courts in his spare time. Steven received a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Julia Hoffman, Finance Director, spent the 2006 cycle and the first half of the 2008 cycle as a political fundraiser in Washington, DC, serving most recently as a fundraising consultant for the campaigns of Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Congressman Ron Klein (D-FL), and earlier as Deputy National Finance Director for Senator Debbie Stabenow's (D-MI) re-election campaign. In addition to her work in finance, Julia has worked at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where she helped to implement a political campaign practicum that trains Kennedy School students to run for public office, and for Barbara Lee and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, assisting in the production of Revolutionary Women Boston 2004, a 3,000-person event to promote women's political leadership during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Julia graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science.

Nate Thames, Technology Director and Deputy Political Director, served as the Deputy Finance Director for Congressman Dennis Moore (D-KS), where he was responsible for online fundraising strategy and major events. During the 2004 cycle, Nate worked for the Kansas Coordinated Campaign field program, and later served as Technology Director and Vice President of the KU Young Democrats. Nate graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Adrian Arroyo, Political Coordinator, New England & the South joins ActBlue after working as a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Threat Analysis and Response (ISTAR) at the University of Pennsylvania. While there, he helped design a novel governance framework to address policy and coordination failures in the field of international public health that received recognition from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and other international bodies. As a liaison between ISTAR and Philadelphia's Emergency Preparedness Review Committee, Adrian coordinated University involvement in Philadelphia's audacious examination of its emergency and disaster response capabilities. Adrian graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Political Science.

Clare Diegel, Communications Associate comes to ActBlue after working in a law firm that specialized in employment litigation. She has worked on both sides of the political aisle and in the public and private sectors in Washington, D.C., Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Clare graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied Journalism and Political Science, and produced, directed and choreographed a series of musicals that raised money for children with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Clare's journalistic work has been published in numerous publications, and she is the former host of an internet radio show called, "Things You Should Know" on cyberstationusa.

Christine Khaikin, Political Coordinator, Western Region joined ActBlue after working for the Alzheimer’s Association, where she was instrumental in coordinating fundraising and teambuilding efforts for the Massachusetts Memory Walk. In addition to her work for the Association, Christine served as a finance assistant for a U.S. Senate campaign. Christine graduated from Emerson College with degrees in Political Communications and Media Studies. While at Emerson, Christine was active in the Communication, Politics & Law Association and founded the campus political journal Filibuster.

Darci Larsen, Political Coordinator, Heart of America comes to ActBlue with diverse experience in Utah politics, having served, among others, as Media Director for the Burridge for Congress campaign in Utah’s Third Congressional District, on Ralph Becker’s victorious mayoral campaign in Salt Lake City, and as an organizer for Christopher Stowe’s bid for Provo City Council in 2007. In addition to her work on campaigns, Darci has lobbied before the Utah legislature on behalf of EnergySolutions, served on the board of the Utah Stonewall Democrats and as the Membership co-chair of Utah's Human Rights Campaign subcommittee, and interned on the Hill for Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. A New Organizing Institute-trained organizer, Darci graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Brigham Young University.

Nichole Paulding, Office Manager, brings a wealth of organizational experience to ActBlue. Among others, she has worked at the Institute for Training and Development, where she provided program support for eleven international exchange and educational programs for participants from over thirty countries. In addition to her work at ITD, Nichole has worked for the MIT Alumni Association Reunions and Events Team, the Glastonbury, CT, Town Clerk's Office, and HALT, an organization of Americans for Legal Reform. Nichole is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College, where she majored in History and French.

Jessica Somerhausen, Political Coordinator, Great Lakes & Mid-Atlantic Region joined ActBlue after completing her service with AmeriCorps, where she worked as a Development VISTA for the education nonprofit Jumpstart for Young Children. Jessica brings to ActBlue a specialized background in grassroots and traditional fundraising, outreach, and research, developed both at Jumpstart and at the Florida PIRG, where she served as Field Manager. Before entering politics, Jessica worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor's Institute for Social Research and the Political Science Department, and as a Teaching Assistant for a UM Liberal Arts program. She holds dual degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Michigan.



Board of Directors

Benjamin Rahn, Co-Founder and Chair, went on leave from a Ph.D. program in theoretical physics to found ActBlue with Matt DeBergalis in 2004. Before entering politics, Ben was an NSF graduate fellow at Caltech. His work on multi-scale physics has been published in Physics Review A and been presented in conferences around the country, and he received a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad. Ben has served as Assistant Director of MIT's Research Science Institute, a program for high-school students that has produced more Intel/Westinghouse Science Talent Search finalists than any other organization in the country. In addition to his work with ActBlue, Ben is currently the Resident Physics Tutor at Harvard's Pforzheimer House, where he aids Harvard undergraduates in navigating personal and academic challenges and builds the House's intellectual and social community. Ben holds a B.A. from Harvard College.

Matt DeBergalis, Co-Founder and Treasurer, founded ActBlue in 2004 with Ben Rahn to leverage passionate activists and bloggers as the most effective political evangelists in their communities on- and off-line. Recently featured in the New York Times for his innovative political work, Matt manages ActBlue's core technology infrastructure. Prior to building ActBlue, Matt was narrowly defeated in his 2003 run for Cambridge City Council, stunning the city's politicians with his unprecedented success at bringing over one thousand new voters to the polls. Matt graduated from MIT with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in computer science.

Erin Hill

Marc Laitin is a founder and principal of Wired for Change, an online campaign consultancy serving progressive clients. During the 2004 election cycle Marc founded Run Against Bush (now Start Change PAC) and ran the successful Stop Sinclair media advocacy campaign. Previously Marc taught economics and public policy at a Washington, DC public charter school. Marc holds a B.A. from Harvard College.

Jeremy Woodburn is an intellectual property and business lawyer working with both publicly-funded and venture-backed companies in the San Francisco Bay area. His most recent prior position was Vice President of Business Development at a venture-backed technology startup. Before that, Jeremy worked as an attorney in the Technology Transactions practice of Fenwick & West LLP. Jeremy holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Brandeis University.

Jonathan Zucker



We're always looking for great people to join our team. If you're interested in a volunteer or staff position, please let us know. Resumes are always helpful, but not required. Please specify what sorts of work you would most enjoy.