Democratic fundraiser ActBlue lays off portion of staff

ActBlue, the Democratic online fundraising clearinghouse, laid off roughly 17 percent of its staff on Monday as part of what the nonprofit said was a “restructuring” that would help ensure its “long-term financial sustainability.”

Exactly how many employees were affected by the layoffs is unclear, but both union and nonunion staff were included in the move. In a separate statement, the ActBlue Union said that 54 workers had been let go in the restructuring, including 32 union members.

ActBlue’s President and CEO Regina Wallace-Jones cast the decision as necessary to control costs and streamline operations ahead of the 2024 election cycle. The nonprofit said that the staff reductions would “mainly take place on the non-technical side” and would allow the organization to hire some “technical and specialized roles.”

“We have seen strong fundraising for Democrats and progressives across the country over the past two cycles, and we very much expect that strong fundraising to continue,” Wallace-Jones said. “But we need to ensure we are serving our users as sustainably and effectively as possible during the 2024 cycle and beyond.” 

“The center of our work is providing a technology platform for campaigns, organizations, and donors to drive change, and we are looking to focus our efforts on innovating and expanding our product while also controlling our costs.”

Both union and non-union staff affected by the layoffs will receive eight weeks of severance pay and benefits, as well as “opt-in opportunities to have their contact information shared with prospective employers in the space,” ActBlue said in a statement.

The ActBlue Union said that the layoffs were intended to address the nonprofit’s “long-term budget deficit for the 2023-2024 cycle,” and that it had proposed a handful of alternatives to stop or mitigate the staff reductions, including freezing cost of labor raises and reducing pay at the executive level. 

Ultimately, ActBlue’s leadership declined the proposals, the union said.