We need to raise $7,500 before the end of the year
As we head into the final weeks of 2024, our Progressive Party leadership team is assessing all we accomplished over the past year and all we need to do in 2025 to grow our movement in communities across Vermont.
One of the most important pieces of this process is approving our budget and ensuring that we have the finances to fund our movement for the coming year. To begin 2025 on a relatively healthy footing, we are working to raise $7,500 during our end of year fundraising drive. If that’s all you need to hear, please contribute whatever you can right now to support our end of year fundraising drive. Read on to learn more about our budget and what it means for our ability to move our agenda forward next year.
Few people realize how little funding the VPP has to organize across Vermont, run our elections program, support our elected officials, and advocate for the issues we care about. Here are a few quick facts about our budget.
The total budget for the Progressive Party in 2024 was $119,507.52 (about 10k per month)
Our largest expenses are for our full-time Executive Director position and half-time Member Organizer position ($7,316.44 per month), our database infrastructure ($1,250 per month), and our office space ($350 per month).
These expenses make up nearly 90% of our budget.
The VPP brings in $5,010.25 in recurring monthly donations from 148 donors averaging $33.85 per donation.
We need to raise on average $5,000 in additional donations every month to fund our budget.
Absolutely none of the money we raise comes from corporations, business, or corporate PACs.
As you can see, our movement is funded on a shoestring budget, and we are always out raised and outspent by the two other parties. Here are two examples:
John Rodgers spent over twice our annual budget ($266,941.70) in just 3 months to unseat Lt. Governor David Zuckerman.
Joan Shannon’s campaign for Mayor of Burlington spent more than our annual statewide budget ($125,307.73) in just 3 months for a single campaign in the City of Burlington.
Both of these candidates accepted huge sums of money from Vermont’s corporate and business elite.
In 2025 we will need to raise 120k to fund our shoestring budget. If we do this, we will be able to maintain 1.5 staffers, a database, and our office space. If we are able to raise $7,500 in additional one time donations and new monthly donations this month, we will start the year off with about 20k in the bank, and would feel decent about meeting our budget in 2025. If we fall short, we will need to have some tough conversations about what we need to scale back and cut from our budget next year.
We know that the money and resources we are able to commit to organize our movement has a massive impact on our ability to move our agenda forward. Last year we invested a huge amount of money in our new half time member organizer position and database. That investment allowed us to organize more events, provide greater support to candidates like Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, and recruit more members to our movement than we have in years (stay tuned for a full list of 2024 highlights).
At a time like this - when everything we hold dear is on the line - we need to continue to fund our fight for economic, social, and environmental justice. Please join us in supporting our end of year fundraising drive so we can continue the fight in 2025 and beyond.
In solidarity,
Josh Wronski
Director, Vermont Progressive Party
