In politics, early money is like yeast — so raise $500k fast and suddenly everyone will want to help! Because that first burst of momentum is everything: it unlocks big political moves, fuels rapid growth, and creates job that pay $50/hour to make Democratic work fun again!
I’ve spent 16 years raising hundreds of millions of dollars for Democrats — from billionaires maxing out to everyday Americans scraping together $5 — but the next frontier is obvious: raising unlimited contributions into political action committees. Because let’s be real — in 2025, the only people with money to spare are the millionaires and billionaires. So let's convince millionaires and billionaires to drop $50k, $500k, or whatever they can afford to contribute to create $50/hour jobs and save democracy.
By Mike Reid | August 2025
Ok. Look.
$500k is a lot of money.
But it’s also….not.
Because Democratic PACs raise billions every cycle.
And over the last sixteen years, I’ve personally raised hundreds of millions for Democrats.
And also because Bernie Sanders is right: The top 1% of millionaires and billionaires have literally trillions of dollars just sitting there in bank accounts that they could use to make ActBlue contributions to PACs that can accept up to $500k via ActBlue (or unlimited sums of money via check or bank transfer).
But the real puzzle isn’t how to raise $500k just once — it’s how to build a model that can raise $500k quickly and painlessly — and a model that works for something new and untested.
Because funding new and untested ideas is obviously a much better idea than funding tired ideas that have no hope of actually working.
But raising for new and untested ideas is much harder.
So here’s the plan: A flood of new political ideas that are so good that millionaires and billionaires will have no choice but to help fund them — ideas like an endless supply of $50/hour jobs.
But how exactly do we raise $500k quickly for new political ideas?
Well, to my fellow Democratic fundraisers, digital strategists, and press gurus: Let’s do it by putting the fun back into fundraising!
Let’s meet up IRL, in exciting and unexpected locations, for deep work sessions that raise serious money fast.
Let’s create a Fundraising War Room model — and when we’re in the War Room, we’re 100% locked in on one thing: raising money extremely quickly from millionaires and billionaires, who we will happily make the heroes of our story (assuming they donate).
Let’s combine every skill we’ve got to create an endless stream of bold digital content — content that pitches fresh political ideas, fuels a constant growing supply of $50/hour jobs, and resonates with the millionaires and billionaires who will fund the jobs.
Fundraising War Room
Raise $500k to launch something brand new
Earn $50/hour (while in the War Room)
(Plus travel, food, accommodations)
Picture this: free travel, free food, free accommodations — for days or even weeks at a time. Imagine barely spending a dime on living expenses while you’re visiting a War Room.
Picture walking into a Fundraising War Room (and maybe there are even multiple War Rooms set up at the particular location, each one focused on a different project) and feeling the electric energy.
The mission is clear: raise $500,000 — as fast as possible.
And participants earn $50/hour while in the War Room.
Spend 20 hours in the War Room and walk away with $1,000.
Put in 200 hours and you’ve earned $10,000 — all while creating $50/hour jobs for others and launching something totally new.
And when you’re not in the War Room?
You get to explore. Soak in the vibe, enjoy the adventure — because yes, fundraising can be intense, but you’re not chained to the room every hour of every day.
And who knows? You might discover that you're having so much fun raising money that you want to become a VIP Fundraiser.
VIP Fundraiser
Liaise with millionaires and billionaires
Work from anywhere and travel when needed
$5,000/month and 10% of what you raise
Yes — this is a brand new approach to political fundraising.
But every game‑changing tactic in politics was new once.
Somebody had to set up the first call time room. Somebody had to send the first fundraising email with "hey" as the subject line.
And guess what? Those strategies worked — until they didn’t.
Now they’re stale.
And we can do better.
So let’s do it!
Let’s pioneer a new way to raise a PAC's first $500k — faster, bolder, and built for the urgent political moment we’re in right now.