The Unicorns of Politics:

Why Black Fundraisers Need a Seat at the Table

My senior year at the University of Maryland, I noticed an internship posting for a “finance intern” at a Democratic “consulting firm” on Capitol Hill. I thought to myself, “Political consulting? What does that even mean?”

I tried to look them up online but had no luck. I had no idea what this firm actually did. I eventually sent someone there an email asking for more information and sat down for coffee with a black woman at the firm who exposed me to the world of political fundraising.

The job of a political fundraiser is to raise her candidate as much money as possible to ensure the campaign is stacked with resources. Money is raised from constituents, large donors, political action committees, labor unions and sometimes other elected officials. The job of a fundraiser is extremely important; she is responsible for building not only a financial war chest but also coalitions and clout for a campaign.

Learning about this field fascinated me. A conversation over coffee turned into a professional connection that landed me an internship at this firm. It was during that experience that I got a behind-the-scenes look into politics. Here I was, a senior in college networking with members of Congress, lobbyists and other politicos that were willing to help me advance my career. I decided that I would pursue this route in politics, and that internship turned into my first job out of college.

Now there is no doubt in my mind that I ever would have thought about entering the world of political fundraising without being introduced by a black woman. Not only is political fundraising a lesser known part of politics, but there is also a scarcity of black people in the industry to welcome and invite young black politicos into the fold.

I was lucky that my first job was extremely diverse, with plenty of other young black professionals trying to get their foot in the door to lean on. Still, I was reminded daily that political fundraising remains a broadly untapped area for black people, especially black women.

Whether it was being the only black woman at a networking event or receiving surprised looks when meeting funders in person, I knew early — black fundraisers are the unicorns of politics.

While there is no research that explores the lack of racially marginalized people in political fundraising, Democrats have largely fallen short in hiring black strategists. This was brought to attention in 2007 and then again in 2015, when Politico released an article regarding House Democrats’ biggest complaint — “the need to hire more minority consultants.”

The complaint was brought in large part by U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson (MS-02), a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus. He expressed that there was not enough being done by the party to recognize the loyalty of its members of color. That same year, PowerPAC+, a Democratic group, released a report indicating that the party spent less than two percent of all expenses on outside vendors during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles on firms owned by people of color. Thankfully, under the leadership of U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján at the DCCC, there are specific goals being met, such as building out a diverse vendors database, to ensure the vision of the party is diverse and the party is taking strides to live up to its mission of diversity.

I soon began to realize not only the impact I was having as a fundraiser but also how vital it was for me to have a seat at the table. Fundraising for members of the Congressional Black Caucus exposed me to black funders who were spending their dollars on social change and building black political power. While a majority of black givers are spending their money on philanthropy, I found out firsthand that black givers are also interested in political giving. It’s up to fundraisers like me to tap into that network and organize, raise money and facilitate these transactions.

Devoting efforts to ensuring black women have equal opportunity in elected office is complex; there are countless systemic obstacles that they face, and ultimately there is a great need for us to channel more support for black women in politics. Financial resources are one of the greatest barriers, which is why it’s so important for black people to have a larger role in the financial success of a campaign — as both fundraisers and donors.

My message to black women is to put your money where your mouth is; raise money for black female candidates, and become experts at it. I commend organizations such as Collective PAC and Higher Heights for funding black campaigns, building out fundraising trainings and making progress to build black political power.

My sincere hope is that Democrats not only recognize this but also act upon it. It’s time to break with longstanding practices, seek black talent and lift more women of color into political fundraising for the sake of the party. Black women are strategists, finance directors, campaign managers and chiefs of staff. Black women have earned this right and recognition in the Democratic party.