Asking for money is our least favorite part of this work. But it’s necessary to ensure that we don’t leave votes on the table for critical candidates like Roy Cooper, Justice Anita Earls, and more.
With just over 100 days until early voting starts for the 2026 election, every dollar we raise will go directly to funding our highly effective text banking program.
FLIP NC’s text banking program is BY FAR the biggest bang for your buck.
Your one-time or recurring donation will help cover the cost of the texting platform we use to reach left-leaning voters across North Carolina and make sure they have the information and support they need to turn out for Democrats up and down the ballot this fall.
We Know This Works
When we ran this text banking program in 2020 and 2024, our analysis of the results showed that we netted about 5,000 additional votes statewide for Democrats each cycle – even with turnout at a record high during these presidential years. When you consider that Justice Allison Riggs won her election by 734 votes in a race that saw more than 5.5 million votes cast, that’s a pretty staggering contribution.
If fully funded, the total cost of this program is ~$100,000. That’s a mere $20 per added blue voter – a cost-per-vote amount that is second to none. We anticipate that we can have an even greater impact in a midterm election year, when turnout is typically 20 points lower than in a presidential election year.
Imagine it: If you chip in $100 today, you can feel good knowing that you’re helping get at least five blue voters to the polls!
How Our Text Banking Program is Different
You know those texts you get from random candidates or organizations across the country with abstract and desperate messaging about what’s at stake? “Don’t ignore this message!” “What can I say to get you to chip in right now?” Our texts aren’t that.
In fact, our text banking program is pretty novel – so much so that we partnered with Vote Save America (VSA) on a presentation about our program to help VSA partners improve their own text banking programs in other states.
One thing that makes this program unique is that we do not ask voters for anything – not to support specific candidates or even to vote. We simply provide information about how and where to vote, answer voters’ questions, and help them overcome any barriers they face to voting (like needing a ride to the polls or a photo ID).
But while our text messages are non-partisan – covering the information voters need to successfully cast a ballot – our targeting isn’t. For this program, we text left-leaning, lower-propensity (less frequent) voters first during early voting and again the day before Election Day if they haven’t yet voted. We each voter a link to their county’s early voting information and include specific local voting information directly in the text (e.g., hours, number of early voting sites).
Here’s what our initial text looked like in 2024. Let’s use voter John in Orange County as an example:
Hi, John! It’s Andrea w/FLIP NC! Early voting starts this Thursday. You can vote at any of the 6 early voting sites in Orange County from Oct. 17 to Nov. 2 (inc. weekends). Here’s a link to all the sites and times: [LINK]. Do you have any questions about how or where to vote or about the photo ID requirements?
Many voters respond with questions about how or where to vote, like:
“What is the photo ID requirement?”
“My wife recently changed her last name. Should she bring both her old ID with her maiden name and her new ID with her married name?”
“How do I get an absentee ballot?”
“Can I vote at any early voting location, no matter my zip code, in Mecklenburg County?”
“Where can I find more information on the people I’m voting for?”
“Is it too late to order an absentee ballot?”
We also got a ton of positive responses from voters:
“I voted today because of your text!”
“Thanks – I did not know I could vote early.”
“This is the first political text I didn’t mind receiving. Thank you!”
“Finally, I got a text that was helpful – instead of just soliciting money!”
One reason our cost per vote is so low is that, as an all-volunteer organization, we have ZERO people costs. But FLIP NC’s leadership team and well-trained “super volunteers” are equipped with the information needed to serve as a personal voting concierge to each voter, replying to questions about acceptable forms of photo ID, voting options while traveling out of state, arranging rides to the polls, determining the closest early voting location, and more.
Volunteers also monitor text conversations with voters until after the polls close, as we continue to receive questions or comments days or even weeks after the initial text exchange.
In 2024, we sent text messages to more than 1 million left-leaning voters statewide, funded primarily by small-dollar donations from everyday people. In 2024, the average donor gave between $50 and $200. Help us replicate this effective effort in 2026!
We don’t have big institutional donors. We don’t get money from PACs. Everything we’re able to do to turn out left-leaning voters in North Carolina is because people like you contribute what you can. And we know from past years’ analysis that if we don’t fund this program, we’ll leave a lot of votes on the table in 2026. So we’re asking for your help.
Please consider donating today (the election is just around the corner!). Thank you for helping us FLIP NC blue!