FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, 04 September 2012
CONTACTS:
Doug Gordon : 202-494-5141 : doug@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Brett Abrams : 516-841-1105 : brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com
National Progressive Organization Joins Fight For Marriage Equality In Washington State
Courage Campaign To Invest In State To Help Washington United For Marriage Ensure Equality Wins Ballot Measure
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – Courage Campaign, a leading national progressive organization with more than 750,000 members nationwide, announced today that it will invest money, staff, volunteers and phone calls to help Washington United for Marriage Equality (WUM) ensure marriage equality wins in Washington this November.
“Our mission is simple—we will not rest until equality is the law of the land,” said Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage Campaign. “This is the civil rights issue of our time and we will be investing major resources in Washington to ensure the historic act of the governor is not overturned. We could not be more thrilled to join with Washington United for Marriage to ensure equality is protected in Washington state.”
Washington took the top spot in a nationwide survey in which Courage Campaign members decided where to invest in marriage equality. The other states in the survey, where measures pertaining to marriage equality are also on the ballot, were Maine, Maryland and Minnesota. Courage Campaign is a member-driven organization in which members are regularly consulted concerning resources and direction.
As the campaign with the most support, Washington United for Marriage will receive a $5,000 direct PAC contribution plus a commitment to raise a minimum of $20,000 in small donations online from Courage Campaign’s national membership, for a total of at least $25,000 in direct contributions. In addition, WUM will receive a total of 50,000 member-to-voter contacts before the election and a commitment to mobilize nationwide volunteers to take action, including travel to get out the vote, as the campaign proceeds. At the direction of Adam Bink, Director of Online Programs for Courage Campaign, Courage Campaign’s online staff will also be “loaned” on a part-time basis to assist the campaign with online mobilization through Election Day. Lastly, the campaign will be invited to a fall benefit fundraiser hosted by Courage Campaign’s Founder and Chair, Rick Jacobs, at his Los Angeles home.
“We’re grateful to the Courage Campaign and its members for deciding to invest big in Washington state and our battle to defend our marriage equality law,” said Washington United for Marriage campaign manager Zach Silk. “Between their robust membership and their campaign staff support, we’re delighted to get a fresh infusion of talent and those all-important campaign dollars as we head into the thick of this election season.”
In 2012, working hand-in-hand with the Campaign to Protect All NC Families, Courage Campaign staff mobilized over 75,000 membership get-out-the-vote phone calls, started the “#Tweet2BeatA1” campaign on Twitter to help raise nearly $43,000 in one day, and raised over $30,000 on ActBlue towards the effort to defeat Amendment One in May, with Courage Campaign members making up one out of every five donors to the campaign on ActBlue. In 2009, Courage Campaign played a lead role to help organize “Maine Blog Team” and the widely lauded “Volunteer Vacation” to defeat Question One in Maine, as well as raised over $75,000 on ActBlue and mobilized hundreds of members to travel to Maine to persuade and get out the vote. In 2008, Courage Campaign raised over $125,000 on ActBlue towards the effort to defeat California’s Prop 8, and produced the viral “Home Invasion” video concerning efforts by Mormon church leadership to pass Prop 8, generating heavy publicity all over California, Nevada and Utah.
In addition to leading the fight to repeal California’s Prop 8, Courage Campaign has been an active advocate for equality nationwide for years, mobilizing members to call for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Courage Campaign also hosts Prop 8 Trial Tracker, a popular blog that tracks court cases around equality nationwide: http://www.prop8trialtracker.com/.
# # # # #
CourageCampaign.org is an online organizing network that empowers more than 750,000 grassroots and netroots activists to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. As a leading multi-issue advocacy organization, Courage Campaign’s work is supported by thousands of small donations from our diverse community.