My name is Tim Lim and I'm running for DNC National Finance Chair. I’m running because the Democratic Party brand is broken–we are wrongfully perceived as the party of elites and only looking out for the most wealthy. Voters and grassroots donors are feeling deceived and neglected. If we expect to gain back the trust of the people, we have to change the way we have been doing things. And that means taking a hard look at our broken fundraising approach.
Our current DNC Finance Chair said that we should stop demonizing rich people and that they pay their fair share of taxes. That's exactly the type of talk that makes people think we are not fighting for them. We need leadership in our party that embodies our populist values and that leaves no doubt in the minds of the American electorate that the Democratic Party is solidly on THEIR side.
Most of our fundraising within the National Finance Committee is driven by events with principals with the motivation being access. We’re not creating communities, we’re creating rope lines. I know this firsthand. I’m that guy who has bundled and raised to get on the National Finance Committee, who then complained about not getting invites to the White House. And then I realized that our fundraising system was broken. Yes, it’s nice to be recognized for raising money, and that’s fairly easy to do with some party invites and merchandise. But we shouldn’t have a fundraising system that only caters to the biggest donors and shuts out everyone else. That’s not the Democratic Party I want to have.
About Me
I am a lifelong Democratic activist who has been active in the Democratic Party since I was in high school as the founder of the Riverside County Young Democrats and as the National Secretary of the College Democrats of America. As a first generation Korean American, I believe that the Democratic Party leadership should have more AAPI representation. I started working on political campaigns as a New Hampshire field organizer for Governor Howard Dean's presidential campaign and have since worked/volunteered on numerous presidential, Senate, House, statewide and local campaigns. I currently live in Bethesda, MD with my wife Jennifer and our children Penny, Timmy, and Vivienne plus our dog baby Pamela.
Fundraising Experience
I have been fundraising for Democratic campaigns and causes for the last twenty years. I have raised millions of dollars for Democratic candidates and progressive causes. I have served on the National Finance Committee of the last four presidential campaigns. I currently serve as the Board Treasurer for Run for Something and Fund for States, as well as serving on the boards of the Resilient Democracy Fund and Informing Democracy. I have raised for federal, statewide, and local candidates all across the country, including Senator Andy Kim, Senator Angela Alsobrooks, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, gubernatorial candidates, statewide down ballot candidates, and local candidates. I also have extensive experience in online fundraising and have been working to sync the two approaches. I believe that investing in all aspects of the Democratic Party, from the local level all the way to the presidential. We can’t neglect any part.
Main Issues
As National Finance Chair, I would focus on the following issues:
Bring Transparency to the Fundraising and Budgeting: DNC members should have an opportunity to see budget numbers. I serve as the Board Treasurer for Run for Something and Fund for States and presenting budget/fundraising numbers is a normal requirement. We shouldn't have fewer expectations for the DNC than we do for progressive non-profit organizations.
Tackle ScamPACs and SMS Harassment: ScamPACs and SMS harassment have become a significant problem. These scampacs make it impossible for us to communicate with voters and potential low-dollar donors who simply no longer trust our e-mails and text messages. Legitimate Democratic campaign communications go unread or deleted immediately, meaning good organizations and campaigns that do the right thing are harmed by these underhanded practices. As Finance Chair, I would work with DNC members, state party chairs, and other affiliated organizations to identify scampacs and their enablers (i.e. platforms, operatives, etc.) and call them out directly, even working to deplatform them if necessary. I would also propose a task force consisting of internal DNC stakeholders, industry leaders, and elected officials to review current fundraising practices and develop shareable best practices.
Develop Finance Committees within States: We are too reliant on events with principals, which limits our fundraising presence in most of the country. We need to invest in and create finance committee presences in all of the country, not just the major cities. As Finance Chair, I will lower the barrier to entry to the national finance committee, share NFC lists with state parties, increase the impact of joint fundraising agreements with state parties, and create regional and state finance committees.
Bring Grassroots Fundraising and the NFC Under One Roof: Most of our fundraising efforts are invested in our digital, SMS, and grassroots fundraising system -- yet there’s no integration with our bundling program. I want to bring the National Finance Committee and the grassroots fundraising programs under one roof. There’s no reason to keep the programs siloed and synching the efforts would bring efficiency and bigger gains.
Invest in the Next Generation of Raisers: I was one of the founders of Gen44, the young professional community of raisers for President Obama’s re-election campaign. Gen44 invested and grew many of the current raisers that are on the National Finance Committee today. But after the 2012 cycle, we stopped investing in the next generation of raisers. With young leaders able to donate more than ever before, we should be identifying and bringing in the next generation of raisers to the party. I would bring back the young professional fundraising program and make sure that it is a priority to grow the next generation of raisers.
Reform the Raiser Code System: Our current system of attribution and raiser codes needs to be reformed. Currently, bundlers get credit for what other bundlers raise if they can claim them in the system or if they are the chair of an event. We should be investigating and experimenting with different types of incentive structures that will bring more raisers into the fold and incentivize year round fundraising.
Thank you for the opportunity to present myself and my vision for National Finance Chair.
I am happy to chat on the phone anytime to discuss my experience and my thoughts on how we can build a better Democratic Party together. You can email me at lim.tim@gmail.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
