A Little Help From My Friends . . .

I'd like to try a little experiment here . . .

Earlier this year, I joined the board of the Young Voter PAC, an organization that has long been an advocate for young people in politics and a great friend to Future Majority.

The Young Voter PAC works to make sure that politicians pay attention to the youth vote and that young voters have a voice in the process. In non-PR-speak, that means that they teach candidates and campaigns best practices for reaching out to young voters, work with state parties on young voter outreach, and reward candidates who demonstrate a commitment to young voters. In the past, they have supported Scott Kleeb, Jon Tester, Patrick Murphy, Darcy Burner, Lois Murphy, Harry Mitchell, Patricia Madrid and many others.

The Young Voter PAC does more than just cut checks to candidates. They also work tirelessly behind the scenes to advocate for young people in the Democratic Party. This year alone, YVP supported Iowa students through scholarships to cover travel costs for college students returning to Iowa to participate in the caucuses, and they pushed back hard against the Clinton campaign for suggesting that Iowa students be disenfranchised. They've helped bring big-name candidates like Jared Polis and Scott Kleeb here to Future Majority, for our live-blogging sessions, and in partnership with Future Majority, Living Liberally and others, YVP is organizing young voter events at Netroots Nation and the Democratic Convention.

I've set a personal goal of finding 50 people to support the work of Young Voter PAC. I don't care how much we raise - that's not really important. Most youth organizing is supported by large checks cut by a very small cadre of donors. That is hugely problematic, and it's a situation disliked by both organizers, who fear their funding may disappear on a whim, and the donors, who would like youth organizations to become self sustaining.

The only way out of this bind is for youth organizations to cultivate small and mid-level donor bases. That's why the number of donors - not the amount raised - is so important. It will show major donors that the Young Voter PAC can attract small donors, making it more attractive as an investment for them and hopefully move it on the path to self-sustainability. So please, give whatever you can, no matter how small. Your voice, and your participation, are more important than the amount you can contribute.

We want politicians to pay attention to young people, and we want young people to have a voice in campaigns. Young Voter PAC is one way to change the faces of elections: who participates and who wins. Your support can help do that. It's time we make an investment in the people who represent us in Democratic politics.