Metro Atlanta Regional Transportation Referendum Fundraising Overview
HB 277 passed in April, 2010 July 31, 2012 election, simple majority 10-year, 1 penny sales tax Georgia divided into 12 regions; regions vote separately Effort in metro Atlanta managed by MAVEN/CTM Other 11 regions managed by GA Chamber of Commerce Metro-Atlanta 10-county region will generate $7.2
billion over 10 years 52% Transit 48% Roads, interchanges, bike/ped, aviation
May 2011 benchmark poll: majority of voters unaware or undecided; balance favor the tax, by small margin.
Overwhelming majority of Atlanta voters agree traffic congestion is a serious problem, and if un-addressed, we will lose jobs, economy will suffer.
Large majority of voters plan their day to avoid congestion.
200,000+ citizens participated in outreach efforts to develop the 157-project list.
Consensus among Governor, Speaker, Mayor Reed, majority of local elected leaders, biz community, 100+ org. coalition
501 (c)(3) MAVEN
$2.0 million budget
Neutral, non-partisan education, research, etc. No limit on contributions Generally tax-deductible
501 (c)(4) CTM $6.8 million budget “Vote Yes” activities, persuasion and advocacy No limit on contributions Not tax-deductible Subject to state campaign disclosure requirements
MAVEN Donors
$2.0m of $2.0m committed
Community Improvement Districts (BIDs) Corporate and family foundations, universities Individuals
CTM Donors $4.2m of $6.8m committed Public and private companies Associations, membership & industry organizations Individuals
Major targets: companies who “get it” (engineering, consulting, construction, real estate, banking, technology, supply chain/logistics, etc.) Finance Committee: peer-to-peer asks, targeting,
triangulation Geometry is important: associations, targeting within industries, special events, connectivity, etc. Seth Godin, author of TRIBES: “best donors are the ones engaged in working toward the mission of the enterprise”
Signature gifts-Set the bar high Special events- Create deadlines Fill up the room- Use peer pressure to your benefit
Start at the top- The $ get smaller as you go down Don’t ask for no’s- Get the right person to ask Don’t get snoozed- Be persistent Water the flowers- Turn your donors into askers
Win.
The ultimate currency of your campaign is VOTES,
not dollars. Use the fundraising effort to secure VOTES, not just dollars. (sell shares)
TransformMetroAtlanta.com AtlantaRegionalRoundtable.com
@TransformATL Transform Metro Atlanta
Dave Williams VP Transportation, Metro Atlanta Chamber
[email protected] 770-846-9000
