Zeffy Proves a Valuable Tool for the Jefferson County Democrats

The Jefferson County Democrats of Washington are a County-level political party working tirelessly to elect strong Democratic candidates, educate citizens on important political issues, and encourage voter participation and fair voting practices. Their grassroots organization is made up of dedicated volunteers, and their impactful work is dependent on the generosity of their supporters. 

“Our purpose is to elect to Democratic candidates who embody, support, and promote the platform of the JCD, and to support them while in office as they act to improve the well-being of the citizens of Jefferson County.” -Lora De La Portilla, Chair

Background

The Jefferson County Democrats have existed for many years, operating as a local party organization. They serve the towns and rural areas of Jefferson County, from Port Ludlow to Kalaloch, and everything in between. Party members include people from all backgrounds, from boat builders and artists, to nonprofit staff and construction workers. Members gather for informative programs, candidate forums, community events, and fundraisers.

In 2018, the Jefferson County Democrats began using Stripe to accept donations and process membership fees.  But when the managing volunteer left and the Treasurer, Deborah, was tasked with taking over, she found Stripe challenging to learn. The donor information Stripe retained was limited to email addresses, and Deborah had to create multiple spreadsheet databases as a workaround. 

Ideally, she wanted an affordable, centralized platform. She’d used Brown Paper Tickets in the past, but the fees amounted to almost 20 percent of their membership revenue. She’d also tried Act Blue for accepting donations, but was disappointed there was no option for annual contributions–recurring donations were limited to a monthly and quarterly basis. 

When the Jefferson County Democrats updated their website in 2023, Deborah found their new website builder was incompatible with Stripe and their spreadsheet formats. The team was finally forced to make a change. 

One day, when Deborah was making a charitable contribution to the Northwest Progressive Institute, she noticed Zeffy’s logo on the contribution page. Curious, she contacted the Institute to learn more about their experience.

"I got curious and reached out to the campaign. They quickly clued me in on how great Zeffy is." -Deborah Petersen, Treasurer

Encouraged by their positive words, the JCD decided to use Zeffy for the next Jefferson County Democrats fundraising event. As soon as they made the switch, they were pleasantly surprised by how simple and intuitive Zeffy was to learn – plus, Zeffy is 100% free! 

“I found to my delight that Zeffy didn't require web developer skills.  It was intuitive to set up the forms and customize them. Whenever I needed help I used the AI chat feature and was surprised to get instant results.” -Deborah Petersen, Treasurer

Since moving their fundraising to Zeffy, the Jefferson County Democrats have raised an impressive $25,350. They’ve also saved a significant $1,268 in processing fees. Every dollar saved goes towards advancing the Party's democratic values. The team continues working urgently to address the political issues of the moment.

Deborah has also attended valuable, free Zeffy training sessions, which have helped her get the most from her new platform. She feels confident training volunteers to use Zeffy – much more confident, she says, than she felt with Stripe. With a little help from Zeffy, The Jefferson County Democrats look forward to hosting their annual Summer Fundraiser in the coming months, with Zeffy as their payment processing partner.

"We didn't know how effective Zeffy would be, but since signing on, it's been a great experience. Not only does Zeffy save us on fees, it’s made it far easier to manage information on our members and fundraiser attendees. Zeffy is a pleasure to use." -Lora De La Portilla, Chairperson