TL;DR We have launched a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising $7000.
If you have enjoyed any of the content we have made and feel like what we are creating is providing a needed service to Wisconsin this year, we would be so incredibly grateful for any contribution you feel comfortable making. Because as in Wisconsin, where every vote counts, in this campaign every dollar counts.
Since March, As Goes Wisconsin has been completely grassroots. It was just me and my camera making videos in my parent’s house that I thought could help inform Wisconsin in this critically important election year.
As the videos started to gain traction and an audience, I couldn’t afford to hire help because I couldn’t even pay myself. So, I threw together an intern job description and paid the $8 fee to post it on the University of Wisconsin’s job board in the hopes of finding some young people who cared enough about voting to work remotely AND for free.
Lucky for me, there were such young people. Since April, I have had the pleasure of working with eight wonderfully talented, passionate, and funny UW students. You can see them in our Poll Worker Recruitment video and our TikToks. If you’ve seen any of our WTF series on Instagram or Wisconsin Facts on Facebook, you’ve engaged with content they have researched and created.
As Goes Wisconsin would not be what it is if it wasn’t for the work that Hannah, Cassidy, Emma, Shelby, Katie, Karissa, Harrison, and Taylor have put in, for free, for months.
As we hit the final stretch to November 3rd, I am hoping to actually pay them for their time as they balance school and other part-time jobs while continuing to make informative content for As Goes Wisconsin.
Everything we raise here will go to the interns – the more we raise, the more I can pay them and even reimburse them for the hours they have worked since April. If we hit our goal of $7,000, we can afford to pay everyone $10/hour for 10 hours a week from now until the election with potentially a little left for a bonus.
I know there are a lot of worthy causes you can donate your money to right now, so it feels hard to ask for help. But if you have enjoyed any of the content we have made and feel like what we are creating is providing a needed service to Wisconsin this year, we would be so incredibly grateful for any contribution you feel comfortable making. Because as in Wisconsin, where every vote counts; in this campaign every dollar counts.
I am so proud of these eight people and what we have created together in such a short period of time, with so few resources, working entirely remotely, during a pandemic.
-Kristin
