David Donnelly, a 25 year+ veteran of leading progressive national and state organizations and campaigns, started Of By For to use his experience to further justice, equity, and structural change-seeking efforts. His background includes managing policy campaigns across multiple states, raising (and spending) seven-figure budgets, drafting national issue strategy plans, and advising and coaching both philanthropic and nonprofit executives. David excels at the intersections of strategy, communications, and fundraising; policy, politics, and power; and where short-term campaigns lead to building long term organizational capacity.
Before working via Of By For with clients from climate justice, democracy policy, academic, and philanthropic backgrounds, David served as the CEO and President of Every Voice, a leading national money in politics reform group for eight years; advised major donors on setting up a collaborative strategy; founded a super PAC to build political power for campaign finance legislation; conducted accountability campaigns on members of Congress; and oversaw or ran policy or political campaigns in three dozen states.
Experienced in:
- Planning, implementing, and managing multi-faceted legislative, issue, communications, ballot, and electoral campaigns in 30 states and nationally
- Analyzing political and legislative power dynamics and strategies/campaigns for changing them, including opposition research and assessment
- Writing and/or editing lengthy reports, concise strategic plans and memos, internal procedural guidelines, etc.
- Setting up campaigns to ground-breaking policies and elections
- Advising major philanthropic donors and institutions on multi-year funding strategies
- Translating broad strategic vision into day-to-day goal-oriented operational work plans
- Developing and overseeing multi-million dollar budgets to meet goals, including multi-market paid communications and multi-state organizing grant programs
- Determining compelling message from values, public opinion surveys, and qualitative research, including data-driven demographic targeting
- Creating and leading earned communications strategies across electronic, print, and online media, including national and progressive outlets
- Holding consultants accountable on large-scale projects
- Avoiding, mitigating, and managing internal and external crises
- Establishing responsive relationships with major funders (individuals, foundations, and institutions) and developing fundraising strategies (including for online campaigns)
- Conducting sensitive political outreach
- Managing and coaching principals
- Supervising direct reports for optimal productivity and purpose
- Building strong and purposeful coalitions with natural and unlikely allies
- Negotiating with partners, adversaries, and interested stakeholders to get to ‘yes’