Sister District is a nonprofit organization, founded and led by women, that works to elect Democratic leaders in state legislatures across the country. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with satellite hubs in various states, Sister District’s volunteer network is a force that works with voters and candidates to ensure enduring progressive power at the state level.
About Sister District
Sister District is an organization founded in 2016 that works to promote democratic leadership in state legislatures across the country. With a volunteer base of 50,000, Sister District has managed to raise over $3.6 million in donations to progressive candidates through canvassing, phonebanking, textbanking, and general fundraising practices.
As a hard-side coordinated organization, where all aspects of its structure, such as staff time and finances, are reported to the government, Sister District is able to work directly with the political candidates they endorse.
Founded and led by women, Sister District is a diverse, active organization that has made strides in progressive advocacy.
Advancing during the pandemic
Prior to the pandemic, Sister District relied on primary in-person practices, as face-to-face interaction with volunteers was seen as more valuable. Despite the preference for in-person structures, Sister District was familiar with virtual communication platforms, and created a virtual hub which provided information for volunteers on how to run virtual events.
Mobilize’s integrated virtual communication features became key components of the transition from in-person to online.
Mobilize & Sister District
Why Mobilize?
Sister District has used Mobilize’s services and technology to support the activities of their organization. Mobilize was chosen by Sister District because of the benefits offered by innovative features and an easy-to-use platform. With regard to organizing efforts, Mobilize offered a seamless process for all involved.
Favored Mobilize features
Mobilize has functioned as a key component of Sister District’s organizational growth. Key features that have been the most beneficial are Cross-Promotion and Mobilize's VAN Integration, which have done away with tedious manual labour functions in organizing practices. With the large amount of organizations that are on the Mobilize, Sister District saw that the cross-promotion feature offered great opportunities for advancement.
The Distributed Organizing feature is another tool that helped Sister District manage the central hub and various satellite volunteer teams around the country. Through the use of this feature, administrators can customize volunteer permission tiers, which regulates the ability to create events, access volunteer data, and submit events with or without approval.
Looking to the future
Sister District plans for the future involve a strong focus on volunteer engagement and recruitment. With ongoing success and a solid existing network, the organization is looking to maintain and grow. In order to ensure advancement, Sister District has taken a hands-on approach to volunteer retention through high levels of communication with new signups.
Sister District’s Message to Volunteers
“Across the nation, state legislatures still matter regardless of Democratic control in the federal government. State Democrats continue to fight battles against Republicans on various pressing issues, such as women’s health protections. It is often an uphill battle, thus, strong efforts at the state level are necessary to make a comprehensive progressive impact.”
- Lyzz Schwegler ~ Co-founder and Director of Communications
