Dear friends,

It is peak August, and summer is flying by. At Avalon, this is a lively time with lots of energy and goodwill from vacations, time together at conferences, and shared success. I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer, but I am beginning to feel excited for the season ahead.

At the same time, I am concerned about the impact of the election. Fundraising should be fine, but we may see mail and caging delays—and the country will be incredibly distracted as this election sorts out. Things kicked into high gear for Democrats last night with the Democratic National Convention, marking an important milestone for the Harris-Walz campaign—and American history.

In addition, I’m paying close attention to Kamala Harris’s record-breaking fundraising. On Sunday, The Washington Post published a fascinating breakdown of the campaign’s “identity-driven“ Zoom strategy. At Forbes, Doug Melville also analyzed this inclusive segmentation, which builds on the strength of American diversity. I am optimistic about the approach and hope it will influence other candidates:

They made a conscious effort to speak directly to these groups—not around them… Building a bridge to be inclusive of these voices will create more opportunities to overcome the historic blind spot of overlooking these groups in voter messaging.

In conference news, senior digital account director David Lothamer reports that Netroots Nation 2024 was especially energetic. Keynote speakers like Representative Rashida Tlaib, Representative Cori Bush, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and New York Attorney General Letitia James got the crowd fired up about winning in November. In addition, a big takeaway for marketers was the rising importance of content creators. Because many people feel more connected with creators than brands, influencer strategies are increasingly common. This can be exceptionally valuable in rapid response campaigns, since influencers and creators can often reach wider audiences more quickly than traditional media outlets.

For data on this, the 2024 M+R Benchmarks Study includes questions on influencer marketing. Nearly half of nonprofits in their survey report working with influencers. Of those organizations, 17% use paid partnerships and 30% use both paid and unpaid influencers. 94% of nonprofits using influencers pursued campaigns on Instagram, 66% worked with influencers on TikTok, and Twitter came in third at 24%. 50% of nonprofits working with influencers use the strategy to promote fundraising.

Looking ahead, our busy season is approaching. It’s good to have strategies for managing the uptick. So, I appreciated Jeff Brooks’ Moceanic post on what to do when your workload is overwhelming. It includes ideas for managing workflow and four questions to ask ourselves when we’re feeling overwhelmed:

• Am I making this more difficult because I’m trying to practice perfectionism?
• Am I scaring myself by telling myself stories of failure?
• Have I cornered myself into an impossible situation?
• Have I lost sight of a larger or more important goal?

I also recommend taking full advantage of weekends! If you’re looking for fun ideas in the DC area, the Kennedy Center and Washington National Opera (WNO) will host their annual Opera in the Outfield at Nationals Park on Saturday, August 24. This year, they will broadcast WNO’s sold-out May production of Puccini’s Turandot. This is always a special event.

Finally, Avalon is kicking off our first ever Fantasy Football League. From what I hear, managing a fantasy team is a big commitment—but people who love it, really love it. So, thank you to analytics VP Sarah Birnie for leading the way. Creating intentional spaces for connection and fun is so important, especially for remote teams. I’m grateful and excited to follow along!