NDP donors urged to prove grassroots support in face of united-right pressures

Alberta NDP members are getting emails nearly every day urgingthem to donate as proof their party has support from the grassroots in the face of a united conservative party.

Members are being asked to contribute as little as $5 before Elections Alberta's second-quarter deadline on June 30.

"Only nine days left until the end of June," said an email sent Thursday. "School's out soon and summer's shaping up. The next milestone? A HUGE fundraising deadline on June 30."

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Another emailtold each member how much they had donated in 2017, adding"urgent action required. Chip in $5 or more straightaway."

The number of donations received by the party by the deadline "is our chance to show that in the face of a united right, our grassroots support is stronger than ever," the email said.

"Our opponents are ramping up their attacks against us while we ramp up our plans to make Alberta better for everyone. Your donation will help show how strong we are when we work together for progress."

The emails come while the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties are in the middle of a drive to sell their members on an agreement to unite under a single conservative party.

The vote on unifying as the United Conservative Party will take place July 22. Both Wildrose Leader Brian Jean and Progressive Conservative Leader Jason Kenney say a united right is necessary to defeat the NDP in 2019.

'Not new at all'

NDP provincial secretary Roari Richardson said the tone and frequency of these pitches is just business as usual.

"It's not new at all," he said. "It is certainly a theme that we've used in the last three donation campaigns, actually."

The email telling people how much they've donated this year may strike some as a shaming technique. But Richardson said it's a matter of using different approaches to appeal to different types of donors.

"That style of email may not resonate with you but it would resonate with someone else who looks at that and says, 'Yes, I do want to give and I haven't.' That's true."

Richardson said the party is meeting its fundraising targets and is well on its way to filling its war chest for the 2019 election.

Still, Richardson said, parties compare quarterly fundraising totals against their competitors. The quarterly updates are made public by Elections Alberta.

An analysis published by Maclean's last month found 68 of the party's top 100 donors in 2016were NDP MLAs,cabinet ministers and political staff.

The opposition pointed to the report as evidence that the party isn't appealing to average Albertans. But Richardson said the majority of the party's donors are people who contribute smaller amounts.

"In the last three quarters, if we're talking about how we measure against other political parties, we have done very well and we couldn't do that on staff and MLA donations alone," he said.

"There are definitely grassroots Albertans that are supporting us."

In 2016, donations over $250 accounted for $1.4 million of the $1.95 million contributed to the party. Donations under $250 accounted for $524,000.

In the first quarter of 2017, donations under $250 made up $211,237 of the $373,060 contributed to the NDP.