By Laura Weisel

In early 2016, when I first considered retiring from a rewarding career as a senior administrator at Harvard Medical School, I thought of pursuing some of the dreams I had when I first graduated from Management School, almost 40 years earlier: training to become a community mediator, not-for-profit consulting, and board work. But as retirement approached, after the 2016 election, my interests shifted towards politics. Fortunately, by early 2018, when I finally retired, I had found a group of similarly minded neighbors who had banded together to do something; they called themselves Force Multiplier.  I joined just as plans got underway.

Force Multiplier is an all-volunteer, self-funded organization that has raised almost $8,000,000 from about 10,000 donors in 49 states since early 2018 to elect and re-elect Democrats to federal office. These are candidates who won by especially slim margins and are running in “purple” districts and/or states. We also support voter empowerment groups in swing states that are working to ensure that people can and do vote. 

I am currently Force Multiplier’s co-chair; among the 22 active committee members, 15 are retired or semi-retired professional women. Our ranks include a child psychiatrist, two psychotherapists, two PhD biochemists, a management consultant, an elementary school curriculum developer, an arts administrator, and a first grade teacher.

We do a considerable amount of research to select and recommend support for candidates who are in exceedingly competitive districts or states. We update our research and change our endorsements frequently, in response to evolving campaign landscapes. 

We have researched and spoken directly with more than 100 grassroots organizing groups and consortia of voter empowerment groups that are engaging rural voters, young and newly-registered voters, and those who did not vote in 2016 but have voted since. Donations to many of these groups are tax-deductible.

Force Multiplier grows using a strategy called “relational networking,” i.e., friends talking to friends and acquaintances about our democracy and the value of Force Multiplier’s research and approach. Many people wanted to find a way to be a part of the change they wanted to see but did not know how. Through our events people can learn more about the issues first hand and know their contributions have strategic value.  We host Zoom events with candidates and voter empowerment group leaders. Donors contribute what they are able to give; the average per candidate contribution is $100. 

Our next Zoom event, on Thursday, October 28 at 7pm ET will support Senator Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire.) She will be introduced by Senator Ed Markey (Massachusetts). You may register and donate here. 

On Wednesday, November 10 at 7pm ET, Force Multiplier will host a Zoom event with the leaders of three grassroots voter education groups who are supported by the tax-advantaged Force Multiplier Democracy in Action Fund.  Register and donate here. 

Force Multiplier doesn’t touch the donations. All funds raised go directly through Force Multiplier-enabled ActBlue links, to the candidates and groups. Contributions by check are made payable to the campaign or group.

How can you get involved??  You can go to our website to learn more about us. On our homepage, you can sign up to attend an Information Session on Tuesday, November 9th at 7p ET, where you can learn more and ask questions. You can also sign up on our website to receive our emails. And you can come to our Senator Hassan and our Democracy in Action Fund events on Zoom.

Once you get excited about the work we do there are a number of other ways you can get involved. None of them is time consuming or complicated, but all are important.

Please check out Force Multiplier and join us. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and it’s easy. And we believe in the power of retirees.