It’s pretty simple: Fundraising is fundamental to winning campaigns. What’s not simple is successful fundraising. You need experience, skills, savvy and a great network, and that’s what Connie Sanders Emerson will bring to your team.
Sanders Emerson is a leader in fundraising for forward-thinking Democratic candidates and causes and offers a full range of services for political and non-profit campaigns. From state and local races to national battles, she’ll bring more than 25 years of winning strategies and a spotless compliance history to your campaign.
Whether it’s campaign finance consulting, strategy and program development, donor recruitment, database management and development, event planning, or major donor or PAC solicitations, Sanders Emerson will bring it home for you.
Connie Sanders Emerson is a Sacramento-based fundraiser with a nationwide track record in the political and non-profit arenas. She has over 25 years’ experience designing and managing state- and national-level fundraising campaigns with budgets of up to $20 million.
From the sprints of special elections, to long, tough battles in targeted legislative races, Connie has played a key role in many high-stakes campaigns. She is well-known for her ability to produce results quickly and under great pressure and admits to a fondness for targeted, high-profile California legislative races.
And Connie’s skills don’t just get people elected to office; she helps advance the success of forward-thinking programs and policies. Since 2000, Connie has developed and executed fundraising for the California Issues Forum, a 501(c)(4) organization that supports the policy development work of the California Legislature’s New Democrats. Under her leadership, CIF’s annual sponsorship has grown ten-fold, from $100,000 to $1,000,000.
Connie’s experience encompasses all levels of government. Present and past clients include President Bill Clinton, the G8 Denver Host Committee, the Democratic National Committee, the California Democratic Party, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, California Governor Gray Davis, Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata, Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, U.S. Representative Dennis Cardoza, the Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and many present and past members of the California State Legislature as well as candidates.
Connie is a proud alumna of the University of California, Davis. She enjoys time with her two children, Sophie and Mack, and Harper, the family’s beloved Bernese Mountain Dog. She spends many happy hours volunteering at her children’s schools, and her passions include keeping her Arts and Crafts era house a warm, cozy and welcoming home, and serving on the board of directors of St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children, the only shelter program in the Sacramento region focused exclusively on homeless women with children.
What sets Connie Sanders Emerson apart from her fundraising colleagues in Sacramento is the degree of hands-on service she provides her clients. Some firms conduct campaigns like they’re working a factory assembly line using plug-and-play parts.
Sanders Emerson’s formula for success isn’t the same for every client because every client is unique. Every client brings their own personal ideology and background to a campaign, and every district has its own unique population, culture and history. That’s why Sanders Emerson develops a custom tailored campaign for each client.
Big budget or small, Sanders Emerson develops and executes multi-faceted fundraising programs using state-of-the-art donor development programs combined with solid tried-and-true direct contact. Programs include direct giving, events large and small, giving via websites and social media, and more. And when it comes to relationships details matter, so Sanders Emerson maintains client donor databases and produces thank you letters that ensure donors know how much they’re appreciated. That ensures the donor relationships her clients establish are maintained and nurtured for the long-term.
She also has long-established relationships and works closely on campaign strategic planning with a majority of the top consultants in California. That translates into a lot more bang for your buck.
As a candidate and elected official, I have worked with Connie for nearly twenty years. As my fund-raising consultant, we have worked hand in glove to make sure I maximize every opportunity – and that my own efforts are teed up, directed, and effective. I would recommend her to candidates who are desirous of being successful.
State Senator John Laird
Connie Sanders Emerson is simply outstanding. The mentorship, fundraising strategy and services she delivers to legislative candidates in today’s competitive environment provides any campaign with a powerful advantage. Connie’s humane persistence gets the job done.
Catherine Lew, Esq., The Lew Edwards Group
I’ve been working with Connie for over 20 years now and she is an outstanding fundraiser. Through cultivation and long-term maintenance of key donors, she has taken the California Issues Forum, a 501c4 policy foundation that supports the work of the New Democrats, from raising under $100,000 its first year to over $1,000,000 a year. Her fundraising strategies, determination and eye for well-executed events make her one of the best.
David Townsend, Townsend Raimundo Besler & Usher
Fundraising can be the toughest job in this business, and Connie does the impossible – she makes it fun. In five months, we were faced with a campaign where we started with $40,000 and needed to raise another $800,000. Through hard work, humane persistence (Connie’s line!) and thoroughness, we met our goal and then some.
U.S. Representative Norma Torres, U.S. Representative
Connie is a phenomenal fundraiser with a broad and deep network and a near-encyclopedic knowledge of California’s givers and labor leaders. Among the very best at what she does, Connie’s brings to the table both a strategic mindset and the realistic perspective of a seasoned pro. You want her on your team.
Paul Hefner, Hefner Communications
Connie Sanders Emerson has an impressive understanding of the machinations that make Sacramento work. Her relationships span across ideological lines, allowing her to help both progressive and moderate Democrats succeed in their efforts to raise money in both the capital and regions throughout the state. She has helped our shared clients navigate through the corridors of power while leaving no stone unturned in her effort to maximize their contributions and meet their fundraising goals. Connie is attentive, hard-working and thorough – just what you want from a Sacramento fundraiser.
Michael Terris, Terris, Barnes & Walters
LEGISLATIVE CLIENTS
Elaine Alquist for State Senate
Sara Aminzadeh for Assembly
Dr Joaquin Arambula for Assembly
Jim Beall for Assembly & Jim Beall for State Senate
Eric Guerra for Assembly
Ash Kalra for Assembly
John Laird for State Senate & John Laird for Assembly
Connie Leyva for State Senate
Bill Monning for Assembly & Bill Monning for State Senate
Joe Nation for Assembly & Joe Nation for State Senate
Liz Ortega for Assembly
Don Perata for State Senate
Rhodesia Ransom for Senate
Norma Torres for Assembly & Norma Torres for State Senate
Aisha Wahab for State Senate
Chris Ward for Assembly
Herb Wesson for Assembly
Monica Wilson for Assembly
Dan Wolk for Assembly
Lois Wolk for State Senate
STATEWIDE CLIENTS
Tom Torlakson for State Superintendent
Colorado Governor Roy Romer
STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES
Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom (2024)
Prop 1/Affordable Housing (2018)
Prop 2/No Place Like Home (2018)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CLIENTS
Eric Guerra for Sacramento City Council
Eric Guerra for Sacramento City Council
California Cardroom Alliance
California Democratic Party
California Issues Forum
Clinton/Gore ‘96
Close the Gap
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
Democratic National Committee
Women in California Leadership
Leaders in fundraising for forward-thinking Democratic candidates and causes.
Download an IRS W9 form (PDF) | www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf
Federal Election Commission (FEC) | http://www.fec.gov/
Ca. Secretary of State Cal-Access | http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/campaign/
Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) | http://www.fppc.ca.gov/
Rough & Tumble | www.rtumble.com
The Nooner, by Around the Capitol | www.aroundthecapitol.com/nooner
Los Angeles Times | www.latimes.com
Sacramento Bee | www.sacbee.com
Washington Post | www.washingtonpost.com
New York Times | www.nytimes.com
CNN | www.cnn.com
YEARS EXPERIENCE
SATISFIED CLIENTS
CAMPAIGNS COMPLETED
MILLION DOLLARS
Political Fundraising and Strategic Planning in Sacramento for 25+ years.
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