October 7, 2021
Somerville, Massachusetts—ActBlue is excited to announce the addition of two new members, Kimberly Peeler-Allen and Mũthoni Wambu Kraal, to its board.
Peeler-Allen and Wambu Kraal bring deep experience in the political space and are skilled coalition builders. In particular, both have built operations and programs focused on helping first-time candidates, candidates of color, and women run and win. This includes working at all levels of the ballot and in historically underrepresented communities. They join ActBlue at a time of important organizational growth following the historic 2020 election, in which small-dollar donors were a driving factor in Democrats’ victories up and down the ballot, and as millions of people donated to support organizers fighting for racial, social, and economic justice.
As ActBlue continues to scale its tools, team, and services to support a growing number of donors, candidates, movements, issues, and charitable organizations, Peeler-Allen and Wambu Kraal will be key stakeholders and thought partners, helping ActBlue plan its strategic growth.
Erin Hill, Executive Director: “We are thrilled to welcome Kimberly Peeler-Allen and Mũthoni Wambu Kraal to ActBlue’s board. ActBlue has been growing at a rapid pace over the past few years, and both Kimberly and Mũthoni have been important partners to us in our work through their past roles. They both bring decades of hands-on experience helping candidates run and win as well as deep knowledge of the issue advocacy space, and that experience will be vital as we continue to focus on helping small-dollar donors make an impact and candidates and organizations build grassroots support. I am so excited to work with them on the ActBlue board as we plan for our next decade of growth and explore how we can continue to evolve and serve as infrastructure for Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations, and people looking to make an impact.”
Peeler-Allen and Wambu Kraal will join ActBlue’s two co-founders, Matt DeBergalis and Benjamin Rahn, as well as founding board member Marc Laitin and ActBlue Executive Director Erin Hill on the board.
Peeler-Allen: “ActBlue has reshaped how candidates and movements raise money which has allowed more people to be part of the political process. Having worked with both candidates and organizations over the last 20+ years, I’m excited to join ActBlue’s board and to have a seat at the table as we look to help foster even more civic participation in the years to come.”
Kimberly Peeler-Allen is the Co-founder of Higher Heights, the leading national organization dedicated to building Black women’s collective political power from the voting booth to elected office. Higher Heights has helped drive the national narrative about the power of Black women voters and has inspired countless Black women to step into their power whether as voters, activists or elected leaders. A long time political fundraiser and event planner, Kimberly was the principal of Peeler Allen Consulting from 2003 to 2014, the only African American full-time fundraising consulting firm in New York State. Kimberly is currently a Visiting Practitioner at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University where she serves as an advisor on CAWP’s electoral analysis, and guest lectures in various graduate and undergraduate courses.
Wambu Kraal: “I started my career in fundraising and the transformation that ActBlue brought to the funding of candidates at every level of the ballot has been a deeply significant difference maker. I’ve worked with and trained thousands of candidates and seen first-hand the impact that ActBlue’s tools can have in helping people tackle fundraising, one of the toughest parts of running a campaign for any new candidate. I’m so excited to be joining ActBlue’s board to help them continue to scale their work, help more people run for office, and envision how the organization can have an even bigger impact on campaigns and organizations fighting for change.”
Mũthoni Wambu Kraal is the Founder of Dunia Political Impact, LLC. Mũthoni is a veteran political strategist, team builder, organizer and trainer. She has served as a senior level advisor and trainer to seasoned and aspiring political leaders and parties, both in the U.S. and internationally. She most recently served as the National Political & Organizing Director for the Democratic National Committee, helping Democrats to win the White House in 2020 and critical races across the country with a record-breaking voter coalition. Prior, she spent almost a decade at EMILY's List, the nation’s largest political resource for women, shaping women leaders at every level of the ballot. While serving as the Vice President of National Outreach and Training, she helped to launch their largest candidate recruitment and training campaign, engaging over 40,000 women.
DeBergalis, Board Chair: “The expansion of our board and the addition of Kimberly and Mũthoni to the team is a huge milestone for ActBlue. They bring incredible on-the-ground experience and perspective to the ActBlue board, and I am proud to be able to work with these two incredible leaders to envision how we can continue to scale, innovate, and help people across the country shape our future for the better.”