Alabama Forward: Continuing to Monetize their Lifestyle Brand

Alabama Forward is a state-based nonprofit committed to advancing the movement toward greater freedom and progressive, solution-oriented policy among a diverse coalition of Alabama-based partner organizations so that every Alabamian can engage in the democratic process.

With their first grant from Progressive Multiplier, they invested in monetizing Shake the Field, a campaign and lifestyle brand targeting Alabamians aged 18-45. Now, with the support of a second grant from Progressive Multiplier, they are continuing to create consistent revenue generating projects under the “Shake the Field” umbrella. 

Overview

With a $50,000 grant from Progressive Multiplier Fund, Alabama Forward launched "Shake The Field", a program designed to build power at the intersection of civic engagement and culture.

By developing multiple revenue streams through cultural organizing work—including merchandise sales, album releases, regional driving tours, and a monthly giving program—Alabama Forward created a sustainable funding model that simultaneously advances their mission. The project demonstrates how advocacy organizations can leverage cultural programming not just as engagement tools but as strategic revenue generators that amplify their impact.

Key Strategies & Tactics

Alabama Forward's revenue strategy incorporated several complementary approaches designed to engage different communities across the state:

• Trap Democracy Festival Tour: Free music festivals featuring local artists and small business vendors, combined with civic engagement information from community organizations
• Online Merchandise Store: A digital storefront at shakethefield.org offering products that connect to advocacy messaging, including the Trap Democracy design collection
• Ambassador Program: A network of influencers contracted to promote events and products through social media, extending reach beyond direct audiences
• Regional Driving Tours: Self-guided tours highlighting historical events and regional characteristics, incorporating music from their albums and available in both digital and physical formats

Lessons Learned

• Strategic Event Timing: Sunday afternoons after church proved most effective for community engagement in the South, avoiding conflicts with culturally significant events like football games
• Specialized Marketing Skills: Effective promotion of cultural products requires dedicated expertise beyond general communications capacity
• Realistic Capacity Planning: Building creative content and marketing infrastructure simultaneously creates cascading delays; sequential project planning is more effective
• Multiple Revenue Pathways: While merchandise and album sales fell short of targets, the cultural organizing approach successfully inspired significant donations
• Mission Connection: Connecting cultural work directly to advocacy goals creates authentic engagement opportunities that resonate with communities
• Community Partnerships: Collaboration with artists, influencers, and community leaders extends reach and lends credibility to cultural organizing efforts

The Multiplier Effect

Impact

Through the Shake The Field program, Alabama Forward created a unique model for civic engagement that resonates in communities across the state. The Trap Democracy Festival Tour proved particularly effective, bringing together local artists, small businesses, and community organizations in spaces where conversations about voting rights could happen organically. At one festival in Montgomery, organizers witnessed multiple attendees engaging in discussions about voting rights restoration—conversations that might never have occurred through traditional outreach methods.

The project's success in generating over $50,000 in one-time donations demonstrated that cultural organizing can serve as an effective pathway to donor engagement, even when direct product sales fall short of targets. By meeting people where they are—through music, art, and cultural experiences—Alabama Forward created new entry points for civic participation that resonated across diverse communities.

The organization's innovative approach attracted attention from both grassroots supporters and institutional funders, helping to fill the gap left when national foundations deprioritized Alabama following the 2022 midterm elections. As the state continues to face significant challenges to voting rights, including restrictive legislation and redistricting battles, the Shake The Field program provides both financial resources and engagement tools to sustain Alabama Forward's advocacy work.

Perhaps most significantly, the program demonstrated how advocacy organizations can develop revenue streams that align with and enhance their core mission, rather than distracting from it. By transforming their advocacy messaging into cultural experiences and wearable merchandise, Alabama Forward created multiple pathways for supporters to engage with their work while building financial sustainability for the long term.

Alabama Forward is a state-based 501(C)(3) civic engagement coordinating table committed to advancing movement towards greater freedom and progressive, solution-oriented policy among a diverse coalition of Alabama-based partner organizations, so that every Alabamian can engage in the democratic process.