New Disabled South is a nonprofit organization that uses advocacy, policy work, and cultural organizing to advance disability justice across the American South. Operating through both C3 and C4 structures, the organization conducts state and local legislative work, community organizing, and narrative change efforts that center disabled voices and experiences—particularly at the intersection of disability and LGBTQIA+ identities.
With a $33,333 grant from Vote Your Voice, New Disabled South is testing whether bringing digital fundraising capacity in-house and scaling merchandise operations can build sustainable grassroots revenue while expanding their supporter base. The experiment centers on three core tactics: relaunching a merchandise store with new branding, implementing paid digital advertising campaigns, and exploring first-time influencer partnerships.
The organization initially believed that combining in-house digital capacity with strategic merchandise drops and paid advertising would generate both immediate revenue and long-term donor relationships. However, the hypothesis has evolved: the team is now watching lead generation and email signups as the primary success indicator, with merchandise serving as a higher-engagement entry point than petition signatures. Early signals being tracked include click-through rates on donation pages, conversion from merch purchasers to recurring donors, and audience response to lowered donation entry points ($5 versus $10) with monthly giving prompts.
A summer merchandise drop is planned for June or July 2026, featuring at least 10 items including hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, and koozies. This launch coincides with a major organizational rebrand—new logo, website, and brand colors—set to go live in April. The advertising budget has been strategically structured: $10,000 from a Google Grant will fund awareness campaigns, while the majority of the remaining $33,000 budget will go to Meta ads, where past campaigns at $6,000 each drove nearly all merch store traffic from Instagram. The influencer component is in early development, with a two-phase approach emerging: first, drive traffic through ads to gather data on top-performing items; second, roll those items into a TikTok Shop with influencer partnerships once the organization launches its TikTok presence in August or September.
As paid ads launch in June, the organization will monitor which platforms deliver the strongest return and whether influencer partnerships can authentically expand reach. There's also an emerging question about Pride timing: the organization is considering a soft launch of Queer Disabled South, a new policy wing, which may test whether this intersection can unlock new donor relationships.
At a moment when large donors are pulling back and a $400,000 funding shortfall has created significant organizational strain, New Disabled South is building infrastructure for sustainable grassroots revenue. This experiment tests whether small, community-rooted organizations can bring digital fundraising in-house successfully—maintaining authentic voice while achieving consistency and scale. The shift from revenue-first to relationship-first metrics also offers insight into longer-term donor value: a single $25 monthly donor represents approximately $2,500 in lifetime investment, far exceeding one-time transactions. If New Disabled South can demonstrate that merchandise serves as an effective bridge from audience to sustained giving, it may offer a replicable model for movement organizations seeking to reduce foundation dependency while deepening community investment.