Re: Iran

This is Cheryl Zando, MoveOn's chief operating officer.

Dear MoveOn member, This is Cheryl Zando, MoveOn's chief operating officer. I don't usually write to you directly, but right now I need to. Here's why: MoveOn missed its goals for bringing in new sustaining donors in both January and February, and I'm worried. I want to share with you why it really matters. This is the moment when the resources to build and sustain the pro-democracy movement are most critical. We're trying to stop a war with Iran, organizing No Kings Day on March 28, fighting to push ICE out of our communities, and racing to stop Trump from disenfranchising millions to steal the 2026 midterms by passing the SAVE Act. We need to fire on all cylinders—and we can't do it without sustained financial support. Andra, will you start a monthly gift of $5 to MoveOn today to help us meet this extraordinary moment? Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.) No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation. Here's why ongoing recurring donations are so critical right now. Trump launched a massive, unauthorized war on Iran on Saturday. We have seen this failed playbook before. The American people do not want another forever war, regardless of which political party is driving it. The Iranian government is a horrific authoritarian regime, and the Iranian people deserve freedom. Twenty years of war did nothing to eradicate the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the same approach will do nothing to free the Iranian people from oppression. MoveOn is leading the organizing to pressure Congress to do its job and stop this war of choice. We have to stop Trump's war with Iran—and we cannot let that fight consume the resources we need to fight everything else he's doing to dismantle democracy at home. Here's how we do that. Decades of research on nonviolent resistance movements around the world show that no authoritarian government has ever withstood a challenge when 3.5% of its population sustains organized resistance.1 In the United States, 3.5% means 12 million Americans. We're already closer than most people realize. Last October, nearly 7 million Americans—2% of the U.S. population—took to the streets for No Kings Day, the largest day of protest in modern American history. We are more than halfway to 12 million. The next step is No Kings Day 3 on March 28. MoveOn, hundreds of partner organizations, and thousands of trained volunteer hosts are organizing mobilizations in cities and towns across all 50 states. The flagship event will be in the Twin Cities—where federal agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and where Minnesotans are rising up in resistance. This is how movements are built. Brick by brick, action by action, until we reach the threshold that history shows can stop even the most entrenched authoritarian power. But building to 12 million doesn't happen on its own. It takes training thousands of local organizers. Providing safety and de-escalation support to every event host. Building and maintaining the technology infrastructure to pull off an enormous nationwide day of action. Coordinating across all 50 states. And maintaining the rapid-response capacity to fight on multiple fronts at once—because Trump isn't slowing down, and neither can we. Andra, this is the moment. Will you start a monthly gift of $5 to MoveOn today to help us stop Trump's war with Iran, build to 12 million, push ICE out of our communities, and stop Trump from stealing the midterms? Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.) No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation. Right now, we're fighting on four critical fronts simultaneously: Stopping war with Iran. MoveOn's roots are in the anti-war movement, and we have been planning with our allies for Trump's potential escalation with Iran. Now the moment is here, and we will not allow Trump to drag our country into a war of choice with Iran that will put U.S. military personnel at risk, kill innocent civilians on the ground, and has the potential to destabilize the lives of millions across the region. Building the resistance to 12 million. No Kings Day 3 on March 28 is our next major mobilization. The MoveOn team is one of the core No Kings organizations coordinating it all—working 1-on-1 with volunteer hosts, running trainings and office hours, building and maintaining the technology infrastructure to pull off organizing so many events on one day, and getting the word out to millions of people, the media, and influencers. This work is resource-intensive. It's also what has kept millions of Americans safe in the streets. Stopping ICE from terrorizing our communities. Federal agents have killed our neighbors—Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Victor Manuel Díaz among them.3 They're showing up in schools, churches, and workplaces. And over the next couple of weeks, Congress will be voting on whether or not to give even more money to fuel ICE's violence.2 MoveOn is organizing to push ICE out of our communities—and that fight requires sustained organizing capacity, not just one-time action. Stopping Trump from disenfranchising millions of voters to steal the 2026 midterms. House Republicans just passed the SAVE Act—the most extreme voter suppression bill in modern history.4 It would block 8 in 10 married women from voting unless they obtain a new birth certificate, eliminate online voter registration in 42 states, and require documents that 21 million Americans simply don't have.5 This bill isn't about election security. It's about election theft. The Senate could vote on it in a matter of weeks—and we have a real shot at stopping it, but only if we have the resources to run targeted campaigns in key states and flood senators with constituent pressure right now. Here's why a monthly gift matters more than a one-time donation. A recurring gift—even $5 or $10 a month—pooled with many others is what allows MoveOn to plan ahead, sustain campaigns from start to finish, and keep organizers in the field instead of scrambling from crisis to crisis. One-time donations help us respond. Monthly donations help us win. MoveOn runs on grassroots funding. We don't take corporate money. We're not beholden to wealthy donors. That independence is what keeps us accountable to you—and it's what makes us effective. MoveOn needs stable resources to be able to keep building the pro-democracy movement—but we missed both our January AND February goals for bringing in new monthly donors. It couldn't happen at a worse time. If you're able to give right now, will you start a monthly gift of $5 to MoveOn today? Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.) No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation. I know not everyone can give, and that's OK. But if you can chip in monthly, your gift will directly fund the organizing that stops war with Iran, gets us to 12 million, keeps ICE out of our neighborhoods, and stops Trump from rigging the elections he can't win fairly. History shows that when enough people stand together—sustained, organized, nonviolent—they win. We have a real shot at being that movement. But we need to fund it. 2026 can be the year we turn the corner—but only if we build the movement now. From the bottom of my heart, thanks for all you do—especially in this extraordinary moment. –Cheryl Zando, Chief Operating Officer, MoveOn P.S. I don't write to you often. But I believe this is a genuine turning point—and that what we do right now will determine whether we stop Trump's tyranny and build a country where everyone can thrive. If you can start a monthly gift of $5 today, it will make a real difference. Thank you. Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.) No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation. Sources: 1. "The 3.5% rule: Understanding what makes protest powerful," Harvard Kennedy School, Fall 2025 https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/advocacy-social-movements/35-rule-understanding-what-makes-protest 2. "Senate Democrats Again Block D.H.S. Funding, Demanding Enforcement Curbs," The New York Times, February 24, 2026 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/us/politics/senate-democrats-dhs-funding-ice.html 3. "6 Deaths in ICE Custody and 2 Fatal Shootings: A Horrific Start to 2026," American Immigration Council, February 11, 2026 https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/ice-deaths-shootings-2026/ 4. "The SAVE Act and the Election Power Grab," Brennan Center for Justice, February 10, 2026 https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/save-act-and-election-power-grab 5. "The SAVE Act Would Disenfranchise Millions of Citizens," Center for American Progress, January 26, 2026 https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-save-act-would-disenfranchise-millions-of-citizens/ Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump's authoritarian takeover intensifies every day—but history shows that authoritarian regimes crumble when just 3.5% of people rise up together in sustained resistance. That's why MoveOn is helping mobilize millions, from massive No Kings protests to our nonstop work to get ICE out of our neighborhoods. This moment demands mass, disciplined, people-powered resistance, and MoveOn can reach, train, and organize at a scale unmatched in the progressive movement. Will you chip in to fuel this urgent and critical organizing? If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate: $5 monthly Donate: $15 monthly Donate: $50 monthly Donate another amount monthly Or make a one-time gift Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. MoveOn.org Civic Action - PO Box 96141, Washington, D.C. 20090-6141. ActBlue Civics Inc. is the merchant of record for all transactions made to MoveOn Civic Action using the ActBlue platform. ActBlue Civics Inc. receives and processes these donations before disbursing them to MoveOn Civic Action within 30 days of receipt. This email was sent to Andra Patterson on March 04, 2026. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. 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