Ben Rahn and Matt DeBergalis: The Founders Who Built ActBlue From an Experiment Into a $19 Billion Institution
Every institution has an origin story. ActBlue's begins with two friends — Ben Rahn and Matt DeBergalis — who wanted to finance progressive causes online and, in 2004, launched what The New York Times called "an experiment" that would become "a major fund-raising mechanism for the Democratic Party."
Twenty-one years later, the experiment has processed $19 billion in contributions, serves 19,000+ campaigns and organizations, and has become the infrastructure upon which Democratic politics runs. One of the founders is still watching over it.
The founding moment: 2004
ActBlue was founded in 2004, a pivotal year in Democratic politics. The presidential primary campaign of Howard Dean had demonstrated the potential of online small-dollar fundraising — decentralizing campaign finance away from large donors and party establishments.
Rahn and DeBergalis saw an opportunity. If Dean's campaign could raise millions online in a primary, what could happen if every Democratic candidate — from president to city council — had access to a unified online fundraising platform?
The answer, over two decades, would be $19 billion.
Ben Rahn
Ben Rahn co-founded ActBlue and led the organization through its early years. Under his leadership, the platform grew from a niche experiment to a tool used by 1,500 Democratic candidates in the 2005-2006 cycle.
Rahn's vision was infrastructure-focused. He understood that Democratic campaigns — particularly down-ballot races — lacked the fundraising tools available to well-funded national campaigns. ActBlue was built to democratize access to online fundraising, making it possible for any Democratic candidate to accept contributions online without building custom payment infrastructure.
In the first three years (2004-2007), ActBlue raised $19 million. By August 2007, the site had raised $25.5 million. These were modest numbers by today's standards, but they proved the concept: small-dollar online fundraising could work at scale.
Matt DeBergalis
Matt DeBergalis co-founded ActBlue with Rahn and has remained involved with the organization throughout its 21-year history. Today, he serves as Board Chair — the institutional memory and continuous thread connecting ActBlue's founding to its current incarnation.
DeBergalis's role has evolved from operational leadership to governance and strategic oversight. As Board Chair, he has guided ActBlue through:
- The massive scaling of the 2018 and 2020 cycles
- The transition from Erin Hill to Regina Wallace-Jones as CEO in 2023
- The product expansion strategy launched in August 2025
- The political and legal challenges of 2025-2026
When Wallace-Jones was appointed CEO, DeBergalis praised the choice in terms that reflected his own founding vision:
"Regina is uniquely suited to help build upon ActBlue's transformational work and ensure our platform provides Democrats with a strategic advantage. In her 20 years in tech, she's built platforms that scale, and she understands how to make sure systems evolve, so they're always secure and reliable."
The founding philosophy
The philosophy that Rahn and DeBergalis embedded in ActBlue from the beginning has shaped the platform's identity for two decades:
People-powered democracy
"We're a nonprofit, and we believe that democracy works best when campaigns and organizations are powered by those they serve. Through innovation and community, we strive to foster a safe and equitable democracy built by and for 'we, the people.'"
This founding statement, still on ActBlue's website in 2026, defines the organization's self-conception. ActBlue is not just a payment processor — it is, in its founders' vision, an instrument of democratic participation.
The conduit model
The decision to organize ActBlue as a conduit PAC — where donations are considered individual contributions, not PAC donations — was a foundational architectural choice. It allowed ActBlue to process billions without running afoul of federal contribution limits, and it made every ActBlue-processed donation attributable to the individual donor.
Nonprofit status
Rahn and DeBergalis chose to organize ActBlue as a nonprofit rather than a for-profit company. This decision meant that ActBlue's revenue comes from processing fees and optional donor tips, not from investor returns or data monetization. It also meant that ActBlue "does not sell donor data or information. Ever." — a commitment that has distinguished it from commercial fundraising platforms.
Four leaders, one mission
Over 21 years, ActBlue has had only four leaders:
- Ben Rahn (co-founder) — the early years, proving the concept
- Matt DeBergalis (co-founder) — growth and scaling, now Board Chair
- Erin Hill — 14 years as CEO, overseeing growth from niche tool to multi-billion-dollar platform
- Regina Wallace-Jones — current CEO and President since January 2023
This continuity is rare in the tech world. Most startups cycle through CEOs every few years; ActBlue has had four leaders in two decades, with one founder still actively involved as Board Chair.
The founders' legacy
In June 2026, when ActBlue crossed $19 billion in lifetime contributions, the announcement reflected the founders' original vision:
"ActBlue did not reach $19 billion by luck. This is what two decades of Democratic campaign infrastructure built for the grassroots looks like."
The "two decades of Democratic campaign infrastructure" is what Rahn and DeBergalis set out to build in 2004. They did not know, when they started their experiment, that it would process $19 billion, serve 19,000+ campaigns, or become the target of federal investigations. They simply believed that technology could lower barriers for people looking to make an impact — and that building that technology was worth doing.
Twenty-one years later, that belief has been validated beyond any reasonable expectation. The experiment worked. And the institution it became continues to shape American politics.
