Young Democrats of America

What Young Democrats of America does

Young Democrats of America (YDA) is a 527 political organization founded in 1932 and headquartered at a P.O. Box in Washington, D.C. It operates as the nation's oldest and largest youth-led partisan political organization, mobilizing people under age 36 to elect Democratic candidates, advocate progressive policy positions, and train the next generation of party leaders. The organization is entirely volunteer-led, with national officers elected biennially at the National Convention; it maintains over 20,000 members organized through 50 state and territorial chapters and 14 identity-based constituency caucuses covering API, Black, College, Disability, Environmental, Hispanic/Latinx, High School, Jewish, Labor, LGBTQIA, Muslim, Native American Issues, Rural, Veterans Issues, and Women's communities. YDA has been independent of the Democratic National Committee since 2002 while retaining three ex-officio positions on the DNC.

YDA has no technology products, proprietary platforms, or AI capabilities. Its digital infrastructure consists of a standard WordPress website (yda.org), email list management via Action Network, donation processing through ActBlue (with suggested tiers of $5, $10, $50, $100, and $250), a merchandise store at store.yda.org, and presence on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, and Bluesky. Engagement is driven by grassroots organizing, biennial conventions, national committee meetings, and earned media coverage rather than paid advertising or technology-mediated outreach.

Revenue is generated entirely from individual small-dollar donations and merchandise sales, with no foundation grants, corporate sponsors, or institutional funders disclosed. The organization does not publish financial statements in the input data and operates on a cost-minimized volunteer model. Strategic partnerships include Tour to Save Democracy, Voters of Tomorrow, College Democrats of America, and the DNC Youth Council, primarily for coordinated youth voter mobilization during election cycles.

Name

Young Democrats of America

Legal name

Young Democrats of America

Website

https://yda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Young Democrats of America is a volunteer-led 527 political organization founded in 1932 that mobilizes over 20,000 young Democrats under age 36 across 50 state chapters and 14 constituency caucuses to elect Democrats and train progressive leaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI), Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL), Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

Keywords

• Youth political organizing
• Partisan youth advocacy
• Democratic party mobilization
• Voter engagement programs
• Progressive leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals supporting Democratic youth mobilization and progressive causes. Accepts donations via ActBlue platform at various levels ($5-$250+). Operates as a non-federal 527 political organization.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling YDA-branded merchandise including political apparel and accessories for supporters and members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Young Democrats of America is a volunteer-led, nonpartisan-aligned partisan youth political organization that mobilizes people under age 36 to elect Democratic candidates, advocate progressive issues, and develop the next generation of progressive political leaders. It delivers this through a federation of 50 state and territorial chapters and 14 constituency caucuses, supported by an online donation platform, an email engagement list, a merchandise store, and biennial National Conventions.

Product overview

Young Democrats of America (YDA) is a political organization and the nation’s largest youth-led, partisan political organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or technology services. YDA operates as a volunteer-led membership organization that mobilizes young people to participate in the electoral process, advocate for progressive issues, and train the next generation of progressive leaders. Its offerings include membership, a merchandise store, email newsletters, and resource documents such as its charter and political platform, but these are organizational resources rather than technology products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tour to Save DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of Gen-Z activists traveling on a bus across the nation stopping in swing districts to flip them blue, drive change forward, and safeguard democratic principles. YDA is an official partner of this initiative.
• Voters of TomorrowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth political advocacy group conducting weekly texting and phonebanking efforts to engage young voters. Joined 17 youth political groups in alliance to bolster Harris campaign efforts. Partnered with YDA for coordinated youth engagement.
• College Democrats of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint appearance on BBC Four's Today Program with CDA Communications Director to discuss Democratic National Convention and VP Harris's historic candidacy. Ongoing collaboration on youth voter engagement.
• Democratic National Committee Youth CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNC Youth Council, chaired by Andre Treiber, conducts meetings at Democratic National Convention to coordinate young delegates and youth engagement efforts across party organizations.
• Democratic National CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYDA operates as a non-federal 527 political organization independent of the DNC since 2002, while maintaining 3 ex-officio positions on the Democratic National Committee to maintain party connection and coordination.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• College Democrats of America: Sister youth arm of the Democratic Party focused on college students; shares target demographic (young Democrats), operates under the same partisan mission, and collaborates with YDA on convention programming and youth voter engagement.
• Young Republican Federation: The Republican counterpart to YDA; partisan youth organization that recruits, trains, and mobilizes young conservatives under 40. Direct competitor for youth political engagement with mirrored structure (state chapters, national federation, conventions).
• High School Democrats of America: Youth Democratic organization targeting high school students, effectively a feeder/sister pipeline for YDA's under-36 cohort. Operates under same partisan mission and frequently coordinates with YDA on early-stage political education and recruitment.

Broad incumbents

• Democratic National Committee: The formal national body of the Democratic Party; YDA holds 3 ex-officio seats on it. While YDA operates independently as a 527, the DNC sets party platform, coordinates presidential campaigns, and provides the broader institutional context for YDA's youth mobilization mission.
• Republican National Committee: The Republican counterpart to the DNC and the broader institutional party against which YDA's mobilization work is directed. Comparable scale and role as the central partisan body whose electoral fortunes YDA's mission depends on.

Emerging players

• Voters of Tomorrow: Gen-Z political advocacy organization conducting weekly texting and phonebanking for youth voter engagement; partnered with YDA during the Harris campaign. Directly overlaps in target demographic and mission but is more digitally native and issue-driven.
• Sunrise Movement: Youth-led progressive organization focused on climate action and the Green New Deal; overlaps with YDA's progressive youth base and donor pool, and competes for attention and activist capacity among under-30 progressives.
• March For Our Lives: Youth-led gun violence prevention organization founded after Parkland; overlaps with YDA in mobilizing young progressive voters around a single issue, often registering and turning out the same demographic for shared electoral causes.
• Rock the Vote: Nonpartisan youth voter registration and mobilization organization founded in 1990; complements YDA's partisan mission by registering the same demographic, often serving as a feeder pipeline of newly registered young voters.
• When We All Vote: Nonpartisan civic engagement organization co-founded by Michelle Obama focused on voter registration and turnout, including youth; functions as an adjacent civic infrastructure that YDA chapters frequently partner with for registration drives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youngdems
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@youngdemocratsamerica9498
• Facebookfacebook.com/youngdems
• Instagraminstagram.com/youngdems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youngdems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Young Democrats of America