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ABOUT US The Progress Alliance of Washington is a group of entrepreneurial donors who have teamed up to make interconnected, hands-on investments in the foundation of social and political change in the state.
Sarah Jaynes, Executive Director
Sarah Jaynes is the Executive Director of the Progress Alliance. Sarah was trained as an organizer with Green Corps, and spent the last 15 years as an organizer and campaigner for a healthy environment and good jobs. Most recently, Sarah was the campaign director for Climate Solutions, the director of Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs and Housing for Everyone (SAGE), and the political and field director of the WA Conservation Voters. She spends her free time outdoors, biking, hiking, gardening, and chasing her two young boys.
Alissa Haslam, Program & Development Director Alissa Haslam is the most recent addition to the Progress Alliance team. Alissa came to the Progress Alliance from NARAL Pro-Choice Washington where she filled many roles including political director, lobbyist, and program manager. She has a Masters in Anthropology which fed her passion for civil rights and led her into a career working for social change. In addition to her work in the women's movement, Alissa has advocated for LGBTQ equality and increased access to healthcare. She tries to spend her free time with friends going on walks, having good conversation, and knitting.
The founders of the Progress Alliance spent a year in 2005 researching politics in Washington State and nationally, meeting with over a hundred political leaders, directors of organizations, consultants and donors. The detailed needs analysis that came out of this process guided our initial work. After building an impressive record of accomplishment with our 2006-2008 investments, the Progress Alliance assessed the dramatically changed political and economic landscape and responded with a new 3-year strategic plan.
Without strong investments in the movement’s intellectual and institutional foundation, advocates for positive societal change are less effective and vulnerable to attack. For example:
The job of our donor alliance is to invest collectively in the tools that help our best leaders and advocates most effectively work together, think ahead, and develop shared strategies that guide tactical actions. As a donor alliance, we can invest in amounts that exceed the capacity of any one individual and help leverage significant outside funding.
To that end we:
The Progress Alliance does not support individual candidates, and invests in specific issues and campaigns only when it furthers broader progressive change. Instead, we take a systemic view, and make game-changing investments that:
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"Washington's conservatives have been well-funded and well-organized. Consequently, they have exerted an influence disproportionate to either the popularity or merit of their ideas. The Progress Alliance is providing a remedy. With a charter rooted in the Bill of Rights, ecological sanity, and a basic commitment to justice, the Alliance heralds a new era in progressive governance." -- Denis Hayes, President & CEO, Bullitt Foundation |