ISP Grows as Competitors in Possible Collapse

If you haven’t read this Politico piece about the “possible collapse”, don’t miss it. Brittany Gibson and Mandy Fernandez summarize the APAX acquisition, recent layoffs, technical issues, troubles of the company while citing unhappy former employees and important clients. It’s a terrifying picture for those who rely on last generation’s political tech behemoth. 

Gibson and Fernandez recount the growing sentiment that “the Democratic Party has grown too dependent on a small handful of companies to carry the bulk of its campaign operations.”

Even before the UK based private equity firm, Apax acquired NGP, problems arose. In the Politico article, Kenneth Pennington, partner at Democratic firm Middle Seat is quoted as saying, “There’s a pattern in Democratic software of creating a tool and then you stop updating it, you stop working on it, you stop developing and creating new releases for it.” My 20 years of experience in the political tech space screams “truth” in response to Pennington’s quote. 

But what’s happening with existing firms isn’t just the normal death of a piece of political campaign technology.  NGP VAN’s destiny was mapped out in their press release: “By bringing these three companies together, we are well positioned to match non-profits looking for more donations and volunteers, with the philanthropists, foundations, companies, and employees working with CyberGrants, who are looking for more opportunities to donate and volunteer.”

You can do so much better. Come get the love you deserve from us at ISP.

We’re hearing about other ‘last generation’ political tech companies imploding. Professionals and consultants call us every day with horror stories from their interactions with the reliable vendors of the 2000s and early 2010s. 

And in this mess, ISPolitical grows. 

Competitor political tech companies may be laying off hundreds, but we’re hiring. While their clients scour the web for new alternatives, we get flooded with calls from unhappy professionals irate about the lack of progress in their campaign technology, shoddy support, bad terms and service. 

Why?

Fundamentally, we view our best customers as partners. Being the hungry new kid on the block means we have to be that much better, that much faster, that much more resourceful and flexible. We have to adapt and provide a superior service at similar rates. 

We out compete by listening to our clients. No group of clients will ever send ISP an open letter, begging us to do our basic job. ISP client Jonathan Brill (FL) said, “We grow together and you guys are a true partner, not just another software vendor." 

Combining vast years of expertise and experience in this industry with an agile development approach and a radical commitment to listening to clients creates a company whose bedrock is excellence in service.