Mike Nellis: Inside the Quest to Revolutionize Political Fundraising and Grassroots Advocacy with AI

As part of our interview series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Nellis.

Mike Nellis is a purpose-driven entrepreneur and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Authentic, a Chicago-based digital-first fundraising and advertising agency. In just five years, Authentic has raised more than $500 million in grassroots donations for Democratic politicians like Adam Schiff and non-profit organizations like the National Immigration Law Center, focusing on personalized storytelling and narrative-driven digital campaigns. Mike is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of Quiller.ai, a new tech startup that is revolutionizing online fundraising with AI-enabled content generation. Quiller recently closed a $1.2 million pre-seed round, and was a featured product at the New Tools Showcase at Netroots Nation.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I got my start in politics and digital marketing working for this little-known Illinois Senator named Barack Obama. It was 2007, I lived in Omaha, NE and Senator Obama was running in the Iowa caucus for president. I ended up skipping most of my college classes to go knock on doors and do data entry for his campaign. Eventually I parlayed that work into my first “real” job on a Senate campaign back home in Nebraska in 2008 for a guy named Scott Kleeb. Online fundraising was largely a new concept and as the youngest person in the room, I was told to go “figure out how to get money online.” And I did. We raised a good chunk of cash and then I jumped into consulting with a focus on online fundraising and digital-first marketing for other campaigns and non-profit organizations. And I have never looked back. Throughout my career, I’ve had opportunities to work with some really great partners, like Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, the United Nations Population Fund, the ACLU, and many others.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

Sure, when I started Authentic in 2018, I really had no idea what I was doing. How do you set-up payroll? How do you send out an invoice? I had always had operational support for those things at the companies I worked at previously. I also had no real cash reserves to start the business. I quit my job and I used personal savings. But I was drawing down what my wife and I had been saving together while, at the same time, trying to have a baby. It was incredibly stressful. Meanwhile I’m bringing on clients, trying to hire staff and build a model for this new business of mine. It was tough. I remember early on our accountant ended up making a mistake and we missed the payroll deadline. My team was pretty small back then (around 5 people) but there was a young person on my team who was worried about paying her rent. I had to end up cutting her a check to make sure she didn’t get evicted. I take that responsibility as a business owner really seriously, and that’s always stuck with me. There’s this perception that being a business owner is super glamorous, but honestly, it’s incredibly stressful a lot of the time.

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

I am lucky to have such a purpose-driven business and career. I don’t think I could ever go to work and sell widgets or insurance or something like that. I want to make people’s lives better. Politics is a really difficult industry to work in and when we started Authentic it was at the height of Trump’s time in office. The work felt important — especially at a time when vulnerable communities were being attacked. The guy in the White House was trying to destroy all the progress we made under the Obama Administration. So I stayed in the fight because we needed to if we were going to save our democracy. I really believe in the power of the internet to bring people together and make the world a better place.

So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

Things are going well! Authentic has about 50 employees now and we’ve worked with nearly 300 campaigns and organizations. We’ve raised $500 million for our clients running ethical fundraising programs, and we’ve notched up some big wins over the years: Jon Tester’s re-election in 2018, Joe Biden in 2020, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in 2021, and Katie Hobbs for Arizona Governor in 2022.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I was once so exhausted while coding a fundraising email that I accidentally emailed 400,000 people in North Carolina an email that said “Dear Mike” instead of the recipient’s first name. Oddly enough it performed really well.

The primary lesson I learned from that was to make sure you have clear standard operating procedures to get things done quickly and correctly. I hate making mistakes and early on when starting the company, I didn’t do a great job of documenting things. I feel like once we started to do that, and all credit in the world goes to my business partner Loren Merchan and our leadership team — our company really started to thrive.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

The number one thing is that Authentic is dedicated to creating lasting and inclusive change. We work with Democratic campaigns, progressive advocacy organizations, and purpose-driven nonprofits — creating programs that can raise money from grassroots donors, move public opinion, win elections, and create tangible impact. Our commitment to driving meaningful change sets us apart from a lot of businesses and marketing agencies.

Second, we have a really diverse and special team of storytellers. That diversity fuels our creativity and strengthens our ability to connect with our target audiences.

We’re also on the cutting edge of new technology. We used artificial intelligence to do some really fun and interesting voter engagement campaigns for the Biden team in 2020. That is sort of what also drove me to launch Quiller, which is revolutionizing online fundraising with AI-enabled content.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

You cannot let your work define your identity. You have to live a full life outside of your career if you’re going to bring your best self to your job. For me, that’s spending time with my son, swimming, playing chess, and going to concerts. When I do a good job of creating harmony in my life, I am more productive at work, I think better, and I’m a better leader for my companies. There’s no honor in overworking yourself, and you’re not going to do your best work that way. Balance is key.

Truthfully, I struggle with suicidal ideation in my life. When I’m burned out especially my thoughts can betray me and make me feel worthless and unworthy of what I have in my life. My advice to anybody going through anxiety, depression, burnout, or suicidal ideation would be to take that next step and acknowledge that something is wrong, find the courage to articulate that you need help, and then accepting that help are three of the hardest, bravest things that anybody can do.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Without question that person is my wife, Kristen. I would be nothing without her. The day after I quit my job to launch Authentic, I had one of the worst anxiety attacks of my life. I couldn’t even leave the house because I was in such a troubled state — and even worse it was on her birthday. But she helped me get through it, just as she has with so many things I’ve faced in my life. Everybody needs a rock to be with you when the times are tough. I am very lucky I have her.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

For me, it’s been creating companies that people love working at. We’ve won numerous awards for our workplace culture that recognizes our commitment to creating a positive and inclusive environment. We actively try to lift people up and value their unique perspectives, giving people the space to bring their whole selves to the workplace. By fostering a supportive company, we empower our employees to thrive and contribute their best to our clients and the causes we champion.

One of my favorite things is to see Authentic alumni go out and make a difference in the world. We have folks working on campaigns and at nonprofits who were able to learn valuable skills here and go on to do bigger and better things. I take a lot of pride and joy watching them thrive and create goodness in the world.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1 . You can’t do it alone. You need a team of people who are different from you. Different skills, different backgrounds, different worldviews, different lived experiences. When I started Authentic my first hire was Loren Merchan, who is now my business partner and is the President of Authentic. She is one of the smartest people I know and she has a completely different perspective and approach than me, but that differentiation creates magic.

2 . It’s lonely at the top. I know that’s such a cliché and I am not looking for sympathy, but being a Founder is hard! Not many know the feeling of staying up at night worrying about how to make payroll. It’s an awesome responsibility and one that needs to be taken seriously. That’s why you need a network of peers you can talk to. I joined Entrepreneurs Organization a few years ago because they offer a monthly forum for Founders to connect with one another. It’s by far one of the best investments I’ve ever made in myself and it’s sort of like I have my own personal Board of Directors to help me navigate tough business and personal challenges.

3 . Process matters. I like to joke that I am an ideas man and I come up with 100 new business ideas every single day, but I struggle with process. That sruggle creates chaos in my life and in my businesses. I can follow one in short bursts, but it’s hard for me to get on board and even harder for me to develop or articulate the process. The more I’ve learned to let go and just document what I am doing, so that someone else can execute — the more I’ve been able to get out of the day-to-day and work on the business overall.

4. Take breaks. Again, another cliché, but it’s so important. If I don’t take time to go on a walk, grab lunch, be with my family, or do something fun (live music!) — then I’m rarely firing on all cylinders. The truth is that I really like going to work every day. I love solving the challenges of founding a business and because sometimes I get so wrapped up into it that I forget to be a human. Today, I try to have a framework that allows me to do something for my mind, my body, and my spirit each day. If I do that consistently, I can avoid burnout while also dedicating myself to my companies and my other projects.

5. Never stop learning. Having a growth mindset is so critical for success. I was never a good student, but I loved learning and cannot get enough. I listen to an audiobook a week in addition to any number of podcasts (big shout out to Smartless, which is a great podcast that I recommend) and YouTube tutorials (I am currently learning how to build a better Notion structure for my second brain). Heck, the only reason I was able to launch a new AI startup was because I dove in head first to learn! I took a course at Northwestern early this year, read a bunch of books, went to a conference, and more. It was energizing for me and I think it made me a better leader.

Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder”?

I always remind myself that I am never as good as I feel when everything is clicking and I am never as bad as I feel when it isn’t. I tend to feel things really deeply. For example, we recently launched Quiller at Netroots Nation in Chicago and everybody was abuzz about the tool. It felt really good and it would be so easy to let that dominate my thoughts. But instead I’ve been reminding myself that there’s still so much more to be done to make it the tool I believe it can be.

I really like Mark Manson’s quote on this: “The desire for a more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.”

That line lives rent free in my brain and helps me to keep a level head.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

It may sound simple but I want people to be nicer to themselves. I struggle with negative self-talk, imposter syndrome, and suicidal ideation. I have to walk back some of my inner dialogues sometimes. It’s hard and if somebody has a solution out there that can help the billions of people who are probably facing a similar struggle — I would be so grateful. Because truth be told, people are amazing and smart and so creative and kind and we forget that because of social media and the nightly news. We’re better than the way society boxes people in and we cannot forget that.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I would encourage people to connect with me on LinkedIn. I try to be active and stay engaged in learning and sharing the work I am doing, especially with Quiller.

If you’re interested in hiring Authentic, you can go here: authentic.org

If you want to schedule a Quiller demo, you can go here: quiller.ai

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.