In 2024, Tatenda stepped into one of the most volatile political landscapes in recent memory. With the future of American democracy on the line, she saw a critical gap: the digital strategy behind the Harris campaign lacked the urgency, cultural fluency, and scale needed to mobilize voters of color. While tens of millions flowed into broad, unfocused messaging on major platforms, Tatenda pushed in the opposite direction.

She rejected short-term thinking and the prevailing belief that voters of color could be reached through last-minute blitzes or by leaning on an expensive influencer model. Her approach was grounded in evidence, not trend cycles. She redirected roughly $8 million toward long-term engagement efforts designed to build trust, strengthen turnout, and center racial justice—not as an add-on, but as the core of the work.

“POC voters are 30 percent of the audience, but only 5 percent of marketing budgets,” she noted. “We left at least a half percentage point per state.”

Her strategic clarity came at a real cost. After the election, with no funders stepping up to sustain the Voter Formation Project, the organization dissolved by early 2025. Yet Tatenda’s response to this setback reflects the same determination that shaped her approach to the election.

She is now building Formation Impact, a new corporate entity designed to operate beyond the constraints of philanthropic cycles and political trends. She plans to acquire the Voter Formation Project through this new structure and relaunch it as a project within a more stable, self-directed ecosystem. The next chapter involves creating subscription-based data insights for voters of color and training others on how to effectively and affordably reach these communities.

Mission Telecom Giving supports Tatenda’s effort to build a durable model for movement work—one that can withstand economic shifts, election cycles, and funder volatility. Her leadership in multiracial democracy is unmatched. She has challenged prevailing digital assumptions on the Left, pioneered strategies grounded in evidence and equity, and carried out work that has often been underfunded, underrecognized, and deeply necessary.

Unrestricted support for Tatenda is more than an investment in one leader; it's an investment in the future. It is a commitment to the ripple effects of her vision—stronger civic engagement, better data, and a more honest pathway to reaching the communities that shape our democracy. Whatever comes next for her—rest, recalibration, or another bold build—her influence will continue to shape the strategic landscape at a moment when the country needs clarity most.