Behind the numbers

In CBC's report on the latest NDP leadership donation numbers, Ryan Meili points out one reason why the numbers disclosed so far don't tell the whole story as to how much the candidates have raised:

Meili, in second place, said if donations of $250 and under are added to his total, he's raised close to $37,000.

He said he's been frugal, but still wants to raise another $20,000 for the rest of the campaign.

Of course, it's tough to say how donations below the reporting level might be distributed among the candidates: one could make equally plausible cases to the effect that Lingenfelter's campaign is likely to be more reliant on higher-dollar contributions, or that the greater time and area covered by his campaign has allowed him a greater opportunity to draw in small donations. But whatever the distribution of smaller donations between the candidates, they figure to be no less important than the reported contributions both as a measure of support and a source of financing for the campaigns.

It's worth noting as well that at least one of the candidates is apparently interpreting the reporting rules slightly differently from his competitors. While the Lingenfelter, Meili and Higgins campaigns have all reported only contributors "over $250" (i.e. left out any contributions of exactly that amount), Yens Pedersen's reported donations include contributors at the $250 level.