Switchboard Communications, also known as SWITCHBOARD Communications or Switchboard, is a for-profit telephone company that provides robocalls for Democratic political campaigns and PACs. Switchboard is better known for its partner organization, SBDigital, which spun off to and retains Switchboard’s politics-related clients, exclusively working with the Democratic Party. The two companies have continuously shared much of their leadership. ¹

Background

Switchboard Communication was founded in 2010. ²

Years later, in response to a perceived lack of digital outreach for Democratic campaigns, Switchboard launched SBDigital as a digital advertising firm. SBDigital has provided services to  Planned Parenthood Votes, the Democratic Party of North Carolina, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Forward Majority, and the Our Future Is Black PAC. ³

Activity

Switchboard Communications engages in robocalls on behalf of candidates and PACs. ^{4 5 6}

Clients

During the 2024 election cycle, as of August 2024, Switchboard Communications has received $756,388 from political PACs and candidates. The organization’s largest customer at that time was the reelection campaign for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), which had spent $737,711 on Switchboard Communications services. The other Switchboard customers of the 2024 election cycle as of August included the Democratic Party of Wisconsin; Serve America PAC; and U.S. Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Kim Schrier (D-WA), and Greg Casar (D-TX), none of whom spent more than $8,000. ⁷

During the 2022 election cycle, Switchboard received $14,036 in payments, all of which came from the campaign of Rep. Schrier. ⁸

During the 2020 election cycle, Switchboard earned $365,484. Its largest client that cycle was Forward Majority Action, a Democratic Party-aligned Super PAC, which paid Switchboard Communications $274,674. Switchboard’s other clients were the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the United Food and Commercial Workers union, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), U.S. Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA) and Dan McCready (D-NC), and U.S. Congressional candidate Roger Misso (D-NY). ⁹

During the 2018 election cycle, Switchboard earned $230,521, $202,570 of which came from the DCCC. ¹⁰

During the 2012 election cycle, the first with recorded earnings for Switchboard, the company earned $600,832, with large clients including former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. (D-NJ), the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and the Working for Us PAC. ¹¹

Leadership

John Griffiths was the chief operating officer of Switchboard Communications from 2012 to 2019 and as of August 2024 was the president and chief operating officer of SBDigital. ¹²

Beginning in 2019, Hannah Wineburg has been the director of marketing operations at Switchboard. From 2009 to 2011, she was an executive assistant at Public Strategies Washington, a political consulting from. In 2008, Wineburg worked on the successful U.S. Senate campaign of Kay Hagan (D-NC). ¹³

Sulli Norris-Cole was the digital director and then senior vice president at Switchboard from 2015 to 2019. As of August 2024, she is a partner at SBDigital. From 2013 to 2015, Norris-Cole was the digital director of the General Majority PAC, a pro-Democratic PAC focused on Pennsylvania and New Jersey. ¹⁴

Bret Wask became a managing partner at both Switchboard and SBDigital in 2013. From 2006 to 2009, he was a regional political director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. ¹⁵

Dirk Wiggins was a managing partner at Switchboard from 2009 to 2011. He became the director of strategy and partnership at Catalist, a Democratic data firm, in 2019. From 2011 to 2019, Wiggins ran echo19, a digital voter outreach company that supports Democrats. Earlier, Wiggins worked or consulted for the DCCC, the Florida Democratic Party, and the Kentucky Democratic Party. ¹⁶

Stephen Hill was the chief financial officer of Switchboard and as of August 2024 was CFO of the Democratic Governors Association. ¹⁷

1. “SBDigital.” Homepage. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://sbdigital.com/.
2. “SBDigital.” Homepage. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://sbdigital.com/.
3. “SBDigital.” Homepage. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://sbdigital.com/.
4. “Login Page.” Switchboard Communications. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://switchboard.echo19.com/site/login.
5. “Committee: FRIENDS OF SHERROD BROWN.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00264697/1733786/sb/ALL/2.
6. “Democratic Party Expenditures.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-parties/dpc/2016/expenditures-details?name=democratic-party&recip=Switchboard+Communications
7. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Switchboard Communications.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?vendor=Switchboard+Communications.
8. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Switchboard Communications.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?vendor=Switchboard+Communications.
9. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Switchboard Communications.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?vendor=Switchboard+Communications.
10. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Switchboard Communications.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?vendor=Switchboard+Communications.
11. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Switchboard Communications.” Open Secrets. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?vendor=Switchboard+Communications.
12. “John Griffiths.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-griffiths-8a36094/.
13. Hannah Wineburg.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-wineburg-34997014/
14. “Sulli Norris-Cole.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sulli-norris-cole-40877a63/.
15. “Bret Wask.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-wask-13963671/.
16. “Dirk Wiggins.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-wiggins/.
17. “SWITCHBOARD Communication.” Apollo.io. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.apollo.io/companies/SWITCHBOARD-Communications/55922dc173696418d73ab200.