Now Make Me Do It

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Monday February 22, 2010 · 10:44 AM PST

2010/02/22 · 10:44

[x-posted from the ActBlog, w/apologies to SaveDemocracy for inadvertently ripping off his title.]

The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.

That was President Frankin Delano Roosevelt in 1932, and his last injunction, "but above all, try something," seems to have reached Washington D.C. almost 80 years after it was first uttered. On Monday the White House released a healthcare reform plan, and both President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have signaled their willingness to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills through--you guessed it--reconciliation.

[Cont'd]

ActBlue

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Wednesday January 27, 2010 · 8:08 AM PST

2010/01/27 · 08:08

While you should read the quarter-by-quarter analysis of ActBlue's growth in 2009, the executive summary is as follows:

Volume ($) increased 84% over 2007

Volue (# of donations) increased 92% over 2007
The number of Democratic entities receiving money through ActBlue doubled relative to 2007
Successful fundraising pages increased 167% over 2007

It's worth taking a moment to think about the two moments we're comparing here. In 2007, the Democrats were fresh off an election that returned both houses of Congress to their control. The popularity of the GOP was tanking, and prospects for retaking the White House looked good.

In 2009 the Democrats had control of Congress and the White House, and were heading towards a midterm election. The anticipation that characterized 2007 had been replaced with the reality of governing. The country continued to struggle under the weight of a prolonged recession. Only a few states had elections.

Nevertheless, 241,000 ActBlue users, overwhelmingly small-dollar donors, combined to send more than $30M to Democratic candidates and committees.

ActBlue

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Monday January 25, 2010 · 12:36 PM PST

2010/01/25 · 12:36

Guest Post by Karl-Thomas Musselman

Crossposted to the ActBlog

In the midst of a very busy start this year in the online fundraising and campaign finance worlds, we thought we'd take a step back and look at how things are going halfway through the 2010 election cycle. For that, I've pulled together some numbers and charts that put into perspective the activity at ActBlue.com in all of 2009 as compared to 2007, the most recent similar mid-cycle year.

[Ed--I pulled this graph out of the body of the post because, in KT's words, "When the 'worst' quarter of 2009 is on par with the 'best' quarter of 2007 you have to be impressed." But keep reading, there's plenty of great data after the jump.]

ActBlue

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Thursday August 27, 2009 · 1:18 PM PDT

2009/08/27 · 13:18

So, I spent most of last night watching the numbers tick upwards on ActBlue, wondering why people weren't doing more fundraising at 2AM Eastern. Then I took a moment, assessed the ambient level of crazy in my apartment (high!), and went to bed.

At 10AM the next morning, ActBlue hit one hundred million dollars.

Before I get all long-form narrative on you, I just wanted to give you an idea of the scale of that accomplishment. The number doesn't really do it justice. Those $100 million dollars went out to a pool of candidates and committees ten times larger than the US House (>4,500), and the median donation size was just $50. If you think that number is disguising a large average donation, you're wrong. The average donation was just $62.

In other words, it's a fall-out-of-your-chair achievement. Check out Hekebolos, the ActBlog and Chris Good over at the Atlantic for some other good takes on this. I have my own, which you can read below:

ActBlue

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Wednesday August 05, 2009 · 12:14 PM PDT

2009/08/05 · 12:14

It's that time of the year again, when the stifling heat of late summer and a recess on Capitol Hill combine to unite an eclectic mix of politicos, activists and media figures at a convention hall somewhere in the US.

It's called Netroots Nation--nee YearlyKos--and this year it'll be held in Pittsburgh, PA, from August 13-16.

In 2007, almost every major Democratic presidential candidate attended the conference. In 2008, attendees included Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi and Larry Lessig. In 2009, Netroots Nation will host Governor Jon Corzine, Howard Dean, and influential Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett. It will also feature a debate between Rep. Joe Sestak and Sen. Arlen Specter. As always, the discussion will be wide-ranging and passionate.

At ActBlue, we share an interest in broadening the political discourse. Usually that involves encouraging people to set up fundraising pages to help candidates generate the funds and buzz they need to run a competitive campaign.

But every so often we get a chance to do more.

We're giving away two of our passes to Netroots Nation '09 to two lucky recurring ActBlue donors. (Not a recurring donor? Become one!)

ActBlue

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Thursday July 09, 2009 · 8:41 AM PDT

2009/07/09 · 08:41

Howdy,

In my last diary, I mentioned that we had a lot of exciting stuff coming down the pipe over the next few days. Before I get into the specifics, I wanted to let you know about the underlying change that's making all of that innovation possible:

We are working with a new technology vendor: ActBlue Technical Services.

Why'd we make the switch?

Well, as the only 50-state fundraising platform exclusively for Democrats, we present a set of truly unique challenges to technology vendors. We decided that the best course of action was to work with a dedicated technical services provider that could spend all of its time to meeting those challenges. Basically, we got a new pony. Yes, it's a hyper-intelligent robot pony that does nothing but tirelessly plow our fields, day in and day out. It's fuel efficient, green (powered by Blue State Coffee) and rarely needs a tune-up.

ActBlue

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Monday June 29, 2009 · 12:20 PM PDT

2009/06/29 · 12:20

It was June 28th, 2004.

Do you remember what was happening to us in those days?

We were tarred as unpatriotic for questioning the increasingly obvious fabrications that led us into Iraq.
We were condemned as valueless for recognizing that we live in a pluralistic, multifaceted society.
We were tormented with Rovian fantasies of a permanent Republican majority.
And we were dismissed as the "reality-based community."

Dark times.

Five years ago yesterday, we flipped the switch and ActBlue.com went live. There was no multi-million dollar advertising campaign to announce it, no physical office, and no headline story on CNN heralding the arrival of a "game changer" in American politics. In fact, just $290 was donated to Democrats that day via ActBlue.

As always, the Daily Kos community was ahead of the curve. The first three personal fundraising pages were created for Daily Kos, Democracy for America, and the MoveOn PAC. The person who received the most support on our first day was Richard Morrison, who ran against Tom DeLay in 2004.

On that day, your support signaled a willingness to strike at the heart of Republican corruption.

Half a decade later, we've seen what that passion can do:

ActBlue

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Monday June 08, 2009 · 8:17 AM PDT

2009/06/08 · 08:17

I just wanted to take a moment to point you at the latest news out of VA, which holds its primary tomorrow.

ActBlue

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Thursday May 28, 2009 · 2:43 PM PDT

2009/05/28 · 14:43

Like many of you, I spent Tuesday morning waiting for the Prop 8 decision to come down. The result was a disappointment, but it got me thinking about where we go from here. I think that the biggest lesson I’ve taken away from this struggle is that organizing is crucial to success. You’ve got to get the money, then the people, and then the result. And you’ve got to start early.

With that in mind, I wanted to talk a little bit about what we’re interested in doing in ’09 and ’10, and the role that all of you can play in that process.

ActBlue

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Tuesday May 19, 2009 · 10:02 AM PDT

2009/05/19 · 10:02

Howdy,

Let me do a little introductory dance here. I'm Adrian, and I work at ActBlue as our Deputy Communications Director. I've been a Kos reader for years, but this is my first trip to the big leagues, so to speak. Anyway, let's get to it: we're all familiar with what ActBlue can do during election years, I wanted to talk a little bit about what we can do together when it's an off year.

As you're all aware, there are a number of tumultuous issues roiling Washington D.C. these days: torture, confirmation battles present and future, and a high-profile party switch, to name just a few. ActBlue allows you to construct a visible narrative of support for the politicians who represent your views, months and even years before an election. Money talks, and the circular handshake of financial support and media attention is how political fortunes are made and broken. You can play a role in that process by supporting politicians who take positions you like, even when it's not an election year. So how do you construct that narrative?

RSS

Now Make Me Do It

ActBlue 2009: Executive Summary

Preaching the (Act)Blues

$100,000,000

ActBlue (And You?) At Netroots Nation

Introducing ActBlue Technical Services

A Milestone for Progress: ActBlue Turns Five

Down to the Wire in Virginia

ActBlue: Organizing for the Future

Act(Blue) On The Issues!