ActBlue feature

Nice article on the founders of ActBlue, the online clearinghouse for donating to Democratic candidates, even if they do somehow manage not to mention the Texas Tuesdays ActBlue page. I want to touch on something in this paragraph:

After originally targeting volunteer coordination — and calling themselves StepUp 2004 — they realized that fundraising for campaigns was a better starting point. Despite all the recent attention to Internet-based fundraising, few candidates are taking much advantage of it. Campaigns prefer check donations, since credit-card-processing services like PayPal take a piece of each transaction. Besides, non-national campaigns traditionally work local donors, such as PACs, party committees, and supporters at fundraisers. But how many people in faraway places would contribute to, say, Patsy Keever, in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, if they didn’t have to bother with writing a check?

I'd like to see an ActBlue for volunteer coordination some day. I suppose Meetup sort of works in that way now, but there's no unifying force behind it. The logistics of doing such a thing would be a bear, but the rewards could be immense. Still, I have a feeling we'll see something like this by 2008, if not 2006. It's the next logical step, there's a lot more infrastructure already in place to build on, and there's sure to be demand for it.

Via Political Wire.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on September 25, 2004 to Show Business for Ugly People | TrackBack