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Category: Grassroots Fundraising

Grassroots fundraising contest: Taylor’s call from the President

By Melanie on March 29, 2012 Formats Profiles Grassroots Fundraising
Saturday at midnight is the deadline to get donations for the grassroots fundraising challenge—which means there are only four days left for you to win a phone call from President Obama for you or someone you know.

The last time around, challenge winner Meri asked President Obama to give a call to her son Taylor—who’s been a supporter of the President since he volunteered as a high school student in 2008.

Here’s Taylor on how he ended up getting a call from the President, and what it was like:

“Being the dedicated Obama supporter that my mother is, she didn’t waste time getting back on the President’s campaign website to help raise some funds on his behalf, and I guess the donations just started piling up.

“When she started getting closer to the top, she would let me know how she was doing: ‘Taylor, I just saw your friend donated $5 to my page!’ Selflessly, she reminded me towards the end that my 21st birthday was approaching and that she might consider giving the call to me if she won … and that’s what she did.

“It was really wonderful to have a chance to talk with the President. I told him that I was going to be studying abroad in Egypt in the spring, and he said, very sincerely, that people like me, doing what I was doing, were real assets to the country, and then he said he was proud of me. That really meant a lot to me. Then, at the end, I told him how he had truly inspired me in the 2008 elections and how the work he was doing gave me great hope in the country.”

If you have a personal message to tell the President, or if there’s someone you know who does, join in the challenge today.
Grassroots fundraising contest: President Obama on your caller ID

By Rufus Gifford, National Finance Director on March 26, 2012 Grassroots Fundraising
Imagine seeing "Barack Obama" pop up on your caller ID.

How cool would that be?

And while I can't promise that's how his number would show up, I can promise that someone like you will be getting that call sometime soon.

We're launching our second national Grassroots Fundraising contest ... right now.

Whoever gets the greatest number of donations to their grassroots fundraising page between now and 11:59 p.m. this Saturday night will win a call from President Obama—for themselves or anyone they choose.

And we're adding a twist this time around: Another winner will be selected from a pool of everyone who gets 10 or more contributions.

So don't waste a second—here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Set a goal on your grassroots fundraising page.
- Check out our new resource center for ways to inspire your friends and family to give.
- Spread the word!
This Saturday is a huge fundraising deadline, and the donations you bring in through your grassroots fundraising page will play a major part in helping us meet our goal.

That's why I love grassroots fundraising. When your friends donate to your page, they're stepping up to own a piece of this thing. You might even end up inspiring a few of them to create their own pages—and start getting their own networks involved in re-electing the President.

So let's go. You've got six days to win a phone call from the President—start thinking about what you'd ask him, or who you'd want him to call.

Head to your grassroots fundraising page today. Good luck!
2011: Campaign Milestones

By Melanie on December 28, 2011 Dinner with Barack Grassroots Fundraising Volunteers
1. On April 4th, 2011, we officially launched our 2012 campaign and began building this organization in cities and towns across the country.
2. In June, thousands of volunteers and staff came together for our first national day of action, reaching out to friends and neighbors to ask them to join the campaign.
3. Later that month, our 2011 Summer Organizer Program got underway. The class of first-time grassroots organizers took part in intensive trainings in every state before heading out to build the campaign in their neighborhoods.
4. By the end of October, one million grassroots donors had pitched in for the campaign, and we launched this interactive infographic to take a look at who made up the first million.
5. The winners of our first Dinner with Barack contest sat down for a meal with President Obama to talk about some of the issues that matter to them—and ask him about basketball, being a dad, and more.
6. On November 8th, 2011, volunteers turned out the vote in elections across the country and helped deliver a big victory for Ohio.
7. This fall, a Colorado volunteer spoke to a Denver man about getting involved for 2012—it was our one millionth one-on-one conversation of this campaign.
If you want to be a part of the big moments of this campaign in 2012, sign up to get involved.
Why Mike Gives

By Laura on December 20, 2011 Formats Profiles Grassroots Fundraising Profiles
“I’m a small donor—the first time I ever donated to any campaign was to Barack Obama in 2008. I gave a number of small donations then and have done the same this year.”

Mike is one of the over one million small donors who are helping to build this campaign.

“If we have any chance of returning America to the greatness we had in the past—with the most highly educated populace and the best infrastructure in the world—then we have to vote for President Obama.

“I haven’t heard anything from the other side that doesn’t scare me. They want to create more opportunities for corporations to expand their influence and for the income gap to get larger. And I’m also really worried about our education system, because I think long-term, closing that gap will take an emphasis on education, and that’s something really important.”

Mike is self-employed—he provides PR help to foundations, nonprofits, and the city government in his home of Hartford, Connecticut. He often works on advocacy for low-income neighborhoods and community schools, and that’s part of what drives him to support President Obama’s campaign:

“Thirty percent to 40 percent of Hartford residents live below the poverty line. So right now I’m working with the mayor to bring together leaders in the community—in business, education, and government—to address job development, raising incomes, and improving education.

“I’m always hesitant to tell other people what to do financially. But I really think the future of America is at stake. We’ve got to look forward. My generation grew up knowing we’d have a better life than our parents did, and I think if we want that for our kids it’s important we re-elect President Obama.”
Folks like Mike, chipping in whatever they can afford, are driving this campaign. Pitch in today to make a difference in your community.
“You Have to Give People a Reason”

By Melanie on December 19, 2011 Formats Profiles Groups Young Americans for Obama Grassroots Fundraising Volunteers Profiles
Sometimes it helps to get advice straight from a pro. Riley, a college freshman in Iowa, is on his way to becoming an expert grassroots fundraiser. Even though he’s currently taking courses for three different majors—politics, international studies, and Spanish—and volunteering for his local field office in Dubuque, he still finds time to ask people to contribute to his page.

“When I reach out to people to ask them to donate, I try to make the campaign relatable for them. I bring up an issue that’s important to that person, or to the community, just to make sure they know why the election matters. You have to give people a reason to donate. These days, people have to have a good reason to give even five dollars.”

Things are busy in the Dubuque office at the moment, with the Iowa caucuses less than three weeks away. Volunteers and organizers are making phone calls, knocking on doors, and raising money. Here’s why Riley is doing a bit of all three:

“There are too many reasons to be involved this campaign—it’s hard to pick just one. But I think that rebuilding the middle class is such a major issue right now. It matters to everyone.”

Ready to join Riley and start your own grassroots fundraising campaign? All you need to do is set up your page and you’re good to start.

And if you need some inspiration, check out these tips to get the ball rolling.
The Weekly Wrap-up

By Lauren on December 18, 2011 Dinner with Barack Grassroots Fundraising Health Care
1. With the war in Iraq drawing to a close, this infographic takes a look at steps the President is taking to support our troops at home and abroad.
2. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 2.5 million more young adults now have health insurance—nearly twice the number originally predicted.
3. As Congress prepared to vote on extending President Obama's payroll tax cut, folks across the country called in with their reasons for supporting it.
4. Who would you bring as your guest to dinner with the President and First Lady? Here are just a few of our favorite responses.
5. From setting up a page to asking friends and family to donate, check out these surefire tips for grassroots fundraising.
"Doing Double the Good"

By Mary on June 1, 2011 Grassroots Fundraising
Grassroots campaigns like ours only work if people step up to own a piece of it.

We’re not relying on special interests or Washington lobbyists to win this election and change the course of this country—we’re relying on each other.

That's just what a lawyer in Colorado, a small business owner in California, and a professor in Florida have been doing today. Each of them made a pledge to the campaign that has been matched by another supporter, and through our donation matching tool they've been able to exchange notes with the person they inspired to give.

“This is a campaign I'm proud to be a part of. Things have not been easy, and have not always gone the way I wanted, but there is no one I'd rather have leading us in hard times than the President.”

—Lawyer in Colorado

“This is my third contribution this year, and I intend to keep on giving until the election. It's great to link my money up with yours and feel like I'm doing double the good!”

—Small business owner in California

“I hope you'll join in this campaign. It's great to be part of something that is really making a difference in the world.”

—Professor in Florida

We’re taking the same approach to our fundraising as we are to our grassroots organizing—they belong to you.

So what are you waiting for? Make a donation now and double the impact of your money. If you like, we’ll even put you in touch with the person who matches your donation so you can exchange messages with them.
A Larger Mission

By Mary on June 1, 2011 Grassroots Fundraising
Campaign Manager Jim Messina launched a new grassroots fundraising effort today:

Earlier today, a whole bunch of us who have already made a donation to the 2012 campaign decided something.

We decided we're ready to give for a second or third time—if and only if people who haven't yet given to this campaign are willing to make a donation to the campaign right now.

We're using a unique matching tool to connect donors to each other—it's actually pretty cool. If you donate today, your gift will be matched by a real person. You'll be able to see their name and town, and even exchange a message with them.

Right now there are thousands of folks willing to match whatever amount you decide to give. You'll have double the impact if you decide to make your first donation to the 2012 campaign now.

From the start of President Obama's 2008 campaign, this operation has viewed fundraising as part of a larger organizing mission.

Taking ownership of the campaign is an essential part of the experience, right alongside making phone calls, knocking on doors, and taking responsibility for getting your network of friends, colleagues, and neighbors to join us.

Relying on each other to own this campaign isn't just the most viable way we can grow a truly grassroots organization—it's also the right way to do politics. Taking money from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs is the easy path—and every single one of our prospective opponents is racing down it.

That's not the kind of race we want to run. I know there are easier ways to fund a presidential campaign than getting a whole lot of people to give five dollars or more. But it's an explicit rejection of the money-for-influence game that paralyzes our politics.

So while other campaigns boast about raising tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, we're focusing on a different kind of mission: to get as many people as possible to give, as early as possible.

Right now, our most committed supporters are willing to double the impact of your donation to the 2012 campaign. I'd like them to find out that their promise to give inspired you.

Make a matching donation of $25 or more now.

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