Why we connected with Twitter

Just a few words about our strategy behind last week's Twitter integration project.

Certainly, we hope it's a big benefit to campaigns.  There's no doubt that Democratic candidates have jumped into Twitter.  It got to a point where we were couldn't ignore the clamor.  But let me highlight three specific motivations that go deeper than "serving candidates and fundraisers any way we can."

1. We are eager to drive adoption of our ActBlue Express donor accounts.  Express donors can review their full contribution history at any time, track progress against a personal giving target or aggregate contribution limits, make new contributions with just a few clicks, and -- of course -- now have the option to contribute via Twitter as well.  You'll see us doing more with these donor accounts over the next months, both in terms of their capabilities and how we promote them.


2. Twitter represents our first attempt at a mobile giving platform for Democratic fundraising.  It's a challenge whose solution has thus far remained out of reach in politics.  We can put a stake in the ground claiming the first honest mobile giving platform generally available to Democrats, but I also hope it is only the first of many innovations in that space.


3. Grassroots fundraising shines when donors become fundraisers, reaching other donors that candidates themselves can't reach.  We've preached that gospel from our first days five years ago.  What's so unique to Twitter is that the contribution tweet serves two roles: a contribution instruction to ActBlue and the fundraising ask itself.  We'll watch that dynamic closely, and perhaps try to bake in support for retweets as a way for donors to augment a contribution with a few bucks of their own.

Ultimately, we're looking for a new culture of online giving, not driven solely by asks from candidates and their fundraisers, but a mesh of activity underlying each day's online political discourse.  With ActBlue and Twitter, we can go beyond sending out "attaboys" when a Congressman votes the right way.  Imagine instead if those votes drove a flurry of micro-contributions, or a matching pledge implemented as a Twitter bot that automatically responds to contributions with the matching donor's own gift.

Let us know what you think, and please do give it a whirl!

Comments

[Progressive Electorate]

Brilliant idea. This should be a major part of the 2010 platform for expanding grassroots donating. I've signed up and encouraging candidates to use this innovative tool.

[Michael Jackson]

why can't people like yourself motivate as passionately against politicians who are greedy and corrupt?

why is it you are only motivated to action by someone who criticized your pop idol?

i believe your values are disorganized. is this why the nation is in the state it is? is this why the greedy elite are able to get away with fleecing America, because so many are pre-occupied with the glamour of celebrity?

please re-evaluate your priorities as an American and redirect your motivations to better your country, rather than saving face for a deceased pop star with a questionable past.

[evil is evil]

I want to contribute to any attack by anyone on Mary Loretta Landrieu of Louisiana. No one else. I am perfectly happy with choosing my own enemies and for my own reasons.

Please send to my email account a street address or post office box that a check can be sent to. The payment will not be made unless it is directly targeted at Landrieu, I will NOT contribute to anyone else until she is toast.