PDM Events

As traditional bricks-and-mortar advocacy groups face the challenge of declining membership levels and reduced receipts from direct mail, a new breed of lightweight, nimble, net-driven groups are rising to the fore. Dave Karpf has seen the change unfold from both sides of the story--as a member of the Sierra Club board, and as a close observer of the evolution of the giant e-organization MoveOn. On this call, we'll explore one of the less-visible but incredibly significant results of the internet revolution: how political organizations themselves are being forced to restructure how they work.

About @Davekarpf

Dave Karpf (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University in the School of Communication and Information. His research explores the internet's effect on American political advocacy, with a particular focus on the new political economy of internet-mediated organizations like MoveOn.org, Democracy for America, and the DailyKos blogging community. Karpf's knowledge of the advocacy world is rooted in direct experience, having served as the National Director of the Sierra Student Coalition in 1999 and serving for six years on the Sierra Club Board of Directors. He is currently converting his dissertation, "Unexpected Transformations: The Internet's Effect on Political Associations in America," into a book manuscript, and also oversees two open data collection efforts: the Blogosphere Authority Index and the Membership Communications Project. His research and publications can be found at www.davidkarpf.com.