Location
New School University
Time
May 24, 2004 - 9:30 am
Description
The money race is on. From now until the conventions, campaign strategists are rushing to fill their parties’ coffers with as much cash as possible, and rushing also to spend it, carefully, state by state, county by county, spot by spot. Each message, each thrust and parry is evaluated and measured by pollsters, with a payoff arguably more important than shifts in market share for soaps or colas. With the 2000 election so excruciatingly close, everyone feels the pressure and is looking for an edge.
Recently, Moveon.org and Dean for America startled the political fundraising establishment by demonstrating that the Internet could generate significant funds. Many of the people who donated online were not the supporters of old. Somehow, new voters were activated with the new medium. This may well be the edge that strategists are looking for, but first they have to figure out how it works, what it changes and whether it makes a real difference.
These online efforts are often referred to as “online community,” yet there isn’t much about them that is community-oriented. Mostly, the drive is old-fashioned: Getting contributions.
The questions this panel will address include:
- What has worked? What hasn’t?
- What is different about online fundraising?
- Do dollars raised online success translate into election day success?
- Once collected, what should the money be spent on? For example, Dean for America raised $22 million online, but spent none of it online.
- To what degree does “community” drive donations?
MODERATOR:Â Jerry Michalski, Former Managing Editor of Release 1.0
Michael Bassik, Vice President, Internet Advertising, Malchow Schlackman Hoppey & Cooper
Nicco Mele, Former Webmaster, Dean for America
David Metzner, Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
David Pollak, Executive Director, Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century
Simon Rosenberg, President and Founder, New Democrat Network
Andrew Weinreich, CEO, I Stand For, and Founder, Six Degrees