MoveOn.org“Democracy In Action”

using direct action

MoveOn.org’s organization

• MoveOn.org Civic Action

MoveOn.org Political Action

• ActionForum.com

Civic Action

Focuses on education and advocacy of national issues

MoveOn.org Political Action

• Formerly known as MoveOn PAC

Mobilizes people to fight important Congressional battles

• Gives contributions to candidates across the country to advance causes in Congress and help elect selected political candidates.

ActionForum.com

• Different from a traditional forum

Is organized by importance rather than the chronological age of the post

• Requires the use of a person’s real name and city/area rather than an anonymous handle

History of MoveOn.org

• MoveOn.org began with an online petition to “Censure President Clinton and Move On to Pressing Issues Facing the Nation” on September 18, 1998

• Within days hundreds of thousands signed up.

• MoveOn Peace campaign was founded independently by Eli Pariser.

Following the September 11, 2001 hysteria he began a petition calling for a restrained and multi-lateral response to the attacks.

• It was quickly signed by more than half a million people.

Pariser joined and became MoveOn.org Political Action’s Executive Director

Methodology

• Based heavily on email, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

• Combines new methods with more traditional billboards, print and television ads, and bus signs

Funding and Membership

• One of the largest PACs in America

Over 5.2 million members in 2009

• Accepts small donations of less than $5,000.

Does not accept grants

• MoveOn members come from every state and district

• With only small donations, it raises more than many well known organizations

Current Campaigns

• MoveOn brings humor to political offices with gifts of potatoes

• Protesters are instructed to bring in bags of small potatoes to their local congressman and tell them “We need real change, not small potatoes” to stop the flood of corporate money into politics.

• MoveOn will flood Congress with faxes, phone calls, emails, and letters calling for reform

• People who sign up will have a fax sent in their name, a reminder call to call their congressman, and updates on the campaign sent via email

2007, As told by MoveOn members

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Links

• MoveOn.org http://www.moveon.org/