$

$
$ TOTAL
How Obama Reinvented Campaign Finance I added a link
on my blog CONTRIBUTIONS
Need to register More than $200

NO SMALL CHANGE
to vote? Click here. Less than $200
$ $ (Primary through April 30)

$264.5M
$ $ $ $
Barack Obama is the first major candidate to decline
participation in the public financing system for
presidential campaigns. He’s found a more effective $122 $
$

million
way to raise money – by leveraging the power of the I’m posting
I’ll be hosting an Obama video
American people through online Social Networks. an Obama fundraiser I made.
Friday night at .... $
$
BARACK OBAMA $ $
$
I N DI VI D UAL
CONTRIBUTIONS $43.8M
GEORGE W. BUSH
$
LESS THAN $200 Cn u
B @ event
$
$6.7M
$32M $37M
HOWARD DEAN
$27.7M
2nite?
$ $ OMG
2000 JOHN KERRY 2004 JOHN McCAIN 2008
$8.8M AL GORE Social Networking link
election G.W. BUSH election election Social Networking is a virtual community where
members share and communicate online. News and
information is often deemed more trustworthy because
A Little History Obama’s Start Up it comes from a peer within a network, rather than

Traditionally, candidates developed relationships with a handful By the time Obama entered the race, Hillary
from the media or other outside source. $
of corporations and wealthy individuals who could provide Clinton had already secured the party’s top $88.2M
donors and most successful bundlers. Thanks
large sums of money to a national campaign.
In 2002, legislation passed limiting individual contributions Obama needed a creative way to raise money.
to $2,000 ($2,300 in 2008) for primaries, and another The former community organizer hired
24-year-old Facebook cofounder, Chris Hughes
Thanks
$2,000 for the general election. Campaigns then relied
on “bundlers,” fundraisers who could as his campaign’s online organizer. It all starts
influence their network of friends Thanks with one
When stadium-sized crowds started showing
to make maximum individual donations. up for Obama, supporters weren’t asked to Obama’s website provides social
make donations. A ticket to the event required networking tools that allow
only an email address for later communications individuals to operate as
from my.barackobama.com. independent fundraisers, organizers,
and influencers in support of the
candidate. Did it work?

EVERYBODY
? Obama donations
The wealth pyramid ELSE The Internet speaks The Internet roars The rest is history
$55M made in February
A 2004 study found that less than During the 2004 presidential In January, Obama set a record for June 5, Obama became the Fundraisers attended
one percent of Americans primary, Howard Dean raised donations in one month: $32 million, Democratic nominee for president. 0 by Obama in February
contributed more than $200. $27 million online. $28 million of which was raised online. OBAMA MCCAIN

Sources: FEC, The Campaign Finance Institute, The Center for Responsive Politics, George Washington University

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