MoneyBomb!!! Analysis and Discussion for 2012

[ronpaulhawaii]

I am of the belief that we could be much more organized and methodical this time around. I saw a few different groups last night trying to promote new moneybombs and think we need to get a handle on this. I said something in chat that resonated so will repeat it here:


I had a long argument with a policy wonk in DC last year who, though friendly, was deriding our efforts. While much was simply beltway mentality, one thing they said stuck with me, "You guys are like a bunch of 6 year olds playing soccer... little co-ordination and discipline... the ball goes that way, and the whole team runs after it, the ball gets kicked back and the whole team runs back..."

While that can be amusing when the opposing team is also 6 year olds, we are up against very experienced manipulators...

I hope this thread sparks some discussion on how we can improve our game...

Some questions to start:

What mistakes have we made in the past with moneybombs?

How often can we reasonably have RP2012 moneybombs?, (keep in mind downticket candidates will be wanting to have their own...)

[TomtheTinker]

bump

[TheDriver]

Money bombs aren't going to shake the earth until nationwide, televised debates, imo. Even then, the stars have to aline.

[AlexMerced]

the only other money bomb I'm aware of coming up is ThisJuly2nd.com spearheaded by UtahApocalypse which I think is appropriate timing since that gives a little over three months to get the word out, to compliment his effort I'm organizing a charity bomb (charityforliberty.com) for same weekend but it's all part of one big effort.

As far as organization, a couple of people organized a really decent facebook infrastructure to help coordinate people in a more organized way. I created a quick URL to see their efforts (it links to the forum thread with links to each states facebook group) @ http://facebook.ronpaulisnow.com

Other than that I'm not familiar with any other planned money bombds (there is RunRonPaul.com, but I don't think there is a exact date for that)

[ronpaulhawaii]

the only other money bomb I'm aware of coming up is ThisJuly2nd.com spearheaded by UtahApocalypse which I think is appropriate timing since that gives a little over three months to get the word out, to compliment his effort I'm organizing a charity bomb (charityforliberty.com) for same weekend but it's all part of one big effort.

As far as organization, a couple of people organized a really decent facebook infrastructure to help coordinate people in a more organized way. I created a quick URL to see their efforts (it links to the forum thread with links to each states facebook group) @ http://facebook.ronpaulisnow.com

Other than that I'm not familiar with any other planned money bombds (there is RunRonPaul.com, but I don't think there is a exact date for that)

I am on multiple networks, last night I was approached to "admin" competing MBs... I don't know how effective one man arbitrarily picking a date and promoting it with out concensus is. The July2nd date was mentioned by the other group so there is already dissension... While I am all for the free market of ideas, I wonder that we should be more co-ordinated before "going public", making websites, etc...

[TheDriver]

July 2nd is a terrible day for a money bomb, as it's on a Saturday. Never do internet fundraising on the weekend.

[Bern]

July 2nd is a terrible day for a money bomb, as it's on a Saturday. Never do internet fundraising on the weekend.

A holiday weekend at that. People are going to be more concerned with hot dogs, beer and the park/beach than political causes.

rph - all I can offer is that times are tight for most people and anyone who's donated to groups/causes in the past are inundated with follow up requests for donations. Moneybombs should be rare events or people get overloaded and begin to tune them all out.

[ronpaulhawaii]

July 2nd is a terrible day for a money bomb, as it's on a Saturday. Never do internet fundraising on the weekend.

Yes, that was mentioned by a completely different group... Adding that it is a holiday weekend...

[nayjevin]

Well I say we just rock the house for the whole week of independence day. There's already momentum in that direction. After that, one of the big problems last time was the campaign never knew how much to expect, so it was hard to budget.

I say all out on and around independence day - and as much as soon as possible thereafter.

If it can be agreed that the moneybomb concept is on the downswing as to effectiveness of the tactic, I say let the copycat-candidates take the table scraps.

[Original_Intent]

I agree with the OP. We need a lot more coordination and discipline than last time. Of course, with libertarian types, herding cats immediately comes to mind. So maybe we need to use that as a strength instead of letting it weaken us.

Sure, they may be able to be more organized because they are half asleep and plugged into the Matrix. But we have creativity and a lot more intelligence on our side, kind of the free market of ideas, we really do let the best ones rise to the top. The other guys are top down and always will be top down because they are waiting to be told what to think.

[matt0611]

We need a better, more concrete way of coordination about these things.

Do we have one of these http://www.bettermeans.com?
I've never used it but I've seen people suggesting it.

[ronpaulhawaii]

Well I say we just rock the house for the whole week of independence day. There's already momentum in that direction. After that, one of the big problems last time was the campaign never knew how much to expect, so it was hard to budget.

I say all out on and around independence day - and as much as soon as possible thereafter.

If it can be agreed that the moneybomb concept is on the downswing as to effectiveness of the tactic, I say let the copycat-candidates take the table scraps.

I don't know that the concept is ineffective. People love them; watching the ticker, spurring each other on with "match" threads, etc... I do like the idea of Money Barrages and multi day events could be incorporated...

I think dates should be put to a vote...

I, also, think we need to find a way to allay fears of repeat problems with "list-makers" and wonder if RPFs could play a role in that... Josh has a track record of using his list responsibly...

[JK/SEA]

The next moneybomb date is actually up to Ron Paul himself. If/when he announces should be the signal....When he announces...they will come...until then... ....>HOLD<

[ronpaulhawaii]

The next moneybomb date is actually up to Ron Paul himself. If/when he announces should be the signal....When he announces...they will come...until then... ....>HOLD<

Not sure of that for a few reasons:

1- Ron Paul announcing will create a spontaneous outpouring that cannot really be planned for...

2- It takes time to promote these things, waiting till RP announces will then set the date x amount further down the road

3- Last cycle we got the money to RP too late to be effective...

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

I like the idea of a Money Barrage. A two or three day event coinciding with the charity concept could do nicely. Imagine 500,000 Ron Paul libertarians having a nationwide charity drive with the Money Barrage? Local media and National Media..yay/nay?

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

We need a better, more concrete way of coordination about these things.

Do we have one of these http://www.bettermeans.com?
I've never used it but I've seen people suggesting it.

Yes, we are on there. Liberty Coalition :p

It is an awesome tool.

[AlexMerced]

The weekend of July 2nd may not be the best time for the money bomb but a weekend is the best time for a Charity Bomb since no ones going to go to soup kitchen when they are supposed to be working.

I do think arguably we have more to gain from a Charity Bomb as far as awareness, good will, and media attention

http://www.CharityforLiberty.com

[nayjevin]

Now I'm thinking about this ticker. There's room on it for more RP appearances real soon. Maybe we should have one as soon as possible, like say 20-30 days from now? or sooner? then the announcement bomb would maybe be between then and independence day. at that point, i think as much as possible as soon as possible.

see what it does though is discourage the one time donors from donating now. i'm not sure where the balance falls in the benefits of concentrating effort, excitement etc, and the campaign having that cash on hand. in general i say there's no question the balance was on the side of the moneybomb, but here we are with a half full ticker and what looks like ron's campaign trying to budget and book events.

[ronpaulhawaii]

Now I'm thinking about this ticker. There's room on it for more RP appearances real soon. Maybe we should have one as soon as possible, like say 20-30 days from now? or sooner? then the announcement bomb would maybe be between then and independence day. at that point, i think as much as possible as soon as possible.

see what it does though is discourage the one time donors from donating now. i'm not sure where the balance falls in the benefits of concentrating effort, excitement etc, and the campaign having that cash on hand.

I'm not sure if 20-30 days is enough time... but like your thinking...

I remember from '10 a consensus seemed to develop that 1 "major" bomb per quarter is acceptable... We just had a "winter" bomb, next would be spring, then summer... etc... Is that enough?

[UtahApocalypse]

I want to address the ThisJuly2nd issue.

I jumped the gun.... I agree that we need to take everything we learned over the past moneybombs and put that to good use. as such i will be keeping the site as is, and the FB group open. I never have announced it as a moneybomb. i don't think it is dead in the water. If another more logical, and effective date is picked for a moneybomb I will fully support that effort. The July 2nd event will transition into a nationwide sign blitz reminiscent of the "paint the town Ron" events of the past. It is very effective to do these type things at the beginning of a holiday as signs are viewed by thousands of travelers, and not taken down by DOT until Tuesday.

One thing to keep in mind though is we will never please everyone. just like the Nov. 5th bomb many people disliked it due to the "Guy Fawkes" theme and reference. It still was wildly successful and put Ron Paul on the map.... and added the term "moneybomb" to the political lexicon.

Some of the most important things we have learned is that we should use time to our advantage. My thought on this is we need at most only one bomb per a quarter. This allows everyone time to promote, and stock up on donations. The other time issue is just like Mike said we can't be late to the party. Ron Paul needs the money sooner than later. If Rand's campaign is any sign of things to come this time around we will be looking at a much more organized, and possessional run. Lets keep in mind important dates, and events and coincide our funding before those occur.

We have many new tools to use. With the LibertypAC bomb I found that Facebook was hugely effective and useful. There are still aspects of that that need to be better taken advantage of in the future.

Here is my analysis of the LibertyPAC Presidents Day Moneybomb (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280838-The-LibertyPAC-Money-Bomb-Analysis-for-future-use)

[TonySutton]

I think it is important to have a list of groups who have worked with us in the past on broadcasting the event. Have contact names for each group so we can better coordinate spreading the word. Also find new groups to work with.

[Michael P]

We should learn from Schiffs money bombs. The weekday ones were HUGE and the weekend ones sucked. People won't even be home on a holiday weekend.

[TonySutton]

Another thing to help spread the word would be to make sure we have a variety of banners, avatars, etc advertising the event and make the readily available for use. Also make a list of things people can do to help spread the word. Maybe have special weeks where we focus on spreading the word on FB, another week where we focus on radio events, another week where we spread it to Tea Party affiliates, etc.

[AdamT]

Moneybombs should be rare events or people get overloaded and begin to tune them all out.

Bingo!

[AdamT]

Nov 5th, 2007 ($4.2 mil) was a Monday and Dec 16th ($6.4 mil) was a Sunday.

[nayjevin]

so is one per quarter too much? I'd say that's possible, and wouldn't want more than that.

is there an alternative? maybe we do one or two moneybombs, then come up with the next great big thing? donation parties? i dunno.

[Andromeda]

A few thoughts from someone who has helped advertise for large scale events and helped various organizations/conventions increase attendance:

1) There must be coordination on a grand level, this is absolutely true.

With tons of small mini bombs by tons of people and without much coordination, the money will still add up, but it won't necessarily warrant mass media attention or allow us to look organized. Sure, that may mean some people can't take the front seat, but that doesn't really matter when we're talking about the big picture.

2) Spread out the Money Bombs

This will give people time to save up money, advertise, etc.

3) Plan Events Around "Pay Days"

Preferably not at the first of the month (rent). When people get paid, they like to spend. Capitalize on this.

It's tough to plan mass events like what the Grassroots are trying to do for Ron Paul without some centralized point or individual who can say in which direction the movement should be heading. Everyone has an idea of what to do, it's getting all that stuff compiled while still working with Ron Paul's staff to maximize the efforts. Having set-in-stone dates for the Money Bombs (I love the quarterly idea someone proposed) will give the people time to plan and even let Ron Paul know when he can plan to do certain things that could further maximize the event.

I think doing advertising on a local scale and on the internet is doing us a lot of good. Maybe it's time someone started an "official" thread for a money bomb and put some of these ideas to a vote here on the forums. I guess the next step would be to do some outreach to some of the other groups who don't come here as often to get them on board. Then, we all do our best to stick to them and promote the events that we have agreed on while still operating on a local level as we have been doing but incorporate the bigger events into that localized message.

Just my 2 cents.

[PatriotOne]

I agree we need to have a moneybomb communications model. There are so many great resources we should be using. We are great amateurs...we could REALLY be a force to be reckoned with if we came up with a strategy for the moneybombs. And I totally agree that too many independant moneybombs dilute interest.

It's time to go pro on this utilizing the great amateur talent we already have. One big mistake we made was not using Alex Jones to promote this thing yesterday....even if we pay for an ad. Love him or hate him....he pulls in big, big bucks for RP and we missed out on probably a couple 100 thousand yesterday because of no one asking him too. Lew Rockwell didn't mention it either. This moneybomb happened in a vacuum yesterday....a profitable vacuum though :).

Could the LibertyPac centralize these efforts?

[Andromeda]

I'm not familiar with the various groups like LibertyPac or any of the sites that handle the money bombs. But, speaking from experience, it usually works well if there is ONE person in charge of contacting the "hard hitters" like the individuals PatriotOne mentioned above. This will give that one individual some type of official title and allow that person to have more leverage instead of just being another "one of those crazy Ron Paul supporters". I worry that with too many people contacting certain voices, we could come off as spam. Just a concern.

Edit: Also, having one person would give the air of unity and organization.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

I'm not familiar with the various groups like LibertyPac or any of the sites that handle the money bombs. But, speaking from experience, it usually works well if there is ONE person in charge of contacting the "hard hitters" like the individuals PatriotOne mentioned above. This will give that one individual some type of official title and allow that person to have more leverage instead of just being another "one of those crazy Ron Paul supporters". I worry that with too many people contacting certain voices, we could come off as spam. Just a concern.

You would be correct on outsiders to the movement, but Lew and Alex probably wouldn't mind. The thing with Money Bombs is that they aren't outreach initiatives to bring people aboard the flotilla, but they are mobilizations of those all ready on. During the inter-periods of 'inactivity' that is when we do the hard-hitting work to get people to get aboard the flotilla. That's why I really like the Charity for Liberty concept. It's a great concept -- lots of media exposure, helps the community, and builds a positive image of our movement (which one could argue we may need :p).

[matt0611]

I agree we need to have a moneybomb communications model. There are so many great resources we should be using. We are great amateurs...we could REALLY be a force to be reckoned with if we came up with a strategy for the moneybombs. And I totally agree that too many independant moneybombs dilute interest.

It's time to go pro on this utilizing the great amateur talent we already have. One big mistake we made was not using Alex Jones to promote this thing yesterday....even if we pay for an ad. Love him or hate him....he pulls in big, big bucks for RP and we missed out on probably a couple 100 thousand yesterday because of no one asking him too. Lew Rockwell didn't mention it either. This moneybomb happened in a vacuum yesterday....a profitable vacuum though :).

Could the LibertyPac centralize these efforts?


I agree with this, we definitely need some sort of centralized communication system for all sorts of Ron Paul and Liberty groups to coordinate these things.

[AlexMerced]

You would be correct on outsiders to the movement, but Lew and Alex probably wouldn't mind. The thing with Money Bombs is that they aren't outreach initiatives to bring people aboard the flotilla, but they are mobilizations of those all ready on. During the inter-periods of 'inactivity' that is when we do the hard-hitting work to get people to get aboard the flotilla. That's why I really like the Charity for Liberty concept. It's a great concept -- lots of media exposure, helps the community, and builds a positive image of our movement (which one could argue we may need :p).

thanks, glad you like the idea (CharityforLiberty.com), good will will do good for us.

[Andromeda]

I like Charity for Liberty as well. I think that could also be done on most other "good will" holidays even without a centralized effort, just on the local level.

For example, Arbor day - get a group of people wearing Ron Paul Tshirts together and plant some trees. Hand out pamphlets maybe have someone cook up some BBQ or whatever and make a family day out of it. It could even just be one tree... LOL You get the idea...

Hold a 3k race to donate money to some charity of your liking and have your group wear their Ron Paul shirts with corresponding logos to the event. Then, make sure you're always in front of everyone else so they have to see the logos the whole run!

The whole "tea bagger" crap was not exactly good for our image. Sure, it got the word out but there were so many fanatics and people who were not really getting the message and just wanted to oppose Obama that I think it started sending a mixed message. Doing things in conjunction with charitable events while supporting Ron Paul is probably the best thing we can do to clean up the image of the Tea Party while letting people know that we're organized and good people - not just out to oppose the current regime or whatever else it is they think we're doing...

[The Dark Knight]

I think there should be a Money bomb on April 15th to get us off the ground and give us plenty of time to get ready for Ames Iowa. Really that is where all our time and effort should go.
If we wait until July to have a Money Bomb, we wont be able to use the funds effectively for Ames. Just like when we had a Money Bomb in December and the funds came in too late, if we wait till July the funds wont help us much in Ames because we need to have a well funded plan in place at least three months before the straw poll. We need to take this one step at a time.
The best case scenario would be Ron announcing in Mid March and having a month to prepare for a Money Bomb. A month is more than enough time to get the word out for a Money Bomb.

[AlexMerced]

it'll never be perfectly centralized as far a grassroots, efforts, but there is a great deal of organization already

- Trevor Lyman is in control of some large and effective mailing lists from 2008 efforts

- Campaign for Liberty and YAL have been big sources of organization but they can't advocate for candidates

- http://facebook.ronpaulisnow.com -there some of the forums guys organized standardized facebook groups for every state

[Andromeda]

The tough part about that is the "Ron announcing in March". We don't know when he will announce. The sooner, the better, of course... but...

[enjerth]

Not sure of that for a few reasons:

1- Ron Paul announcing will create a spontaneous outpouring that cannot really be planned for...

2- It takes time to promote these things, waiting till RP announces will then set the date x amount further down the road

3- Last cycle we got the money to RP too late to be effective...

AFAIK, that was the biggest mistake we supporters made, organizing a late moneybomb. It was a great event, but at the cost of so many donations that could have poured in earlier. I like the idea of a moneybomb immediately when he announces, but maybe make it a moneybomb week instead of a moneybomb day. The moneybomb seems to gain momentum as the day progresses, I'd like to see how a multiple-day event would perform. A week should be enough time for the word to get out once he announces.

Here's a few ideas I think could make it more interesting or successful.

* Set benchmark goals for reaching 2 million by the end of the week (the "mild-success" benchmark), another set of goals for 5 million, 10 million and 20 million.
* Double Down challenges. Double your previous day's donation every day, $10 (or more) suggested to start if you donate on the first day. Over 7 days that $10 doubled every day would add up to $1270. To max out, start your donation with $19.68, which would reach a sum of $2499.36 on the last day.

Above all, we just need to find momentum and keep it going. And we need to do it very early in the campaign.

[ronpaulhawaii]

We need a better, more concrete way of coordination about these things.

Do we have one of these http://www.bettermeans.com?
I've never used it but I've seen people suggesting it.

This looks like a good tool for committee work and I suggest that teams will need to communicate seemlessly with the greater grassroots for maximum effectiveness...


I like the idea of a Money Barrage. A two or three day event coinciding with the charity concept could do nicely. Imagine 500,000 Ron Paul libertarians having a nationwide charity drive with the Money Barrage? Local media and National Media..yay/nay?

I'm intrigued, thinks it needs tweaking but love the concept...


I want to address the ThisJuly2nd issue... I will save much of what I learned from yesterdays event for its own analysis thread.

+rep, I look forward to seeing that thread... was a great day :D


I think it is important to have a list of groups who have worked with us in the past on broadcasting the event. Have contact names for each group so we can better coordinate spreading the word. Also find new groups to work with.

Yup


We should learn from Schiffs money bombs. The weekday ones were HUGE and the weekend ones sucked. People won't even be home on a holiday weekend.


Nov 5th, 2007 ($4.2 mil) was a Monday and Dec 16th ($6.4 mil) was a Sunday.

Perhaps it's the holiday aspect rather than the weekend? That will be at odds with our propensity to use a significant date. Hmmm... you guys just gave me an idea... :eek:


Another thing to help spread the word would be to make sure we have a variety of banners, avatars, etc advertising the event and make the readily available for use. Also make a list of things people can do to help spread the word. Maybe have special weeks where we focus on spreading the word on FB, another week where we focus on radio events, another week where we spread it to Tea Party affiliates, etc.

Committees?


so is one per quarter too much? I'd say that's possible, and wouldn't want more than that.

is there an alternative? maybe we do one or two moneybombs, then come up with the next great big thing? donation parties? i dunno.

donation parties = Traditional House Parties - the r3VOLution revolves... :D Perhaps a "Frequency of MoneyBomb" public poll to settle what looks to be a basic question?


A few thoughts from someone who has helped advertise for large scale events and helped various organizations/conventions increase attendance:

1) There must be coordination on a grand level, this is absolutely true.

With tons of small mini bombs by tons of people and without much coordination, the money will still add up, but it won't necessarily warrant mass media attention or allow us to look organized. Sure, that may mean some people can't take the front seat, but that doesn't really matter when we're talking about the big picture.

2) Spread out the Money Bombs

This will give people time to save up money, advertise, etc.

3) Plan Events Around "Pay Days"

Preferably not at the first of the month (rent). When people get paid, they like to spend. Capitalize on this.

It's tough to plan mass events like what the Grassroots are trying to do for Ron Paul without some centralized point or individual who can say in which direction the movement should be heading. Everyone has an idea of what to do, it's getting all that stuff compiled while still working with Ron Paul's staff to maximize the efforts. Having set-in-stone dates for the Money Bombs (I love the quarterly idea someone proposed) will give the people time to plan and even let Ron Paul know when he can plan to do certain things that could further maximize the event.

I think doing advertising on a local scale and on the internet is doing us a lot of good. Maybe it's time someone started an "official" thread for a money bomb and put some of these ideas to a vote here on the forums. I guess the next step would be to do some outreach to some of the other groups who don't come here as often to get them on board. Then, we all do our best to stick to them and promote the events that we have agreed on while still operating on a local level as we have been doing but incorporate the bigger events into that localized message.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks :) Great observation on the "payday" timing.

Grassroots are tangled chaos by nature. We need to keep that in mind while "organizing"

[Andromeda]

I like the benchmark goals idea... just don't want that to bite us in the tail when Faux News gets ahold of it and says "they didn't meet their quota for the day" and then laughs. Should be a reasonable number for each day.

[UtahApocalypse]

+rep, I look forward to seeing that thread... was a great day :D


I have the thread up now, i look forward to hearing everyones thoughts, hopefully we can learn from this.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280838-The-LibertyPAC-Money-Bomb-Analysis-for-future-use

[wstrucke]

I have a solution to the "disparate, unrelated, unorganized, herding cats" problem -- there has to be a specific person or a specific group of volunteers tasked with coordinating between the grassroots and the official campaign. That's the best way we can be effective -- that way the announcements can go out at the right time and we don't work against each other.

[UtahApocalypse]

I have a solution to the "disparate, unrelated, unorganized, herding cats" problem -- there has to be a specific person or a specific group of volunteers tasked with coordinating between the grassroots and the official campaign. That's the best way we can be effective -- that way the announcements can go out at the right time and we don't work against each other.

Cannot be done legally. that is our biggest obstacle.

[nayjevin]

Perhaps a "Frequency of MoneyBomb" public poll to settle what looks to be a basic question?

ya definitely. as much as democracy sucks :D the results are a good guage of where the crowd stands.

[Mordan]

too many moneybombs == no moneybombs.

[Bobster]

I like the benchmark goals idea... just don't want that to bite us in the tail when Faux News gets ahold of it and says "they didn't meet their quota for the day" and then laughs. Should be a reasonable number for each day.

Reminds me of the old business adage:

Under commit, over deliver.

[nayjevin]

there should be spikes when he announces and during debates, maybe just focus on those!??

[ronpaulhawaii]

there should be spikes when he announces and during debates, maybe just focus on those!??

I wonder that those times will be fertile for more traditional forms of fundraising.

I'm partial to the once per quarter thing and am intrigued by both TaxDay and the July thing...

[ronpaulhawaii]

there should be spikes when he announces and during debates, maybe just focus on those!??

I wonder that those times will be fertile for more traditional forms of fundraising.

I'm partial to the once per quarter thing and am intrigued by both TaxDay and the July thing...

[Andromeda]

I'll say it again that Quarterly seems like a good idea. It gives time and the appearance of organization.

If we can't work "directly" and "officially" with the campaign, then it's a little tough to do much organizing. Just throwing out ideas:
- Someone from the campaign could check a specific thread on a certain site or
- Someone from the campaign could check a specific FB site, not necessarily post anything.
- Someone from our side could post on a specific thread on one of their forums or something like that
- Someone from our side could leave a voice message, send a text, something like that.

That person doesn't have to have an official title per se to avoid the legal implications... but, could be someone that the campaign would recognize as someone who serves as liaison in that respect without having any real power at all. Just a little bird tweeting...

Would something like that work?

[speciallyblend]

edit if folks cannot tell i have had it:)

[UtahApocalypse]

I'll say it again that Quarterly seems like a good idea. It gives time and the appearance of organization.

If we can't work "directly" and "officially" with the campaign, then it's a little tough to do much organizing. Just throwing out ideas:
- Someone from the campaign could check a specific thread on a certain site or
- Someone from the campaign could check a specific FB site, not necessarily post anything.
- Someone from our side could post on a specific thread on one of their forums or something like that
- Someone from our side could leave a voice message, send a text, something like that.

That person doesn't have to have an official title per se to avoid the legal implications... but, could be someone that the campaign would recognize as someone who serves as liaison in that respect without having any real power at all. Just a little bird tweeting...

Would something like that work?


I envision it much like the LibertyPAC bomb went. The idea was started by the grassroots, as much oof the work was. LibertyPAC did acknowledge the event but they were not the ones directly in charge of it.

[itshappening]

Josh should just pick one from the competing ideas and push it on RPF

either Josh or Trevor - who led the way last time

the criteria has to be a memorable day and something that can be marketed, plus give enough time for us to get the word out 6-8 weeks.

[Andromeda]

RE: How the LibertyPAC Bomb went this time.
That works to a certain extend but does not necessarily help for major coordinating like how we would like to have a money bomb when he announces. It also does not help us organize directly with the campaign. There has to be a "middle man" so to speak - even if there isn't an actual exchange of words. It should be something simple, direct, and capable of helping us come together with the campaign without running the risk of various legal issues.

[ronpaulhawaii]

I think we can all rest assured that people with official titles read this forum. I think the official organization stepped up pretty quickly this time and followed our lead...

[tangent4ronpaul]

started a thread with this yesterday, but it didn't take off.

Moneybomb matches and momentum

This is kind of weird. I posted my match offer in competition with malkusm's, which had momentum, thinking ti wold be a minor glitch as I was offering a better match of 1:1 vs his 1:5, but I got no takers the first hour and started promoting it. Granted, a lot of people were pretty much tapped out and it's the end of the day. OTOH, donations overall really took off in the evening - though not so much here. probably due to the viral marketing and ppl getting home and dinnertime.

Anyway, I'm wondering if I derailed his match offer. I really thought I might steal one cycle from him and it would be over quick. We should really look at the dynamics of this, average contrabution, repeat donors, stuff like that.

Any thoughts? I thought I was helping, yet I'm not so sure in the overall effect. His matches seemed to be winding down a bit, but that's subjective. Any thoughts?

Might also want to look at viral marketing spread so we can do better next time. Also, the effects of mini-bombs at certain times, like the 10-11pm thing.

My match was originally for 5 $20 donors, but I'm expanding that to 10 w/ 4 slots left in the 10-11pm window 1:1. His was open ended 1:5. What strategy works better?

Discussion?

-t

[PatriotOne]

Another thing I want to mention....

if this effort ends up being coordinated by the grassroots, I hope and frankly, they better be, a group of people that is above reproach. I know there are several senior members on this board that doesn't pass the muster with me and I am probably not alone. There are many money bombs I refuse to participate in because I don't trust the organizer.

[ronpaulhawaii]

Another thing I want to mention....

if this effort ends up being coordinated by the grassroots, I hope and frankly, they better be, a group of people that is above reproach. I know there are several senior members on this board that doesn't pass the muster with me and I am probably not alone. There are many money bombs I refuse to participate in because I don't trust the organizer.

I suppose we need to differentiate between RP bombs and others. The only common point of abuse potential is the email harvesting.

In that sense, we need a "Keeper of The List" for grassroots RPBombs, and I nominate Josh/Bryan/RPFs...

For other efforts, I think those will be decided in the free market of ideas...

[nayjevin]

myemailaddressformoneybombs@google.com
if you want to help pledge numbers but don't need email reminders

or can just donate, without pledging. lots of people do that.

just to be clear, donations should always go to the official site, not any 3rd party.

[ronpaulhawaii]

started a thread with this yesterday, but it didn't take off.

Moneybomb matches and momentum

This is kind of weird. I posted my match offer in competition with malkusm's, which had momentum, thinking ti wold be a minor glitch as I was offering a better match of 1:1 vs his 1:5, but I got no takers the first hour and started promoting it. Granted, a lot of people were pretty much tapped out and it's the end of the day. OTOH, donations overall really took off in the evening - though not so much here. probably due to the viral marketing and ppl getting home and dinnertime.

Anyway, I'm wondering if I derailed his match offer. I really thought I might steal one cycle from him and it would be over quick. We should really look at the dynamics of this, average contrabution, repeat donors, stuff like that.

Any thoughts? I thought I was helping, yet I'm not so sure in the overall effect. His matches seemed to be winding down a bit, but that's subjective. Any thoughts?

Might also want to look at viral marketing spread so we can do better next time. Also, the effects of mini-bombs at certain times, like the 10-11pm thing.

My match was originally for 5 $20 donors, but I'm expanding that to 10 w/ 4 slots left in the 10-11pm window 1:1. His was open ended 1:5. What strategy works better?

Discussion?

-t

The situation is fluid, I remember multiple match threads in other bombs... Great work yesterday, thanks

[Wesker1982]

Has Ron said anything about yesterday yet?

[Original_Intent]

I think a money bomb about 8 weeks after he announces would be great. A multi-million dollar bomb, this early in the cycle would be huge. And I can't help but think a lot of people did not go balls to the wall because he hasn't announced yet.

Even though it is still very early (Ron Paul forums did not even exist at this point in the 2008 election cycle) I bet if Ron Paul announced we could do a couple million, easy. (With a couple of months to promote it - maybe a "last chance to save the Union" theme.

[Krugerrand]

Just to throw a new idea into the mix ... how about something a tad different.

I'm thinking a group of people commit to donating $x every time something happens that assaults liberty ... it could be a specific thing, such as an action by Obama ... or a list of things such as Bernanke actions or whatever.

Whenever those events happen, they trigger a "Liberty Money Grenade" - or perhaps something that might have a catchier abbreviation. Then, the event can be countered with yet another $20,000 for Ron Paul or something like that. It would turn negative actions to fund raising for Ron Paul.

I'll have to kick the idea around some more ... but it's something to keep the money bomb fresh.

[nayjevin]

also people who can max out need to know they can do so to libertypac then again once he announces.... that is right isn't it?

[Nate-ForLiberty]

also people who can max out need to know they can do so to libertypac then again once he announces.... that is right isn't it?

Yes

[Slutter McGee]

Perhaps one day is to short of a time. I remember that early in 07 there was a week long fundraising push that raised..a million maybe, not sure. Eitherway that week build up a lot momentum, coordination between people, and was more than anyone expected.

I certainly am not going to argue with the success of 1 day money bombs. But perhaps we should do a one week money marathon before we get started with the bombs. Build up support, get people excited, get people active.

Anyway, I am not the one to plan these things. Just my two cents.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

[Matt Collins]

Crosslink: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280838-The-LibertyPAC-Money-Bomb-Analysis-for-future-use

[Matt Collins]

From here: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280838-The-LibertyPAC-Money-Bomb-Analysis-for-future-use

First off....

Thank You All!!

With out everyones support of spreading the message, creating video and graphics, and of course donating as my $20.12 would not have meant much.

Now on to work.....

The LibertyPAC money bomb was born on February 8th, That gave us 12 days to promote it. This was the biggest downside of the event, and we still pulled through with an amazing day. The other downside was the fact the Dr. Paul has not yet announced. Both of these issues should be eliminated in future money bombs.

Facebook
I found that using a Facebook event was extremely effective. It allows a much easier "reach out" then typical means of getting someone to visit a website. I think any money bombs should at least include, if not use an event page as its main core.

One thing I did not implement was a separate group for the event. My thinking on this would be that the group can be used for prep work such as graphics, videos, and tools to be used in promotion of the event. the advantage of a group over a event page for this is that you have a inner discussion board where things can be easily organized.

An aspect that we need to better consider and take advantage of is FB Ad buys. know several people did these out of there own pocket and accord. In the future we need to coordinate these efforts to have several ads that target different focus groups. Also if we pool our money we can purchase a much larger ad buy for core targeted audiences.

Reaching Out
Facebook was great for reaching those we already are connected with. We need to always be trying to bring in new people. Any moneybomb we create needs to have an educational impact; about Ron Paul, and hopefully some history as well.

We need to better coordinate twitter so we are able to crate a trending event. We should compose templates for several different tweets, make sure they all link to a singular place (yesterday links were to the forums, the event page, and to LibertyPAC) and that we are consistent with # tag use.

We also should pre-format templates for us to send to our personal friends, family, and others via email and other messaging. This is something that could be valuable to brining in those that don't normally donate to politicians but want to be a part of something thats going to be newsworthy and record breaking.

Bomb in a Bomb
Last night at 9:00PM I proposed a mini-bomb that was to hopefully bring in 100k in a single hour. Part of that idea was to drive donations, but also as an experiment. I wanted to see how rapidly our connected universe could coordinate a money bomb, and discriminate information. I have not had a chance to see raw data, or interactive graphs but the following graph does seem to show a measurable steeper incline during the 'power hour'

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa299/Utah4RonPaul/Ron%20Paul%20-%202012/Chart.jpg

What I take form this is that we can mobilize very rapidly. This could be used throughout the campaign for "mini-bombs" that have little to no planning in advance. These type of events could be done as responses to media bias, other candidates statements, and during debates.

Conclusion
With pulling off nearly 400k with less then two weeks of planning I know that we will have a TEN Million dollar day moneybomb during the campaign. We have to work at it and we well coordinated. We have to reach out even further to those that our nor necessarily within out circle.

Again Thank you. I would love to hear everyone else's analysis and thoughts. 2012 has Begun and this was just a muster call to action.

~Damon

[ronpaulhawaii]

Just to throw a new idea into the mix ... how about something a tad different.

I'm thinking a group of people commit to donating $x every time something happens that assaults liberty ... it could be a specific thing, such as an action by Obama ... or a list of things such as Bernanke actions or whatever.

Whenever those events happen, they trigger a "Liberty Money Grenade" - or perhaps something that might have a catchier abbreviation. Then, the event can be countered with yet another $20,000 for Ron Paul or something like that. It would turn negative actions to fund raising for Ron Paul.

I'll have to kick the idea around some more ... but it's something to keep the money bomb fresh.

Interesting :)


Perhaps one day is to short of a time. I remember that early in 07 there was a week long fundraising push that raised..a million maybe, not sure. Eitherway that week build up a lot momentum, coordination between people, and was more than anyone expected.

I certainly am not going to argue with the success of 1 day money bombs. But perhaps we should do a one week money marathon before we get started with the bombs. Build up support, get people excited, get people active.

Anyway, I am not the one to plan these things. Just my two cents.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

Yes, the money bombs kinda grew out of our success with the end of Q3 '07 donation push

[Anti Federalist]

2011

5 November is a Saturday.

16 December is a Friday.

FWIW.

Too many moneybombs = no moneybombs, as someone has already noted.

If we're to run with another 16 December bomb, someone at the campaign has to have contacts, ads and materials ready to go on Monday, so as to have any effect in Iowa and NH.

[UtahApocalypse]

I think a money bomb about 8 weeks after he announces would be great. A multi-million dollar bomb, this early in the cycle would be huge. And I can't help but think a lot of people did not go balls to the wall because he hasn't announced yet.

Even though it is still very early (Ron Paul forums did not even exist at this point in the 2008 election cycle) I bet if Ron Paul announced we could do a couple million, easy. (With a couple of months to promote it - maybe a "last chance to save the Union" theme.


That is inaccurate. I joined RPF in 2007 right after the first debate

[Original_Intent]

That is inaccurate. I joined RPF in 2007 right after the first debate

Right, what I am saying is the equivalent point this time around would be this coming May (May 2007 = May 2011) - and it was towards the end of May if I remember - which would still be 3 months from now.

[Matt Collins]

July 2nd is a terrible day for a money bomb, as it's on a Saturday. Never do internet fundraising on the weekend.

Yes, it should ideally be on a Tue so that it could be driven in the media for the rest of the week. But it should also be on a Friday BEFORE people go piss away their $$ on a weekend. But Fridays are bad for press because no one reads the nuz on a Saturday.

[Matt Collins]

The next moneybomb date is actually up to Ron Paul himself. If/when he announces should be the signal....When he announces...they will come...until then... ....>HOLD<
He'll get an immediate bump once he announces, an organic moneybomb if you will. Then we need to do another one about 30 days after his announcement. I predict it could be $10 million.

[Matt Collins]

I think we can all rest assured that people with official titles read this forum. I think the official organization stepped up pretty quickly this time and followed our lead...
I'm sending you a PM about this.

[tangent4ronpaul]

We need to work on post moneybomb publicity. While a few major outlets (USA today, WSJ, POLITICO) covered it, we are basically in a news blackout again. :(

[Original_Intent]

No matter what day is picked some people will belly ache and some people will make it happen.

Should do it on a holiday because people are thinking patriotically and it is an easy date to remember.
Shouldn't do it on a holiday because people are BBQing and drinking beer.
Day of the week, same thing.
Tons of people thought the V for Vendetta thing was stupid and would turn people off, but it was really the birth of the money bomb.

Bunch of Libertarians, you are always going to have 50 different ideas of what is best, and if their idea is not the one used, 49 are going to claim it is doomed to fail.

[speciallyblend]

@matt gets paid on wednesday sigh:( gotta start saving, if they would stop taxing and feeing and bleeding us dry!!

[Matt Collins]

3- Last cycle we got the money to RP too late to be effective...





http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Ron_Paul_2008_PCC_Fundraising.png

[speciallyblend]

We need to work on post moneybomb publicity. While a few major outlets (USA today, WSJ, POLITICO) covered it, we are basically in a news blackout again. :(

breaking news senator thune is not running for prez, can i get a c'mon man!!??? will do my best to stop using the letter after e;) Ron Paul 2012

[Austin]

Here are my thoughts on moneybombs:


We should hold no less than one moneybomb per quarter. We should hold no more than one moneybomb per month.


In the past, multi-day moneybombs have not been as successful as dedicated moneybomb days.


The weekend/weekday debate is silly. Ron's biggest moneybomb to-date was on a Sunday.


Holiday weekends should be avoided. Or maybe targeted.. do drunk people donate more? :D


The theme of the moneybombs is an important element.. we need to make the theme either appeal to the grassroots or to potential supporters. For example, we could either do Guy Fawkes theme or a Veterans' Day theme. The Guy Fawkes theme gets (most) of our supporters excited because of the anti-government theme. However, choosing a theme like Veterans' Day allows us to highlight Ron Paul's military credentials (right now he's the only potential candidate with military experience) to hopefully sway more voters to our side.. Obviously, if we can find a theme that appeals to the grassroots and can attract new support from average voters, that would be ideal.

[Andromeda]

I like the idea about the pledging a certain amount of money every time something happens. In this economy, I'm not sure how feasible that would be. I could barely afford to give $20.12 on short notice and I have a JOB! There would also be the difficulty of keeping track of who said they would donate what and contacting them to remind them to contribute. I'm sure most people don't all follow the news like crazy (I know I don't) and several things may slip through the cracks.

Sure, nothing will be a perfect system and I like the idea here. Is there a simple and cost effective way to pull it off is my question.

Also - in line with all the "what day" and "to holiday or not to holiday"... keep it near a pay day. I'm serious about that. Had I seen the money bomb information within a day of getting paid, I would have contributed closer to $100, not just $20.12. Instead, I went out to eat a few times, spent some money on Starbucks... you get the idea. (Edit) If you're going to do something on a holiday, don't make it exclusive for that day - allow it to carry into the following work days. I think this is where we can also have that "good deeds" stuff come into play locally.

My mother always tells me "KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid". And, every time I don't remember that, I always get in over my head with a project. With as many people as we plan to have involved, Keeping it simple is the way to go. Find a way to do the pledge thing in conjunction with quarterly money bombs and then, of course, an ad hoc one when he announces and I think you'll keep this thing pretty structured.

[RP4Pres2008]

Excellent posts so far in this thread. I am getting excited thinking about the possibilities.

Is there unanimous agreement that the next moneybomb should be AFTER Ron announces?

[Andromeda]

I think someone should make a poll to ask these types of questions to allow people to contribute over a period of time. That way, we can include more people on the vote and not just the people who were here today in the forum.

Maybe a poll for each point. Like whether to do the "good deeds" stuff on local levels on holidays as a group and push that as a national and local level campaign. Another for the money bomb after he announces (assuming he's going to run). Another for the idea to have money bombs on holidays to see if people would generally like to do something like that. another for the pledge idea... you get the point. Take the biggies from this thread, make some polls, and then combine that data for a larger poll.

Sounds a little tedious, but I think that will give us a good idea of the direction in which we would like to head as an organized group.

Who knows?! Maybe we should just pick a day out of the month and make our own holiday out of it... LOL

[Krugerrand]

I like the idea about the pledging a certain amount of money every time something happens. In this economy, I'm not sure how feasible that would be. I could barely afford to give $20.12 on short notice and I have a JOB! There would also be the difficulty of keeping track of who said they would donate what and contacting them to remind them to contribute. I'm sure most people don't all follow the news like crazy (I know I don't) and several things may slip through the cracks.

Sure, nothing will be a perfect system and I like the idea here. Is there a simple and cost effective way to pull it off is my question.

Also - in line with all the "what day" and "to holiday or not to holiday"... keep it near a pay day. I'm serious about that. Had I seen the money bomb information within a day of getting paid, I would have contributed closer to $100, not just $20.12. Instead, I went out to eat a few times, spent some money on Starbucks... you get the idea. (Edit) If you're going to do something on a holiday, don't make it exclusive for that day - allow it to carry into the following work days. I think this is where we can also have that "good deeds" stuff come into play locally.

My mother always tells me "KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid". And, every time I don't remember that, I always get in over my head with a project. With as many people as we plan to have involved, Keeping it simple is the way to go. Find a way to do the pledge thing in conjunction with quarterly money bombs and then, of course, an ad hoc one when he announces and I think you'll keep this thing pretty structured.

Okay ... here's the best I've come up with so far. ....

Obama actions trigger "Sling Shot" donations of $20.12.
Support Liberty in National Government (I'm not sold on that if somebody can come up w/ something better.)

When ever Obama signs anti-Liberty legislation, veto's pro-liberty legislation ... or any other list of things that would make this not too overwhelming, but effective .... those who can commit to the advance pledging donate $20.12.

Ideally we could get at least 1,000 people on board. Then, whenever RP is being interviewed on something he can slip in that another $20,120 raised was raised for liberty in response to such and such.

"Sling shot" also has a nice David v/ Goliath feel to it.

It would be a nice twist that every action the opposition takes would be generating money against them.

[Austin]

Okay ... here's the best I've come up with so far. ....

Obama actions trigger "Sling Shot" donations of $20.12.
Support Liberty in National Government (I'm not sold on that if somebody can come up w/ something better.)

When ever Obama signs anti-Liberty legislation, veto's pro-liberty legislation ... or any other list of things that would make this not too overwhelming, but effective .... those who can commit to the advance pledging donate $20.12.

Ideally we could get at least 1,000 people on board. Then, whenever RP is being interviewed on something he can slip in that another $20,120 raised was raised for liberty in response to such and such.

"Sling shot" also has a nice David v/ Goliath feel to it.

It would be a nice twist that every action the opposition takes would be generating money against them.

This, in addition to regular moneybombs, could be potentially great. I'd sign up for it for sure.

[speciallyblend]

Excellent posts so far in this thread. I am getting excited thinking about the possibilities.

Is there unanimous agreement that the next moneybomb should be AFTER Ron announces?

i hope this is the bottom line on any ideas!!!

[Nate-ForLiberty]

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280884-quot-Bring-the-Troops-Home-quot-D-Day-(June-6th)-Moneybomb-day-before-the-first-Prez-Debate

June 6th D-Day

[Christopher David]

I think it wise to decide on our major moneybombs now and start prominently advertising them at least at the top of RPF where everyone can see. Promote those as the 'official' grassroots moneybombs. Maybe have a SurveyMonkey app or forum thread for people who want to help out join a team of organizers where various tasks are delegated, coordinating via RPF or project management software like Asana (http://www.asana.com).

I like the idea of April 15 and July 4 moneybombs. They would get Q2 and Q3 fundraising off to a strong start, respectively.

Edit: June 6 (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280884-quot-Bring-the-Troops-Home-quot-D-Day-%28June-6th%29-Moneybomb-day-before-the-first-Prez-Debate) seems cool too.

[PermanentSleep]

Okay ... here's the best I've come up with so far. ....

Obama actions trigger "Sling Shot" donations of $20.12.
Support Liberty in National Government (I'm not sold on that if somebody can come up w/ something better.)

When ever Obama signs anti-Liberty legislation, veto's pro-liberty legislation ... or any other list of things that would make this not too overwhelming, but effective .... those who can commit to the advance pledging donate $20.12.

Ideally we could get at least 1,000 people on board. Then, whenever RP is being interviewed on something he can slip in that another $20,120 raised was raised for liberty in response to such and such.

"Sling shot" also has a nice David v/ Goliath feel to it.

It would be a nice twist that every action the opposition takes would be generating money against them.

I really dig this idea. It's fantastic. There could be some great videos made promoting the idea with the David and Goliath references. Start a thread for this if you get a lot of good responses, because I for one think it would be a great plug for Ron in any interviews.

We should probably sling shot donate whenever the DHS comes up with more nonsense, since they hold considerable influence over our liberties and lack thereof.

[Andromeda]

Sling Shot sounds interesting but I think $20.12 is a bit steep for me. Not sure I could actually make that kind of commitment. I think we should let people pledge what is suitable to their budget with the minimum being $1. Just sayin' - hard times.

Also - how would this type of thing be managed, executed, etc.? It sounds great, but I think it's going to open a huge can of worms if we can't figure out how to manage something like that.

Anyone here have any experience operating pledges through online means?

I'm with Christopher Pille here. Let's get the biggies set and then hammer out the smaller stuff.

[Maximus]

Sling Shot sounds interesting but I think $20.12 is a bit steep for me. Not sure I could actually make that kind of commitment. I think we should let people pledge what is suitable to their budget with the minimum being $1. Just sayin' - hard times.

Also - how would this type of thing be managed, executed, etc.? It sounds great, but I think it's going to open a huge can of worms if we can't figure out how to manage something like that.

Anyone here have any experience operating pledges through online means?

I'm with Christopher Pille here. Let's get the biggies set and then hammer out the smaller stuff.

I like the slingshot idea.

We could have $20.12 be the normal donation, and a level of $10.11 (that hopefully others could match). We don't want $1 or $2 donations because of transaction fees, it costs the campaign money when you send only a buck or two.

Also in lieu of the Giffords shooting, we need to be careful with how we go about this.

[trey4sports]

the first debate is may 2 and i think we need a moneybomb right after the debate (maybe 2 or 3 days apart) because the debates will be HUGE for growing our numbers and waking people up

[Nate-ForLiberty]

the first debate is may 2 and i think we need a moneybomb right after the debate (maybe 2 or 3 days apart) because the debates will be HUGE for growing our numbers and waking people up

Ron is going to announce sometime in April supposedly. Having a moneybomb in May doesn't give enough promotion time. June 6th does.

[nayjevin]

What about incorporating the slingshot idea with http://www.unfaircoverage.com? donate when smear pieces come out and go to the site to enter in the amount you donated and what article/video you donated it in response to... ???

then reports would show how much each media outlet has earned for ron paul :)

[anaconda]

$700,000 was the last sentence today in a CNN article talking about RP's upcoming visit to New Hampshire. No headlines yet.

[trey4sports]

Ron is going to announce sometime in April supposedly. Having a moneybomb in May doesn't give enough promotion time. June 6th does.

Yeah I thought about that as well, and my line of thinking is that newbies and people not familiar with our movement will be fired up after the first debate and with a moneybomb so close to the debate we can carry a lot of momentum. On the other hand, a moneybomb that is further away will certainly have more promotion time but some of the momentum will be gone.

[Andromeda]

No one knows when he is going to officially announce. People are saying April and March, but no one really knows. If we can decide on a date now, there will still be promotional time... It's best to strike when the iron's hot, right? If people are all fired up after a debate, most definitely do it then.

In regard to the Sling Shot idea... I see what you mean about the $1 and $2 with the fees. That didn't even cross my mind. But this shows why the pledge concerns me. Yes, it will raise a good chunk of money but you don't want people to feel excluded just because they lost their job or whatever their financial situation is. And that type of deal at $10 or $20 would end up doing that, I think. I know that I couldn't afford a $10 per whatever pledge. I like the idea, but... I just think there has to be some way to incorporate it and include a lot of people.

[ItsTime]

The main issue is getting Ron Paul the MONEY EARLY. We got him the money too late each time.

[Christopher David]

Could also be worth spreading the idea of a money bomb/barrage as soon as Ron announces. Go all out from day one. You know he'll get a ton of donations right away anyway, but it would send a powerful message if we can make Ron's initial haul dwarf that of other candidates.

[Austin]

What about incorporating the slingshot idea with http://www.unfaircoverage.com? donate when smear pieces come out and go to the site to enter in the amount you donated and what article/video you donated it in response to... ???

then reports would show how much each media outlet has earned for ron paul :)

Good idea. Actually, great idea.

[ItsTime]

Could also be worth spreading the idea of a money bomb/barrage as soon as Ron announces. Go all out from day one. You know he'll get a ton of donations right away anyway, but it would send a powerful message if we can make Ron's initial haul dwarf that of other candidates.

Great idea. Just get the idea out there. Im sure most will do it.

[speciallyblend]

What about incorporating the slingshot idea with http://www.unfaircoverage.com? donate when smear pieces come out and go to the site to enter in the amount you donated and what article/video you donated it in response to... ???

then reports would show how much each media outlet has earned for ron paul :)

Kenny says yes push all paperwork aside and make this happen:) SWEETNESS

[ronpaulhawaii]

OK, we are going to need to start breaking this conversation up...

Here is a poll regarding MoneyBomb Frequency
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280895-POLL-Ron-Paul-MoneyBomb-Frequency

[pacelli]

Some info might be helpful in the thread I posted on this subject on 4/25/2010.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?241786-Moneybombs-and-2012-The-Strategy-Thread

[whoisjohngalt]

July 2nd is a bad idea because it will be July 4th weekend and everyone will be traveling. We need to plan for the end of May or the beginning of June, Ron will have just announced so the internet will be burning up with support and to me it seems one money bomb a quarter is the right spacing so that we don't burn people out on them and don't wait too long to squeeze all the support we can out of RPers. Also, on a weekend is best so that people have all day to donate/further the cause.

[whoisjohngalt]

My bad on the last post, I thought there was only 1 page not 11, so that post is clearly irrelevant now. I like the idea of using polling to agree on a date. Has anyone mentioned the importance of tying a theme in with each date idea. It helps a lot with the bomb. President's Day should have been obvious, but Utah was the only one to do anything, and the lack of organization is of course due to the fact that we only had a week to prepare. We should start a new thread that only contains dates and the relevant theme for that date and then we can put up a poll and vote on it?

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

I fear I don't have too much to add that has not already been said but I would like to interject that I believe strongly in holding moneybombs on days of historic significance. I think we have to be careful in what dates we pick (i.e. D-Day moneybomb is a bad idea) but if we choose correctly than we can not only raise substantial sums but also do some educating along the way. I believe education is key because even if people do not donate they can look into the date and begin the journey on finding our horribly we have been screwed over. With that in mind, I humbly suggest June 29th and October 19th for future moneybomb dates.

I also agree with not holding MB's on or near major holidays.

[Original_Intent]

I love the idea of 24 hours starting with his announcement.

Yeah the downside is no time to organize it would really have to be a viral effort or have some pledging in advance.

Upside is we could set the record for the most ever raised within 24 hours of announcing - and we could keep that ball rolling (i.e. we could have another bomb a month later (minus a day) and set a record for the most raised in a month, etc. etc. Could actually build momentum, and we would also have some specific targets to aim for.

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

I was discussing an idea in chat yesterday that I think could work. What if we had an hour bomb where during Ron's first debate we just blow up the interwebs with donations to the campaign. Not only will it show that he won the debate but maybe it could be reported that while he was on the stage he set a record for most donations in an hour. We will know we were responsible but the average viewer will just think that this guy was really popular and people were rushing to check this guy out.

[Eric21ND]

No matter what day is picked some people will belly ache and some people will make it happen.

Should do it on a holiday because people are thinking patriotically and it is an easy date to remember.
Shouldn't do it on a holiday because people are BBQing and drinking beer.
Day of the week, same thing.
Tons of people thought the V for Vendetta thing was stupid and would turn people off, but it was really the birth of the money bomb.

Bunch of Libertarians, you are always going to have 50 different ideas of what is best, and if their idea is not the one used, 49 are going to claim it is doomed to fail.
This is rather true lol

[sarahdeez]

Nov 5th, 2007 ($4.2 mil) was a Monday and Dec 16th ($6.4 mil) was a Sunday.

Sunday, people are back getting ready for work the next am (unless it's a holiday weekend). Hard to compare a Sunday to a Saturday. Would there be a way to have it on a weekend and "post-date" payments so people could do them thursday before their official vacation starts?

[Eric21ND]

Here are my thoughts on moneybombs:


We should hold no less than one moneybomb per quarter. We should hold no more than one moneybomb per month.


In the past, multi-day moneybombs have not been as successful as dedicated moneybomb days.


The weekend/weekday debate is silly. Ron's biggest moneybomb to-date was on a Sunday.


Holiday weekends should be avoided. Or maybe targeted.. do drunk people donate more? :D


The theme of the moneybombs is an important element.. we need to make the theme either appeal to the grassroots or to potential supporters. For example, we could either do Guy Fawkes theme or a Veterans' Day theme. The Guy Fawkes theme gets (most) of our supporters excited because of the anti-government theme. However, choosing a theme like Veterans' Day allows us to highlight Ron Paul's military credentials (right now he's the only potential candidate with military experience) to hopefully sway more voters to our side.. Obviously, if we can find a theme that appeals to the grassroots and can attract new support from average voters, that would be ideal.


I'd argue that the theme is probably more inportant than day of the week or frequency. Certain days/holidays are etched into the psyche of people, thus allowing them to connect a certain day/theme with donating to Ron Paul. It's an emotional hook.

[MelissaWV]

So during one of my random internet wanderings looking for a May date for a Money Bomb, I stumbled across the fact that there's an "Honesty Day" (I know; I had no idea, either). It's April 30th, which is a Saturday, and likely soon after Ron Paul announces. It's only a couple of weeks after tax parties, so I'm not sure if people think that's a good thing (people still angry) or bad thing (people broke?).

Anyhow, some folks in the chatroom seem to like the idea/timing. Here's additional information, and yes we all know the Lincoln and Washington stuff is tripe:


In the United States, Honesty Day is frequently viewed as an observation celebrating the honesty of past presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. An enduring legend about Washington confessing to have chopped down a cherry tree goes along with this lesson.

Italy celebrates the Honesty Day too. It’s a campaign against any kind of manipulation for commercial purposes and against empty promises coming from the business world. In Italy, it’s traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday before Christmas Day.

Honesty Day is also considered a day to increase awareness about the honesty, or lack thereof, of current government officials.

On honesty day, people are encouraged to be more honest, and accepting of honesty. This may include telling friends, coworkers, family members and acquaintances about things that would have been left unsaid on other days. Information or opinions held back for the sake of politeness may be revealed on Honesty Day.

[Michael P]

Nov 5th, 2007 ($4.2 mil) was a Monday and Dec 16th ($6.4 mil) was a Sunday.

This could be an anomaly. The Dec 16th (Sunday) bomb had 24,940 new donors. Perhaps had the Tea Party anniversary been on a weekday this money bomb would have done even better.

Schiffs biggest bombs were a Friday, Wednesday and Monday. His weekend bombs for the most part were big flops. I still think weekday bombs are much more fruitful.

I reserve the right to be dead wrong about this...

[Freedom of Speech]

This could be an anomaly. The Dec 16th (Sunday) bomb had 24,940 new donors. Perhaps had the Tea Party anniversary been on a weekday this money bomb would have done even better.

Schiffs biggest bombs were a Friday, Wednesday and Monday. His weekend bombs for the most part were big flops. I still think weekday bombs are much more fruitful.

I reserve the right to be dead wrong about this...

I like the idea of using the November 5th and December 16th days because of the nostalgia factor and people maybe would want to beat the previous records...

...but Nov.5 and Dec.16 fall on a Saturday and Friday respectively so I don't know if that would be popular with all of you.

[RP4Pres2008]

I like the idea of using the November 5th and December 16th days because of the nostalgia factor and people maybe would want to beat the previous records...

...but Nov.5 and Dec.16 fall on a Saturday and Friday respectively so I don't know if that would be popular with all of you.

I may faint from all of the nostalgia! :D

[Freedom of Speech]

I may faint from all of the nostalgia! :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZbGp5WKexA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sARixaakBfI

Amazing...Amazing...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-2OCnvhbdw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3DJ02a6a0U

[Mark37snj]

I would say July 5-6th. Its after the weekend, people will still be feeling patriotic, barbecue discussions will have a healthy dose of politics, and a good time to have a buzz going about Ron Paul and his next moneybomb.

[nayjevin]

weapon of mass donations bump

[CaseyJones]

I was discussing an idea in chat yesterday that I think could work. What if we had an hour bomb where during Ron's first debate we just blow up the interwebs with donations to the campaign. Not only will it show that he won the debate but maybe it could be reported that while he was on the stage he set a record for most donations in an hour. We will know we were responsible but the average viewer will just think that this guy was really popular and people were rushing to check this guy out.
^^^^^

[ronpaulhawaii]

Lots of good ideas in this thread. :)

I just made a thread to boil down dates for our traditional "moneybombs" here http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?280985-MoneyBomb!!!-Potential-Dates-for-RP2012&p=3129918#post3129918

[Captain Shays]

We need to back our investment in money bombs with other efforts that will enable us to actually WIN state primaries. Screw the straw polls compared to WINNING state primaries.
We need EVERY RP supporter on board with the name, address and phone numbers of EVERY radio station, news paper,TV station and website where there is political discussion about the upcoming primary in that state. We need to give the impression that there are a lot of Ron Paul supporters out there because of the herd mentality. People naturally gravitate to the same path others take. Thats why advertisements say things like "7 out of 10 people prefer such and such a product" and "#1 selling brand in America".
Wanna stretch our dollars? Well then back them up with intelligent, calls into radio stations that are talking about politics. Write into the news papers. Log onto TV website discussion forums. Go into EVERY debate forum and make good arguments whether foreign policy, economic, or liberty.
We do it really well with straw polls, and now we need to do it in EVERY other forum imaginable.

Look the media hacks, pundits, and politicians regularly marginalize us, discredit us, lie about us and they have their way because we're not there to defend ourselves or set them straight. Then we encounter those who say the most ridiculous things about Ron Paul like "he's an isolationist" or "he's crazy" or "he can't win".
Those outlets I am talking about reach millions of people around the country and are used against us every day. We can raise all the money in the world but not one cent of it will go to good use if we have to undo lies and propaganda before we can make them understand our real positions first.

We also need to find ways to get people on the ground in states that have primaries coming up to canvas the streets colleges etc. Our money bomb dollars will be well spent on covering the costs of people who are willing to go out to those states and WORK on handing out slimjims, putting up signs and going door to door who otherwise couldn't do it for lack of funds.

So I suggest that we keep up with money bombs and keep working the straw polls but to enhance our efforts we really need to organize an effort to counter the power of the media and use it to our advantage. Otherwise our money will be wasted and we won't win a single primary

[wstrucke]

Cannot be done legally. that is our biggest obstacle.

No kidding -- why?? Why can't the campaign talk to the grassroots? What did the Obama campaign do last time around that we didn't? After all -- they had people coming out of the woodwork everywhere to get their message out. Obviously it worked.

[nayjevin]

Ron doesn't have an exploratory committee yet, he's using LibertyPAC.com

[Nate-ForLiberty]

//

[anaconda]

I am of the belief that we could be much more organized and methodical this time around. I saw a few different groups last night trying to promote new moneybombs and think we need to get a handle on this. I said something in chat that resonated so will repeat it here:


While that can be amusing when the opposing team is also 6 year olds, we are up against very experienced manipulators...

I hope this thread sparks some discussion on how we can improve our game...

Some questions to start:

What mistakes have we made in the past with moneybombs?

How often can we reasonably have RP2012 moneybombs?, (keep in mind downticket candidates will be wanting to have their own...)


Not having any clarity is really gonna hurt us. Even when a money bomb finally seems to come, I lack confidence in how widespread the knowledge of it is and to what extent people are taking it seriously. We could solve this problem simply by asking the Official Campaign to set the money bomb schedule. I started two related threads yesterday:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?296979-Poll-On-Official-Campaign-Money-Bomb-Calendar

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?296965-Let-s-Ask-Ron-To-Set-The-Money-Bomb-Calendar

Also food for thought:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?296942-Could-Ron-Make-More-Without-Money-Bombs

[pacelli]

I knew there was a reason I felt like we've been starting to build something... only to re-start it .. .again, again, and again. Then go back and restart building it again.. and again.. oops, this is important, gotta start building it all over again. From February! And now in June we're still back to the drawing block.

Kinda sad, we actually started building a moneybomb strategy for 2012 several years ago. But with all of the craziness, everybody forgets. And those hours of posts, hours of thinking, hours of planning are virtually lost.

So lets start fresh again. What was that we've been saying about the definition of insanity??? :) If every single new person on the forum (or recent "just came back after a 4 year hiatus") interested in debating and challenging existing moneybomb planning can completely delay the process, we're never going to get anything done.

[Paul4Prez]

What was that we've been saying about the definition of insanity???

Passing up the natural 4th of July choice for July 19th? Oh well, probably too late now to bother debating. At least we have time to plan and recruit for the 7/19 money bomb....

[FriedChicken]

The campaign will have to be on board with this idea for it to work, but I suggest our next fundraiser [after Ames bomb] be the "money war" I proposed in this thread: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?297099-My-thoughts-on-the-next-nationwide-fundraiser
I, personally, think it would be a very fun/different/effective new fundraiser that we can all get behind.

[CoreyBowen999]

You dont plan a moneybomb on a holiday!

[Nate-ForLiberty]

//