July 4th Moneybomb

[Esoteric]

Facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110369365721167
MODERATOR NOTE: This money bomb site is organized by a FOR-PROFIT group. While there may not be a direct profit from the donations made on the day of the money bomb, the e-mail addresses collected by the group have, in the past, been used in other for-profit ventures. Some examples from 2009/2010 revenue included $4,050 from the Peter Schiff campaign, $24,400 from the Rand Paul campaign and $400 from the Adam Kokesh campaign.[/SIZE]
Sources:
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/expendetail.php?cid=N00031276&cycle=2010&name=Lyman,%20Trevor
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/expendetail.php?cid=N00030836&cycle=2010&name=Lyman,%20Trevor
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/expendetail.php?cid=N00030944&cycle=2010&name=Lyman,%20Trevor

MODERATOR NOTE 2: The pledge website for the money bomb says to "Enter your email address to pledge to give". Based on past results with this business, entering your e-mail address will also get you signed up onto a mailing list.

MODERATOR NOTE 3: The original title of this thread including the word "official". This has been removed as there is nothing official about this, and it has not, as of yet, been supported by the official campaign. Please do not spread disinformation.


Original Poster note: I had no idea about any of this, and I wasn't trying to pimp this moneybomb. I just got an invite on fbook and shared here.

I don't appreciate the "negative rep", Gage. Totally uncalled for.

[Kotin]

Terrible date for a moneybomb..

[Sentinelrv]

Nobody wants to do July 4th, at least as far as I could judge from the overwhelming support here of the July 19th Ready Ames Fire money bomb (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?296954-Vote-on-the-next-moneybomb(s)!). I knew Trevor was going to do this. We need to get him on our side and convince him to cancel July 4th. It's not helping us in my opinion. Those who want this canceled and replaced by the July 19th date should email him and tell him this. Here is his email...

Tell Trevor to focus on July 19th! lyman.trevor@gmail.com

Another money bomb only 14 days after July 5th will kill us. Show him the poll and discussion linked above also.

[Jeremy Tyler]

Yeah I thought the 19th was our best bet?

[Esoteric]

Terrible date for a moneybomb..

Agreed. It's a 2-day bomb, but still, the first day is what most will focus on, and most people will be at barbecues.

[TIMB0B]

What are the chances of both the 4th and 19th being successful?

[Sentinelrv]

Sent my email to Trevor. I hope if any of you agree with this, you will do so also. I believe if this goes ahead it could severely hurt us.

[Billay]

Neither 1 will be a success. Give it up.

[Jim Casey]

Happy Birthday To You.

[Trigonx]

July 4th is a no-no. End of Quarter Push plus July 19th will likely end in a more positive result for the Ron Paul campaign.

[Jim Casey]

July 4th is a no-no. End of Quarter Push plus July 19th will likely end in a more positive result for the Ron Paul campaign.
Push it real good and it'll result in a quartering of support.

[PatriotOne]

I think it is a great date for the money bomb and I am in.

[Jim Casey]

I think it is a great date for the money bomb and I am in.
Donate if you're proud to be an American! +1

[sailingaway]

Are we going to do this again? It is the reason there wasn't sufficient time to prepare for the last one, noone knew which it was going to be. My main concern is that we be united as grass roots in pushing for one, so we can get started spreading the word. How do we do that?

[Jim Casey]

Are we going to do this again? It is the reason there wasn't sufficient time to prepare for the last one, noone knew which it was going to be. My main concern is that we be united as grass roots in pushing for one, so we can get started spreading the word. How do we do that?
If the grass is going to grow rather that dry up and get smoked, we need the grassroots delivering the papers. I went to go get the papers, get the papers.
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/store/

[pauladin]

LAME. everybody wants to do the ready, ames, fire! moneybomb.

[MRoCkEd]

July 4th is a no-no. End of Quarter Push plus July 19th will likely end in a more positive result for the Ron Paul campaign.
This times a million!

[UtahApocalypse]

Well Trevor needs to be banned from here. He is no longer "Grassroots" He also is now activley censoring on the FB page anyone that mentions canceling, or the email list. I am DONE with that ego filled asshole.

[PaulConventionWV]

I think it is a great date for the money bomb and I am in.

We can't have our forces split on this one. Nobody else is going to be donating on that date, and if it happens, it will be a severe flop. I am not donating on this one no matter who says to do so, and I encourage everyone else to do so as well.

Save your money for the 19th.

[RP4Pres2008]

Are we going to have to go through this every single Money Bomb date? I mean really? What is going on with this. July 19th has been far and away the most supported date for July and really has a great theme with the Ames straw poll. Makes no sense at all.

[trey4sports]

we REALLY need to find a way to get Lyman to drop this MB.

[Trigonx]

I got no ill will towards lyman, could care less about the topic altogether. If he(Lyman) understands what would benefit the Ron Paul campaign in terms of public perception more; a much higher Q2 fundraising total(a measurable number to other candidates) and a 1 million raised on "insert random date here" or just another 1 million raised on "insert random date here". If he cares about the movement and campaign he would do his best to make it successful. In my eyes a nice Q2 push and a later dated money bomb(7/19) will provide us with more benefit due to the earlier money and the $1 million+ bomb is still in there.

[Bryan]

Below is my analysis on this in why it is a bad idea, within the broad context of fund raising. Copied from other posts.

All, please be careful to not engage in any speech that can be viewed as "illegal", such as slander against a person, etc. Let's stick to facts and ideas.

Thanks!

----------------

I've been working to refine some principles for fundraising. For starters, I think there are two type of major fund raising efforts that have value: single day money bombs and other "push" mini-drives that are a week or more. Both have a place in this campaign.

There are some obvious and much called-for pushes, such as the push for the FEC end of quarter deadlines. These drives are a must, others can be filled in too.

As we have seen, money bombs are still very important and can help raise big cash fast, however they must be timed properly.

Some people do not like money bombs and prefer the more steady cash of a mini-drives, so this is why there is a need for both.

Money bombs should not be scheduled within about the first three weeks of a quarter. Why? Many will be arguing to "donate now" at the end of the quarter, and there will be good merit to that as the FEC fundraising reported get pushed hard in the media as indicators of campaign strength.

Money bombs should also not be in the last few days of the quarter so if the bomb falls a little short of campaign goals for the quarter then those supporting the end-of-quarter push can take over and get us to the finish line.

Likewise, "push" mini-drives should end at least 7, 10 or 14 days before a money bomb so focus can shift, with a calm before the storm. So both techniques need to complement each other and not conflict.

The second issue of money bombs is the interval. IMO, early in the campaign one every 6 weeks is a good timeframe. Later, once a month-- it will be hard to predict when that transition will happen, but it will for sure be no later than November.

The third issue on the money bombs is the themes. There are some obviously good dates that we did in 2007 that bear repeating, mainly:

November 11 -- For the Troops money bomb
December 16 -- Tea Party money bomb


One thing to keep in mind is that it is clear that the official campaign is going to use themes for the bombs, and with that, doing one on 11-5 will give them PR issues. Also, I do not think that a money bomb on Dr. Paul's birthday of August 20th is good for that reason as well, Dr. Paul is not a narcissist and the campaign would not want this, IMO. (How would their e-mail read? "Please donate on my birthday"?) As well, we need themes with more emotional political appeal like the anti-Romneycare, or "No more bailouts". If we want to honor Dr. Paul we can do a money bomb on his and Carol's anniversary in 2012 like we did in 2008. I think he'd appreciate that more anyway and it is a very nice gesture to honor his family.

The July 4th bomb misses the mark by being too soon and just after the end of the quarter. People are on vacation with family too. It is also too close to the July 19th "Ready, Ames, Fire" money bomb that already has traction.

The fourth issue is the day of the week for the money bomb. We're showing that Sundays can work, but I'd guess Saturday wouldn't be as good. Mondays have worked. Friday's might not be the best but both 11/11 and 12/16 are Fridays, but that still might not be enough to change them. Tu-Th are about the same as Monday. Considerations for day-after media impact are important too.

One final note, the campaign is going to have to anticipate how much money they are going to get, and spend appropriately. In other words, when they are spending for Ames in early July they should expect a good money bomb on the 19th and maybe spend as if they had 80% of what is projected.


So here is what I have:

June 7 - June 30 -- End of second quarter push (not a money bomb) This can focus to fund these http://iowaforronpaul.com/projects.php
July 19 -- Ready, Ames, Fire money bomb
Aug 30 (approx) -- money bomb ("No More Bailouts" theme suggested) - date should be decided after July 19.
Sept 15 - Sept 30 -- End of third quarter push (not a money bomb)
mid Oct (11-17) -- money bomb (theme TBD) - date should be decided after previous money bomb.
November 11 -- For the Troops money bomb
December 16 -- Tea Party money bomb
Dec 17 - 31 - End of year push (not a money bomb)

There's flexibility in this, particularly with the money bombs between July 19th and November 11th. The principles are important however.

[LibertyEagle]

We have no control over what Trevor will do; we only have control over our own actions. Do we have a pledge website yet for Ready, Ames, Fire? If not, we need one pronto ronto. And after that, we should get busy putting together the videos, sending out the emails, and anything else we can think of to promote the July 19th moneybomb. We've done it before and we can do it again. :)

[pauladin]

Do we have a pledge website yet for Ready, Ames, Fire?

http://readyamesfire.com/

[ItsTime]

Whats new Trevor, on his own, picking terrible dates and themes?

[LibertyEagle]

http://readyamesfire.com/

Thank you. Whoever did that.... it is gorgeous! :)

[Restore-America-NOW]

Please don't participate in the July 4th moneybomb. We need to drop this one in favor of Ready, Ames, Fire! The only thing a July 4th moneybomb would do is hurt the campaign.

[JamesButabi]

Ready Ames Fire already has over 1000 attendees on facebook. That should speak for itself.

[afwjam]

Its a lost cause, to many egos not willing to compromise for Ron Paul. Let the free market choose. June 5th was not accepted here, and the idea to scrap July 4th was not accepted there. The grassroots as neutered itself over silly arguments. I am glad Dr. Paul has a strong campaign this time, hopefully they can take the lead as the grassroots is no longer able to lead.

[Nate-ForLiberty]

Its a lost cause, to many egos not willing to compromise for Ron Paul. Let the free market choose. June 5th was not accepted here, and the idea to scrap July 4th was not accepted there. The grassroots as neutered itself over silly arguments. I am glad Dr. Paul has a strong campaign this time, hopefully they can take the lead as the grassroots is no longer able to lead.

This is the free and open market telling us that the "Moneybomb" is no longer a valued commodity. Supply has totally outgrown demand. This isn't about the grassroots "leading", if there is such a thing. Get creative. If moneybombs have become worthless, find something else that works. We don't need one ultra mega massive one day donation that everyone is behind. We need thousands and thousands of small ongoing donation pushes happening in every community, real and online, all the time until the end of this campaign. If people would stop trying to be top dog and simply worry about their local responsibility, we'd be much more successful. It is easier to get 20 people that you speak with face to face to donate than it is to win over new voters online.

Fuck the moneybomb.

[trey4sports]

The moneybomb concept is still valid in my mind, but we have too many chiefs and not enough Indians. I like the moneybomb calendar with the exception of July 4th.

[Eric21ND]

I don't know why you can't do both money bombs in july. People said the weekend were terrible days and we raise millions. I bet both dates could be successful. Just give $100 on the 4th of july and another $100 on the 19th...simple enough guys.

[Nate-ForLiberty]

I don't know why you can't do both money bombs in july. People said the weekend were terrible days and we raise millions. I bet both dates could be successful. Just give $100 on the 4th of july and another $100 on the 19th...simple enough guys.

but why wait? If you have $200, donate now.

[afwjam]

The moneybomb concept is still valid in my mind, but we have too many chiefs and not enough Indians. I like the moneybomb calendar with the exception of July 4th.

I agree.

[Napoleon's Shadow]

The campaign needs money BEFORE the end of the quarter deadline (Jul 1).

[afwjam]

Please donate to Top Gun, on the Iowa Projects page. Ron Paul needs to meet the people!

[GunnyFreedom]

I know Bryan has been really trying to not include it, but I seriously think September 17th Constitution Day is too good to ignore... no August 30th and no mid october, but September 17th. If there was ever a theme to be had for Ron Paul, I should think it would be Constitution Day.

[MelissaWV]

Still donating weekly...

[Paul4Prez]

I voted for July 4th and think it is a superior date for a money bomb, but July 19th clearly won and we should all get behind that now. Having two in a row creates confusion and the risk that one or both will fizzle, with negative publicity consequences.

My suggestion would be for the official campaign to make the July 4th event a modest "fill the quill" type effort for an Iowa project or two, with a $100K goal, or some number not too high a multiple of the average daily donations, then make the July 19th money bomb the big one.

[PaulConventionWV]

but why wait? If you have $200, donate now.

The moneybomb is important. It gets people to donate who would not normally donate. If there wasn't an event, I know I would probably lose interest in donating and might forget to keep the cash flowing. Stopping the moneybombs can only hurt, IMO. I think the main problem is that Trevor has a monopoly on these things. We can bump him out with the free market by expressing our will, though. The moneybomb on July 19th is looking like just the right opportunity for the grassroots. The market is telling us we don't need Trevor to organize this anymore. There is less demand for HIS direction, not the moneybombs in general. The moneybomb is still a valid concept just like Ron wearing a suit and tie is still a valid concept.

[Jake Ralston]

The moneybomb is important. It gets people to donate who would not normally donate.

Not that I normally wouldn't donate, because I would, but I save my donations for moneybombs. You get a lot more bang for your buck. So I agree.

[GunnyFreedom]

I voted for July 4th and think it is a superior date for a money bomb, but July 19th clearly won and we should all get behind that now. Having two in a row creates confusion and the risk that one or both will fizzle, with negative publicity consequences.

My suggestion would be for the official campaign to make the July 4th event a modest "fill the quill" type effort for an Iowa project or two, with a $100K goal, or some number not too high a multiple of the average daily donations, then make the July 19th money bomb the big one.

This. I liked July 4th better too, but clearly people wanted the 19th. I don't want to be the boss of anybody. The next moneybomb is the 19th of July.

[Nate-ForLiberty]

The moneybomb is important. It gets people to donate who would not normally donate. If there wasn't an event, I know I would probably lose interest in donating and might forget to keep the cash flowing. Stopping the moneybombs can only hurt, IMO. I think the main problem is that Trevor has a monopoly on these things. We can bump him out with the free market by expressing our will, though. The moneybomb on July 19th is looking like just the right opportunity for the grassroots. The market is telling us we don't need Trevor to organize this anymore. There is less demand for HIS direction, not the moneybombs in general. The moneybomb is still a valid concept just like Ron wearing a suit and tie is still a valid concept.


Then I think it's a good idea for long time Paul supporters to donate on non-moneybomb days. Use the moneybomb, like you said, to get new supporters in. There are other ways to remind people to donate that doesn't tie their hands up until a specific day.

[trey4sports]

I think its a good idea to tie these next two money-bombs to the Iowa Projects page. Lets fill these up to win Iowa.

[PaulConventionWV]

Then I think it's a good idea for long time Paul supporters to donate on non-moneybomb days. Use the moneybomb, like you said, to get new supporters in. There are other ways to remind people to donate that doesn't tie their hands up until a specific day.

I don't think we need to create a big push to make people donate when there aren't moneybombs. Those who want to and can, will. There are many, I'm sure, who donate regularly as well as on the moneybomb days. To me, that doesn't need to change. Whoever is motivated to do it regularly, can and should. However, the moneybombs are still valid because it encourages those who may not want to give up their money for just anything.

[MelissaWV]

I don't think we need to create a big push to make people donate when there aren't moneybombs. Those who want to and can, will. There are many, I'm sure, who donate regularly as well as on the moneybomb days. To me, that doesn't need to change. Whoever is motivated to do it regularly, can and should. However, the moneybombs are still valid because it encourages those who may not want to give up their money for just anything.

Not really. I donate regularly, and very few people seem to think that's a good idea. Quite frankly those who say they are "saving up" for the money bomb generally "save up" as efficiently as the Social Security lockbox. It seems to me that a lot of folks bump up against the MB day, and give what they have in their account/pocket at that time. They had some money the week before, but maybe they decided to get some more coffee or eat out at a restaurant. They were not thinking of politics the week before, and probably won't be the week after.

If that same person were really serious about donating, and knew they could have an amount taken from every paycheck or every month to do so, perhaps they would donate more often.

The money bombs are still "valid" if people talk them up, but having a dozen or two money bombs before the year is out will not excite most people, and by the time we reach old faithful (11/5), it'll be the dead horse that's been beaten to a pulp.

[Brandon Todd Carr]

I'll donate both days. July 4th and July 19th. 2 weeks is 2 pay checks.

[Eric21ND]

but why wait? If you have $200, donate now.
The hardcore Paul fanatics will donate randomly, and that's fine, but you need a "hook" or event of some sort to get the casual Paul fans to donate. Its the difference between 200 donations in a day and 10000. Plus it is simply psychologically more pleasing to donate with others for huge impact. Singular donation donors feel their contribution gets "lost" in the mix when its done randomly.