Snarej
07-12-2007, 10:18 PM
I have proposed this idea to the top Admins of this group and they support it. I’m now putting it out there for everyone to critique—I only just learned (after I wrote the proposal) that Obama has a similar idea that seems to be working well for him—all the more reason this should be considered…
I would like to suggest a different method of pledge driving for future fund-raisers. As our fundraisers have been operating thus far, we set a target and a deadline, and encourage people to contribute on an individual basis, sometimes with matching incentives thrown in. This seems to work well when 1. People feel the pressure of a deadline and 2. People have money on hand to contribute and can afford to do so. The new “ABC bet” themed fundraiser is not meeting those two requirements at present, which is why I think contributions have been lackluster.
My proposal requires a small variation on our SOP. We all intend to give more to Ron’s campaign at some point before Q3. The issue is how and when we can coordinate a group effort that will have significant monetary, symbolic and energy-infusing impact. So far, targets have been set by the administrators of this group, and have been attuned to meaningful benchmarks (such as surpassing Barak Obama’s Facebook group). The latest contribution drive has not had the same impact, or urgency.
I suggest we start a Ron Paul Fund (or several). That is, an individual can sign up to be a member of the fund, and create an account for himself or herself. This account will keep track of future and present monies (promised and confirmed) pledged to Ron Paul’s campaign. Accounts could be voluntarily transparent, with real time pledge total tallies for both categories. At a certain date and/or when a fiscal target has been reached (like 100K)—these Ron Paul “Nest Eggs” would be cashed in simultaneously.
For example, I know that I plan to contribute at least $100 more to the campaign before the quarter is over, but at present I can’t spend that kind of money. When I do contribute, I’d also prefer to participate in a mass effort that has community and fiscal resonance, rather than making a quiet, individual drop in the bucket. So, I would create an account in the fund, and set a target for myself of $100 (or whatever the recommended pledge is to reach a target) by X date. This could be reflected in the fund tally; one amount {in red} for prospective monies pledged, another {in green} for pledges confirmed. Over time, as I set money aside in real life to appropriate into the fund on a consistent and incremental basis, I could update my virtual progress towards my set goal, similar to financial planning. Once I set aside enough to meet my own target, I could ‘check’ it off, and designate the status of my pledge from “future” to “present” or “confirmed”. At that point, I could either adjust my pledge amount if there were still time, or wait until the critical mass point of the fund (which could be a fiscal target of ‘confirmed’ monies pledged, or a time-sensitive deadline). At that point I, along with every other member, make my actual contributions, which are tallied and recorded in the same way that students4paul.com verifies contributions.
Obviously this could not and would not be a financially binding contract, but rather a tool individuals can use to organize and keep track of their personal budgetary commitments to the campaign, as well as gaining a prospective insight into how the group or fund is faring at large. Some form of this could be organized in the message boards, but I think an idea like this lends itself to an actual web-based utility—maybe an adjunct to students4paul.com? What do you think?
P.S.—Its come to my attention that this idea, though I arrived at it on my own, is similar in many respects to Barak Obama’s “My.BarakObama.com” personal fundraising utility, which is coupled with his larger fundraising push “1 million strong for Barak”. Our implementation could have several improvements over his version, with more networking features and future projections etc. The problem is Building this thing. I have no expertise in this area and I know of no one who does. There MUST be a web designer in this group who can help us explore this possibility. Please let me know.
Any suggestions/criticisms are welcome
Jordan Stone
Chris Gray
I would like to suggest a different method of pledge driving for future fund-raisers. As our fundraisers have been operating thus far, we set a target and a deadline, and encourage people to contribute on an individual basis, sometimes with matching incentives thrown in. This seems to work well when 1. People feel the pressure of a deadline and 2. People have money on hand to contribute and can afford to do so. The new “ABC bet” themed fundraiser is not meeting those two requirements at present, which is why I think contributions have been lackluster.
My proposal requires a small variation on our SOP. We all intend to give more to Ron’s campaign at some point before Q3. The issue is how and when we can coordinate a group effort that will have significant monetary, symbolic and energy-infusing impact. So far, targets have been set by the administrators of this group, and have been attuned to meaningful benchmarks (such as surpassing Barak Obama’s Facebook group). The latest contribution drive has not had the same impact, or urgency.
I suggest we start a Ron Paul Fund (or several). That is, an individual can sign up to be a member of the fund, and create an account for himself or herself. This account will keep track of future and present monies (promised and confirmed) pledged to Ron Paul’s campaign. Accounts could be voluntarily transparent, with real time pledge total tallies for both categories. At a certain date and/or when a fiscal target has been reached (like 100K)—these Ron Paul “Nest Eggs” would be cashed in simultaneously.
For example, I know that I plan to contribute at least $100 more to the campaign before the quarter is over, but at present I can’t spend that kind of money. When I do contribute, I’d also prefer to participate in a mass effort that has community and fiscal resonance, rather than making a quiet, individual drop in the bucket. So, I would create an account in the fund, and set a target for myself of $100 (or whatever the recommended pledge is to reach a target) by X date. This could be reflected in the fund tally; one amount {in red} for prospective monies pledged, another {in green} for pledges confirmed. Over time, as I set money aside in real life to appropriate into the fund on a consistent and incremental basis, I could update my virtual progress towards my set goal, similar to financial planning. Once I set aside enough to meet my own target, I could ‘check’ it off, and designate the status of my pledge from “future” to “present” or “confirmed”. At that point, I could either adjust my pledge amount if there were still time, or wait until the critical mass point of the fund (which could be a fiscal target of ‘confirmed’ monies pledged, or a time-sensitive deadline). At that point I, along with every other member, make my actual contributions, which are tallied and recorded in the same way that students4paul.com verifies contributions.
Obviously this could not and would not be a financially binding contract, but rather a tool individuals can use to organize and keep track of their personal budgetary commitments to the campaign, as well as gaining a prospective insight into how the group or fund is faring at large. Some form of this could be organized in the message boards, but I think an idea like this lends itself to an actual web-based utility—maybe an adjunct to students4paul.com? What do you think?
P.S.—Its come to my attention that this idea, though I arrived at it on my own, is similar in many respects to Barak Obama’s “My.BarakObama.com” personal fundraising utility, which is coupled with his larger fundraising push “1 million strong for Barak”. Our implementation could have several improvements over his version, with more networking features and future projections etc. The problem is Building this thing. I have no expertise in this area and I know of no one who does. There MUST be a web designer in this group who can help us explore this possibility. Please let me know.
Any suggestions/criticisms are welcome
Jordan Stone
Chris Gray