New Obama Loyalty Initiative

Generation 44 ("Gen44") is named for the 44th US President, Barack Obama. This is the Democratic National Committee's effort to build upon the 2008 presidential campaign's "Generation Obama" initiative.

Gen44 was created to cultivate and empower a rising generation of business, government, public and private sector leaders under the age of 40 for the Democratic Party - for fundraising initiatives both for the Democratic National Committee and for President Obama's "Organizing for America." It will also serve as a platform for political mobilization so that President Obama can implement his policy ideas.

Recap of yesterday's Youth Clean Energy Forum @ the White House

Yeah! Yesterday's Youth Clean Energy Forum made CNN's list of top political tweets of the week! It's #7!

Here's a summary of the best highlights from the event, that I've come across:

From the Hip Hop Caucus Website:

In the third and final segment of the Clean Energy Economy Stakeholder Briefing with Youth Leaders, top White House staff on clean energy listen to reports back from several breakout sessions focused on improving engagement between the White House and youth leaders. See reports from the breakout sessions here:




To watch the rest of the video footage from the afternoon's events visit the White House video website, here.


Then check out this fantastic blog post written by HeadCount's Executive Director, Andy Bernstein who attended the event.


Here's the post from the US State Department about their attendance at the event.


The write up from the Roosevelt Institute is here. I liked this part:

While there has been expressed disappointment with some of the back and forth between administration officials and forum participants, this event clearly demonstrates the Obama White House’s commitment to engaging with young Americans on the most challenging issues that our country faces today. Never did the Bush White House convene such a summit, and even the Clinton administration rarely provided this kind of access to Cabinet Secretaries, department heads, and other important and trusted advisors to the President.


Here's the report from Tomasso of Campus Progress. I like this part of his post:

We can help free them from the shackles of King Coal. This forum was a great first step and opened the door for more collaboration between the White House and young activists. What it also did was demonstrate that the efforts and tactics we have used up to now have been extremely successful. As Jessy Tolkan (always the rebel rouser) explains, we must ratchet up our energy and our efforts to change the Senate just like we changed the White House.


A summary prepared by two young US Department of Interior staffers who attended the event - Nate Hundt and Jonathan Jourdane.


Also check out the blog post "Youth Climate Movement Grows Up… In a Good Way" written by Morgan, who also attended the event.

Morgan was recently a senior at Williams College. There, he was a Chinese major, student body co-president and one of the leaders of Thursday Night Group, the campus climate action group. Since graduating, Morgan worked on a community energy efficiency campaign in western Mass, co-directed NH SPROG for the SSC and worked on Power Vote in Cleveland for 2 months. He then left for China for 2 months where his interests have been turned to for-profit models of change and specifically solar hot water systems.

To get more updates from Morgan you can follow him on Twitter.

To get more updates from HeadCount you can follow the organization on Twitter.


And in terms of moving forward with the movement, check out this great open letter to John Carson, the field director for the Obama campaign and is now the chief of staff at the Council on Environmental Quality, who moderated the White House event. It was written by Zachary Stark-MacMillan of the Cascade Climate Network.

Also check out Jessy Tolkan's summary of the day's events, here. Her post includes this slideshow, with photos taken by Alec Loorz and Gabe Elsner.

Call for Entries: America's Health Reform Video Challenge

Just received this text in an email from Organizing for America:

Nicole --

Last month, we launched Organizing for America's Health Reform Video Challenge -- a contest to make the best 30-second ad showing why the President's plan for reform is so critical.

Today, I'm excited announce a great panel of OFA volunteers, campaign veterans and well-known artists who will join me to help select the winning ad. The panel will include will.i.am, whose viral "Yes We Can" video fired up our movement last year, as well as Virginia Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, actress Kate Walsh, and animator Seth MacFarlane (check out the full panel below).

There are less than two weeks left to submit a video before the October 18th deadline. The top submissions will be seen by millions online, and we'll run the winning ad on national television. With Congress moving into the final phase of this health reform debate, we need your creativity and voice out there more than ever.

Click here for all the info, rules, and everything else you need to get started.

You don't need special experience to record a powerful message. But if you know someone who makes great videos and wants to make a huge difference on the national stage, please pass on this note right away.

Your video can be serious or funny, simple or sophisticated. Just make sure to focus on why we need to fix today's broken system, or how President Obama's plan will help make sure all Americans have the care they need.

Thanks, as always, for lending your voice.

David Plouffe

P.S. -- Here's the full list of judges: will.i.am, front man and producer of the multi-platinum Black Eyed Peas; actress and Voto Latino founder Rosario Dawson; Kate Walsh from "Private Practice" and "Grey's Anatomy;" Olivia Wilde from "House;" Dulé Hill from "The West Wing" and "Psych;" "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane; John Cho from "Harold and Kumar" and "American Pie;" and Brandon Routh from "Superman Returns."

We'll also have Virginia Governor and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine; DNC Executive Director Jen O'Malley Dillon; Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy; myself; and some of Organizing for America's most active grassroots volunteers: Courtney S. from Georgia, Michelle M. from Arizona, and Erin T., a student organizer in New Hampshire.

Someone Else Liked the T-Mobile Ad, too ...

From the Organic Consumers Association website. I saw this in today's OCA e-newsletter:

The Organic Consumers Association's Washington DC office, led by Alexis Baden-Mayer, participated in the historic Inauguration of Barack Obama by organizing a roving band of dancing polar bears. OCA's Polar Bears Against War & Melting Ice, amplified by a mobile disco, handed out 6,000 free commemorative postcards and calendars and incited celebratory crowds to dance in the streets.







While OCA is relieved and happy to ride the wave of hope that's sweeping the country, we're also doing our best to make sure that the "change" Obama is offering in terms of public policy is amplified and galvanized by a massive grassroots Movement that can generate the "major changes" we need in these hard and frightening times.

On Inauguration Day we took a break from dancing in the streets to create a series of action alerts that you can use to contact President Obama, the Congress, and each member of the newly confirmed Cabinet. At confirmation hearings before the Senate, the new cabinet members outlined platforms for agriculture, health care, the economy, energy & global warming, the constitution & rule of law, environmental protection, labor rights, immigration, war & peace, and other important issues facing the nation. The Obama Administration and Congress are moving fast on many fronts with a stimulus package, more bailout money, and big changes to Bush-era policies.

source: OCA website

Going to the Inauguration? Well Then! Collect your Pepsi button!

Pepsi Goes to Washington
Brings Its Optimism Message to Capital for Inauguration Events
By Natalie Zmuda, Advertising Age, January 14, 2009

Since the roll out of Pepsi-Cola's new smiley-face-type logo and optimistic-themed campaign, plenty have drawn comparisons between it and President-elect Barack Obama's message. The soft-drink giant will solidify that connection with a major presence in Washington during next week's inauguration festivities.

At RefreshEverything.com, videos beginning with 'Dear Mr. President' range from the frivolous to the serious.

In keeping with the brand's new optimism push, Pepsi is plastering messages such as "All for One" and "Yes You Can" on buildings, billboards, buses and public transportation hubs around the city. Beginning Sunday, street teams will make their way around the nation's capitol, distributing commemorative Pepsi campaign buttons, scarves and hats.

'Bipartisan message'
"We have always had a bipartisan message of optimism, and that's why we love [our] logo," said Anamaria Irazabal, director-trademark Pepsi, calling any similarities between Pepsi and Mr. Obama's message a "happy coincidence."

"This inauguration is pretty unique and historic," she said. "It is an event that's bigger than the Super Bowl, because it's a unique moment in time. It's an important cultural event, and we need to be part of the conversation."

On Saturday, a new commercial, dubbed "Pass," from Omnicom Group's TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, will debut during "Saturday Night Live." Ms. Irazabal said the spot highlights how Pepsi has been a part of cultural moments and includes a call to action. "There's [this idea] that the new president is going to change everything," she said. "But we all need to be engaged, and we all need to be agents of change."

To that end, Pepsi is giving consumers the opportunity to submit videos as part of an open multimedia letter to the new administration. At RefreshEverything.com, videos beginning with "Dear Mr. President" range from the frivolous to the serious. A Florida woman asks that medicine not be socialized, while an Ohio man asks that utility companies be better regulated. One Michigan man tells the president the U.S. should claim pizza as the national food, if Italy hasn't already. Many wish Mr. Obama good luck.

More than traditional marketing
But Pepsi's presence in Washington next week will go beyond traditional marketing and advertising. The brand is also sponsoring a Refresh the World Symposium on Jan. 19 and The Creative Coalition Gala Inaugural Ball on Jan. 20.

"As a topical brand and cultural leader, it's our responsibility to add value in these moments," Ms. Irazabal said of the events. "Two things that define Pepsi are change and, compared to our key competitor, something that defines them, they are timeless, we are timely. We are always topical. We are always a part of the conversation."

The symposium is being organized with Spike Lee and Howard University and will feature such heavy hitters as Andrew F. Brimmer, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Arianna Huffington. Sessions include Refresh Education, Refresh Gender and Refresh Black America. There's also the light-hearted, Refresh Hip-Hop session featuring Sean Combs, Queen Latifah and Chris Lighty.

Meanwhile, Quaker Oats, another PepsiCo brand, will also be looking to connect itself with next week's historic inauguration. The brand is partnering with 11 "mommy bloggers" to host inauguration parties. "Moms are core to Quaker Oatmeal, so [mommy bloggers] are particularly important to us," said Shelley Haus, marketing director-Quaker breakfast portfolio. "The inauguration is an interesting fit with breakfast. There are not a lot of global historic events that fit so well with the breakfast time period."

The blogging effort will serve as the kick off to Start With Substance, a partnership between Quaker and Share Our Strength, whose mission is to feed children.

www.Change.ORG -- social networking services for non-profits

Woah! If social networking for good interests you, too, then check out the services provided by company www.Change.org.

Non-profit organizations can contract Change.org to develop a personalized social networking page for the organization, hosted on www.Change.org. The company also provides custom widgets, which can be embedded into the organization's independently managed social networking pages like Myspace and Facebook.

According to the company's website, Change.org is different from other social networking sites because it engages an older audience (older donors), thereby providing organizations with a way to "post specific fundraising campaigns, update donors on the progress of projects they've funded, create online advocacy campaigns, and capture important data about supporters and donors."

Also according to the website, Other benefits include:
Brand Your Social Network: Change.org will design your social network to match your website.

Fundraise: Post fundraising campaigns, accept online donations, and enable supporters to create personal fundraising pages and widgets to benefit your organization. (All 501(c)(3) donations are processed by our partner, Network for Good)

Start e-advocacy Campaigns: Start viral email advocacy campaigns to lobby elected officials and business leaders. Your organization gets the e-mail address of each new supporter that participates in your e-advocacy campaigns! (View Example)

Recruit New Supporters: Send "Supporter Requests" to recruit new members from across the Change.org community and allow your supporters to invite their friends and family to join your social network on Change.org.

Capture Supporter and Donor Data: Download supporter and donor contact information into Excel spreadsheets that can be imported into your organization's main database of contacts and/or e-newsletter mailing list.

Build Community: Connect your supporters with one another and enable them to share stories, write testimonials about your work, and post photos and videos.

Personalize Your Communication: Inform and inspire your supporters through blogging and sending private messages to your top fundraisers and activists.
In addition to all the tools listed above, Change.org will provide you with free consulting on how to best build and utilize your social network on Change.org. This includes Change.org Best Practices and consultation on how to integrate your Change.org social network with other Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube!



Change.org team member Heather Mansfield owns her own company, DIOSA | Communications. Diosa specializes in Web 2.0 Marketing, Web 2.0 Trainings, Webinars, and MySpace Design for nonprofit organizations, higher education, and small businesses. DIOSA publishes a monthly e-newsletter that includes MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Change.org Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations. To sign up to receive the e-newsletter, go to this site. The company's website also provides links to some interesting articles on this subject matter. Check out the myspace page that Heather manages, too. She's holding a webinar on December 16th for non-profits new to Myspace.

I was recently reminded of Change.org because I heard that they are hooking up with Myspace to collect the public's ideas for the Obama Administration. According to this San Francisco Chronicle article, "shortly before I-Day on Jan. 20, the MySpacers and Change.orgers will announce the top 10 ideas, say which nonprofit organization will sponsor it, will and send it to the appropriate member of Obama's Administration via the 119 million-member megaphone that is MySpace." Why break from Change.gov? Change.org says that Change.gov doesn't allow the public to communicate with Obama "in ways they had become accustomed to during the campaign."

To share your ideas for the Obama Administration, go here, or here.

Why I Have Hope -- It's a New Day

I have to post this, even at the risk of a will.i.am overload on this blog:) The official "It's a New Day" video makes me BEAM every time I watch it. I'm dedicating this post to all who have inspired me this year - particularly Jake Levine, Bear Kittay, and the HeadCount community.

I'm editing this post today, because I learned that the "It's a New Day" video that I had embedded here, was no longer working. It looks like you might have to go to youtube.com and watch it there. But I'm embedding this version from when will.i.am was on Oprah, to see if this might work. Fingers crossed:)



This one makes me cry. This one is dedicated to my friends living abroad, and Stephanie Thomas of the East Bay U.S. Department of Peace Campaign, who forwarded this video to me, before departing for KY, to help Obama.



Click here for the origins of this song.