FutureCongress

[marcidale-blog]

Bill Detail Widget

[marcidale-blog]

Test Comment Stream

[marcidale-blog]

Test newsfeed

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RSS Feed Widget

[antheaws-blog]

On Friday, Google, the Knight Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies brought together a small group of practitioners, funders and academics to talk and think about the technological lessons from the 2012 cycle and how they can be applied to civic engagement as a whole. I am so grateful to...

[marcidale-blog]

Was asked by Fast Company what I learned in 2013. I learned how lucky I am to work with such an amazing team. That "team" includes the people past and present who make POPVOX possible, the advisors and circle of friends and family that keep us going, our investors (many of whom are also family), our friends, our clients, and those thousands of people across the country who make up our community. Feeling very grateful. Thanks for the photo, LUXr peeps!

[marcidale-blog]

Was honored to participate on a TEDx Women panel with Keya Dannenbaum, Lauren Bird, Reshma Saujani, moderated by the wonderful, Courtney Martin . Huge thanks to Knight Foundation for hosting and making it possible!

[marcidale-blog]

What innovative solutions do women offer to today’s global challenges? The conversation continues this week at the third annual TEDxWomen. Hosted in Washington, D.C. by the Paley Center for Media, the conference is themed The Space Between and seeks to. In six, 90-minute sessions, speakers and performers will explore the different ways women and men approach subjects or obstacles.

[marcidale-blog]

IN THE SENATE: Sportsmen's Heritage Act

Here's a sample of a "Franking-friendly" Write Congress widget we at POPVOX developed for use on official sites.

[marcidale-blog]

Big thanks to Catherine Ho at Washington Post's Capital Business for the article on POPVOX and other civic startups: "Popvox, which was founded in 2010, is part of a growing movement among D.C. professional services veterans to create new businesses aimed at helping the masses — rather than well-heeled corporations — influence public policy. Though their business models are different, their founders — who come from traditional backgrounds such as lobbying, government, public affairs and technology — share a common objective to make policymaking more accessible and transparent."

[marcidale-blog]

GOOD.is has a great idea with this competition!! Coding for GOOD is our effort to bridge the skills gap through real-world application and complements Apollo Group’s The Virtual Apprentice ℠. To participate, you will need to complete sixteen coding lessons and submit a final project. Participants with the top three submissions will then be flown out to Los Angeles to participate in a hack-a-thon, and the best of the three hack-a-thon participants may be offered a job at GOOD...

[marcidale-blog]

Really appreciated Mit Capps' article on POPVOX in VentureNashville.

[marcidale-blog]

I am such an admirer of Steve Case and such a believer in the "Rise of the Rest" vision he describes for entrepreneurial growth across the country.

[marcidale-blog]

Testing map... Go Team Tech!

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[marcidale-blog]

For those who haven't heard the fabulous "POPVOX song", a warning: it WILL get stuck in your head. (in a good way!)

[marcidale-blog]

GREAT Example of Advocacy Done Right: NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome

Every now and then, I see an example of an advocacy campaign that hits it out of the park. Frequently they are not the largest or most well-funded. In some cases, the effort is not even led by the national organization -- sometimes a motivated local chapter takes the lead and has considerable impact in its own right. This press release from the New Jersey Center for Tourette's Syndrome summarizes what struck me as a campaign by a state level organization that got a whole lot right.

1) Outreach from a constituent. The New Jersey Center found individuals within the Member's district to be the spokesperson on the issue 2) A compelling personal story. There is no better way to convince a staffer or legislator of the importance of your issue than to introduce them to someone who is personally affected. 3) In-person visit to the Member's office - Visits to the district office are helpful. When possible, a fly-in to the Washington office can also be extremely effective. In many cases the Washington visit by a constituent will give an opportunity for face-time with the Member and the staffer who handles the issue and can make recommendations. 4) Sharing the facts. - Even with the compelling personal story, the facts are crucial. Explain costs, how many are impacted, economic impacts, etc. This is best done in a ONE-pager. (And we hope you will share your organization's position on the bill on POPVOX.) 5) A concrete ask - "Please co-sponsor this bill." - You can have the greatest story in the world.. but if you go to Washington without an "ask", it was probably a wasted trip. The most common asks are that a Member take one of several actions: --> Introduce a bill --> Become an "original cosponsor" of a bill that will soon be introduced --> Co-sponsor a bill that has already been introduced --> "SIgn-on" to a letter to the Administration, Leadership, a Committee Chairman/woman 6) A rallying call. The outreach from the NJCTR provided others with a way to get involved : "To register your support for H.R. 3760, please visit www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr3760." 7) A thank-you. One of the most effective aspects of this press release is that it praises the Member for his support. Very often advocacy campaigns focus on the ask (and hammering people who disagree) without much thought to what comes after. A thank you says "I noticed", "I'm paying attention" (and, quite frankly, that "I will remember this when I go to vote in November."

[marcidale-blog]

Testing out a new share feature that allows people to share directly from POPVOX to Tumblr.... (cool)

[marcidale-blog]

Just signed up for updates about the Code for America Incubator -- helping make startups that matter. Check it out!