funding the blogosphere

More (quick) thoughts on bloggers and donors

by: Mike Lux

Wed Jul 25, 2007 at 15:30

I know a lot of my posts tend to be on the long side, so I promise to keep this short, but I have a few random thoughts based on the responses I've been getting (personally and on OpenLeft.com) to my first post on this topic:

1. I really do feel like I sounded too dismissive in my first post of NPC, and that wasn't my intent. I think what they are trying to do with the PROI idea is intriguing and has potential for changing the culture of giving patterns, and I failed to convey that. The challenge for them is that, in the spirit of their founders and their home in Silicon Valley, they have a true venture capitalist model, and the results of their efforts will take a while to prove themselves, so it is too early to judge what they will accomplish. They are trying to do something that is difficult- make the culture of giving in progressive politics more sane- and they deserve credit for that effort.

2. It's been pointed out to me that we should give credit where credit is due, and thank the donors who already have supported the blogosphere in different ways. I don't know them all, but here's some to note:

-Rob McKay mentioned in his post that he has done so.

-I've been reminded by multiple people, including some of the recipients of their generosity, that Andy and Deborah Rappaport, in addition to founding NPC, have given substantial grants to great netroots-y groups such as ActBlue and NOI.

-Rob Johnson and Gail Furman have both been stalwart friends of the blogosphere.

-The Arca Foundation (which I'm on the board of) has given two sizable grants to groups helping bloggers.

There are others as well, including a fair number I don't know about, who have helped out in different ways. Thanks to all who have done their part.

3. I've been told that my post was fine regarding the big picture, but lacked a real world "next steps" section, especially for frontline bloggers writing away on issues with no access to sources of money. Good point, and I think all of us need to spend some time working through the realities of all this.

Let's keep the conversation rolling...

Discuss :: (5 Comments)

Bloggers And Donors

by: Mike Lux

Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 13:43

There is a great deal of conversation in the blogosphere about why Democratic and progressive donors don't do more to support this movement. Bloggers are justifiably proud of the incredible added value they've brought to Democratic/progressive politics in the form of breaking important news stories that the media has ignored, shaping the debate on major issues that nobody else has done, identifying candidates early on that the Democratic establishment was ignoring and helping them go on to victory, recruiting tens of thousands of new volunteers for Democratic candidates and raising millions of dollars for the Democratic Party and progressive candidates. Bloggers have revitalized the Democratic Party and progressive politics, and yet for the most part, they are ignored by its major donors.

I wanted to share my perspective on this, as someone who knows and has worked for many years with people in the donor community. I believe that bringing these donors into a mutually beneficial relationship with the progressive blogosphere will happen, but that it will take a different kind of strategy and some patience before things change. I am optimistic over the long term, because for all their differences, the big donor community and the blogger community have one big thing in common: candidates and groups all too often look at them as ATM machines, rather than valuing their ideas and strategic thinking.

Here are the barriers I see to the relationship:

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