2013 Year in Review

Online

  • Issue awareness: Social media properties among the most trafficked in the field.
  • Movement growth: Over 400,000 supporters of the American Anti-Corruption Act.
  • The “corruption” platform: Daily.RepresentUs blog with over 4.5 million unique visitors in its first five months.
  • Mainstreaming the issue: Microsites to convey the absurdity of court cases like McCutcheon v. FEC

 Multimedia with over 2 million views

  • Get people talking: Lobbyists feeding politicians. 300,000 YouTube views. Featured on dozens of activist outlets
  • Crowdfunded TV Spot: Stripping senator ran on DC cable networks welcoming Congress back from recess. Wide-ranging news coverage from AdWeek to The Hill
  • Making hard facts go viral: Homegrown corruption rants by our new communications director Mansur Gidfar. 600,000+ views

 On the ground

  • Letting politicians know we’re watching: Fake Citibank lobbyists spilling bags o’ cash on politicians. Garnered dozens of local media hits
  • Rallying activists: Activists throwing fake money at the most corrupt state legislatures. Engaged on-the-ground activists in three locales
  • Bringing the movement together: The “K Street 5K” ‘race’ attended by 500 activists from Sunlight Foundation to Move to Amend
  • Shaking things up: Stagecraft/street theater in front of the US Supreme Court. RepresentUs collateral seen in nearly ever news story about the McCutcheon Rally
  • Building a real movement: Project 435 launched in 20 ‘beta’ districts to get Representatives on the record for or against the American Anti-Corruption Act. Each district led by an organized team of top-tier volunteers
It was, of course, our most controversial actions, like the money fumble, that garnered the most press coverage and shook things up the most. (like herehere and here).

Forward

In 2014, we are expanding our organization as we focus on doing four things really well as we build a big, bold American anti-corruption movement.
  1. Launch Project 435 nationwide, and get hundreds-then-thousands of local, state and federal elected officials on the record as for or against the American Anti-Corruption Act.  This is old-fashioned organizing that provides incremental victories and a ladder of engagement for activists.
  2. Pass one state-based version of the Anti-Corruption Act. More on this to come…
  3. Continue producing viral, emotional, funny multimedia, and organizing creative grassroots actions to build brand and issue awareness, and enlist new members.
  4. Enlist one million supporters of the American Anti-Corruption act. (415,000 down, 585,000 to go)

Here are some highlights of our achievements from 2013:

Click on the image below, and use the slider to zoom in.