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Action Map & App

A citizen-centric resource for easy and effective action

MarkHanis@gmail.com

***DRAFT***

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Problem(s)

Starting in 2017, the Republicans control the federal government (White House, Senate, and House of Representatives). Most efforts to advance progressive policies must expand to the city, county, and state levels while also keeping pressure on the federal level.

We need a multi-level engagement platform to ensure maximum impact.

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Problem(s)

Currently, most citizen mobilization is siloed and either issue or organization specific. Citizens often need to visit three or more websites to find out how to take action on the issues they care about.

Organizations struggle to recruit new members and often neither share lists nor coordinate with other organizations.

We need a centralized citizen-centric platform for easy and effective action across multiple issues.

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21st Century Organizing

In addition to centralizing each level of policymaking, we need to leverage the full toolbox of actions:

  • Report card for each policymaker
  • Click-to-call functionality with detailed script
  • Polling information
  • Social and professional contacts
  • In person opportunities to engage policymakers (i.e. townhalls)
  • Campaign contributor information
  • Data-driven strategies
  • Tracking and feedback loops

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21st Century Organizing

We need to channel a lot of online activity to offline action and sustain it by building meaningful relationships and a sustainable community.

  • Attend Town Halls
  • Join #Resist Meetups
  • Canvass via active perspective-taking / deep canvassing
  • User generated events (i.e. rallies, film screenings, service projects, etc.)
  • Run and/or support those running for public office

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21st Century Organizing

We need a user-centric, user-friendly, multi-issue, integrated city/county/state/federal level two-sided market.

For both citizens and organizations, realizing the change we want to see in our cities, counties, states, and country should be as easy as booking a flight, ordering a ride, finding a date, funding a start-up, or buying/selling goods.

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Promising signs

  • Americans are turning out to organize in record numbers
  • There is a bigger push for increasing political pressure
  • There is recognition that donations and petitions are not as effective as phone calls and in person engagement
  • There is more coordination among progressive advocacy organizations
  • There is a recognition that there are “sprints” and “marathons” on various issues (i.e. cabinet

nominations vs. climate policy)

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Promising signs

Cities, counties, and states have a long history of adopting policies at odds with federal guidance.

A few pioneering states can take on various issues and eventually influence federal policy.

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Solutions: Map & App

A multi-layered map where the user can:

  • Pick an issue, organization, or timely issue based on the user’s location
  • Click-to-call the targeted policy maker(s)
  • Link her Facebook & LinkedIn profile to contact the user’s friends who live in strategically important city, county, and/or state
  • Link to organization to donate and/or sign-up for more actions
  • Notify user what else they can do given user’s interest(s), location, time, and philanthropy
  • Prototype:

www.ProgressiveMap.com

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Solutions: Map & App

An app where the user can:

  • Pick an issue, organization, and/or timely issue based on her location
  • Click-to-call the relevant targeted policy maker
  • Link her Facebook & LinkedIn profile to contact her friends who live in strategically important city, county, and/or state and share a link to click-to-call
  • Link to organization(s) to donate and/or sign-up for more actions
  • Be notified when policymaker is nearby currently or in the near future for in-person engagement
  • Connect via MeetUp for other off-line opportunities
  • Feedback loops, progress bars, and tailored future actions
  • See User Experience

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21st century citizens should be able to exercise their civics in one place where they can

Solutions: Map & App

zoom in & out of the 4 levels of government affecting their lives (city, county, state, federal) as easily as…...

centralize all the policies/issue affecting their lives as simple as…….

enjoy a user-friendly experience as seamless as…….

get feedback and track progress as fun as…..

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Potential Partner Organizations

(Not Exhaustive)

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Established Landscape

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New Landscape

(Partial List)

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Potential Funders

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Contributors & Advisors

(Partial List)

Contributors

  • Mark Hanis, Founder & Principal
  • Van Chappell
  • Rachel Lichte
  • Saul Garlick
  • Kristen Gallagher
  • Innocent Ndubuisi-Obi Jr
  • Adam Sterling

Advisors

  • Heather Booth, Founder & President of the Midwest Academy
  • Bill Wasserman, Principal of M+R Strategic Services
  • Peter Levin, Co-Founder and CEO of Amida Technology Solutions
  • Michael Silberman, Global Director of the Mobilisation Lab at Greenpeace
  • Brian Komar, VP of Marketing at Salesforce.org
  • Jerry Hauser, CEO at The Management Center

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Timeline

Develop/Finalize deck

February 28

Test interest from potential partnership organizations

March 5

Secure seed funding

March 15

Develop a minimum viable product (MVP)

May 30

Test for viability and improvements

June 30

Handoff to a larger organization or raise funding & scale MVP

July 31

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Draft Budget

Salaries and benefits

$390,000

Vendors

$1,000,000

Travel

$10,000

Marketing

$500,000

Total

$1,900,000

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Revenue Model

Non-profit

  • Philanthropic capital
  • Fees (for map and/or referral) from partner organizations

For profit (Benefit Corporation)

  • Investments from friendly funders (for example)
  • Fees (for map and/or referral) from partner organizations
  • Advertising revenue?

For profit

  • Investments
  • Fees (for map and/or referral) from partner organizations
  • Advertising revenue?

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Exit Strategy

What does success looks like?

A highly used map and app that organizations and citizens use regularly to exercise their civic duty.

What would an exit strategy look like?

  • Raise enough revenue to maintain the map and app
  • Handoff to another organization (see Landscape)

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Risks / Concerns

Some risks or concerns include:

  • Making a two-sided market is hard:
    • Potential partner organizations may not want to participate.
    • Potential multi-issue advocates/activists may not want to participate.
  • The Map/App may be fighting the last battle (i.e. incremental progress in a regressive political environment).
  • Another organization may have built or could build this more quickly and/or more effectively.
  • There is not enough funding to build out the full functionality to get escape velocity.

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How You Can Help

  • Refine the deck (especially design)
  • Secure seed funding
  • Recruit pro-bono developers and designers for the map and app
  • Research on the ideal type of business and revenue model (especially for two-sided markets)
  • Research on meaningful ways to convert online to sustained offline action (i.e. MeetUp.com)
  • Research branding

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Sample App User Experience

Welcome to Progressive Map!

Your phone shows that you are in:

Nashville, Tennessee

Please

Confirm | Change

January 24, 2017

This day’s/week’s action is to:

Tell Senator Lamar Alexander that the nominee for Health & Human Services, Tom Price, for passing bills to personally benefit.

Call & Get Script

Calling the office of Senator Lamar Alexander….

------------------------------

Script: Hello, my name is ____ and I am from Tennessee. I am calling to express my opposition to Tom Price for Secretary for HHS because of his use of public bills for his personal benefit. Please tell Senator Alexander to reject Tom Price. Thank you.

---------------------------

Hang up

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Sample App User Experience

Thanks for being a super citizen and calling Senator Alexander and supporting good ethics in government!

We need 571 more calls to make this a priority

Take another action!

What other issues do you care most about?

  • Climate
  • Guns
  • Foreign policy
  • Hate speech
  • Labor
  • LGBTQ rights
  • Electing people with your values

Next

You can have a bigger impact by engaging your contacts across the city, county, state, and county on Facebook & LinkedIn. And it’s more fun!

Do you allow Progressive Map to have access to your

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Next

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Sample App User Experience

How often should we notify you to make calls?

  • Once a day
  • Once a week
  • Once a month
  • When there’s something extremely important for me to do.

Next

Based on your profile, the next best action you can take is:

Message your friends in Ohio to call Governor John Kasich to veto Bill 1340 the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act”

Next

Facebook Messenger

--------

Hey [John Smith],

I hope you are well.

Please click here to call Governor Kasich and ask him to veto Bill 1340 the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.”

Thanks,

Jane

---------------

Send

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Sample App User Experience

Based on your phone’s location, your State Senator, Randy McNally, is hosting a townhall meeting on Wednesday night at the Oak Ridge High School.

Click Here to add event to your calendar.

Next

Based on your phone’s location, Black Lives Matter is hosting a rally at Bridgestone Arena.

Click Here to add event to your calendar.

Next

Based on your phone’s location, Jane Doe, is hosting her campaign kickoff for Board of Education.

Click Here to add event to your calendar.

Next