What is "Organization for Action?"

[question everything]

I donated to the Obama campaign in 2008 and in 2012 (also, in 2008 to the Edwards, Biden, and Clinton...)

So of course I am on the mailing list with continuing requests for donations.

The problem is, we are now on "fixed income" and are more careful with our expenses.

While previously the requests were for the the Democratic party, today I received one for "Organization for Action."

My question is: who, exactly is this organization and what does it do with the money that it collects?

Thanks

[Drunken Irishman]

1. It's just an outreach of the old Obama for America...

They switched it over after the 2012 electio and focus on issues important to the President - gun reform, immigration reform.

[question everything]

4. Thanks. But what do they do?

More mail? Donate to campaigns of candidates who support the issues? Where, exactly do the checks go?

Some years back I was part of an organization fighting local issues. It solicited donations and in reality, it was used to.... send more mailings and request more donations. And I realized that this is the norm in politics..

[DURHAM D]

2. It is the old Obama organization but they announced they are bi-partisan.

[JoePhilly]

3. Do you have a link for that?

[DURHAM D]

6. No. It was a long time ago

and I assumed it had something to do with their IRS status.

[question everything]

5. Thanks. See my questin above #4

So they get their $10s and $25s and even $50s and $100. What do they do? Who are the payees on their checks?

[Tx4obama]

7. They are offiicially NON-partisan

Organizing for Action (OFA) is a nonprofit social welfare organization and community organizing project in the United States which advocates for the agenda of U.S. President Barack Obama.[1][2] The organization is officially non-partisan,[2] but its agenda and policies are strongly allied with the Democratic Party of which Obama is a member. It is the successor of Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and of Organizing for America, which itself succeeded Obama's 2008 campaign.[3]

Founded after President Obama's re-election, the group seeks to mobilize supporters in favor of Obama's legislative priorities. OFA is registered as a 501(c)(4) organization,[4] which may advocate for legislation but is prohibited from specifically supporting political candidates.[5] OFA is organized as a grassroots organization, with local chapters that decide which issues to organize around.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_Action

MORE info below

Organizing For Action: Obama Campaign Relaunches As Issue-Based Nonprofit

Here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/organizing-for-action-obama_n_2503668.html

And from the OFA website 'About page'....

Statement of purpose: Organizing for Action is a nonprofit organization established to move forward the national agenda Americans voted for on Election Day 2012. OFA will advocate for these policies throughout the country and will mobilize citizens of all parties and diverse backgrounds to speak out for passage and effective implementation of these policies, including gun violence prevention, sensible environmental policies to address climate change and immigration reform among others. In addition, OFA will encourage the formation of chapters that will be dedicated at the grassroots level to this program, but also committed to identifying and working progressive change on a range of issues at the state and local level. In carrying out its work, OFA will operate as a "social welfare" organization within the meaning of section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code.

http://www.barackobama.com/about/?source=footer-nav

[Tx4obama]

8. See the links in Comment #7

[question everything]

9. Thanks. The only direct answer that I found in your link is

"Obama for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president's legislative and political agenda.[3]"

You see, all of these are nice words. What I wanted to know is: you have, say, $500,000 in your bank account. What do you do with this, who do you pay?

So I think it is for rent and telephone and computers, and more mailings - even though mobilizing are done via email, really. And perhaps pay someone to be the community organizer full time.

What say you?

[Chan790]

20. You can do a lot of things...

you just can't support any candidates or be a partisan organization...which is narrowly construed as one working for the platform of the party or in concert with the party or candidate.

Things 501(c)4s can do include lobby for issues or an agenda, run commercials, organize support functions (such as rallies), provide activist training, hire people to promote your agenda or carry water for that agenda including political operatives and a lot of other things.

You can pretty much do anything except pick up the phone and coordinate your agenda with that of the officeholder, party or any candidate.

[question everything]

23. Yes, I think that I finally understand

basically building a war chest for 2014 and beyond to run commercials.

The original links described it as "grassroot" which to me means volunteers, making calls, knocking on doors etc.

But running ads on behalf of candidates is expensive.

Thanks.

[cilla4progress]

10. Here's my dish on OFA

After last year's election, where I was donating a regular monthly amount to the Obama re-election campaign, I agreed to continue donating to OFA when asked by them, afterwards. Their schtick was it would help enact his agenda. I agreed to $15 / month.

Jan. and Feb. or so, went fine. In March, my $15 was taken out SIX times, for a total of $90. I tried repeatedly via emails, phone calls, and websites, to resolve this with them. I NEVER heard back, and ultimately had to close out that debit card and get a new one.

Worst part is it left a bad taste in my mouth for online donating, at all. I figure it was the recurring schedule that allowed the breach, so now I do donate on one-time bases online, occasionally.

I figure they have subcontractors running these things...

[question everything]

11. That's bad!

This is why I don't donate online. Only on rare occasions. Took me a while, but I found the actual address of the 2012 Obama campaign and sent a check.

And this is why I don't agree to anyone taking a monthly payment. Even the utilities where I pay online, I have to hit the "pay" button first.

Philistine, dinosaur, what have you. I feel better with a check in the mail (and support the Post Office, ha!)

You may want to write to Jim Carson, Executive Director, OFA, P.O.Box 96269, D.C. 20090-6269 just to let him know.

Wonder whether they got the same Canadian outfit that built the healthcare.gov site.

[cilla4progress]

12. haha!

[bocephus0706]

13. Organizing for Action or as we call it OFA - the answer to your question

Hi, I am a chapterleader for Organizing for Action. We were OFA during the re-election campaign of President Obama's. After we won, many of us decided that we wanted to stay involved to help the President accomplish as much of his 2nd term agenda as possible. We are the best trained grassroots volunteer organisation ever. And we are now using our skills to issue organize around immigration reform, gunviolence prevention, the implementation of Obamacare, as well as environmental issues, the budget and womens issues.
We create events around these issues such as ralleys at congressional offices for example, to either thank a congress person for their support or the call out a politician that is not doing the right thing. And we do this because that is what the poeple voted for when they re-elected the president.
We alert the local media of our events, to get earned media credits. Which means a write up in the paper. These write ups in the paper are what our elected officials pay attention too. The idea is to let them know the people are paying attention, and we are asking them to pay attention to us.
We are a 501C4, therefore we rely completely on donations to continue with our work. We are non partisan, but we believe in the same things the President believes.

Thanks
OFA_Minnesota

[question everything]

14. Thank you for a detailed response about OFA mission and activities

I still am not sure what the donations are used for.

When you talk about grassroots you often talk about volunteers. Been there, done that. You certainly don't pay the media people to write about a rally, for example. You don't pay regular folks to contact their member of congress. So what is the money used for?

As I asked, above, say you have $500,000 in the bank. What is it used for? Do you have an office where you have to pay rent? Computers? A salaried manager?

[polichick]

16. Why are you non partisan? Does that mean the President is non partisan...

since you say you believe the same things he believes?

[Chan790]

21. It's because of the tax status.

501(c)4 is a tax status designed for public interest organizations that do not fall under the narrower guidelines of 501(c)3...one of the requirements is that they cannot be partisan organizations or associated with the party or campaign...but they can support them in so far as their agendas overlap.

[polichick]

22. Thanks!

[daybranch]

17. As a very hard working Obama supporter in 2008 and 2012, I am very conflicted

OFA calls itself a grass roots organization but turns away ideas that do not conform to a predetermined very centrist agenda. It initially sought to get large donations from the extreme wealthy until potential members screamed. It denies local and or state issues in favor of less risky National polling supported movements. It never addresses economic justice to any great degree and seems to avoid any attack to corporatists who already hold too much power in both parties. It is kind of a chance to feel good about oneself without taking any strong positions. Certainly it does not push the president to work toward the benefit of the people but only serves to allow him to do as he pleases. It basically champions popular issues and protection of the Presidents legacy. To me it is the rally for the cause of the week, whether it be gun violence, immigration reform, global warming or public relations in favor of the Affordable Care Act. I agree with all of these causes but I fervently believe these are tactical targets and their wins when possible can be undone without systemic changes in the political system. OFA shows a real unwillingness to fight for Bipartisan American values if these challenge democratic control if applied across all states. I hear a lot of talk about voting rights but these seem relegated to working to shorten lies and prevent many from having to get IDs. In general the gerrymandering going on is a much bigger issue,( for example of 109 legislative districts , 106 could be predicted based on the districting lines drawn and we have 4 democratic and 12 republicans in the US House although the voting was about equal ) and OFA will not fight it.
It looks like to me, corporatists recognize there are numerous issues on which they and the President agree and both desire to keep activists focused on issues which never challenge big business at all. Many working for OFA are tremendously upset that the impact of OFA may be a mile wide but only an inch deep. In many ways arguing for centrist positions provides upper hands to conservatives in any negotiation. I personally support many of the OFA efforts but I am rather conflicted by the mediocre less principled positions they seem to take on many areas in order to conform to the President's wishes. It certainly ain't MoveOn, Bold progressives etc. . I guess I am most conflicted in wondering, does this vehicle supporting a charismatic leader with just general agreement with his often undefined positions really advance the progress in achieving real economic justice? Or does it siphon away activists and potential activists who would better support causes as progressives usually do if left to real grass roots organizing? Is this the best way to go or will we be subject to the we know everything mentality so evident during the 2012 campaign rather than the democracy that prevailed in Obama's 2008 campaign? OFA has a long way to go before it can claim grass roots and it may never get there.

[herding cats]

15. I'm wondering if this is something which varies from local chapter to local chapter?

They're working as a grassroots Democratic organization where I am. YMMV from what I read here, but I don't honestly know. I'm not a subscribed donor, or any thing like that, but I do volunteer when I can with the offshoot of my local chapter. Currently we're working to help people navigate the ACA sign up. There's a central office where I go in to volunteer with a lot of people working taking calls and such. I have no idea if this is what the rest of the branches are doing or not. If you'd like I can ask some questions and see what I can find out? I'm not scheduled again until Dec. 7th, tho. If that's too late I understand.

[question everything]

18. Thank you for your reply

At least you mention "a central office," which means, I think, that the donations go, in part to pay rent and utilities and phone service. Perhaps computers. Unless someone is donating the office and the computers. Is there a full time manager there? Or other paid staff?

This is what is confusing to me. If most of the "grassrooters" are volunteers, what is the money collected used for? If the chapter has a bank account with, say, $100,000 in it. What are the checks going out for? Besides mailing more requests for money?

[madinmaryland]

19. Since the OFA was formed in January of 2013, there is no tax history on this, thus

there has probably been no tracking of this 501c4. I assume it is in the process of building a war chest for the 2014 elections and there is little spending going on at this point. I would assume any spending at this point would be on lobbyists and miscellaneous television ads in swing states where they need a particular senator or congressman's vote on a certain bill.