e-Lobbying
A presidential sex scandal got their nonprofit off the ground. Now their 300,000 politically conscious members keep it going.
Vital Stats: Wes Boyd, 41,
and Joan Blades, 45, of Berkeley, California-based MoveOn.org
Company: Online nonprofit
political advocacy group started in 1998
2001 Numbers: 300,000
members
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Monica, Monica, Monica:
"MoveOn started in the middle of the Clinton impeachment
scandal, when we were sick to death of hearing about Monica
Lewinsky," says Blades.
"MoveOn started in the
middle of the Clinton impeachment scandal, when we were sick to
death of hearing about Monica Lewinsky."
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Snowball Effect: "We
decided to post a petition online, saying Congress must censure
Clinton and move on," says Blades. "We sent it to 100 of
our friends and family, and within a week, we had 100,000
signatures. Once we had those names, we let representatives know
how people felt. Since then, we've learned a lot about
politics. We raised more than $2 million [during] the last election
. . . to bring Congress back to the people."
Thinking Local:
"We're looking for new ways every day to help people
connect with their leadership and with the political process. And
the Internet's a great tool for helping people
participate," says Boyd.
Tech Roots: "In 1987,
we started Berkeley Systems, which was best known for the flying
toasters screensavers and a game called You Don't Know
Jack," says Boyd. "We sold [Berkeley] in 1997, after we
had grown it to 160 people and $30 million. Now we mostly volunteer
our time. We get a lot done with not a lot of money."