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Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:59:51

Fundraising and the Obama Campaign

We basically found out our guts were worthless. From Patrick Ruffini at #roots12.

  1. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    RT @nathanhjb: Zombie Myth #1: Email is dead. #2: Winning FB means winning at the polls. #zombieroots #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:47:01
  2. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    OFA Digital team started out as 12 people, grew to 200. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:43:47
  3. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Outbound Team: 18 people full time on email. 5 people full time to content for the website/blog. 4 people dedicated to social. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:45:02
  4. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    "Smart data and randomized experiments gave our side a tool for victory the other side didn't have." #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 06:26:35
  5. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Persuasion-1, moderate support high turnout. GOTV strong support, low turnout. Unknown: new registrants #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:39:18
  6. DCCC turnout/support model visualized #roots12 http://pic.twitter.com/jxfHHr97
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    ·
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:37:48
  7. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    DCCC did its own modeling because DNC went to OFA. Catalist did. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:34:32
  8. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    DCCC would do microtargeting calls (around 1500 voters) to build models. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:41:20
  9. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Catalist had an I/O tool to translate polls into data store without a human #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:41:52
  10. The modeling process diagrammed. #roots12 http://pic.twitter.com/MhwaX65S
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    ·
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:43:05
  11. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    We rescored 45 models in a day to capture new registrants. These were our most important votes. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:45:33
  12. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Average national email featured 4 different messages with 3 different subject lines each. 18 segments per message, on average #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:49:05
  13. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    "I will be outspent" email raised $2.6 million for the campaign [Best email I ever sent had a similar theme.] #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:50:15
  14. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    "Our North Star was optimization" Sent to "more than 10,000 segments. <- WOW #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:48:20
  15. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    3-to-1 increase in conversions from QuickDonate members. We always sent them the optimized version. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:52:48
  16. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    We never tested to the West Coast or non-donors because they weren't awake or they didn't respond #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:51:57
  17. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Media reports they were testing email on different demographic segments were false. They were testing on performance/tactics. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:55:31
  18. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Crossposting email to the blog was incredibly effective. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:00:47
  19. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    The website was too fundraising focused, entirely by design and entirely intentional. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 07:59:49
  20. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    "Can we get away with sending less email?" "Mixed results." Sending more email? Ka-ching. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:07:56
  21. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Note: The $3 and $5 asks were ONLY sent to non-donors. So they weren't leaving money on the table w/ donors. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:09:53
  22. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    We could get valid data on segments of 17,000 to 20,000 people, but much bigger for a less responsive list. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:10:46
  23. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Very rarely did the top of the campaign interfere in the email program. Messina didn't say, you must send this. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:12:59
  24. PatrickRuffini
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    Emailer was not necessarily built to scale at this level. #roots12
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:15:37
  25. Histogram showing distribution of model changing. We could see Republicans moving but not Democrats. #roots12 http://pic.twitter.com/EoiI0o3Q
    Patrick Ruffini@PatrickRuffini
    ·
    Fri, Nov 30 2012 08:47:39

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Editor, policy fellow, throwback. You can tell a man’s vices by his friends, and his virtues by his enemies.

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