1. THE
MOBILIZE
EFFECT
2010 ANNUAL REPORT

2. MOBILIZE.ORG
STAFF
DECKER NGONGANG AMBER CRUZ AYOFEMI KIRBY
Vice President Summit Manager Director of
of Programs Communications
ANNE TILLEMA EMILY BLAYLOCK PETER HART
Director of Development Chief of Staff Office Manager

3. LETTER
FROM
THECEO
THANK YOU FOR THE IMPORTANT ROLE YOU PLAYED IN
MAKING 2010 THE MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR IN THE HISTORY
of Mobilize.org! We’re grateful to the Taproot Foundation,
whose support has made the publication of this annual report
possible. It’s my pleasure to share with you where we’ve been,
where we’re going and the important role you’ll continue to
play in our ability to improve communities by investing in
Millennial-driven solutions.
In 2010, Mobilize.org convened 100 Millennial veterans in
Los Angeles, 500 environmental enthusiasts in New York and
125 community college students in North Carolina. We asked each
group of these powerful Millennials to identify issues they face
on their campuses, in their communities, and in our democracy.
We provided an interactive, creative space for them to work
together and develop solutions that address those unmet needs.
We listened to their conversations, paid attention as they told us
what they need in order to take a leadership role in implementing
their solutions and invested tens of thousands of dollars in those
725 Millennials to turn their ideas into innovative projects that
will have a broad impact on our society. This is what we call the
Mobilize.org Effect.
On behalf of the Mobilize.org team, thank you for your support.
Without it, we wouldn’t be able to invest in projects like Team
Rubicon and the others that come alive on the following pages.
To learn more about our work, investments and plans for our
future, please visit us online at www.mobilize.org.
Keep Mobilizin’,
Maya Enista
Chief Executive Officer

4. MISSION
MOBILIZE.ORG IS A NATIONAL MILLENNIAL-LED
O RG A N IZ ATIO N T HAT I MPRO VES T HE WAY
DEMOCRACY WORKS BY INVESTING IN
MILLENNIAL-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS.

5. PHILOSOPHY
MOBILIZE.ORG BELIEVES THAT IN ORDER TO
CREATE LONG-TERM, SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
TO THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR SOCIETY,
MILLENNIALS MUST AUTHENTICALLY ENGAGE
THEIR PEERS IN IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS AND
PROPOSING SOLUTIONS. MOST IMPORTANTLY,
MOBILIZE.ORG BELIEVES MILLENNIALS MUST
HAVE THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT
THESE SOLUTIONS ON THEIR CAMPUSES OR
IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. WE VIEW OUR WORK
AND INVESTMENTS IN MILLENNIAL IDEAS AS A
CATALYST FOR MEANINGFUL, COLLABORATIVE
PROBLEM SOLVING AND ACTION THAT LEADS TO
SYSTEMIC SOCIAL CHANGE.

6. MILLENNIAL
/MI ‘ LE NI EL /
INDIVIDUALS BORN BETWEEN 1976-1996.
SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS GENERATION NEXT
OR GENERATION Y, TECH SAVVY, DIVERSE, OFTEN
SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS AND CIVICALLY ENGAGED.

7. Copyright © 2010 Flowtown. All Rights Reserved.

8. NEXTLEVEL
DEMOCRACY
MOBILIZE.ORG IS PIONEERING AN INNOVATIVE Through our work, Mobilize.org lends an important
ENGAGEMENT MODEL THAT LEVERAGES THE voice in discussions where the young adult
unique characteristics of the Millennial perspective is often absent. Utilizing our unique
Generation—collaboration, diversity, technological convening power and innovative programming
savvy and an entrepreneurial spirit—to ensure to address issues such as financial literacy, the
Millennials actively participate in our democracy environment, veterans support and education,
and have the skills, resources, relationships the organization’s leaders and Millennials
and support needed to move our communities within our network are often sought to contribute
and our country forward. Mobilize.org provides their perspectives on philanthropy, leadership,
opportunities for members of the Millennial community development, social media, and
Generation to move from passive to active education.
citizenship and to seize leadership opportunities
at every age and at every level.
DEMOCRACY2.0
DEMOCRACY 2.0 BEGAN AS AN IDEA DEVELOPED of principles that would outline the Millennial
BY MILLENNIALS EAGER TO “TAKE ACTION” Generation’s ownership of and responsibility
to confront the issues affecting our society, to the democratic process and for a national
and specifically the Millennial Generation. conference that would include an award
Today, Democracy 2.0 is at the core of our work ceremony to honor Millennials whose civic
as we engage Millennials in the next level of civic work embodied principles established in
engagement; that includes collaborating to the declaration.
develop solutions to our society’s most pressing
These conversations helped coin “Democracy 2.0”
challenges and building the democracy
as the phrase describing the collaboration and
Millennials want to inherit, and lead.
problem solving that Mobilize.org facilitated
In 2006, with a rich history of convening around the country. It also became the framework
Millennials for national discussions and providing for future Mobilize.org Democracy 2.0 Summits,
them with the tools to affect public policy, Democracy 2.0 Awards and the foundation for the
Mobilize.org convened a team of 50 organizational Mobilize.org Democracy 2.0 Declaration.
leaders, Millennial activists, academicians
In four years, Democracy 2.0 has evolved from
and researchers to strategize how to engage
an idea to a movement that engages Millennials
more young adults in its work. At the meeting,
around the country in solving problems on their
the group developed an idea for a declaration
campuses and in their communities.

9. DEMOCRACY2.0
AWARDS
DEMOCRACY 2.0 SUMMITS DEMOCRACY 2.0 AWARDS
DEMOCRACY 2.0 SUMMITS ARE THREE-DAY, THROUGH THE USE OF INTERACTIVE KEYPAD
GATHERINGS WHERE 100 TO 500 MILLENNIALS VOTING TECHNOLOGY, SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS
convene to discuss challenges facing our become high-stakes philanthropists, awarding
society, work collaboratively to propose more than $25,000 per summit to the ideas they
solutions and compete for the funding and feel have the greatest capacity to succeed.
resources needed to implement those solutions. Through this unique method, in which
To date, Mobilize.org has hosted nine Democracy peer-participants evaluate and choose award
2.0 Summits on issues including financial literacy, winners, Mobilize.org has invested over
unemployment, and the community college $125,000 in 26 Millennial-led projects.
completion crisis. More than 1,500 Millennials
have attended and participated in Democracy 2.0
Summits, and through interactive webcasts, more
than 20,000 have participated online.

10. DANIEL KAUFMAN
ONE PERCENT FOUNDATION
MILLENNIALS AND PHILANTHROPY
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM SUGGESTS THAT ONE ACCUMULATES WEALTH OVER A LIFETIME AND
THEN MAKES CHARITABLE DONATIONS DURING HIS OR HER TWILIGHT YEARS. BUT DANIEL KAUFMAN
and his colleagues at the One Percent Foundation recognized something important about philanthropy:
organizations that accept donations often reflect the values of their funders. Daniel Kaufman and his team
then realized there was an opportunity to help more Millennials become philanthropists while they are still
young. “We see philanthropy as a form of civic engagement, the same as voting or volunteering,” Kaufman
says, “But it’s an area where Millennials are sorely underrepresented.”
A goal of the One Percent Foundation is to become a credible funding source that reflects the values of the
Millennial Generation. Its unique giving-circle model makes it easier for Millennials to pool resources and
support causes. Here’s how it works:
Participants commit to giving one percent of their annual income to the Foundation. Each
quarter, the Foundation awards a grant to a nonprofit. Grant recipients are nominated by
participants, vetted by volunteers and then voted on again by participants to receive awards.

11. HOW MOBILIZE.ORG HELPED Foundation received national media attention and
entered a new and exciting phase. Since then, the
WHEN KAUFMAN ATTENDED HIS FIRST
number of participants has more than doubled,
DEMOCRACY 2.0 SUMMIT, HE DIDN’T KNOW
and the Foundation is testing ways to replicate
what to expect. “We had to give a one-minute
its model.
pitch to the entire community. Then we met
with experts in business planning, financing, “The thing that I’m most grateful about the
communications—every facet of what you’d need Mobilize.org Award is that it was the first
to make an idea real,” he says. “We spent the external organization to validate what we were
next half-day meeting with all of these individuals doing,” Kaufman says. “I think that our idea was
getting feedback on our presentation and model.” something that resonated with the Millennial
The group followed with a longer presentation community, this dream of creating a culture
and ultimately won a Democracy 2.0 Award. shift around philanthropy so Millennials can
fund the issues and organizations that they’re
“The money was used to invest in our web
compassionate about.”
infrastructure, so we moved to a more professional
website that had the functionality we needed
to manage the circle at a greater scale,”
Kaufman says. After the summit, the One Percent
IN A WORLD OFTEN DAMAGED
BY INSTANT GRATIFICATION,
WE MUST COMMIT TO CREATING
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS.

12. JACOB WOOD
TEAM RUBICON
MILLENNIALS AS FIRST-RESPONDERS
AFTER TOURS WITH THE MARINES IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, JACOB WOOD WANTED TO PUT HIS
MILITARY TRAINING TO USE IN HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS. HE GOT HIS CHANCE WHEN AN
earthquake devastated Haiti. While other organizations were slow to respond, Wood and eight friends
rapidly traveled to Port-au-Prince and set up shop. By the time word got around about what Team Rubicon
had done, they had raised $150,000 and were managing a group of 60 volunteers to support their mission.
The “Golden Window” is the time between when a disaster strikes and when critical care is needed to save
lives from dying of acute injuries. After their experience in Haiti, Team Rubicon dedicated itself to fielding
small, self-sustaining, mobile teams of specially skilled first-responders. “For a lot of veterans, this is a way
to continue serving even after they take their uniforms off,” Wood says. “It allows them to use military skills
that don’t transfer to the civilian world, and it allows veterans with mental fatigue and PTSD to serve again
with a mission that saves lives.”

13. HOW MOBILIZE.ORG HELPED But that’s not all: “The most important things we
got out of the summit were relationships,” Wood
TEAM RUBICON PARTICIPATED IN THE BEYOND
says. “We learned about tools and resources
THE WELCOME HOME SUMMIT, WHICH
available to us, but the relationships that we
focused on the unique challenges and
built with Mobilize.org and the experts helped us
opportunities Millennial veterans face when
develop our organization.”
returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. After
a brainstorming session, and coaching from
business and marketing experts, Team
Rubicon pitched participants on their mission
and the gear they needed to thrive. They won
a Democracy 2.0 Award, which helped them
buy communications equipment and medical
supplies that support their quick-response ethos.
IT’S OUR
DEMOCRACY,
IT’S TIME
TO ACT.

14. SARAH SCHACHT
KNOWLEDGE AS POWER – CIVIC SPARK
MILLENNIALS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
EFFECTIVE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT DEPENDS ON THE TRANSPARENCY OF GOVERNMENT PROCESSES, THE
ACCESSIBILITY OF ELECTED OFFICIALS AND MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CITIZENS TO ENGAGE
their representatives. But many of the organizations supporting open government initiatives only focus on
transparency, without helping citizens build their civic skills and increase their engagement.
Sarah Schacht realized that Millennials can affect change by increasing transparency and the diversity of
voices in the legislative process. She founded Knowledge as Power (KAP) to make tracking and influencing
municipal and state legislation easier. By first working with legislatures to open up their information (many
limit access to legislative information), KAP creates transparency. KAP’s core online service, KAPcitizen,
provides citizens personalized information in the legislative process, allowing users to follow legislation and
effectively communicate with legislators.

15. HOW MOBILIZE.ORG HELPED service for the City Council, having the grant
was incredibly powerful,” she says. “It got me
KAPCITIZEN IS A PROGRAM THAT APPLIES
into meetings with council members and led to
KAP’S SYSTEM OF TOOLS TO THE SEATTLE
a working relationship with the mayor’s office.”
government. Schacht pitched her program and
KAP also benefitted from Seattle’s matching
was selected to win a Democracy 2.0 Award
grant program, which allowed Schacht to market
by Millennials at the Constitutional Convention
the service to citizens and execute a local civics
Democracy 2.0 Summit. “It was a highly competitive
skill-building program.
and rigorous process,” she says. “It made every
applicant really think about how they were going “Without Mobilize.org’s support, and given the
to accomplish the challenging work ahead.” tough financial situation within city governments,
the conversations I had about opening up
Schacht’s proposal received the highest votes
Seattle’s city government wouldn’t even have
and won a Democracy 2.0 Award. “As I worked to
started,” she says.
get Seattle to implement our legislative tracking
WE ARE COMPELLED BY THE CRITICAL
STATE OF OUR PRESENT DEMOCRACY
TO ESTABLISH A NEW VISION.

16. CULTIVATING
LEADERSHIP
THE SUCCESS OF MOBILIZE.ORG’S WORK an issue they care about, to establishing a
EXTENDS FAR BEYOND OUR ABILITY TO mission and setting goals, to building a fundraising
catalyze participation or the engagement of plan that ensures sustainability and helps
summit participants in Democracy 2.0 projects measure impact. Our goal is to equip Millennials
or in their communities. Mobilize.org also believes with the practical skills they need to build
it is important to provide skill-building and confidence and to support their ability to serve
leadership development trainings to the as powerful change-makers on their campuses,
Millennials we serve. A key resource is our in their communities and for our country.
Mobilizer’s Guidebook, which guides young
activists through the process of identifying
THE PRESENT STATE OF
OUR DEMOCRACY IMPEDES
OPPORTUNITY FOR REAL CHANGE.

17. BYTHE
NUMBERS
26
$
125,000+
1,700+
AWARDEE
PROJECTS
AMOUNT MOBILIZE.ORG HAS DISTRIBUTED
TO THE DEMOCRACY 2.0 AWARDEES TO DATE
FACEBOOK HITS
SINCE JULY 2010 15,000+ VIEWS OF OUR YOUTUBE VIDEOS
50
MEDIA MENTIONS
OF MOBILIZE.ORG
43%
IN 2010, NINE
WITHIN MAJOR
7,500
NUMBER OF MEDIA OUTLETS,
COPIES OF THE REACHING OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE
INCREASE IN “LIKES” ON MOBILIZER’S
FACEBOOK SINCE MARCH 2010 GUIDEBOOK
1,500+
SOLD TO DATE
NUMBER OF DEMOCRACY 2.0
49% SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS TO DATE
THE NUMBER OF
15,000+
VIEWERS OF THE
WEBCASTS
OF OUR
DEMOCRACY
9
2.0 SUMMITS INCREASE IN TWITTER FOLLOWERS
22,000+
SINCE MARCH 2010
DEMOCRACY 2.0 SUMMITS
35
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
CURRENT
SIZE OF 130 $
MILLION
MOBILIZE.ORG’S
NETWORK
492 10
MILLION ($100 MILLION DECREASE IN TUITION + $30
MILLION IN SUBSIDIZED HOUSING) – THE AMOUNT IN
CHANGES AS A RESULT OF CAL LOBBY DAY, THE EVENT
THAT STARTED MOBILIZE.ORG IN 2002
TWITTER RETWEETS
SINCE JULY 2010 NUMBER OF MEMBERS WHEN
MOBILIZE.ORG BEGAN IN 2002

18. HISTORYAND
GROWTH
HISTORY GROWTH
MOBILIZE.ORG WAS FOUNDED IN 2002 ON THE NINE YEARS AFTER OUR FOUNDING ON A CAMP
CAMPUS OF UC BERKELEY BY DAVID SMITH US IN CALIFORNIA, MOBILIZE.ORG HAS GROWN
and a group of 10 students. Facing a significant into a national organization with a network
tuition increase that jeopardized their educa- of tens of thousands of Millennials in every
tion, Dave and members of the UC Berkeley stu- state. Through partnerships with a variety of
dent government organized the first “Cal Lobby organizations in the public sector, Mobilize.org’s
Day,” a gathering of 110 students at the Capitol in programming and capacity to fulfill its mission
Sacramento, California. The purpose of this day has also grown exponentially. Most notably, in
was to provide students the opportunity to share 2010, Mobilize.org acquired GenerationEngage,
their stories with elected officials, and for the a partner in the field of civic engagement.
elected officials to hear, firsthand, the challenges Utilizing technology to convene young citizens
their young constituents face. on and offline, GenerationEngage connected
Millennials, elected officials and civic leaders
The meetings students held with elected officials
in meaningful dialogue and community service.
that day resulted in a temporary moratorium on
The accession of GenerationEngage into
student tuition increases, saving the students
Mobilize.org has allowed both organizations
approximately $92 million in student fees. The
to expand their reach and strengthen
meetings also led to the passage of a $30 million
support of Millennials who are positively affecting
housing bond to build affordable student
the future of communities around our country
housing closer to campus. With the courage of one
through intergenerational conversation and
Millennial mobilizing himself and his peers to
collective action.
identify problems and working collaboratively
on sustainable solutions, the Mobilize.org
story began.
…OUR GOVERNMENT IS
ONLY AS EFFECTIVE AS
THE SUM OF ITS CITIZENS.

19. FINANCIAL
STATEMENT
MOBILIZE.ORG HAS GROWN AT A SWIFT RATE SINCE OUR INCEPTION. THE GRAPH BELOW ILLUSTRATES
THAT THE ORGANIZATION HAS SECURED A SOLID FINANCIAL FOOTING AS WE HAVE BOOSTED OUR
membership, project awards and programming in recent years. As our funding grows, the organization
will continue to focus on engaging Millennials through quality programming and outreach efforts.
MOBILIZE.ORG TOTAL REVENUE
$900,000
$800,000 $824,086
$700,000
$600,000
$500,000
$400,000 $438,733 $467,798
$300,000
$200,000
2008 2009 2010
TOP 2010 FUNDERS
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The McCormick Foundation
The Goldhirsh Foundation The Whitman Institute
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

20. BOARDOF
DIRECTORS
KARI DUNN SARATOVSKY STEFAN HANKIN
Co-Chair Principal
Vice President of Social Innovation Lincoln Park Strategies
The Case Foundation
RAFIQ R. KALAM ID-DIN II, ESQ.
CYNTHIA GIBSON Teaching Firms of America
Co-Chair Professional Preparatory Charter School
Senior Vice President
The Philanthropic Initiative MARY BETH O’TOOLE
Founder + CEO
MARLEE COWAN Transfer Media Group
Secretary
Associate JUSTIN ROCKEFELLER
Pabian & Russell, LLC Principal
Co-founder of Mobilize.org Richmond Management
KENT SHOLARS JONATHAN ZAFF
Treasurer Vice President of Research
Communications Director America’s Promise Alliance
Representative Tim Walberg (MI - 7)
BETH CIESLIK
Manager of Civic Affairs
Target Corporation

21. DEMOCRACY2.0
DECLARATION
DEMOCRACY IS AN UNFINISHED PROJECT. The present state of our democracy impedes
IT’S TIME WE UPGRADE. opportunity for real change. We must
connect the specific issues failing our
We, the Millennial Generation, are uniquely population with their underlying systemic
positioned to call attention to today’s issues causes.
and shape the future based on the great
legacy we have inherited. Our founding Our government seems unable or unwilling to
fathers intended for every generation adequately address our broadest problems,
to build, indeed to innovate, on the American including economic inequality, America’s
experience. We realize that as young people role in the world, and the effect of money on
we are expected to be the leaders of the democratic process. But we must
tomorrow, but we understand that as remember, our government is only as effective
citizens we are called to be the leaders as the sum of its citizens. Low civic
of today. participation means the most disadvantaged
people in society are neglected and we
We are compelled by the critical state of our overlook many potential solutions to
present democracy to establish a new vision. our problems.
In a world often damaged by conflict and Our generation is telling a different story. We
intolerance, we must commit to develop are uniquely positioned to foster community
common ground through equality and open engagement through social networks of
mindedness. all kinds. It is our responsibility to use
In a world often damaged by social isolation information and technology to upgrade
and materialism, we must commit to democracy, transform communication and
community at the family, local, national and advance political engagement and civic
global levels. participation.
In a world often damaged by instant We are social networkers, we are multi-
gratification, we must commit to creating taskers, we are communicators and we
sustainable solutions. are opinionated. The informality of our
generation breaks down traditional barriers
In a world often damaged by apathy and and opens doors for inclusiveness and
disillusionment, we must commit to civic equality. Most importantly, we are leaders in
participation and inclusion of all voices. a society that yearns for leadership.
IT’S OUR DEMOCRACY, IT’S TIME TO ACT.

24. MOBILIZE.ORG EMAIL: info@mobilize.org FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/Mobilize.org
1875 K Street, NW PHONE: 202.642.4320 TWITTER: Twitter.com/Mob_org
5th Floor FAX: 202.729.8100 WEBSITE: www.Mobilize.org
Washington, DC 20006
This brochure was made possible by a pro bono team with the Taproot Foundation.