CrowdLobby, LLC
CrowdLobby, LLC is a Virginia-based startup that hosts an online platform where citizens can raise funds through crowdfunded campaigns to hire professional political lobbyists.[1] CrowdLobby is a nonpartisan organization that has no political affiliation.[2] Anyone can submit a campaign, but the campaigns must 1) be a specific legislative solution to a problem; 2) not violate CrowdLobby's discrimination policy; and 3) be supported by 51% or more of the population affected by the legislation (as demonstrated by polls or public data). Campaigns must raise $50,000 for state-level issues and $250,000 for federal issues to hire a lobbyist and go 'live' with a campaign.[3] Contributors to the campaign choose their lobbyist (by a majority vote) and also have the ability to control the lobbyist's actions.[4]
Company History
CrowdLobby, LLC was founded in 2017 by law students at the University of Richmond.[5] After many months of testing and research, the original co-founders, Samantha Biggio and Heidi Drauschak, graduated from law school in May 2018 and launched the company full-time.[6] They raised $35,025 from a crowd of supporters on Kickstarter in the summer of 2018 to fund the initial rounds of technology development (website and application).[7] They brought on Matthew Capelli as their Chief Technology Officer. On September 19, 2018, they launched the official version of their website at www.wearecrowdlobby.com and began accepting campaign commitments.
Current Campaigns
CrowdLobby's current campaigns were submitted by users and were vetted using the above criteria. As of September 24, 2018, the following campaigns are live on CrowdLobby's website:
| Location | Issue |
|---|---|
| Federal Issues | Reinstating Net Neutrality Laws |
| Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $9/hour | |
| Term Limits for Congress | |
| New York | Legalization of Adult Marijuana Possession |
| Virginia | Raising the Minimum Wage to $10.10/hour |
| Raising the Net Metering Caps | |
| Creation of Independent Redistricting Commission | |
| Decriminalization of Small Amounts of Marijuana | |
| Equal Funding for All Virginia Students |
Business Model
CrowdLobby claims to be a for-profit, because it would be barred from lobbying properly with a non-profit status.[8] CrowdLobby takes 25% of every dollar that is charged for a successful campaign. CrowdLobby charges this amount to cover its technology expenses, in addition to facilitating and monitoring the relationship between lobbyist and the crowd of contributors.
References
- ↑ Times-Dispatch, JOHN REID BLACKWELL Richmond. "Startup company CrowdLobby has introduced new website, aimed at 'putting political power back in the hands of the people'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ↑ Kart, Jeff. "CrowdLobby Wants To Represent Big America On The Environment And More". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ↑ "https://www.americaninno.com/richmond/richmond-startups/this-richmond-based-platform-gives-lobbying-power-to-the-people/". www.americaninno.com. Retrieved 2018-09-27. External link in
|title=(help) - ↑ "CrowdLobby: A Cool Idea Still Needs Work - Bacon's Rebellion". Bacon's Rebellion. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ↑ Armour, Evanne (2017-08-22). "Law students create crowdsourcing site for lobbying". WRIC. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ↑ Lemieux, Alex (2018-06-22). "Two Richmond Law Grads Launch CrowdLobby As A People Centered Government Power Broker". The Republican Standard. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
- ↑ Times-Dispatch, JOHN REID BLACKWELL Richmond. "Startup company CrowdLobby has introduced new website, aimed at 'putting political power back in the hands of the people'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ↑ "Lobbying". www.irs.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-25. Text " Internal Revenue Service" ignored (help)
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