By now you’ve read about, and are maybe wondering, how the Obama campaign managed to raise over $150 million in a single month, shattering all previous single-month fundraising records for a Presidential candidate. Their success is, in large part, due to the effectiveness of their interactive marketing efforts in combination with a very aggressive social media presence.

Campaign manager David Plouffe, in an email to supporters, reported the campaign had added 632,000 new donors in September 2008, for a total of 3.1 million contributors to the campaign to date. According to Plouffe, the average donation was $86.

Small Donors in Large Numbers

By creating a user-friendly experience on their outward facing website, the Obama campaign encouraged its supporters to gather in large numbers online and make small contributions. As an alternative to the traditional large dollar donations, bundled and forwarded, the new model broke all previous records set using web 1.0 style fundraising efforts.

It might be tempting to discount the accomplishments of the Obama campaign and give credit to the current political climate instead. That would be a disservice to the interactive marketing success that characterizes what Plouffe and company have built.

The real story behind the enormous dollar amounts started long before September and well before Obama was given much of a chance of being competitive. It centers around an attitude of “bottom-up” empowerment of volunteers, combined with open-minded use of new technologies, generally associated with interactive marketing and social media.

Start Small and Grow

I was first exposed to My.BarackObama.com, or MyBO as it is affectionately referred to among Obama supporters, in late 2007. What I discovered was a highly interactive website that, in many ways, functioned as an online campaign headquarters accessible to anyone interested in participating.

When I later talked with top campaign officials Steve Hildebrand, Deputy Campaign Manager and a former colleague of mine, and Chris Hughes, a cofounder of Facebook who is currently working on the campaign, they confirmed that their intent was to create as much of a working connection between campaign staff and volunteers as possible by using the website as an interface.

The Obama campaign is a textbook example of the development of that connection between their own staff with volunteers, donors and ultimately voters. This real world case study of using the social capital developed though 2.0 connections is of great interest to us at FG SQUARED.

According to Hildebrand and Hughes, the beginning of the planning process focused on concepts inherent in a well positioned social media effort. Authenticity, transparency and adding value were all considered as crucial during early development of their plans.

Online Efforts Compliment Traditional Organization

With every aspect of the website, a consideration was given to how the “on-the-ground” campaign would be enhanced. Not only does the website serve as a tremendous supplement to the fundraising efforts, it has served as a community organizational tool and and central information desk for a wide range of activities.

More than 150,000 meetups and other events have been coordinated using MyBO. Anyone can start a blog. Those who have a blog are free to post their feelings even if they are in opposition to Barack Obama on a particular issue. You can find groups and people in your area to meet and organize with.You can start one of your own if none of the previously formed affinity groups pique your interest.

During the caucus states, in particular, the website served as a virtual campaign office, with fully equipped phone bank capabilities, block walking lists and communications tools. There is much evidence that MyBO played a direct role in the organizational successes of Iowa and the caucuses in Texas and get out the vote operations (GOTV) throughout the primaries.

While the groups have been allowed to proliferate within MyBO, a wide variety of social media and networking tools are encouraged and intermixed with other popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, FlickR and YouTube. In all instances the ease of use and the draw of participation increased the number of times individuals visited and used MyBO.

Personalization Is Standard

Through MyBO you can sign up for text messages on your phone or other handheld device. If you want, you can get regular emails from a variety of campaign officials. You can make calls, from your own home, to battleground states. A team is available to receive comments on improving the site and do so, almost in real time, when it’ll make it work better for users.

At every turn, and with every other activity, an opportunity to make a donation is always very professionally presented. Often, a specific and small amount, a micro-donation, is given as a first option. While you can sign up for a regular contribution schedule, there is no pressure to do so.

With a steady contribution from volunteers and a very 2.0 oriented campaign staff, there is always a steady flow of new and interesting content on the site and surrounding it. The campaign neither reached out to the well known bloggers or ignored them. They just did their thing.

Metrics That Are Tangible

With metrics now available, MyBO can be definitely considered a social web 2.0 success story. American politics have been changed by the successful combination of traditional campaigning with the new interactive components.

Metrics in politics are pretty straightforward. First, you need money. Money pays staff, money buys paid media, and money hires lawyers to fight legal battles. Money pays for travel and wardrobes.

Another key metric is media coverage. The new and increasingly important digital and social media coverage of campaigns supplements and influences mainstream media. Money and media coverage have been greatly impacted by MyBO.

Finally, the most important metric is voter participation.

Managing the Message

MyBO, and the other social media tools, have added to the transparency of a the campaign. It’s easier for users to know where the campaign currently stands and what it’s doing in every state, district and territory. Everyone is an expert. Everyone has access to the materials.

Barack Obama, and his top level advisors, lead the effort. They set the agenda and create the message. But throughout the organization even the most remote volunteer is included, almost instantly, when the agenda and messages are established and communicated to the grassroots and netroots.

Internal communications are utilized by the campaign’s high command to coordinate all of the outward facing activities of the campaign. For corporations and large non-profits it’s critical to consider whether you can afford to wait before your competition adopts the MyBO model.

When Josh Bernoff, co-author of Groundswell, was in Austin he commented that MyBO incorporates every positve aspect of social media except for listening. Perhaps they will improve even that if the Obama team gets the opportunity to govern. Government 2.0 anyone?