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This next postcard, written with Quintus Jett (of Dartmouth College ), is
about a pioneering political campaign that had some aspects that were
highly resilient, others not so.

DEAN FOR AMERICA

The Dean for America campaign was the precursor to the sophisticated use
of the Internet in presidential campaigning: it was the trailblazer that
President Obama successfully employed in 2008.
Dean for America (DFA), Howard Dean’s campaign to become U.S.
president in 2004, is widely known for using Internet technology to fund-
raise, engage its supporters, and mobilize grassroots volunteers. It grew
quickly and unexpectedly throughout 2003. It raised unprecedented
amounts of money for a political campaign that relied primarily on small
donations of $100 or less. It had numerous supporters who created and ran
unofficial groups and volunteer organizations throughout the United States,
as well as abroad. Overall, the campaign’s use of the Internet as an organ-
izing tool helped elevate Howard Dean from a long-shot presidential can-
didate to the frontrunner within his political party. According to a large
random sample survey of Dean’s supporters and activists (Pew Research,
2005), Dean for America reached many people who had not previously

This chapter is modified from an article by Quintus Jett and Liisa Välikangas titled “Toward
Open-Sourced Design: Digital Media and the Potential for Organizations to Evolve,” present-
ed at the Academy of Management, New Orleans, 2006. See also Quintus Jett and Liisa
Välikangas. “The Gamble of Open Organizing.” Dartmouth College, Center for Digital
Strategies, Working Paper, Series 04-1, Winter 2004.

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