About Obama Works

Obama Works is a national grassroots organization. We are volunteers dedicated to implementing Barack Obama’s message of positive change through public service, harnessing the immense energy created by his presidential bid to serve our communities.

Obama Works has its roots in PA, CT and NJ, where we organized during the 2008 Democratic primaries to show our communities that politics is not merely about elections, but about civic participation. Soon, though, we had expanded nationwide, with presences on both coasts and between, north and south, east and west. We plan to continue spreading our message and working in our communities through the general election and beyond.

At the end of the day, we're dedicated to promoting a new kind of politics. Inspired by Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer and his message that ordinary citizens can create real change, Obama Works seeks to unite politics and service by mobilizing Obama supporters to improve their neighborhoods through public service.

Support your candidate, Support your community - Together We Can.

What can I do?

Obama Works is a grassroots organization. There are no corporate sponsors, no bureaucracy, and no political insiders. So if you want to start an event, go for it. We have put together a few basic hints and some materials that will help you organize it, which you can find on our resources page. We're working on some more helpful documents and pointers, which should be ready soon. Until then, feel free to email us with questions, comments, or anything else. All that we ask is that if you decide to start an event, let us know so we can let people know about it, and also make sure there isn't already an event in the area.

The best way to stay informed is to join our mailing list. We won't spam you, and we'll always make it easy for you to unsubscribe if you want to. What we will also do is let you know about any Obama Works events in your area, and how you can get involved.

And, again, if you ever have any questions, feel free to email us. We would love to hear from you.

How did Obama Works start?

Two Yale undergraduates, David Manners-Weber and Justin Kosslyn, campaigned as volunteers for Obama in New Hampshire and began to brainstorm new approaches to campaigning. They published an article in the Yale Daily News that posed the question: What if a grassroots campaign were able to take on visible public service projects? What would it say about that movement—and the candidate who inspired it?

That question intrigued Princeton graduate student Arvind Murugan, who wrote about the article on a few group listservs. His words resonated with several Philadelphia area residents - strangers - who started working together online. During the next two weeks, through emails and impromptu meetings, a grassroots movement dubbed Obama Works was born and the first Obama Philly Sweep was organized.

Now, we're busy going national. We need your help. Our time truly is now.

In the press...

• "Obama Sweeps New Haven—Again

"[Obama Works volunteers] conceived of a new breed of political campaign that brings together volunteers, in the spirit of the candidate, not just to rally and to hoot but also to work to improve the world, starting on their own doorsteps."

See more coverage.

Contact Information

If you need to get in contact with the Obama Works organization, please send an email to contact@whyobamaworks.com.