November 2 and Beyond

In April 2003, over 50 national non-profit organizations gathered outside of Washington, D.C., to discuss avenues for cooperation on civic engagement activities. All of the represented groups were committed to finding ways for the non-profit community to engage more effectively in non-partisan voter registration and mobilization efforts. Out of this gathering a small steering committee was empowered to develop a formal coalition and comprehensive work plan for this effort. By June 2003, National Voice was fully operational as a coalition of nearly 100 groups, a network of some 2000 voter projects doing 501c3 election work, and a coordinated get-out-the-vote coalition of nine large national field-based organizations.

National Voice officially closed on December 31, 2004 by mutual agreement of all of its partners, having successfully organized nationwide, and having been the home for the NOVEMBER 2 media messaging campaign, implemented by a host of consultants and the school-within-an-advertising-agency, Wieden + Kennedy 12.

The Center for Civic Participation (CCP) was incorporated to build upon the momentum of National Voice and house a few long-term projects that were born in 2004, including a national database of newly registered voters and support for state-level cooperative groups that were forming. CCP is an active partner in field-based coalition-building, a home for civic engagement philanthropists and foundations, and a docking station for small projects that serve specific constituency-based needs.