Organizing for Action
An American nonprofit political advocacy and community-organizing organization created to advance Barack Obama's legislative agenda after his 2012 reelection.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Organizing for Action (OFA) was an American nonprofit political advocacy and community-organizing organization associated with former President Barack Obama. It was established after Obama's reelection in 2012 as the successor to Organizing for America, which had grown out of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Whereas Organizing for America operated within the Democratic National Committee, OFA was organized as an independent 501(c)(4) nonprofit, allowing it to advocate for legislation while remaining legally prohibited from expressly supporting political candidates. The organization's central purpose was to preserve and redirect the volunteer, communications, and supporter infrastructure of Obama's reelection campaign toward policy advocacy. OFA sought to mobilize supporters around the Obama administration's legislative priorities, including healthcare reform, gun-violence prevention, climate policy, immigration, and LGBT-related issues. Its work combined digital communication, volunteer recruitment, local organizing, public events, constituent outreach, and advocacy campaigns directed at members of Congress and the broader public. OFA was formally announced on January 18, 2013, by former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina and First Lady Michelle Obama. Jon Carson, a former White House official, became executive director, while former campaign adviser David Axelrod served as a consultant. The organization inherited or continued to use prominent Obama campaign communication channels, including the BarackObama.com website and the @barackobama Twitter account, a transition that prompted questions about campaign-finance rules and the legal basis for transferring campaign-related digital assets. The organization initially emphasized broad grassroots participation and said it would not accept corporate donations. In March 2013, Messina said that donor information and contribution amounts would be disclosed quarterly. At the same time, reporting about proposed access for major donors generated controversy. Donors who contributed or raised at least $500,000 were reported to be eligible for membership on a national advisory board and invitations to quarterly briefings involving the president. Obama administration representatives rejected the characterization that access to the president was being sold, while OFA said that any briefings would not guarantee access to government officials or lobbying opportunities. OFA used social media and highly recognizable campaign-style communications to promote its causes. One widely discussed example was its December 2013 healthcare-enrollment campaign featuring the so-called Pajama Boy, an image intended to encourage conversations about obtaining health insurance during the holiday season. The campaign became a target of ridicule from conservative commentators and illustrated the organization's role in the partisan communications environment surrounding the Affordable Care Act. In May 2014, OFA reduced its staff by roughly half and said it would stop seeking large contributions. By the middle of 2015, it was reported to have a substantial digital and organizing infrastructure, including approximately 30 million email addresses, a donor database of about three million people, and two million active participants. The organization later became less visible, but it reactivated in 2017 with a healthcare-focused effort defending the Affordable Care Act. It hired 14 field organizers and brought in Saumya Narechania, Jennifer Warner, and Jesse Lehrich for organizing and communications roles. In 2018, OFA announced plans to deploy organizers in 27 Republican-held congressional districts viewed as important to the possibility of a Democratic takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives. The effort reflected a shift toward district-level field organizing and opposition to the Trump administration's policy agenda. In December 2018, Obama announced that OFA would merge with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The merger, completed in early 2019 according to contemporary descriptions, ended OFA's independent organizational status. OFA is therefore best understood as a defunct Obama-aligned advocacy organization rather than a continuing commercial brand.
History
Organizing for Action emerged from the organizational legacy of Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. Obama's 2008 campaign created a large grassroots and digital network, and Organizing for America later continued that work within the Democratic National Committee. Following Obama's victory in the 2012 presidential election, the campaign infrastructure was reorganized once again to support the president's legislative priorities during his second term. OFA was announced on January 18, 2013, by former campaign manager Jim Messina and First Lady Michelle Obama. Jon Carson, who had worked in the Obama administration, became executive director, and David Axelrod served as a consultant. Unlike Organizing for America, OFA was established as an independent 501(c)(4) nonprofit. This structure allowed it to lobby and advocate for legislation but barred it from expressly supporting candidates for public office. Although formally nonpartisan, its policy agenda was closely aligned with Obama and the Democratic Party. The organization was headquartered in Chicago and attempted to translate presidential campaign methods into ongoing policy advocacy. It recruited volunteers, maintained email and donor databases, coordinated local events, and encouraged supporters to contact lawmakers and discuss policy issues with friends and family. Its principal subjects included implementation and defense of the Affordable Care Act, gun-violence prevention, climate change, immigration, and LGBT issues. OFA's creation also raised legal and political questions about campaign assets. Commentators questioned whether the organization could continue using the BarackObama.com domain and the @barackobama Twitter account after the campaign. The transition was viewed as permissible under the relevant campaign-finance framework, but it highlighted the difficulty of separating a campaign's communication infrastructure from a nonprofit advocacy operation. Fundraising and donor access became another early point of controversy. Jim Messina said OFA would not accept corporate donations and would publish donor names and contribution amounts quarterly. Reports nevertheless stated that donors who gave or raised at least $500,000 could obtain seats on a national advisory board and attend quarterly update meetings involving the president. White House spokesman Jay Carney denied that access to Obama was being sold. Messina said participation would not guarantee contact with government officials and that any presidential or administration briefings would concern the legislative process rather than lobbying access. The organization used a campaign-oriented style of public communication. In December 2013, it promoted healthcare enrollment through a holiday message featuring a young man in plaid pajamas, later nicknamed Pajama Boy. The effort was ridiculed by conservative media and social-media users, becoming one of OFA's most recognizable communications episodes. In May 2014, OFA substantially reduced its staff and said it would no longer seek large contributions. Despite the retrenchment, reporting in 2015 described a considerable underlying network: approximately 30 million email addresses, around three million donors, and two million active participants. The organization subsequently entered a quieter period, but it returned to visible organizing in 2017 when the Republican-controlled Congress and administration pursued changes to the Affordable Care Act. OFA hired 14 field organizers and appointed Saumya Narechania to lead the healthcare campaign, with Jennifer Warner as national organizing director and Jesse Lehrich as communications director. In 2018, OFA expanded its field strategy by planning to place organizers in 27 Republican-held congressional districts that could help Democrats take control of the House. This work connected healthcare advocacy and resistance to Trump administration policies with electoral district organizing, while remaining framed as nonprofit issue advocacy rather than candidate campaigning. In December 2018, Obama announced that OFA would merge with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The combination ended OFA's independent existence; accounts of the transition place the completion of the merger in early 2019. The organization's history illustrates the evolution of modern presidential campaign infrastructure into nonprofit advocacy, as well as the legal, fundraising, and reputational tensions that can arise when a politically aligned organization operates outside a formal party or campaign.
- 2019
Independent organizational status ends
[1]The merger with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee was completed in early 2019 according to contemporary descriptions.
- 2018
District organizing expands
[1]The organization planned field operations in 27 Republican-held congressional districts.
- 2018
Merger with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee is announced
[1]Barack Obama announced the combination that would end OFA's independent status.
- 2017
Healthcare defense campaign is relaunched
[1]OFA hired field and communications personnel to defend the Affordable Care Act.
- 2014
Staff is reduced
[1]OFA cut its staff by about half and ended its requests for large contributions.
- 2013
Organizing for Action is formally announced
[1]OFA was announced on January 18 as an independent nonprofit successor to Organizing for America and the 2012 Obama reelection campaign.
- 2013
Quarterly donor disclosure is proposed
[1]The organization said it would publish donor names and contribution amounts quarterly and would not accept corporate donations.
- 2013
Pajama Boy healthcare message draws backlash
[1]A social-media campaign encouraging conversations about health insurance became the subject of widespread conservative mockery.
- 2008
Obama campaign builds a national grassroots network
[1]The organizing and digital infrastructure developed during Obama's first presidential campaign formed the institutional background for later successor organizations.
Products and positioning
A nonpartisan-in-form but Democratic-aligned nonprofit that converted a presidential campaign's supporter network into a long-term legislative advocacy and grassroots-organizing operation.
Controversies
2013
Questions over donor access to the president
Reports that very large donors could receive advisory-board positions and attend presidential briefings led to accusations that OFA was monetizing access. OFA and the White House denied that donations guaranteed access to Obama or government officials.
2013
Debate over campaign communication assets
The transfer or continued use of the BarackObama.com website and the @barackobama Twitter account raised questions about the relationship between campaign-finance rules and the nonprofit's communications operation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Congressional district organizing
United States
OFA planned to deploy organizers in 27 Republican-held districts viewed as significant to the 2018 House elections.
- 2017Affordable Care Act defense campaign
United States
OFA reactivated field operations to mobilize supporters against congressional and administrative efforts to repeal or weaken Obama's healthcare law.
- 2013Affordable Care Act enrollment outreach
United States
OFA encouraged supporters to discuss health insurance with uninsured friends and relatives and promoted enrollment under the Affordable Care Act.
Outcome. The campaign generated substantial online attention, including backlash over the Pajama Boy creative.
- 2013Pajama Boy
United States
A holiday-season social-media activation used a casually dressed young man and a conversational message to encourage families to talk about obtaining health insurance.
Outcome. The image became a prominent subject of conservative criticism and social-media mockery.
Brand decisions
2018
Merge with the National Democratic Redistricting CommitteeM&ABackground
OFA's independent role was being reconsidered as political organizing priorities shifted toward redistricting and congressional power.
Action taken
Barack Obama announced that OFA would merge with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
Aftermath
The merger ended OFA's independent status, with the transition described as completed in early 2019.
2017
Rebuild field operations around healthcareStrategyBackground
Congressional and administrative efforts to repeal or alter the Affordable Care Act created a new organizing priority.
Action taken
OFA hired 14 field organizers and appointed dedicated organizing and communications leaders.
Aftermath
The organization subsequently planned broader district-level organizing in 2018.
2014
Reduce staffing and end large-contribution requestsStrategyBackground
OFA adjusted its operating model after its initial launch period.
Action taken
The organization cut its staff by approximately half and said it would stop requesting large contributions.
Aftermath
OFA retained a substantial supporter and digital database and later resumed visible field organizing around healthcare.
2013
Create an independent 501(c)(4) advocacy organizationStrategyBackground
Obama's reelection campaign sought to preserve its grassroots network for second-term legislative priorities without placing the operation directly under the Democratic National Committee.
Action taken
OFA was established as a nonprofit permitted to advocate for legislation but prohibited from expressly supporting candidates.
Aftermath
The structure enabled issue advocacy but produced scrutiny over fundraising, donor access, and the use of campaign communication assets.
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