Former Senior Advisor to President Obama, Dan Pfeiffer has been appointed as Vice President of Communications and Policy at GoFundMe the donations based crowdfunding platform. Pfeiffer is a veteran of the Obama Administration having served in different communications roles since Obama’s Presidential campaign in 2008. Pfeiffer had previously worked for Vice President Al Gore, Senators Evan Bayh, Tim Johnson and Tom Daschle. Pfeiffer left the Obama White House this past spring having managed most of the portfolio previously directed by David Axelrod and David Plouffe.
A personal announcement: I have joined GoFundMe as VP of Communications and Policy. Here’s why: https://t.co/wrLZtTL3s5
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) December 10, 2015
Pfeiffer explained in a post on Medium his decision to shift from politics to GoFundMe;
“So why GoFundMe?
I first interacted with a GoFundMe campaign earlier this year when a good friend was dealing with a terrible health situation. A friend of his family started a campaign to help defray medical costs. Within just a few days, hundreds of people had come together and raised more than $40,000. What made it such a powerful experience was not that we were able to raise so much money so quickly, but the way GoFundMe brought us together as a community. It felt different than simply writing a check — giving was a communal experience.”
GoFundMe has become one of the largest crowdfunding platforms in the world having facilitated over $1 billion in donations. GoFundMe has become a go to site to raise funds in times of personal crisis and compelling need. Pfeiffer stated;
“if we do our jobs right, GoFundMe has the potential to revolutionize giving not just in America but across the globe.”
GoFundMe noted that Pfeiffer’s appoint complements a new core leadership team that includes Chairman and CEO Rob Solomon, formerly of Yahoo! and Groupon, President and Chief Products Officer David Hahn, formerly of LinkedIn, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Hoang Vuong, formerly of Benchmark Capital and Chief Technology Officer Ujjwal Singh, formerly of Google.
Rob Solomon, Chairman and CEO of GoFundMe, stated “we are thrilled to have Dan on Board”.