A Civic Tech Social Enterprise Startup · Chapel Hill, NC
Dedicated to the Renewal of Politics.
Civic Trust Builder is developing a civic tech application that will transform the relationship between politicians and voters. The app combined with our People First! Voter Engagement Strategy will enable change-agent politicians to renew politics and advance democracy in America.
AT A GLANCE: Startup Positioning
Proactive Proof-of-Concept partner engagement
Blue Ocean Market Strategy
Change-Agent Political Leadership
Rapid Early Adopter Growth
Our Mission
To expand voter engagement -and- renew the relationship between politicians and their constituents in between elections, by means of app-based, non-binding Civic Voting on educationally presented issues of common concern.
The aim is to give all voters a well-informed, powerful voice and politicians a reality-based mandate and/or voter feedback on issue & policies at mass-scale: enhancing in-person engagement, overcoming polarization, and building trust.
Civic Voting can be deployed at all levels of government. Currently, our focus is on Congress and university student governments.
— Context
Business as usual politics in crisis
Self-serving partisanship, big money special interests, social media disinformation, gerrymandered voter suppression are among the structural factors that contribute to alienating the majority of voters from our democratic, political process.
Understanding this crisis is simple: Politicians are not responding to actual voter concerns.
Thus, our democracy is at a crossroads: disintegration -or- realize new opportunities for voter engagement.
80%
of Americans believe elected officials don’t care what people like them think.
7 in 10
Americans say ordinary people have too little influence over the decisions members of Congress make.
72%
of Americans express an unfavorable view of Congress.
15%
of young Americans (ages 18–29) trust the federal government to do the right thing all or most of the time.
77%
of Americans say the U.S. political system requires major changes or complete structural reform.
Sources: Pew Research Center; Gallup; Marist Poll; Harvard Youth Poll.
Citizens want a stronger public voice in politics; and their valuation of democracy is directly tied to a sense of having a voice in government.
– Pew Research
— THE PROBLEM
Politicians lack the capability to give voters what they really want:
— Our Solution
Three Innovative Strategies.
One Purpose: Put the Voice of the People First!
Civic Trust Builder Gives Politicians a New Way to Constructively Engage Their Constituents at Mass-Scale.
01
Civic Trust Builder App
Enables mass-scale voter input via Civic Voting on issues & policies presented by politician -and- voters to directly communicate their top concerns & priorities. Results displayed to all.
02
People First! Town Hall Launch
Politician invites constitutes to participate in an online People First! Town Hall — where everyone has a voice & a vote — utilizing Civic Trust Builder App. Post-partisan, all-inclusive, mass-scale. Special outreach to voters not motivated by partisan politics, such as young voters and Independents
03
Civic Media
Enables politician to keep constituents engaged by presenting issues, policies, and current events creatively and educationally. Ongoing respectful, responsive voter engagement is key to building trust.
— TEAM
Mission-driven | Powered by Gen Z Expertise
A founder with a background in business management & organizational development, followed by three decades in ministry and civic engagement; leading a team of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill undergraduates specializing in political science, political communications, journalism, and public policy.
Civic Trust Builder is based at UNC’s Innovate Carolina Junction in Chapel Hill.
— PILOT PARTNERS
Seeing is believing.
We are arranging proof-of-concept pilot programs with elected officials at two levels of government: Congress and university student government.
A successful pilot program will result in demonstrating the value of our Civic Trust Builder app -and- our People First! strategy to generate super-majority levels of constituent participation.
Our Vision
An equitable democracy led by trustworthy, People First! politicians and active, well-informed Civic Voters.
A Call to Innovative, Change-agent Political Leaders
You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
— R. Buckminster Fuller
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.