'Fixing Our Politics', One Vote at a Time: Public Policy Graduates Aim to Boost Turnout with TurboVote

This case, about creating a startup with a social mission, is designed to help students think through the strategic alignment of public value, legitimacy/support, and operational capacity in a simple context. Together with an in-class video "reveal," the case package follows the thinking of two Masters of Public Policy graduates as they create TurboVote, a nonprofit service designed to increase voter turnout by sending subscribers reminders and helping them register and vote by mail. The case shows that-despite a straightforward business idea-the young founders had to address consequential choices. The written case includes background information about the voter turnout problem and ends with the TurboVote leaders contemplating the basics of a business plan-in particular, the options and implications of different financing models. The case package includes a set of three short videos. "Meet the Founders" (5:37 min) provides a brief introduction to the two protagonists. Students will want to read the case and watch this video before class. The other two videos (4:45 min and 4:09 min, respectively) are designed to be played by the instructor partway through class. The first reveals how the founders approached some key strategic choices. In the second, they reflect on their decisions, particularly in terms of funding, and talk briefly about their hoped-for path forward. The instructor may play these videos separately or together, and follow them up with further discussion.

• IT management
• Strategic planning
• Strategic alignment
• Start-ups
• Nonprofit organizations
• Business and government relations
• Politics