Donatelli Group

The Donatelli Group, also known as Hockaday-Donatelli Campaign Solutions, of Alexandria, Virginia, are "Republican campaign consultants." 

The Group was the "first to raise donations online in the realm of political consulting firms and helped launch the movement in its developing stages in the years leading up to its explosion during Howard Dean's presidential drive," Erin McPike reported August 20, 2004.

Connell Donatelli Inc.
Connell Donatelli Inc. (CD, Inc.), is a "specialized online advertising agency" that was "born" July 2004 "from the merging of two prominent Republican Internet firms," Erin McPike wrote.

R. Rebecca Donatelli, chairman of the D.C.-based Campaign Solutions, and Mike Connell, head of the Cleveland, Ohio-based New Media Communications, Inc. , "joined forces in a venture to target niche markets for their clients with a focus on Internet pop-up and banner ads, online commercials and e-mail lists ... Both Donatelli and Connell plan to continue in their current leadership positions at their respective firms, but merged to offer these concentrated services to their clients, many of them mutual," including Bush Cheney ’04 and the Republican National Committee, McPike wrote. Donatelli served as "chief Internet consultant" to the John McCain for President "bid in 2000, where she propelled Internet giving."

New Media produced "Internet applications and Web sites for a host of Republican organizations and campaigns, including the RNC's GOP.com, and sites for the Republican National Convention, Bush Cheney '04, the Ohio and Pennsylvania Republican Parties, John Thune's South Dakota Senatorial campaign and the NRA." 

Website
The Connell Donatelli, Inc. CONNELLDONATELLI.COM website was registered June 23, 2004, by New Media Communications, Summit of Richfield II, Richfield, OH 44286.

Campaign Solutions & eDonation.com
Campaign Solutions is the "primary segment of the larger Donatelli Group," which includes an Internet fund raising site, www.eDonation.com, which describes itself as the "leading internet fundraising company for political and non profit campaigns and organizations."

eDonation.com is also linked via ePaymentNow.com.

Bank Fees
eDonations.com internet fundraising receives a percentage of funds raised on behalf of its clients.

In fourth quarter 2003 alone, Federal Election Commission records show that eDonations received payments totalling nearly $56,000 for "BANK FEES" from the Bush-Cheney '04 Inc. campaign. 

In the 2004 election cycle, the Republican Party made payments totalling more than $54,000 to four separately named eDonations accounts. 

Websites
The Campaign Solutions CAMPAIGNSOLUTIONS.COM website was registered February 13, 1998, by Campaign Solutions, with Becki Donatelli as administrator and Trifecta Technologies, 5012 Medical Center Circle, Allentown, PA 18106, as the technical contact.

The eDonation.com EDONATION.COM website was registered October 7, 1998, by Campaign Solutions, with Becki Donatelli as administrator and Campaign Solutions as the technical contact.

DONATIONREPORT.COM
A donation page on a client's website bears the same logos and information as those of other client web pages. However, the web address to which it connects is that for DonationReport.com, plus an extension code for each individual client. Here, the contributor can input and process donation information.

Clients login to their accounts via the Candidate Administration System at DONATIONREPORT.COM.

Current Clients
The following is a sampling of clients currently using eDonation.com for fundraising. In addition, it may be assumed that most, if not all, Donatelli clients either are or have used this method of fundraising, each thereby contributing significantly to Donatelli profits.
 * ABC PAC (supported by Rightroots) here
 * American Center for Voting Rights
 * California College Republicans (2006 Convention here)
 * CapitolWatch (CapitolWatch.org) here
 * Coalition to Salute America's Heroes; purchase a "Hero Band" here
 * David Horowitz's:
 * American Red Cross "donations" here (See related article.)
 * Center for the Study of Popular Culture:
 * Donations here
 * DiscoverTheNetworks.org&mdash;"A Guide to the Political Left" here
 * "The Boy Scouts Under Attack"/Boy Scout Defense Fund of the Individual Rights Foundation (project) here
 * Shadow Party Project here
 * FrontPageMag.com online store here and here
 * Jihad Watch (sponsorship) here
 * Also see Upload: "The Middle East War Is Not About A Palestinian State Or Palestinian Land"


 * Citizens United here
 * Judicial Confirmation Network here
 * Katherine Harris for Senate (a birthday message/donation) here
 * National Republican Congressional Committee solicitation here; payments 2004 cycle here
 * Republican National Committee here, here and here

Donatelli Avella, Inc.
In the 2004 election cycle, Donatelli Avella, Inc., provided printing and mailing services to the Republican Party. 

In 2003, David A. Avella of the "Republican consulting firm" Donatelli Avella, Inc., was Executive Vice President of Campaign Strategies. 

Website
The Donatelli Avella website DONATELLIAVELLA.COM, registered March 15, 2004, by Campaign Solutions, provides only an Alexandria, Virginia, post office box address and telephone and FAX numbers.

Swift Boat Websites
The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.ORG website was registered July 30, 2004, with CD, Inc. (Connell Donatelli Inc.) as registrant, administrator, and the tech organization. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's SWIFTBOATVETERANSFORTRUTH.COM website was also registered July 30, 2004, with CD, Inc. as registrant, administrator, and tech organization for the website.

Judicial Confirmation Network
The Judicial Confirmation Network (JCN) was "a post-office box and a Web site registered by Donatelli late [in 2004], with Campaign Solutions as the point of contact. The JCN claims to be 'an organization of citizens' that works 'to ensure that the confirmation process for all judicial nominees is fair'," Todd Johnston wrote in the July 5, 2005, Daily Kos.

JCN "distributes information through other conservative groups, including Focus on the Family, Americans for Tax Reform, Family Research Council and the Americans for Limited Government ," the Associated Press's Deb Reichmann reported June 9, 2005.

The Network was coordinated by Gary Marx, "a political consultant for George W. Bush's campaign at Century Strategies in 1999, when its founder and president Ralph E. Reed was allegedly helping his long-time friend Jack Abramoff swindle over $1.2 million from the Choctaw Indians" and "coalitions organizer for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004", and Wendy E. Long, a "former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas".

The Network hired Creative Response Concepts (CRC), the public relations firm "that advised Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an organization that accused Kerry of inflating his Vietnam War record during last year's presidential campaign," Reichmann wrote.

JCN Domain Names
The JUDICIALNETWORK.COM domain name and the JUDICIALCONFIRMATIONNETWORK.COM domain name, administered by Becki Donatelli of Campaign Solutions, were both created December 13, 2004, and due to expire December 13, 2006 (unless renewed). The following key meta words link to the web sites: filibuster, filibuster reform, bush, rehnquist, supreme court, court, justice, judge, high court, nominee, william rehnquist, judiciary, judiciary committee, conservative, gop, republican, conservative.

Buying Up Domain Names
"When New York Senate candidate Rudolph Giuliani began his campaign against First Lady Hillary Clinton, one of his first moves was to register as many domain names as possibly [sic] that related to both himself and his opponent.

"Buying up Internet names that 'belong' to someone else is a recent trend that Martin Edlund of Hockaday Donatelli Campaign Solutions says is 'a precautionary move.' The campaign fundraising firm was responsible for managing Giuliani's web presence. 'If we control the domain name, we can decide who uses it. If we don't, anyone can'," Edlund said. 

The domain name HILLARYNO.COM, for example, has been registered to Hockaday-Donatelli Campaign Solutions since March 17, 1999, and is due to expire (unless renewed) on March 17, 2008, and HILLARYNO.ORG was secured October 16, 2002, and likewise is due to expire March 17, 2008.

Campaign Solutions' Clients
The following are Campaign Solutions' clients according to its website.

Note: Links provided may relate to The Donatelli Group, Campaign Solutions and/or Connell Donatelli Inc.

National and Statewide Elected Officials and Campaigns

 * Bush-Cheney 2004
 * McCain for President
 * U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (MT)
 * U.S. Senator Susan Collins (ME)
 * U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (SC)
 * U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
 * U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (OK)
 * U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (GA)
 * U.S. Senator John McCain (AZ)
 * U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (KY)
 * U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (AL)
 * U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (ME)
 * U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (PA)
 * U.S. Sentor James Talent
 * U.S. Senator John Warner (VA)
 * Governor Paul Cellucci (MA)
 * Governor George E. Pataki (NY)
 * Governor Matt Blunt (MO)&mdash;2006
 * Governor Bob Ehrlich (MD)
 * Governor Jodi Rell (CT)
 * Bill Weld / Weld for New York (NY)
 * Friends of Katherine Harris (FL)
 * Vern Buchanan for Congress (FL)
 * Steve Poizner for Insurance Commissioner (CA)
 * Jerry Kilgore for Governor (VA) / Virginians for Jerry Kilgore (See Jerry W. Kilgore.)
 * Dick Ackerman for Attorney General (CA)
 * Peter Cianchette for Governor (ME)
 * David Dewhurst for Lieutenant Governor (TX)
 * Luther Strange for Lieutenant Governor (AL)
 * Mark Earley for Governor (VA)
 * Doug Gross for Governor (IA)
 * Jay Katzen for Lieutenant Governor (VA)
 * Bret Schundler for Governor (NJ)
 * Bob Vander Platts for Governor (IA)
 * Patrick Ballantine for Governor (NC)
 * John Cooksey for Senate (LA)
 * Doug Forrester for Senate (NJ)
 * Friends of Giuliani (NY)
 * Gordon Humphrey for Governor (NH)
 * Bob Peeler for Governor (SC)
 * Joseph Lieberman for Senate (CT)

National Political and Grassroots Organizations, State GOP Organizations and Statewide Organizations

 * Republican National Committee 2002/2004/2004/2006/2006/2006
 * 2004 Republican National Convention
 * National Republican Congressional Committee
 * National Republican Senatorial Committee
 * Arizona Republican Party
 * Connecticut Republican Party
 * District of Columbia Republican Party
 * Illinois Republican Party
 * Indiana Republican Party
 * Maine Republican Party
 * Maryland Republican Party
 * Massachusetts Republican Party
 * Montana Republican Party
 * Nevada Republican Party
 * New Hampshire Republican Party
 * New Mexico Republican Party
 * New York Republican Party
 * North Carolina Republican Party
 * Republican Party of Virginia
 * Rhode Island Republican Party
 * South Carolina Republican Party
 * South Dakota Republican Party
 * Texas Republican Party
 * Washington State Republican Party
 * West Virginia Republican Party
 * Indiana House Republican Campaign Committee
 * Indiana Senate Majority Campaign Committee
 * Mainline Republicans
 * Maryland Republican Legislators Committee
 * Pennsylvania House Republican Campaign Committee
 * Roll-it-Back Committee (MA)
 * South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus
 * Washington State Senate Republican Campaign Committee
 * Republican Attorneys General Association
 * Alliance for the West - U.S. Senator Larry Craig
 * American Dream PAC - U.S. Representative Henry Bonilla
 * Citizens for a Sound Economy
 * Citizens United
 * Committee for New American Leadership
 * Committee for Justice
 * Global Aviation Improvement Network (GAIN)
 * Independent Women's Action Project
 * Michigan Federation of Young Republicans
 * Straight Talk America / STRAIGHTTALKAMERICA.COM /  STRAIGHTTALKAMERICA.ORG - U.S. Senator John McCain
 * Lynn Swann's Team 88

Members of U.S. House of Representatives and Campaigns

 * Representative Cass Ballenger (NC)
 * Representative Bob Barr (GA)
 * Representative Judy Biggert (IL)
 * Representative Mike Bilirakis (FL)
 * Representative Mary Bono (CA)
 * Representative Max Burns (GA)
 * Representative Shelley Moore Capito (WV)
 * Representative Christopher Cox (CA)
 * Representative Tom Davis (VA)
 * Representative Tom DeLay (TX)
 * Representative-elect Thelma Drake (VA)
 * Representative Mark Foley (FL)
 * Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ)
 * Representative Elton Gallegly (CA)
 * Representative Gil Gutknecht (MN)
 * Representative J.D. Hayworth (AZ)
 * Representative Amo Houghton (NY)
 * Representative-elect Bobby Jindal (LA)
 * Representative Mark Kirk (IL)
 * Representative Frank Lucas (OK)
 * Representative Anne Northup (KY)
 * Representative George Nethercutt (WA)
 * Representative Bob Schaffer (CO)
 * Representative John Shimkus (IL)
 * Representative Rob Simmons (CT)
 * Representative Mike Simpson (ID)
 * Representative Joe Skeen (NM)
 * Representative Todd Tiahrt (KS)
 * Representative Pat Toomey (PA)
 * Representative J.C. Watts (OK)
 * Representative Ed Whitfield (KY)
 * Representative Heather Wilson (NM)
 * Representative Gresham Barrett (SC)
 * Representative Tom Cole (OK)
 * Representative Tom Feeney (FL)
 * Representative Katherine Harris (FL)
 * Representative Candice Miller(MI)
 * Vernon Robinson for Congress (NC)
 * Paul DeWeese for Congress (MI)
 * Friends of Greg Parke (VT)
 * Bill Federer for Congress (MO)
 * Tim Escobar for Congress (CA)
 * Citizens for Claudia Bermudez (CA)
 * Joe Rothbauer for Congress (WI)
 * Stan Thompson for Congress (IA)
 * Mark Baker for Congress (IL)
 * Joan Johnson for Congress (NY)
 * Buck Limehouse for Congress (SC)
 * Jon Porter for Congress (NV)
 * Phil Sudan for Congress (TX)
 * Tom Liddy for Congress (AZ)
 * Teresa Loar for Congress (MO)
 * Noble Willingham for Congress (TX)
 * Chuck Yob for Congress (MI)

Non-Profit Organizations and Trade Associations

 * American Conservative Union
 * Americans of Faith / americansoffaith.org
 * American Medical Association
 * American Society of Interior Designers
 * All Lacrosse America
 * Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
 * Association of the Miraculous Medal / amm.org
 * Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association
 * Christian Children's Fund
 * Citizens for Long Term Care
 * Coalition to Salute America's Heroes
 * George Mason University
 * Homeownership Alliance
 * National Defense PAC / nationaldefensepac.org
 * National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
 * National Organization on Disability
 * National Pork Producers Association
 * National Realtors Association
 * Northern Virginia Urban League
 * Oregon Restaurant Association
 * Saint Luke's Hospital
 * Small Business Survival Committee
 * The Reform Institute (headed by John McCain)
 * United Cerebral Palsy Association
 * U.S.O.
 * Virginians for Death Tax Repeal / DEATHTAXREPEAL.COM
 * West Virginia Breeders Classics
 * WISH List

Corporations

 * American Viewpoint
 * Stevens Reed Curcio & Company
 * Craig Shirley and Associates (See Craig Shirley)
 * DataOne Direct
 * Mullings.com
 * The Stevens and Schriefer Group
 * The Strategy Group
 * The Tarrance Group

Additional Clients / Campaigns

 * Americans for a Better Country
 * Bill McCollum (R-FL) for U.S. Senate
 * Center for Individual Freedom Foundation
 * Coalition for a Fair Judiciary
 * Doc Hastings (R-WA) 2006
 * Friends of Mark Foley 2006
 * Diana Irey for Congress (Diana L. Irey)
 * Judicial Confirmation Network
 * Kevin S. Kellems 2000
 * Log Cabin Republicans Political Action Committee (LCR PAC)
 * John McCain: U.S. presidential election, 2008
 * Progress for America Voter Fund
 * Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
 * Vets for Freedom

Campaign Solutions' Team
Profile links (2006) for:
 * R. Rebecca Donatelli, President of Campaign Solutions and eDonation.com, as well as Chairman of Connell Donatelli, Inc.
 * Mark SooHoo
 * Carter Kidd
 * Justin Germany
 * Michael Palmer
 * Jen Stolp
 * Timothy Nurnberger

Profile links (2003) for:
 * Thomas C. Hockaday
 * R. Rebecca Donatelli
 * David A. Avella, Senior Vice President
 * Rob Kubasko
 * Mark SooHoo
 * Ken Schulz
 * Mark Altman
 * Ryan O'Rourke

Contact Information
Campaign Solutions, Inc./The Donatelli Group 118 North St. Asaph Street or 228 South Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 703 684-3435 FAX: 703 684-3758 Email: information AT campaignsolutions.com Website: http://www.campaignsolutions.com/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * AirNet Group, Inc.
 * fake news
 * GovTech Solutions
 * Maverick Media
 * Rightroots
 * SMARTech Corporation

Profiles

 * Case Study: Blazing a Fundraising Trail on the Web. Campaign Solutions Case Study, Trifecta Technologies Incorporated.
 * Meet the Partners, Connell Donatelli Inc.

1998

 * Rebecca Fairley Rainey, "Online Campaign Contributions Still a Promising Experiment," New York Times (CyberTimes), November 22, 1998. re Ellen Sauerbrey
 * Rebecca Fairley Rainey, "Republicans Say Web Brought in Volunteers," New York Times (CyberTimes), December 4, 1998.

1999

 * Justin Torres, "Internet Site, Diallo Case Heat Up NY Senate Race," Cybercast News Service (formerly Conservative News Service), April 2, 1999.
 * Rebecca Fairley Rainey, "Bush Campaign Asks Government to Go After Critical Web Site," New York Times (CyberTimes/RTMARK.com, May 21, 1999.
 * Giada Zampano, "Hillary Campaigns Online. You'll find pro, con sites for first lady's possible Senate race," Medill News Service (PCWorld), July 8, 1999.
 * James Ledbetter, "Hillary gets hacked," Industry Standard (CNN), July 22, 1999.
 * Joel Deane, "Web gears up for 'political e-commerce'," ZDNet News, May 20, 1999.
 * Elizabeth Wasserman, "Finding Money on the Web," Slate, October 1, 1999.

2000

 * "FBI unplugs McCain copycat site," MSNBC (ZDNet News), February 18, 2000. re MediaKing International
 * Richard Rapaport, "Net Vs. Norm," Forbes, May 29, 2000.

2002

 * Ana Marie Cox, "Dos and Don’ts on the Campaign Trail. With more women in elective office than ever before, running as a female candidate is no longer as difficult as it was. That doesn’t mean it’s easy," In These Times, June 21, 2002.

2003

 * News Release: "Arlington GOP elects Avella as new chairman," ArlingtonGOP.org, April 25, 2003: "Avella is senior vice president with the well-known campaign consulting firm of Hockaday Donatelli Campaign Solutions, and has participated as a faculty member in the Republican National Committee's 'Nuts & Bolts' seminars for candidates and campaign workers."
 * David S. Bernstein, "Campaign dot-com. While everyone talks about fundraising over the Web, this year’s presidential candidates hope to use the Internet for much more," The Portland Phoenix, September 5-11, 2003: "Now the best Internet political designers of 2002 are working, with much bigger budgets, on presidential campaigns. George Bush placed Rebecca Donatelli (lead Internet consultant to McCain for President) and her award-winning Hockaday Donatelli Campaign Solutions firm in charge of the Bush/Cheney re-election site."
 * Ari Shapiro, "Blogs Open New Political Front," NPR, November 24, 2003.

2004

 * Meredith O'Brien, Report: "Spending Spree. Where does the GOP spend its convention loot?" Center for Public Integrity, 2004.
 * Chris Cillizza and Brody Mullins, "GOP Allies Play Catch-Up on 527s," Roll Call (The Reform Institute), May 17, 2004.
 * Steve Friess, "Banner year for candidates targeting selected groups online," San Francisco Chronicle, August 6, 2004.
 * Erin McPike, "Two Republican Web Giants Form Connell Donatelli Inc.," CampaignLine.com, August 20, 2004.
 * "Information on the RNC Organizers," OnePeoplesProject.com, August 29, 2004.
 * PA08, "FBI looks into hacking attempt in 8th District race," Daily Kos, October 1, 2004.
 * "Prior Bad Acts," Fact-esque, October 2, 2004.
 * "Frank Donatelli -- another YAF/Charlie Gerow connection" (re Young Americans for Freedom) and "More interesting Donatelli connections," DemocraticUnderground.com, October 24, 2004.
 * Erika D. Smith, "Area firm puts the 'W' in Web site," Beacon Journal (Technomania.com/New Media Communications), November 24, 2004.

2005

 * "The 2005 Pollie Awards," PatrickRuffini.com, January 24, 2005.
 * "Bush-Cheney '04 Captures Two Golden Dot Awards," Technomania.com/New Media Communications, March 12, 2005.
 * "Anti-filibuster group's leader touted faulty, partisan poll on Scarborough Country," Media Matters for America, April 15, 2005.
 * Deb Reichmann, "Activists Priming for Supreme Court Battle," Associated Press (Committee for Justice), June 9, 2005.
 * Todd Johnson, "Swift Boat PR Team Reassembles to Market Bush Supreme Court Candidate," Daily Kos, July 5, 2005.
 * Brandy Baker, "David Horowitz: American Red Cross Fundraiser?" Dissident Voice, September 14, 2005.
 * "Where’s the money going?" Socialist Worker, September 30, 2005.

2006

 * Will Bunch, "Tracks of Her Tears: The Swift Boaters and Sam Alito," Attytood, January 12, 2006.
 * Joseph Hughes, "More ethics woes in Ohio?" MyDD, January 25, 2006: "the JCN represents a post-office box and Web site registered to Becki Donatelli, chair of the Virginia-based Campaign Solutions."
 * Kate Kaye, "FEC Frees All Web Political Communication Except Paid Ads," ClickZ News, March 28, 2006.
 * Kate Kaye, "A One Stop Shop to Reach Conservatives," ClickZ News, April 18, 2006.
 * wanderindiana, "Sealed with a Kiss: Lieberman's 'Roving' Independence?" ePluribus Media, August 10, 2006, and cross-posted at Daily Kos by GreyHawk, luaptifer, Intranets, and wanderindiana, ePluribus Media researchers and writers.
 * luaptifer, "Sealed with a KISS: Strange Bedfellows, Joe Lieberman and the GOP," ePluribus Media, August 28, 2006. Cross-posted at Daily Kos by GreyHawk, luaptifer, wanderindiana, intranets and Avahome.

2008

 * Ronald J. Hansen, "Card fees carve out millions from political contributions", USA Today, April 28, 2008