We’ve come a long way, baby: 8 years of Sunlight in opengov

by
Sunlight's Milestones and Metamorphosis
Celebrate eight years of Sunlight with our interactive report, “Milestones and Metamorphosis: A Chronology of Sunlight and OpenGov.”

Sunlight is celebrating its eighth anniversary this year, and while we know that eight years isn’t usually the most inspiring number, this anniversary carries a lot of importance. After eight years at the helm of Sunlight, Ellen Miller, our co-founder and first executive director, went into a well-deserved retirement after handing her sunglasses over to our new president, Chris Gates. The occasion inspired a lot of celebration and plenty of memories. We found ourselves looking back not just at everything we’d accomplished over the last eight years, but also reflecting on the entire open government movement.

Sunlight has come a long way in the last eight years, and so has this community. Need proof? Look no further than “#opengov.” Eight years ago, there was no global opengov conversation online the way it is today. Look at the bills making their way through Congress, such as the DATA Act, the first federal open data law, which passed earlier this year.

As for 2014, we’re pretty enthusiastic about the progress Sunlight made, too. This year, Sunlight gave Congress publicly available email addresses. We analyzed public comments on net neutrality and dove deep into the return on investment for corporate political spending.

There are too many highlights to try and squeeze into one blog post, so we compiled them and put them all into one place for your viewing pleasure. Please join us in celebrating eight years of success by taking a look and sharing our interactive report, “Milestones and Metamorphosis: A Chronology of Sunlight and OpenGov.”

None of this would have been possible without everyone’s amazing support, so thank you! The enthusiasm we’ve seen throughout the years to spread the word about the power of open government has astounded us. We hope you will continue to be a part of our journey in the coming years, and help us build on our eight-year momentum.

Oh, and one more thing: As a special thank you, everyone who donates $100 or more between now and the year’s end will get a Sunlight t-shirt so you can show your support for Sunlight and opengov wherever you go. Thanks again!