I only met Jim a few times, through mutual friends when he was in DC and during their A16Z fundraise, but from our short stints together he always struck me as a generous, open person who was passionate about really engaging with people… as evident by the accessibility of the tools he helped build.


My thoughts go out to him and his loved ones.

Thank you, Jim, for everything you have done. You will be missed.

I didn’t know own Jim but I’m sorry to learn of his passing. Clearly, he lived a passionnate and creative life, utilising his gifts. His family and everyone at NationBuilder are in my thoughts and prayers. May his soul rest in peace.

I did not know Jim. I used NationBuilder products. Now I know why all the people who work there and provide technical support are so kind and generous with their guidance. It’s because of who they worked for. It is obvious that his company carries the values that Jim expressed in the video I just watched. What an inspiring man. What a truly tender and Godly soul. I know where he is now, and there is no more suffering. He would be convincing the Lord that he doesn’t need physical churches everywhere, he needs to go digital. Thank you for sharing your dear friend with us. Thank you for your message on this sad loss.

Oh no,I am sorry to hear that. I didn’t know “JG” personally, but “NB” timely given support @ 2014 was unforgettable, that was green campaign.

It was great being introduced to Jim and learning about NationBuilder over a year ago now. Listening to him speak about himself, NationBuilder, and his medical journey was truly enlightening. Caring thoughts go out to Jim’s family, friends, and those who knew him best.

Rest in Peace Jim !

We didn’t know Jim but we’re sorry for your loss and we’re grateful for what he accomplished with NationBuilder, which is the platform we use for The Markaz. It serves us well.

Jim was an entrepreneur’s entreprenuer. While we only got to spend time together a few times in the early Gov 2.0 days, every one of those conversations was insightful and memorable (no one better to talk about community building). Unfortunately, the last few years I’ve only been able to watch from afar – but always smiled when listening to him on an a16z podcast or watching one of his talks.

Thanks for everything Jim. Peace to the NationBuilder family!

I’ll always remember Jim’s gripping, soulful, profound talk, “The Internet is My Religion” — I was in the audience, spellbound. I’m heartbroken at Jim’s death, but grateful for the vitality of his life, and awed at the scope and significance of everything he built, and everyone he touched.

Many thanks and much appreciation for all you have done. You will be missed.

I only met Jim a handful of times in person starting way back at his days with business.com. Our meetings were infrequent throughout the years, but his presence was always undeniable. He was truly an exceptional human being and I treasure the time shared.

Jim,


I only began to use your software for the first time in the past month. I had no idea about how valuable it was and how it helped me achieve my goals. I have no doubt that those around you consider a gift to them but the legacy that you’ve left has been a gift to the world that can only grow bigger and better. Thank you.

Sending my condolences & prayers to Jim’s family & friends a truly amazing man 😔

It seems to me that Jim wanted more than anything to have an impact on the world. Specifically, to bring people together. He absolutely achieved that. In the early days of NationBuilder he interviewed every single one of us, and that crew of people are some of the best I know. I’m confident some will be my lifelong friends. He really knew how to pull together amazing people.


Jim and I were about as different as two people can be, and didn’t always see eye to eye, but I always wanted to try and impress him. He was the most dedicated “employee” at NationBuilder, always, so it made us all want to live up to that standard.


I know he’d never feel “done” with his work, but I hope he felt really accomplished. I’m really glad he took a chance on me. Working at NB was a wild ride that I’m really glad I took.


Wishing all the best to his family, friends and the NationBuilder community.

I had the privilege of working with and knowing Jim Gilliam during my time at NationBuilder. Jim was a certified genius with a fire in his belly whose mission in life was to make world-changing software tools available to anyone and everyone who wanted to lead a movement of change. His life story is truly inspiring and his speeches and words and ideas and views of the world make me want to be a better human and do more good in the world.

Jim personally interviewed me twice during my application process at NationBuilder and I could tell he really tried to connect with me as a person and find out what drove me in my mission in life. And while he could be a stubborn and demanding leader at times, he also welcomed often harsh direct criticism and was always open to changing his mind and his policies if things weren’t working right — to a degree I’ve never seen or would have expected from a leader at his level.

His intellect was always paired with his humility, and his frustrations were always fueled by his unceasing desire to change the world for the better — not by his actions alone, but by empowering and enabling leaders all over the world to enact positive change in their communities and to build bridges that created larger and stronger communities.

My time at NationBuilder ended during a big forced layoff, and I remember Jim was crying and fighting back tears when he informed the staff because he cared so much for his community and didn’t want to have to do it. But my wife continued to work at NationBuilder after I left, and years later when I would visit her or attend work parties, Jim would always greet me with a big smile and a wave and maybe a hug; always making sure I knew that I was and will always be part of the NationBuilder community.

For that I will always be grateful.

Thanks, Jim. I’ll miss you.

#RestInPeace

#FuckCancer

I joined NationBuilder back in the day as a direct result of Jim’s vision. I’ve never worked with someone that cared so much and had so much passion. Whenever I was in a meeting with Jim, I always thought “man, this is what Steve Jobs must’ve been like.” He was given a second chance at life and built something incredible. I’ll never forget my time at NationBuilder, and I’ll never forget Jim. RIP.

One year, at NetRoots Nation, I met Adriel Hampton, who had just recently begun working at a new startup called NationBuilder. We chatted for a while, and he told me about Jim and insisted I watch Jim’s “The Internet is my Religion” video on YouTube. I watched it and felt the tears stream down my cheek.


Adriel introduced me to Jim and Dan Walmsley via email, and after a couple phone interviews, I flew out to LA to meet the team.


During my stay, Jim picked me up from my hotel and carted me around in his Acura, taking me in like a member of the team, even tho we had just met. When it came time for me to fly back to New York, Jim drove me to the airport and pitched me on joining NB.


Although I ultimately decided to stay in New York and not go to work for NB, it was a tough decision, in large part because I was so impressed by Jim, on so many different levels, from his dedication to his beliefs to his willingness to never surrender, even when he faced very significant obstacles.


I may’ve only ever talked to him once after I got back from Los Angeles, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him and spend a couple days learning about his vision for his company and our world.


The world has lost a beautiful soul with the passing of Jim Gilliam, but in sharing his stories and perspectives with us, Jim left us with insights about what makes a soul beautiful in the first place.

Thank you for everything you did, Jim. You impacted and changed lives during your short time on this earth.

Such a wonderful man, a visionary and a huge loss to the world.

I was truly saddened to hear the passing of Jim Gilliam. When my son, Brian Tippy, was looking for a job out of college, Jim saw the potential in this hard working individual and gave him the chance to prove himself. Brian was grateful for the opportunity and thought this would be a good entry into the working world. Brian’s thought was a year, maybe two, and he would move on. Well, it has now been over 4 years and he is still there. Brian had the utmost respect for Jim, and Jim respected the team. He let them spread their wings as long as the work ethic and integrity did not suffer. One Christmas, Brian gave me a signed copy of Jim’s book, which provided a great insight into Jim’s life. Jim will be greatly missed, but he has passed on a heartfelt legacy to all who knew him.

I did not know Jim. But he was brilliant, and his legacy is intact. The best way we can honor him is by getting the Convention of States movement to the finish line, thereby saving The Constitution Jim loved.

I didn’t know Jim well, but all of my interactions with him were illuminating. He was clearly brilliant and was never afraid to share his thoughts with me on a variety of subjects, which I appreciated.


Knowing everything he’d been through made him all the more ridiculously impressive to me. Talk about having the odds stacked against you, and yet he always persevered.


It saddens me that this time he didn’t; that the odds against him never abated.


He deserved a full life. And selfishly, we needed a full life from him. Losing people like Jim too soon hurts us all. He was a disruptor. A world-changer. An iconoclast.


He did so much to contribute and I’m glad I knew him. It may be cliche, but as they say, “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”


I’m happy to know he’s no longer in pain.

His works have made an indelible imprint on the minds of many a Leader. RIP

Thank you Jim. Thank you to the NationBuilder team for working so diligently inline with his goals. My condolences to all friends and family. We are sad to have lost a major pillar of the community, but we are hopeful his essence lives on in NationBuilder.

Jim Gilliam was instrumental in empowering fascists and white supremacists to conduct psychological operations on voters and propel forward the illegitimate Trump presidency.


He sold his soul for money and never looked back.


The world is better off without him on it.

Nationbuilder got my music writing carer going and it is my mainstay. I visited the founding crews early on and was sold. Thank you Jim for the tools you gave all of us.

As a grassroots campaigner, community organizer, and events coordinator, I am very saddened to hear of Jim’s passing away. I am very grateful that when I first began as an independent contractor, having Nationbuilder as a free resource was the most groundbreaking innovation to data collection and sharing for any kind of network. Thank you for being caring and for all of the work that you all did to bring people together through technology.

I met Jim just once, when I had the privilege of hosting a small group to listen to him and discuss his book. It was a special evening and my heart will never forget him.