CivicAction might have cool activist reality shows for you this summer. I had a good DFE experience with them, and they definitely sport an encouraging work environment, which is key when learning about technology.

Cost Structures:

as email gets easiest, it becomes least effective way to influence someone.

Coordination+Provision Problems

http://www.pledgebank.com/Electric
http://fundable.org/

Neighborhood Informatics:

ThinkNOLA.org
Neighborhood Knowledge LA
ineighbors.org
daviswiki.org

txt-ing:

Sara's experience in Benin: new candidate entered presidential election late in the game. People started txting to get friends to register to vote, then organized buses with music and eye-catching behavior to get people to vote.