The one enormous difference being OFA is supposedly “non-partisan” per OFA itself (also to comply with its non-profit status with the IRS).

Via Politico:

President Obama’s involvement with Organizing for Action is just the same as his role with other outside groups aligned with his groups, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday.

“The comparison is the president goes and speaks to a variety of groups that support” his agenda, Carney told reporters, citing the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as other groups with which the president interacts.

One difference, though, is that those groups are all political and partisan, while OFA is, in the White House’s view, not. It’s a group established “to promote President Obama’s policy agenda,” Carney said, and OFA is not “trying to elect” the president but to give a voice to the grassroots supporters of his policy objectives.

Obama is set to speak to a Wednesday night dinner for donors, hours after meeting with members of Congress on Capitol Hill as part of his renewed effort to reach out to lawmakers. Carney said the details of media coverage are still being worked out, but “I am sure there will be press access.”