Cory Booker’s Given Us a Blueprint. Philanthropy Leaders, Let’s Use It.
I am lucky to see and speak with nonprofit leaders every single day — and every single one has expressed fear, anger and disgust over what’s happening in America right now.
But most are struggling to figure out how to fight back effectively. Candidly, some are afraid to stick their necks out – at precisely the time courage, resourcefulness, and fortitude are sorely needed.
Fortunately, Senator Cory Booker showed us a path for fighting back yesterday.
And I think we in the nonprofit and philanthropic communities should take it.
Here’s what we can learn from Senator Booker’s history-making, record-smashing feat of stamina, conviction, patriotism and passion.
MAKE USE OF THE MECHANISMS YOU HAVE.
Senator Booker made incredible use of the procedural rules in the Senate to turn a speech into a phenomenon that earned:
350M+ likes on the senator’s Tiktok livestream
28K+ supportive voicemails on his main office line
300K+ viewers on all his channels
You might not have a national stage but I assure you, you are not without options. Look closely and creatively at what you have to work with. Legal challenges are important to mount. If the administration wants to call you an “enemy of the state” and deny funding, or take other punitive and potentially illegal actions, force them to define what that means in court. Is it feeding hungry kids? Helping veterans get medical care? Supporting the arts?
Look for partners to make this work — other nonprofits to help, law firms that will be all too happy to saddle up and take your case pro bono, advisors who can assist in exploring other useful avenues for action. Get on social media and show people what cuts really mean in human terms; interview the people who benefited from your services and share their stories. Be nimble in your approach; experiment.
PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE.
Winning a battle requires extensive preparation — and victory doesn’t result solely from one single person’s efforts. Bring your team along behind the scenes. Leverage their expertise and energy for your organization’s benefit. Build coalitions.
Remember, Senator Booker didn’t speak extemporaneously; he wasn’t shooting from the hip or speaking off the cuff. What tens of thousands of Americans saw during the livestream was the very last step. It was the visible culmination of what I imagine was weeks of unrelenting staff work to put together a compelling and evidence-based marathon speech (in 1,164 pages, no less). As The New York Times reported, his team “jumped into action” throughout this very long day to provide new binders of material to keep the senator moving.
FRAMING MATTERS
As I know from my time as a prosecutor, how we frame up an argument matters. Bringing people along on the journey is how you win – through hearkening to shared experiences or mindset, self-interest, or causes that are larger than just one individual person.
The senator successfully recast the argument as much bigger than a quotidian clash between two parties but as a “moral moment, not left or right, but right or wrong.” He reminded every American – in 25 hours and 5 minutes of speaking – of our values, wove through relevant history, read firsthand accounts of real people impacted by the administration’s terribly unjust actions, and systematically laid out and subsequently dismantled the rationales for policies and programs being implemented right now.
Nonprofit leaders, take note! Join with others like you, reframe the administration’s assertions, and remind the public precisely why building community matters.
REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
If you show up, others will show up. They’ll show up to support you, they’ll see how others react, take heart, and momentum will build. Throughout Sen. Booker’s speech, he was bolstered by more than “two dozen other Democratic senators”. They asked questions to give him short breaks and their presence undoubtedly sustained and encouraged him as he spoke.
Jumping into a fight takes guts. But as Senator Booker so stirringly noted as he paid homage to Representative John Lewis, it’s time to “cause some good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul of our nation. I want you to redeem the dream. Let’s be bold in America.”
Being bold.
Sounds right to me.