Part 5: Why I Do What I Do

Everyone at NPC was asked to write a blog post about “Why I do what I do,” and this month it’s my turn . . .

I’ve been avoiding writing this for a while because, as you can probably imagine, after four months on a new job and nine months out of college, “why I do what I do” changes about every two weeks. I had a moment of clarity, though, last week while listening to Laura Flanders speak about her book, Blue Grit. There was obviously some discussion of the primary contest at the event, but I was impressed by how Laura kept emphasizing that we needed to be “keeping our eyes on the prize and the prize isn’t only the presidential election.”

I wrote down that phrase because it seemed like a great marketing description for NPC’s Victory in 2008 and Beyond “Political Mutual Fund,” but as I walked home that evening, I couldn’t get the line out of my head. It just made so much sense to me, and that, in a nutshell, is why I’m at NPC.

May 2007 was a great time to graduate from college for anyone with any sort of civic/political inclination because there was so much momentum for change in the political sphere and so many opportunities to get involved. While my initial thought was to work for one of the presidential campaigns, I couldn’t ever really commit myself to the idea that one candidate would be the answer, the person that was going to take us forward.

Though I found out about NPC by a lucky coincidence, what really sold me on moving across the country (after three phone interviews) was NPC’s optimistic and pragmatic approach to change. I was excited to be at a company that interfaced with such innovative and interesting groups in a place that is on the leading edge of the progressive movement.

What I love about the NPC team is everyone’s willingness to just roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to find a solution, despite all of their cumulative years of experience with the problems in the current system. Though we don’t waste any time defining it, there is a real consciousness of and focus on “the prize” that shapes and drives all of NPC’s activities. It has been really inspiring to be part of a product that offers a tangible, viable way to move our country forward.

Part 4: Why I Do What I Do

Every member of the NPC team was asked to write a quick post about "Why I Do What I Do."

I decided I wanted to work at NPC over breakfast, having just met our CEO, Kirstin Falk. I remember not only thinking that the “poached” eggs were actually hard boiled beyond recognition, but also that I had finally met someone who wanted to change the way our generation thought about political engagement: It was not only about being an ATM machine; it was critical to fund progressive infrastructure to really make an impact; and that NPC could be that catalyst and actually do it—as a business, and with amazing colleagues who are creative, entrepreneurial, and wicked smart.

I do what I do because I’ve spent years in New York and San Francisco advising Fortune 500 companies, wealthy individuals, and foundations on how to make a difference with their resources. Some were more liberal than others and some were less interested in understanding the nuances of living wage ballot initiatives or reproductive justice. But they all wanted to know that they were having an impact. I believe that my peers, even without the resources to get access to this information, also want to make a difference and deserve to be as smart and strategic about how they invest in change with their $200 as a major donor is with their $200,000.

And I can’t lie to you: I also do what I do because I was frustrated with the way politics works. I worked on a presidential campaign and left entirely dumbfounded at the level of near-sightedness, lack of organization, and waste of resources. Millions of dollars spent on campaigns and not one manila folder left! (Never mind the fact that we all parachute into states and canvass totally cynical locals in attempts to create a “community campaign.”)

I was also frustrated with the way we fund as Progressives: We talk about moving the needle on critical issues such as health care reform, climate change, reproductive justice, foreign policy—all deeply political issues. But often we refuse to use our assets to directly engage and support political change. By this, I mean non-tax deductible money, penchant for innovation, and a little tolerance for risk. What good is it to give a tax-deductible contribution to your local Planned Parenthood clinic if the state legislature prohibits access to medical care or birth control? What good is it to funnel money to the same four 20 year-old organizations at the expense of those five political entrepreneurs who will come up with the next MoveOn.org, BISC, or VoteVets.org on $5,000?

So, I do what I do because:

• My generation wants to be engaged and make a difference in a smart, strategic way and understand their impact.
• Solutions to our challenges lie with individuals who are innovating and making a difference in their communities every day, and with those who are willing to take a little risk and invest in them for the long-term.
• Unless we start using real money proactively and stop being led by its tax-deductibility, we will fail to make real change.

and

• NPC offers the opportunity for me to design and deliver products and services that meet a real demand in the marketplace: the desire to make a difference and translate one's beliefs into real strategic action.

Part 3: Why I Do What I Do

Every member of the NPC team was asked to write a quick post about "Why I Do What I Do." Today it's my turn...

To finish off my political science major my senior year of college, I enrolled in a class entitled “The Conservative Revolution.” Intrigued by the topic, as well as the professor who was rumored to wear a polka dot bow-tie, I signed-up immediately.

Throughout the semester, we studied the significant rise of conservatism in the last forty years. We learned about the highly sophisticated and effective political infrastructure of the Right, which has helped the GOP push their agenda and control the White House for 26 of the past 38 years.

While it was disconcerting to realize the power of Right, it was also enlightening to understand the importance of building a political infrastructure that pipelines fresh ideas, new leaders, and lots of money. I realized that as long as the Left commits to building its own political infrastructure, we do stand a chance at making change.

By the time I graduated, I was ready to put my ideals into action. That's when I came across this NY Times article and discovered NPC. I was in awe of NPC's philosophy that embraces an innovative and long-term approach to progressive politics. Right away, I moved to San Francisco and started interning at NPC. As I grew into my full-time position, I was able to see the progressive movement up close and understand the complexity of the political landscape.

To grow the progressive movement, we need people engaged in and committed to making lasting change. We need to make investments, not just in candidates, but also in progressive organizations and their leaders, a large component of our growing political infrastructure. At NPC we are helping you do just that.

Part 2: Why I Do What I Do

As you’ve seen on our blog, New Progressive Coalition, LLC has spent the past few weeks hiring an Associate. Just a year and a half ago, I was applying for that position here at NPC- a company that matched my ideas of progressive change. In my new role as the Operations Manager, I’ve been able to look at the hiring process from the other side of the table and reflect on my own journey through the Associate position and why I do what I do here at NPC…

Last year, as I approached graduating from college, I knew two things about what I wanted to do: I wanted to work in politics and I didn’t want to work in DC. With many of my poli sci classmates signing on to jobs on the Hill, I decided that I wanted to focus less on the deals and votes happening in DC and more on the political movements around the country.

If you meet me in person, one of the first things I’ll probably tell you about myself is that I was born and raised in Kentucky. I love the Bluegrass State (who wouldn't love a state with great basketball, the Kentucky Derby, and the world's best bourbon?) and I have hopes of returning someday to help the many progressives doing great work there. Growing up in Kentucky and being constantly surrounded by a full spectrum of political views, I have found that change seems to happen most effectively when a movement proves its benefit to the entire community, not just to those that already agree with the end result. A successful movement begins with an idea for a change; it moves forward with a strategic vision of engagement. Much of what attracted me to NPC was the possibility of helping organizations relay their strategies and effectiveness to potential funders.

After heading to college at a small liberal arts school in New England, I found that being liberal in Kentucky was very different from being liberal in Massachusetts. While my political views definitely swing toward the left, I found that I consider myself to be a progressive in the same way that NPC defines progressive: I want change for the better, and I recognize that no single party or political view always has the best answer.

I distinctly remember the first time I talked to Angie Schiavoni, now our VP of Operations, and Catalina Ruiz-Healy, now our VP of Product Development. What struck me most during my conversation with them was their admission that NPC is not the silver bullet in progressive politics- it is a company with a realistic goal of making a change and that there is no one organization, group or idea that can create an unstoppable progressive movement.

What drives me at NPC is knowing that not only am I interacting everyday with some of the most passionate progressives across the country, but that I’m working for a company that practices what it preaches. We are constantly looking for feedback from our network to be sure that we are in touch with what our communities are striving toward. NPC is a company that fosters ideas and innovation from within, engaging the progressive community and keeping the political world moving forward.

Why I Do What I Do

Every member of the NPC team was asked to write a quick post about "Why I do what I do." Our VP of Operations, Angie Schiavoni, is up first...

When I was 14, I met former Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) at a book signing for "Time Past, Time Present." From that moment on, I knew I wanted to work in politics. I started volunteering for political campaigns when I was 16 and was writing op-eds for Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) at 19 as an intern on the Hill. By 20, I was a press assistant in the Iowa Caucus presidential primary for Senator Bradley himself. After college, I did a string of local and state-wide campaigns.

I loved the passion and energy of the fast-paced campaign world. But after a couple of years of working grueling hours with no health care benefits and barely enough money to feed myself, I decided I needed more stability. I moved to D.C. and started working for established progressive organizations.

I became quickly frustrated with the prevalent D.C. mentality that until you “pay your dues” in Democratic politics, you are supposed to be treated poorly, paid nothing, and thrive on passion alone. I also realized that job “stability” is often directly correlated with the level of bureaucracy within an organization and has an inverse relationship with the level of innovative thinking that is encouraged.

I met Kirstin Falk (NPC’s founder and CEO) in 2002 at my first job in D.C. and we instantly connected. She possessed the rare combination of characteristics that allowed her to be a visionary but also understand the importance of execution. I followed her to another organization in 2003 and we both left D.C. at about the same time after a disappointing 2004 election.

When Kirstin moved to San Francisco to start NPC, I took an opportunity in Amman, Jordan to build a CSR and development program for a local woman-run events company. I also did some volunteering with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to help women parliamentary candidates learn how to do campaign fundraising in an extremely challenging fundraising environment. I loved working in the Middle East because there was so much opportunity and optimism and I really felt like one person could make a huge difference.

A year later, Kirstin asked me to move to San Francisco and run the operations of her new company that focused on helping people understand the impact of their political giving while at the same time helping organizations be more effective. I was thrilled. This was pretty much the only job I could think of that would bring me back to working in U.S. politics because it sought to fundamentally change the game for the progressive movement.

Now, I feel extremely lucky to get up every day and be excited about going to work because I am passionate about what I am doing here at NPC. With so much craziness going on in the world, it’s often easy to give up and feel powerless. At the end of the day, NPC is about giving people tools to feel like they have the power to change the world.

They always say that the most successful entrepreneurs build products to fulfill their own needs; I’ve gotten to do that here at NPC. I was ready to give up my passion of being in politics because changing the world just seemed too daunting, but now my whole job is to make sure that one person can make an impact.