Discouragement, and Why I Move Forward . . .

Discouragement, its a common foe. Everyone who has been denied has experienced it. Recently, I have experienced it and its a story I'm not scared to tell.

So I tried hard. I tried soo hard. I was hired as a canvasser for Grassroots Campaigns as they fund raised for the American Civil Liberties Union. Canvassing. Canvassing by definition is to solicit votes, subscriptions, opinions, or the like from. Its a big word that for Grassroots Campaigns, meant to stand on the corner and ask for money. You know, those annoying people who tell you about a cause, give you a heartfelt speech, and then ask for money. The cause, whatever it may be, builds itself as a wrong done against American ideals and media. You know, the age old idea that Americans are special, we stand for human rights. We are a people that believe that everyone should have a chance, that it should be equal opportunity. We have gotten past social stigmas for a better tomorrow. We know whats right, and we care.

In a world without money, capitalism, and business, keeping people united through ideals that promote unity, differences, and a common cause that works against a social hierarchy is beautiful. This cause asks for people to become proactive. The March on Washington in 1963 was one of the most beautiful things that ever happened in the United States. It was a demonstration that said, hey, we are all here for the cause of civil rights, and we want it now.

Political movements need money. Canvassing as fundraising was explained to me as an effective way to fundraise because the people who we solicit money from are more likely to contribute their time to the cause. On the surface, it makes sense because people do not have time to devote toward causes. People have jobs, people have to support their families. The protests in the 1960's with Martin Luther King Jr. involved a lot of young people (meaning children) because parents could not afford to be laid off from work.

So there I stood, on a corner trying to canvass for money. I stood in the middle of a busy sidewalk for seven hours yelling and inviting people to listen to me speak for a little bit. When they came over I told them about the ACLU, about Grassroots Campaigns, and the cause I was canvassing for. I was canvassing to help the ACLU force attorney general Eric Holder to hire an independent prosecutor to prosecute Bush appointed advisers who tortured people in Guantanamo Bay. I spoke to people, I told them all the information that was provided for me to say as well as what I knew offhand. I was able to get money, for the organization, but I was not able to get people to subscribe to this organization through credit card.

And that was my death. When I got back to office, I was hired and fired in the same day. I was told I could not raise enough money for the organization, thank you for trying, and have a nice day. I spoke with one of the directors, told him that the cause is beautiful, but then told him my grievances.

Canvassing as a fundraising technique is not as productive as they made it seem. Yes you can, raise a lot of money, but instead of having an active base with you reach out to, you just create a base that passive. They passively give money to a group. The group could change their ideals, what they are targeting, and you would be stuck making payments toward them. Instead of inspiring people to come together to put pressure on their leaders to make something come through, they give money and know about a cause.

Its an organization that is looking to expand. Creating a passive base is something that I cannot subscribe into working for. Perhaps I need to get my hustle up, or perhaps we should start caring more.