Thomas Sheridan - Helping the Good Do Better: How a White Hat Lobbyist Advocates for Social Change

I believe we are in a dark moment, perhaps one of the darkest in recent American history. The light at the end of the tunnel seems dim and distant most days. The current political landscape has left most good people, regardless of party affiliation or ideology, wondering What can I do? and Can I make a difference?

But there are flickers of light in the darkness, and they are growing, illuminating a path forward. These points of light come from usthe people of America who are answering the questions above with active and deliberate participation in the process that makes democracy powerful. Good can and does win, but it must get in the fight.

In the battles I have fought over the past three decades, when Ive found myself losing, it was not because the opposition was better or their ideas were rightit was because good people were on the sidelines. Madeleine Albrights recent book, Fascism: A Warning, is a sober reminder that evil only wins when good abdicates.

I am an optimist by nature. I look at the moment we live in now and hope that it is the darkness before the dawn. I can see elements of a new day in the November 2018 blue wave of more progressives, women, African Americans, Native Americans, Muslims, LGBT members in the House of Representatives. I see it in the unprecedented numbers of new voters registering, in the vigor of young people (shout-out to the Parkland kids), in the growing demands for a new political order, and in shifting demographics and political ideology.

My optimism arises in part because Im assuming that if youve picked up this book, you want to help make the world a better placeand thats great, because the world needs you. Our country needs you. As the old saying goes, when theres a will, theres a way. Ive learned this firsthand after spending my career as a public interest lobbyist tackling some of the most pernicious problems facing American society. Through many ups and downs and with the help of many partners and collaborators, Ive seen great successes arise from some of societys biggest challengesprogress that wouldnt have happened without a problem to tackle and solve. In this book I want to share with you what Ive learned about how brave efforts can and do create great leaps forward.

I, too, have been struggling since Election Day 2016 to find the right words to share and the right strategies to recommend. From crisis arises opportunity, and from the darkest moments shine forth the brightest lights. I know this because I have lived it. This is exactly the moment for the thinking, caring, compassionate good people and better angels among us, including us, to act. I hope the actions you read about in this book clearly show you that there is an answer to What can I do? In each story I tell in these chapters, a person just like you asked that question and answered it with actions that have changed the world for the better.

On the ground, each and every day, your work already helps make the nation a better place. You staff food pantries in church basements. You feed the hungry. You care for the sick. You cultivate boards to help achieve your mission. You raise funds, do outreach, organize events. You make America great. You may have been doing the good work for years now, or you may have just begun. Now, you have been presented with both an opportunity and the responsibility to be the glue that holds our nation together. Applying the lessons from this book helped pass vital social impact legislation in the pastand now, it can help you seize this moment.

Todays challenge, for the entire country, is to step up, lean in, push harder, and take action. Dont take the path of least resistance or, worse, stay silent in hopes of better times. Doing good requires more than just programs and services. It requires coordination, organization, and a new emphasis on and dedication to advocacy. Participating in advocacy is no longer a luxuryit is a necessity. Good cant happen if our government isnt forced to protect those who cant protect themselves. Good cant happen if there is no vision, no courage, and no strategy to make our voices heard in the halls of government.

I know that for many, budgets are tight and resources scarce. I also know some of you reading may have never done this type of work before. But when history recalls how America recovered from this dark moment, I want it said that it was the people who stepped in and embodied our national motto, e pluribus unumout of many, one. That it was the people who ensured that this remains the driving principle of America and ultimately the thing that retained and expanded her greatness.

When citizen activists have combined grassroots passion with smart political strategy, they have won some of the most transformative policy fights of our generation. In my experience these accomplishments come about when visionaries and activists team up with white hat lobbyistspeople who understand the power of politics and who are able to put it to work to serve the public interest. For twenty-five years Ive worked to master the art and science of winning for public interest causes. The culmination of that experience is presented here in a new theory for social change that I call the three Ps. Successful campaigns and movements must possess a lobbyists approach to policy, politics, and press; this is the formula for success. In my experience, leveraging the three Ps, with true passion and discipline, can create results that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. At the end of each chapter I highlight some takeaway prescriptions for the reader, and there you can see how we applied the three Ps for that particular issue.