I told a NY State Senator I couldn't promote them...
I told a New York State Senator that I couldn’t promote them on the marketing material for the Dry Networking Event…..
A friend connected me with a local Senator’s office.
They have been working on community events focused on mental health and she thought that we would be a great resource for each other.
We scheduled a meeting and it went amazing. We brainstormed a lot of ideas and they were totally on board with the concept of my events and overall brand.
We said we that we would stay in touch and see how we could help each other in the future.
The next day, I received an email that their office wanted to sponsor the event on October 27.
My brain went wiiiiild.
While I was extremely grateful to have the support, my heart told me that it wasn’t the right thing to do.
You see, it has always been a big thing while building my company to leave religion and politics out of it.
I believe that it can create division and let’s face it…. there is already enough division in the world.
We are living in a time where the stories you hear are mostly negative.
War.
Hatred.
Trauma.
Fighting.
Anger.
And so much more.
I felt that if I was to promote this person and their (very appreciated) support, it would bring politics into the event.
It just wasn’t something that I was willing to do.
So… I had a decision to make.
Do I gratefully decline the sponsorship?
Do I potentially burn a bridge with someone in the community?
Are they going to be offended?
I had so many thoughts but I knew that going against what my gut was saying and the things I stood for was not an option.
The next morning, I emailed them back and told them exactly how I felt.
I also accepted the fact that they might not want anything to do with me or my company again.
I told them how appreciative I was for the support but I wanted people to be able to come to these events and leave their differences at the door.
I explained that I could honor everything in the sponsorship package EXCEPT promoting them on social media and website.
And do you know what happened?!
They completely respected my reasoning, understood why, and still decided to support the event.
The entire experience was a beautiful lesson and honestly gave me hope for the future.
It showed that we really can come together to support each other and the causes we care about.
Regardless of titles, political parties, or religious beliefs.
It’s a chance to rewrite the narrative.
To find the things that bring us together and create experiences where we can stop focusing on what keeps us divided.
And this necessary change starts within our own communities.
Small steps can lead to BIG things.
It’s time we start leading with love and trying to put our differences aside.
It’s time to focus our energy on doing what we can to make our world a more unified, peaceful, and loving place.
This is how we can collectively leave a lasting impact and create positive (and much needed) change.
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