I’ve had a revelation.
And at 69 years old, revelations are getting expensive.
Usually they involve a doctor, a prescription, or somebody telling me I need another colonoscopy.
But this one was different.
This one was about money.
Specifically, how to raise it.
Because as many of you know, I’m running for mayor of Greensboro in 2028.
And I’ve been working my ass off.
Making videos, interviewing strangers, talking about Greensboro, talking about America, trying to get people excited about the future.
And every once in a while, I make a video asking for donations.
Twenty-five dollars.
That’s it.
Twenty-five bucks!
Hell, that’s two cocktails and a tip!
And I’ve made several of these fundraising appeals.
I’ve explained what I’m doing.
I’ve explained why it matters.
I’ve explained that I’m spending my own money to keep this thing going.
And do you know how much money I’ve raised?
ZERO!
Not twenty-five dollars.
Not five dollars.
Not even a Canadian quarter!
ZERO!
I’ve raised less money than a homeless guy with a cardboard sign!
And he’s got better marketing!
So naturally, I started wondering.
What the hell am I doing wrong?
I’ve got people watching my videos.
I’ve got people telling me they love what I’m doing.
I’ve got people saying they’re going to vote for me.
But apparently, when it comes to donating money, everybody suddenly develops arthritis in their wallet!
And then something happened.
Something that completely changed the way I think about this whole project.
You see, I’ve been interviewing people all over Greensboro.
My goal is to interview 1,000 residents.
And these aren’t quick little interviews.
I’m not walking up to somebody and asking, “What’s your favorite restaurant?”
I’m asking real questions.
What do you love about Greensboro?
What would you change?
What do you want this city to look like in ten years?
And most importantly…
WHY?
I love that question.
WHY?
It’s the most powerful three-letter word in the English language.
Well, except maybe SEX.
But that’s a different campaign!
And something extraordinary has been happening.
People are opening up.
Complete strangers are telling me things about their lives that they might not have told their closest friends.
And I’m discovering something about human beings.
Everybody has a story.
Everybody has hopes.
Everybody has disappointments.
Everybody wants to matter.
And everybody wants to be heard.
That’s what I’ve been learning.
But here’s what I hadn’t figured out.
People don’t just want to be heard.
Some of them want to be involved.
And I hadn’t been giving them that opportunity.
Think about that.
I’ve been interviewing hundreds of people.
I’ve been telling them about my ideas.
I’ve been talking about the future of Greensboro.
And I’ve been doing all of this work…
BY MYSELF!
Like some kind of 69-year-old political superhero!
Except instead of a cape, I’ve got an iPhone and a Tesla!
And the Tesla keeps trying to put me in self-driving jail!
So a couple of days ago, I tried something different.
I reached out to ten people I’d met during this project.
And I didn’t ask them for money.
I didn’t ask them to vote for me.
I didn’t ask them to put a sign in their yard.
I simply said:
“Hey, I’m building something here. Would you like to be part of it?”
That’s it.
And guess what happened?
People started saying YES!
Not everybody.
But several people responded positively almost immediately.
And I sat there thinking…
YOU IDIOT!
You’ve been doing this backward!
You’ve been trying to raise money before you’ve built a community!
You’ve been asking people to support something they haven’t had a chance to help create!
And that’s when it hit me.
The best way to raise money might be to stop thinking about raising money.
Start thinking about building relationships.
Start thinking about giving people a reason to care.
Start thinking about creating something that belongs to everybody, not just the guy running for mayor.
Because here’s the thing.
I don’t want to be the guy who walks into City Hall with a thousand ideas and says, “Everybody listen to me!”
We’ve got enough politicians who do that!
I want to walk into City Hall with a thousand conversations.
A thousand different perspectives.
A thousand people who helped shape a vision for Greensboro.
And maybe some of those people will want to volunteer.
Maybe some will want to organize neighborhood meetings.
Maybe some will help with videos or community events.
And maybe some will decide to contribute financially.
That’s wonderful.
But the money isn’t the point.
The participation is the point.
Because I’ve come to believe something.
The biggest problem with our democracy isn’t that people don’t care.
It’s that too many people have come to believe their participation doesn’t matter.
They think politics is something that happens somewhere else.
In Washington.
In Raleigh.
Behind closed doors.
Among people with expensive suits and even more expensive donors.
And the rest of us are supposed to sit on the sidelines and watch.
Well, I’ve got news for you.
Democracy isn’t a spectator sport.
And Greensboro isn’t somebody else’s city.
It’s OUR city.
And if we’re going to build something better, we have to do it together.
That’s why I’m putting together a small gathering of people who want to talk about Greensboro’s future.
Nothing fancy.
No podium.
No political speeches.
No rubber chicken dinner at $500 a plate!
Hell, I can’t even raise twenty-five dollars!
I’m not ready for rubber chicken!
Just people sitting around a table, sharing ideas, talking about what matters, and figuring out what we might accomplish together.
And I’m going to do something that politicians aren’t particularly famous for doing.
I’m going to listen.
Because here’s what I’ve learned after months of talking to strangers.
When you genuinely listen to somebody, something changes.
They stop being a stranger.
They become a person you know.
And sometimes, they become a friend.
And sometimes, if you’re lucky, they become somebody who wants to help build something with you.
And that, my friends, is how movements begin.
Not with a fundraising video.
Not with a slick advertising campaign.
Not with a millionaire writing a giant check.
But with a conversation.
One person talking to another.
One person saying, “I care about this.”
And another person saying, “So do I.”
And then somebody asks the most important question of all.
“What can WE do about it?”
That’s the moment everything changes.
Because suddenly it’s not MY project anymore.
It’s OUR project.
And that’s what I want Greensboro Reimagined to become.
A community of people who believe that the future of this city is something we can create together.
So here’s my new fundraising strategy.
I’m going to keep meeting people.
I’m going to keep asking questions.
I’m going to keep listening.
And I’m going to start inviting people to participate.
Will I eventually ask for money?
Of course!
I’m running for mayor, not operating a monastery!
But first, I want to build something worth supporting.
And if we do that right, maybe one day I’ll make a fundraising video and somebody will actually send me twenty-five bucks!
Until then, I’m going to keep doing what I’ve discovered makes me happiest.
Talking to strangers.
Making friends.
And trying to turn spectators into citizens.
Because the future of Greensboro doesn’t belong to one candidate.
It belongs to the people who show up.
And that’s where it all begins.
But first, we show up.
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