Suzy Wang (’13)
These views are completely my own and do not reflect the views of my employers.
Ever since I can remember, my parents have told me that it’s impolite to ask for money. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s the third cardinal rule of my family—right behind getting straight A’s and respecting my elders.
For those who know me, you know that I’m a fiercely competitive person. So, when the campaign headquarters announced that there would be a 48-hour fundraising competition, I jumped right on board. As my coworkers were intently listening to our bosses review the guidelines and give helpful tips, I was drafting individualized emails to my friends, family, professors, neighbors, and my entire cell phone contacts list. These interns don’t know who they’re dealing with, I thought as I composed my emails. I’ve got this in the bag.
Wrong.
Things went smoothly for about the first 6 hours. When the first update came in, I was in first place by a landslide. I was feeling particularly confident after receiving a few contributions, and attributed my success to the witty comments about tenacity I had slipped into my emails. It wasn’t soon after that I realized I had vastly underestimated my competition. The second update came roughly 4 hours later, and the results were devastating. Two people had caught up to me and one was beating me. I was mortified. It was obvious that I needed to step it up—if not for my own reputation, for the President of the United States.
The next 38 hours were the most stressful, incapacitating, and intense hours of my life. Time was of the essence, and I gave up any routine activity I considered excessive. (This included eating, sleeping, socializing—basically anything that makes someone human.) I made inroads with the different departments and formed coalitions against my top competitor. I scoured my phone book and social networks for willing donors. I called acquaintances I hadn’t spoken to in years and asked them to aid me in my quest to bury my competition by “contributing just $3!”
Luckily, my hard work paid off. By the end of the 48-hour cycle, I had raised a total of $3,105, and shared the title of “Highest Amount Raised” with one other intern. Though the result was rewarding, the process was what made the experience. Throughout this two day contest, I saw my office come together in a way that I’ve never seen groups of people come together before. Even though each of us was determined to come out on top, we acknowledged that we were working towards a common goal and helped out as best we could (even by giving each other courtesy donations). At every obstacle, I felt myself being fueled by something other than competitive drive; an intangible influence I’ve embraced from the moment I started at headquarters.
Fundraising for President Obama’s reelection campaign reminded me that I am here because I believe in this leader’s vision for our country and trust that he will make the right decisions in carrying out that vision. My contributors didn’t give money to my cause to see me win an office competition; they donated their resources because they, too, believe in the President’s message. And for that, I am more grateful than for anything else.