When looking at the political and social divide in the United States, one can feel a little hopeless. There is a huge divide, which according to Kamy Akhavan, leader of the Center for the Political Future, states is the most deepest it has ever been.

But what does this mean for nonprofit organizations?

Well, the concern here could be the following:

1. What types of social movements should you advocate for on social media?
2. Will you lose funders if you take a certain position?
3. Should you reach out to funding sources and influencers who are only in your bubble?

What We Discuss:

• About the Center for Political Futures
• The Political Divide for Nonprofits
• How to Bridge the Polarizing Divide 
• Looking at Internal Bias from External Factors
• Partisan Division Based on the Removal of the Public Space
• How we Can Disagree and Be Alright
• How to Communicate with Neutral Language
• Communicating with Love
• Listening to the Other Side can be the Way Forward
• Advocating with Education
• How to Know When Your Nonprofit Should Speak Up
• When to Advocate on Social Media
• Your Nonprofit Should Include Those that Think Outside Your Bubble

About Kamy Akhavan

Kamy Akhavan, former CEO of ProCon.org, the nation’s leading source of nonpartisan research on controversial issues, now leads the Center for the Political Future (CPF) at the University of Southern California. As the Executive Director, Kamy oversees the operations of all Center components including the Unruh Institute of Politics, the Fellows Program, the USC Dornsife Poll, and community and global engagement.

Kamy writes and speaks on numerous topics including the origins of and solutions to political polarization, improving interpersonal communication, the awesome power of debate, nonprofit leadership, digital marketing, civics education, and how to teach controversial issues. In addition to those topics, Kamy is a moderator, panelist, and keynote speaker on elections and current political events, as well as hot topics from marijuana legalization to gun control and from the death penalty to physician-assisted suicide.

With more than 20 years of experience in bridging divides at national levels, Kamy’s work has served more than 200 million people, including students at more than 12,000 schools in all 50 states and 100 countries. He has been published and interviewed in textbooks, magazines, television, radio, newspapers, and websites including Reuters, Associated Press, Fox News, ABC, Washington Post, NPR, CNN, and CBS.

Kamy teaches three USC classes:

• Dornsife Toolkit MDA 300x class “Doing Good: How to Start and Run a Successful Nonprofit Organization.” 
• Website: USC Career Launchpad
• USC Career Launchpad class “People Skills for a Polarized World”
• USC SkillUp class “People Skills for the Modern Workplace”