Crowdpac’s Guide to Unrigged 2019
Heading to Unrigged? Here’s our top five tips for the weekend.
We love Nashville. And we love Jennifer Lawrence and Ed Helms. And we really love democracy. So of course we’re excited to join an inspiring group of activists in Music City for this year’s Unrigged Summit.
What is Unrig? It’s a conference by Represent.Us to bring members of the democracy reform movement together to unrig our broken political system. It packs more than 140 inspiring speakers and trainers, interesting sessions, live music, stand-up comedy, and more into just three days.
Since last year’s Summit, participants have won four state laws or constitutional amendments to end gerrymandering (in MI, UT, CO, MO), restored the vote to 1.4 million citizens in Florida, and led the largest wave of democracy reform victories since Watergate. Our mission is to put the power of democracy back in the hands of the people, so we’re honored to be part of what’s next for this movement.
We’re sharing some advice on what to expect and how to get the most out of your time at Unrigged 2019. Check out our top five tips — as told by Unrigged hosts J. Law & Ed.*
*E. Helms..? Andy..? Help..?
1. Come ready to eat.
Yes, J. Law, there is food. If there was one takeaway from our company retreat to Nashville earlier this year, it’s that Nashville does not mess around when it comes to food. From biscuits & gravy to BBQ to fried everything (pickles, sweet potatoes, catfish, the classic Nashville Hot Chicken, the list goes on…), there’s a lot to put on your bucket list.
If you loved the Southern fare during last year’s Unrigged in New Orleans as much as we did, prepare yourself. We’re ready for another food coma. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Hattie B’s: You cannot go to Nashville and not have Nashville Hot Chicken. It is law. Hattie B’s serves four levels of hot chicken as well as a great peach cobbler and banana pudding. You can’t get more Nashville than that.
- Arnold’s Country Kitchen: Just a few blocks from the conference, Arnold’s serves one of the best meat and threes in Nashville and has been open for over 40 years. For those who may be uninitiated to the culture of meat and three, you choose a meat dish (like fried chicken), accompanied by three mouthwatering sides. Don’t forget the sweet tea.
- Biscuit Love: Our first stop upon arriving in Nashville this morning for breakfast. As expected, you should get the biscuits — southern food at its best.
- Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant: With its live music and good ole southern food, Puckett’s was a favorite for us and would be a great spot to grab dinner.
- Butcher & Bee: Should you decide to venture into East Nashville, B&B is a quick Lyft ride away and a great spot for brunch. Their menu is very accommodating for folks with dietary restrictions.
Update: We’ve recently been informed that Saturday is National Hot Chicken Day. Don’t miss it. h/t Chrissy Teigen
2. Decisions, decisions…make your itinerary!
So you’ve landed in Nashville and you’ve hopefully had your first taste of Southern food. You’re pumped up from the opening plenary. Now it’s time to make a plan for Unrigged.
There are three tracks, each with dozens of trainings, roundtables, panels, and masterclasses to help you build your skills, learn the issues, and connect with your peers. There are tons of sessions to choose from, so start making a plan now to make your attendance as beneficial as possible for you and your team. You can head over to the Unrigged Schedule to get started.
We know — it can be hard to choose! We’re here to help.
First, we have to mention our session on Saturday. We’ll give you the tools you need to power your movement with crowdfunding. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it.
Grassroots Fundraising 101
4:30–5:30 pm; Room 202 C
To win any campaign, you need the funds to make it happen. Not sure where to start? Come learn the best practices for launching a fundraising campaign — from goal-setting to identifying prospective donors to making your pitch. You’ll leave empowered to take grassroots fundraising head on.
Here are a few standout sessions we’ve starred in case they interest you, too:
Friday
Spark Stage
2:15–3:15 pm, 209 Charge & Recharge Lounge
Featuring TED-Style presentations from Erin Vilardi, CEO of VoteRunLead and many more!
How to Create a Social Media Strategy from Scratch
3:30–4:30 pm, 202 C
Rethink Media
One Conversation at a Time: Using Canvassing to Win Campaigns
4:45–5:45 pm, 202 AB
Jamie Lyons-Eddy, State Field Director, Voters Not Politicians
Saturday
Stepping Up to Lead: How to Build Volunteer Power for Your Cause
2:00–3:00 pm, Room 202 AB
Pavitra Abraham, Director of Live Training & Political Partnerships and Collyn Warner, Deputy Live Training Director, National Democratic Training Committee
Women Leading: Breaking Barriers to Equal Representation
3:15pm — 4:15 pm, Room 207
State Representative Ruth Buffalo (D-ND-27); Charly Carter, Founder of Step Up Maryland; Kerry Healey, President, Babson College & Former Massachusetts Lt. Governor; Andrea J. Serrano, Executive Director of OLÉ (Organizers in the Land of Enchantment)
Moderated by Cynthia Richie Terrell, Founder of RepresentWomen
How to Get Media Coverage
3:15pm — 4:15 pm, Room 202 AB
Jennifer Pae, Vice President, Trainings & Leadership Development at re:power
Sunday
How to Deliver a Message that Sticks
9:00–10:00 am, 202 C
Cathy McNally, Founder of Women Speak Up
How to Run for Office (Because you Should)
11:30–12:30 pm, 202 AB
Sarah Horvitz, Political Director, Run for Something
3. Don’t miss your chance to hang out with our awesome team!
Come check out our booth inside the Charge and Recharge Lounge to learn more about Crowdpac, our powerful fundraising tools, and meet our political team!
We’ll be debuting our QR codes at our booth to help you take your event fundraising to the next level…
Yeah, we think it’s pretty cool too.
4. Don’t leave your cowboy boots at home.
Nashville is known for country music — and you don’t have to go far from the conference center to find it. In fact, practically every bar downtown has live shows. If you don’t get your fix at Unrigged Live, there are plenty of places you can go!
Our team’s favorite spot? The Wild Horse Saloon for their line dancing lessons. Check out their schedule here.
5. Learn how to put power back in the hands of the people.
With over 2,000 attendees from across the country, an incredible lineup of speakers, and an amazing location like Nashville, there’s a ton to look forward to this weekend. But what we’re most looking forward to is putting our tools in the hands of the movers and shakers who are leading the democracy reform movement.
Whether its candidates running for office, activists holding elected officials accountable, and organizations raising funds for their causes, our platform is harnessing the power of crowdfunding to revolutionize the impact of small-dollar donors and break down barriers to political participation. At Unrigged, we’re hoping to learn about the issues and continue to find ways to put our democracy back in the hands of the people.
So that by the end of this weekend, we can all say:
We can’t wait to meet you!
Yeehaw,
Team Crowdpac
