Help Braver Network

Braver Angels members, we need you!

Braver Network is building a network of civil society organizations from across the political spectrum who support our mission of bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide. We know that the scale of the problem of polarization is such that one organization can’t change the country. But a movement can.

  • Read the Braver Network website to know how we describe the initiative to the public so you’re more confident spreading the word about it.
  • View the Braver Network Slideshow, which is intended to be used at the Info Sessions for new and prospective Braver Network organizations. The script that appears in the speaker notes section under each slide isn’t meant to be read aloud verbatim as much as to offer the presenter some background understanding on the Network and possible ways organizations might want to participate (knowing that each organization’s motivation for joining and preferred way of working within the Network will likely be different, based on their unique strengths and interests).
  • Share this very page with other members so they can help us grow the Braver Network program too.

 

Questions

  • Contact us: If you have questions or need additional support, please contact the Braver Network Team.

Do you have an existing relationship with an organization that you want to tell about Braver Network?

 If so, please do the following:

  • Let the organization know about Braver Network. Note: Don’t share this page itself with the organization, but feel free to copy and paste any of the “Key Resource Links” (below) that you think would be helpful to your organization.
  • Consult our Templates: This folder will store samples of email that Reps have used and that you might draw from (such as the “Cold Lead” Template for sending to someone at an organization who doesn’t necessarily know about Braver Angels).
  • Assuming there’s interest in joining the Network, ask the organization to submit the Braver Network Application. Note: You can also submit the form for the organization if you are, or if you become (see below) the Rep for this organization, and if the organization has asked you to do so on their behalf).
  • Optional: Submit New Lead Form to let us know that you are reaching out to this organization and inviting them to apply to join Braver Network, so that we can list you as the initial point of contact (aka “Rep”) for this organization.  

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Key Resource Links:
  • Braver Network: On the program web page, interested organizations can learn about the goals of the program, how they can become part of the network, and additional opportunities they can pursue once signed up, including a spot at our National Convention (Gettysburg, PA, July 2023).
  • Braver Network Info Session (Eventbrite): This Info Session is for organizations interested in joining, or new to the Network, to learn more about the program, pose questions to the team, and meet one another.
  • Braver Angels Workshops: On the Workshops web page, organizations can learn about both our Skills Training Workshops and our Experiential Workshops, which can be attended by any organization’s members.
  • Volunteer Training Programs: Since organizations can allocate complementary Braver Angels memberships to their members, they can tap some of their members (e.g., existing staff trainers) to attend Braver Angels’ signature training programs so that the organization can build its internal capacity to offer bridge-building activities to its members and to the communities it serves.
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Special Resources:

If the organization is an educational or political institution, the following links might be appropriate to share as well (again, share via cut and paste; not by sharing this page itself):

  • The College Debates and Discourse Program: Our signature program for colleges and universities is offered in partnership with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA).
  • Braver School Communities: Our program for high school and middle school communities engages students, parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members in our bridge-building efforts through presentations, workshops, discussions, one-to-one conversations, debates, and more.
  • Braver Politics: Our initiative fosters opportunities for elected officials, candidates, and their staffs to participate in Braver Angels programs with each other and with constituents, develop skills for communicating across difference, and build constructive relationships across partisan divides.
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Once an organization has joined the Network, we can help them build capacity to depolarize their organizations and communities. We do this by providing opportunities for organizations to engage key members of their teams to participate in leadership trainings, including training in organizing and delivering presentations, workshops, and other bridge-building and depolarization activities.

Would you like to be the contact person (or “Rep”) for other organizations that might come in to us as potential leads?

Reps are Braver Angels members who volunteer to maintain relationships with one or more Leads or organizations already in the Network—explaining to Leads the benefits of joining Braver Network, answering questions for Leads and organizations, and coordinating efforts with the Braver Network team. If you’re interested in volunteering as a Rep for other organizations, please do the following:

  • Read the Rep Role Description (for Braver Angels Members).
  • Submit the Rep Information Form to let us know about your interest and how you’d like to perform the role. The Braver Network team also will follow up with you to provide additional support and resources for engaging with organizations, including a link to our Rep Hub resource page.
  • Attend our next Rep Forum.

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Questions

  • Contact us: If you have questions or need additional support, please contact the Braver Network Team.
Is there an organization you’d like to suggest but would rather that someone other than yourself reach out to them about Braver Network? 
 
  • If so, please submit a New Lead Formand on the last question of the form, indicate that you’d rather not be the one to reach out to that organization.

 

Questions

  • Contact us: If you have questions or need additional support, please contact the Braver Network Team.
Apart from seeking Braver Angels members to serve as Reps (see above), the Braver Network Team is also seeking volunteers with skills in other areas, such as communications, marketing, writing, data entry, data management, as well as members who are qualified Ambassadors, Organizers, and Moderators.
 
  • Contact us to learn more about how to get involved.
Braver Angels Support