Volunteer Spotlight: Sal Davis, Discord Founding Member

At GoodParty.org, we rely on our growing community of volunteers to strengthen the democracy reform movement and help us support independent candidates across the country. Today we’re spotlighting one remote volunteer who has made a big splash in GoodParty.org’s Discord server. Sal Davis is an independent from Atlanta, Georgia who has volunteered in various capacities to support our mission of making people matter more than money in our democracy.

As a founding member of GoodParty.org’s Discord server, Davis was one of the first people to join our online community on Discord. She initially came across the server on Instagram and felt intrigued by the concept of a non-partisan space for political discussion — but what she found once she joined was quite different from what she had expected. She had anticipated entering a space filled with political tension and debating, but instead found the GoodParty.org server to be incredibly positive and hopeful.

“It was a very mature and chill environment, and that was not anything I had ever experienced before,” Davis said.

Growing up, Davis lived in a “house divided” politically, one where serious political discussion rarely happened. With one parent leaning Democratic and the other Republican, Davis and her four siblings were rarely encouraged to discuss their political views.

“Any time politics did get brought up, it would get very tense all of a sudden, so I grew up in an environment where we did not talk about politics,” Davis said.

A general air of cynicism combined with this lack of experience discussing politics to set Davis up for a surprise upon meeting a positive political community. As is the case for many Americans, Davis lost faith early in the political system.

“Before joining GoodParty.org, I felt like there was nothing we could really do about politics,” Davis said. “When I was younger, I was definitely more of a person that volunteered and got involved and tried to make changes and change people’s minds about things, but I got shut down all the time, and I gave up on believing that I could make any change. That got reinforced by literally everything I was consuming, either through social media, media in general, or just the environment I was in. Joining GoodParty.org was a last-ditch effort, of being like, ‘Maybe this will be different.’”

After getting acquainted with the server and GoodParty.org’s mission, Davis began to feel more hopeful about her ability to make a difference. Through GoodParty.org, she’s had the chance to connect with like-minded individuals from across the United States, to have meaningful discussions about government and politics, and to make an impact, both by participating in volunteer challenges and coming up with her own innovative ways to create change.

Some of Davis’ main volunteer actions so far have been participating in GoodParty.org’s Meme Team and Boost Brigade challenges, as well as helping Kieryn McCann, a GoodParty.org Certified candidate running in McPherson, Kansas, prepare in real time for a candidate forum. Davis has also been enthusiastic in spreading the word about GoodParty.org’s mission in her local community.

One of the things she said she appreciates about GoodParty.org is how easy it is to volunteer. People don’t have to have technical skills or previous experience to become part of the movement and support independent candidates — and even a small action can go far through a ripple effect.

“I think it is really easy for a lot of people to feel that sense of hopelessness, like there’s nothing we can really do,” Davis said. “GoodParty.org has created a really great nesting place or breeding ground for good thoughts and fostering the overall mindset they’re promoting. I think the space they’re creating will do a lot of good, because I think a lot of people probably have really similar mindsets like I do. Just getting that little affirmation that there are people who are still trying and who think we can make a difference, sometimes that’s all people need to be like, ‘Oh, we absolutely can do this.’”

Overall, Davis said she’s grateful for the hopeful atmosphere that GoodParty.org provides.

“It’s a very positive place, and everyone is so encouraging of each other. I feel like with so much toxicity that’s shoved down everyone’s throats all the time, it’s a nice change of pace,” she said.

We’re grateful for Davis and all the energy and commitment she’s brought to our community. To her and the rest of our volunteers, thank you! If you want to join Davis and hundreds of other independents on the GoodParty.org Discord, we have space for you! Join today, and get access to remote and in-person volunteer opportunities, ranging from meme creation to phone banking to canvassing in your local community.