In recent videos you’ve heard me say that voters will not be interested in you until they first know you care about them in your political campaign. The wrong you are going to right, the injustice you are going correct, the cause you are going to advance.

Last week I received an email from someone asking how to find worthy causes to promote in their campaign.

Start by reading newspapers. Newspapers cover pain. They cover tragedies. They cover unmet needs. Every day they are filled with stories about a problem that needs to be fixed.

Read your papers for a week. You’ll find plenty of problems in search of a solution that can be used in your political campaign.

Drive around your community and note what you see. Are there pockets of poverty? Blighted neighborhoods? Traffic bottlenecks? Filthy parks. Empty storefronts. Troubled Schools?

Talk with people who lead non-profit, volunteer organizations. United Way. The Chamber of Commerce. Salvation Army. Habitat for Humanity. Visit ministers. They are often the first ones to know about a social ill.

A few years ago I heard about an African American family that had purchased a house in a white neighborhood. Word that they were moving into the neighborhood got around, and a few skin headed losers decided to leave a welcome present. They ransacked the house. Destroyed the sinks in the bathrooms. Poured acid on the floors. Knocked holes in the living room walls.

I called a friend and we set a plan into motion. He called contractors and talked them into donating new sheet rock, paint, new sinks and plumbing fixtures.

We called a local construction workers union and organized a crew of workers to clean up the mess, repair the walls, and restore the house to its original condition. When the house was finished, it looked brand new.

We then organized a press conference, invited the family, the contractors, construction crews, and had a ribbon cutting as the family walked into their remodeled home with brand new paint, fixtures, and furniture.

My friend and colleague who helped put the plan together was soon thereafter elected to the highest office in the County. What he did demonstrated compassion, empathy, and a steely determination to right a wrong. And the family got a brand new home. It was a win-win for the family, community and my colleague’s political campaign.

Look around. There will always be plenty of causes to advance, wrongs to right, injustices to correct. It is of this that good political campaigns are started, worthy causes advanced and passionate people elected to office.

If you want to know more about how to construct a compelling message sign up for my free 4 part video series on how to do that.