Saru Jayaraman, long-time activist and leader of One Fair Wage, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the historical origins of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers in the US and the power of that community to drive higher wages. The movement has now expanded beyond tipped workers to a broader coalition fighting for a living wage for all. Saru emphasizes that any political platform that focuses on affordability must also include raising wages to be effective.

Deepak and Saru talk about:

• Organizing restaurant workers dating back to the response to 9/11
• How COVID empowered restaurant workers to demand higher wages
• The composition of the workforce most impacted by low minimum wages
• Why addressing affordability requires policies that drive living wages in more states

#TheDemLabs #OneFairWage #FairWage #LivingWage #RestaurantWorkers #LaborRights #EconomicJustice #Affordability #WorkersRights #TippingCulture #SocialJustice #OrganizingMatters #DigitalPolitics

OneFairWage.org

TheDemLabs.org

Javan Van Gronigen, Founder of Donately considers 2025 as a year of testing the water for peer-to-peer and crowdfunding for political and advocacy campaigns. AI is enabling organizations to create and deploy fundraising content more quickly and target specific audiences. Increasingly, digital tools are showing effectiveness for all donor levels, whether turning a small-dollar donor into a recurring one or engaging a major supporter.

We talk about

• Digital outreach to mobile-first donors
• Common mistakes on donation pages, including overly complicated forms
• Value of fundraising appeals tied to rapid response to current events
• Need to create compelling stories about real people to motivate donors

#Donately #DigitalStrategy #OnlineGiving #NonprofitMarketing #DataDrivenNonprofits #DigitalFundraising #NonprofitTech #DonorEngagement #AIForGood #MobileFirstFundraising #AdvocacyTech #SocialImpactTech #StorytellingForChange

Donately.com

John Fitch, The Fitch Law Firm, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the importance of victims reporting sexual abuse not only for their own justice but to break the cycle and prevent perpetrators from harming others. John warns that delayed reporting can lead to the loss of essential physical evidence, making the case harder to pursue.

Deepak and John talk about:

• The staggering widespread prevalence of sexual abuse in small towns to big metropolitan cities
• Behavior of sexual predators
• Lifelong trauma victims endure
• Challenges victims face in seeking justice

#TheDemLabs #FitchLawFirm #SexAbuse #Lawyer #Ohio #NewYork #SexualAbuseSurvivors #Justice #LegalAdvocacy #BreakTheSilence #ChildProtection #LegalRights #SexualAbuseAwareness #LegalSupport #EpsteinFiles

JohnFitch.com

TheDemLabs.org