Interview: Zev Shapiro
At just nine years old, he convinced his Massachusetts public school to put up a healthy salad bar because his classmates complained about unhealthy food. A couple years later, he would be invited to the State of the Union on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s request. At just 17, he founded TurnUp, attended Harvard, and would start his long journey into activism.
Meet Zev Shapiro, the founder and executive director of TurnUP, recent Harvard graduate, and a social entrepreneur, who, through his organization of tens of thousands, has reached millions of people. Getting immersed in politics at an early age, his activism organization works to register young voters directly through grassroots mobilization.
Our interview with him is below.
Who is your current favorite social advocate or leader?
I wouldn't say I have a favorite social advocate or leader. But I'll tell you that within my own activity having to do with TurnUp, I was inspired by the Parkland tragedy and the leaders who came out of that, the whole group of students. That led me to see so many of my friends get involved civically for the first time in 2018 and 2019. Those individuals were part of what inspired me to start TurnUp. I think what they did was really amazing to galvanize such a significant movement of young people that hopefully we're helping to continue in their activities.
Who has inspired you on your activism journey? How have they contributed to the leader you became today?
I would say the same thing; I don't think there's any one person or one clear event. There are many people that I've worked with and people who've inspired me. When I first got involved in politics, I worked with Elizabeth Warren. I was inspired by her and her interest in increasing opportunities for people in the middle class and people who are facing challenges. Especially for those who are poor or are not working. She really cared about lifting everybody up in order to improve our society, and that was something that resonated with me. She inspired me in my initial political activism. But even before that, I was influenced by growing up in a civically engaged community and also a public school where people cared a lot about activism, particularly thinking historically of the civil rights movement in their teaching.
What is one piece of advice or motto you live by?
I don't think I live by any specific motto, actually. But certainly, there are many pieces of advice that have worked for me. The number one would be the importance of perseverance when you're involved in any activism or civic engagement-related effort. Persevering in what you're doing is important because there are a lot of times in which you'll have a reasonable idea or objective, but it will be hard to move it forward. It requires that you actually persevere in the face of obstacles and in the face of people who think that something is not a good idea or isn't going to work.
TurnUP was originally named TurnOut. Why did you change the name?
When we were starting out, it didn't seem like a good idea to use the name TurnOut because if the app became successful, another entity could have said, "Oh, this is too similar to what we're doing." I'm not a patent or trademark lawyer, so I can't speak to the legalities, but we thought it would be better to use a different name for the app so it wouldn't be worth dealing with trademark conflicts in the future. So, we ended up using the name TurnUp, which we then trademarked. However, we kept "TurnOut Activism" as our official corporation name because it's very complicated to change it and would confuse people regarding existing funding agreements. TurnUp is essentially our DBA. If somebody writes us a check, they still name it to our corporation name, TurnOut Activism Inc.
During your time as a civic leader, it is probable that you have made a mistake that you have looked back to and learned from. Can you highlight one moment when you hit a setback and move forward despite it?
Good question. I mean, certainly I made many mistakes. There are many that are more significant than others, but when you're talking about a setback, I would say that the biggest setback that I faced was that when we were starting out, it was very challenging to raise money for what we were doing, which was at that point, we were just working on developing the TurnUp app. That was really our project. And so, we sent out the proposal to somebody, I was having some success raising money, but not a lot, and needed more just to be able to get things done. We just had to find the right people to get the job done.
You volunteered for politicians like Elizabeth Warren, and then were invited to the State of the Union on her request. How’d you do it?
Well, that's all true. I'm thinking about how at a young age, I think the biggest thing that I found to be the case was that it was important to show up. In every opportunity that I was engaged in, it was mostly because I was in the right place or I had done some type of outreach in the right way. Particularly with the campaign for the school committee that you mentioned, that opportunity existed because that was somebody that I had worked with, and so that led to the opportunity to then work on the campaign. But I had to have worked on the Warren campaign and the Markey campaign as well to have gotten that opportunity. So I would say that that was sort of the second part. Earlier on, how I was able to do it was more about thinking about the idea that I had and then believing that I, in fact, could make a difference, and then with that belief, translating to action. With the Warren campaign, I sent an email out in order to reach out to get involved in the campaign and join their volunteer link.
What exactly does your work at TurnUP consist of? What does a day to day look like?
My day-to-day generally falls into three main areas. In the fall and spring, this involves coordinating with those who are doing our on-campus registration activities through our fellowship program at community colleges and high schools. It also includes corresponding with donors via email and text, composing messages, and reaching out to guidance counselors and teachers to market our programs. I have certain times where I need to compose planned correspondence and literature, like our prospectus, our action plan for fundraising materials, paid activity plans for various states, or updating promotional material like our website. And finally, it involves self-focused activities based on feedback to advance our vision. For example, cultivating and identifying new donors, improving our internship program processes, or supervising updates to the TurnUp app. On any given day, it could be a little bit of each one, or if it's a slower day on correspondence, it could be a whole day focused entirely on a project.
Long before TurnUp, you successfully petitioned for a healthy salad bar at your Cambridge public school at just 9 years old. And at 11, you campaigned for Joyce Gerber for your school’s committee elections. Looking back, what did that civic victory teach you about local government that civics classes don't cover?
At a young age, the biggest thing that I found to be the case was that it was important to show up. In every opportunity that I was engaged in, it was mostly because I was in the right place or I had done some type of outreach in the right way. With the salad bar, I realized that there was a problem where not everybody had equal access to healthy food, and people were complaining frequently about the school lunch. I wanted to make a difference, which is why I created a petition. That whole activity was possible because I was supported by my parents, and my teachers believed that I could think of a solution. Originally, I thought of a solution that didn't make sense, but based on advice, I realized I had to focus on smaller problems and smaller solutions. I originally wanted something different than a salad bar, but that was a solution that came after I talked with others—particularly my mom. Earlier on, being able to do it was more about thinking about the idea that I had, believing that I could make a difference, and then translating that belief into action.
Interested in connecting with Zev and TurnUP?
Check them out on their website: https://www.turnup.us/about-us
