How Your Money and Voice Drive Change: A Community Organizer's Perspective with Beth Sanchez

Changing our society doesn't require holding office or having a title. Beth Sanchez is proof it doesn't. In this episode — the final part of our three-part series Money, Power, and Policy: How Your Voice and Your Dollar Shape Government — Ysenia sits down with Beth Sanchez, founder of Sanchez Law and Community by Sanchez, to talk about giving, organizing, and advocating as a private citizen. Beth never set out to run a law firm or a nonprofit. Life happened and she kept moving forward. In 2022, her firm won a large settlement and she asked the team — what do we do with the money? That led to a backpack giveaway in her office parking lot. Four years later that giveaway has turned into a full blown nonprofit with a 1,200-backpack giveaway event with a drumline, community partners, and a $30,000 budget. In this episode: How a parking lot backpack giveaway became a full nonprofit What it actually costs to file and run a nonprofit, and which professionals you need The real budget behind a 1,200-backpack event Why she built her event as a fiesta and what the power of choice means to the families who come How she decides which political candidates to give to, and why she does it publicly What to do if you want to give but have no idea where to start or how much is normal Why sharing information can matter as much as writing a check How insurance lobbyists shape the laws that affect injured people This is Part 3 of 3 in our Money, Power, and Policy series: Part 1 — A lobbyist's perspective Part 2 — An elected official's perspective About Beth Sanchez Bethbiriah "Beth" Sanchez is a native Austinite and the founder of Sanchez Law, a minority and woman-owned personal injury firm she started in 2019. The daughter of an immigrant and the first in her family to attend college and law school, she is committed to guiding the Spanish-speaking community in their own language — tu caso en tu idioma. Beth is also the founder of Community by Sanchez, which hosts an annual back to school fiesta providing backpacks and school supplies to Central Texas families. In 2023 she launched the #ClearTheList with 512Abogada campaign, personally funding classroom supply wish lists for Texas educators. She earned her Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of Texas Pro Bono College. Follow Beth: 🌐 https://sanchezlawtx.com/attorneys ❤️ https://communitybysanchez.org/ 📱   / communitybysanchez   📱   / 512abogada   📱   / sanchezlawtx   💼   / bethbiriah-sanchez-b0b585a6