The Project Ready x Ignite Fellowship program is a leadership program for Black women interested in running for public office or serving on a campaign team. The four-session training program prepares candidates and their staff to run a successful campaign and gives them the tools to win. The sessions will focus on building the core skills needed to run a campaign, including fundraising, public speaking, financial management, policy analysis, campaign management, organizing, team building, branding, marketing, and more.
Our Target
We are seeking five black women located in Newark, NJ ages 18-65, who have exemplified a passion in running for office with areas of interest in education, health equity, and democracy.
Session 1, March 4-5 (in person): Run Now training. Fellows learn every aspect of running a campaign, including articulating your personal call to service, fundraising, voter contact, endorsements, staffing, and resource allocation. (2 full days)
Session 2, March 16-17th (virtual): Campaign Staffer Bootcamp focuses on understanding the campaign staffer roles and responsibilities and how to secure jobs in this area. (6 hours total)
Session 3: Media Training (virtual mini sessions)
1.) Launching your digital campaign (March 29th): The session will teach participants the basics of branding their campaigns and communicating their message. They will also learn how to set up their social media presence and websites, as well as how to decide where and how often they want to communicate. (2 hours)
2. Communicating for Campaign Success (April 5th): Participants will learn how to use their digital tools (discussed in Session 1) to get their message to more people and learn best practices for fundraising. They will get an introduction into digital ads and other key marketing strategies for an effective campaign. (2 hours)
3. Media training (April TBD): Participants will learn tips and tricks for giving interviews, connecting with journalists and navigating the media landscape as candidates. (2 hours)
The application deadline is February 28, 2023. This fellowship is tuition free. All costs will be covered by Project Ready, the sponsoring organization. Spaces are limited.
About Project Ready
Project Ready works to close the opportunity gaps and improve life outcomes by powering communities to demand social justice through civic engagement. The organization grows the base of voters and substantially increases voter turnout while also reshaping policies that disenfranchise vulnerable communities. Visit https://www.projectreadynj.org/
About IGNITE
IGNITE is a movement of young women ready and eager to become the next generation of political leaders. They offer civic education, exposure to elected women, hands-on training and work opportunities, and a peer network of women who support each other’s aspirations. IGNITE is a national, non-partisan 501c3. In 2022-2023, IGNITE is training and mobilizing thousands of young women across the country. https://ignitenational.org/
