Project Ready Seeks Applicants for Leadership Program to Train Black Women to Run for Public Office

Newark-based nonprofit Project Ready is seeking applicants from Newark for a leadership program to train Black women to run for public office or to serve on a campaign team.

“Representation matters, and the first step in making sure Black women are represented in government is to give them the training and tools to run,” said Shennell McCloud, CEO of Project Ready. “We are thrilled to partner with IGNITE to help train the next generation of Black women leaders.”

The Project Ready x Ignite Fellowship program is seeking five black women living in Newark, New Jersey ages 18-65, who have exemplified a passion in running for office with areas of interest in education, health equity, and democracy.

“Wanting to run for office is important, but feeling confident as you declare your ambition to represent your community in an elected position is paramount,” said Jacelyn Matthews, Northeast Program Director at IGNITE national. “In this training you will learn every aspect of running a campaign – articulating your personal call to service, fundraising, endorsements, building community with others in your cohort, and opportunities to meet with political professionals who will guide you with your bids. We are excited to partner with Project Ready on training women in Newark who are primed and ready to lead!”

The application deadline is February 28, 2023. To apply, visit https://forms.gle/8QCbtBurF7ASujtK6.

The five-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.

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/