+ What's the deal with your Fellowship/Masters program?

The Master of Arts in Public Leadership program at University of San Francisco is specifically tailored for high-potential emerging leaders among the military and veterans community to accelerate their pursuit of a "second service" in civic and political leadership. This hybrid online/in-person seminar program provides students with a more flexible and practical curriculum which allows them to complete their masters degree in an accelerated (one year) or full-time (two years) track based on their needs with two intakes per year (Fall and Spring).

To request more information about our MA in Public Leadership, please visit the program webpage or contact us.

+ When is your next workshop? How do I participate in one?

Based on demand from our constituents, our current roster of upcoming workshops is focused on political leadership and campaigns. We host our signature Introductory Campaign Training Workshops in Washington, D.C. over a Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. On those same weekends, we invite current candidates, campaign staff, and advocates, intro workshop alumni, and others who are interested in focusing in a specific subject to participate in advanced track training on topics such as fundraising, communications, grassroots organizing, campaign leadership, and advocacy-specific topics. Essentially, the single-topic advanced track training is an opportunity to meet with one or more of our instructors at length for a deeper dive into a topic of your choosing. You can read more about these workshops and future opportunities under the workshops tab of our website.

Please contact us if you would like to organize a workshop in your city!!

You can also sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the website's homepage to be notified when future civic leadership, community leadership, and civic engagement workshops are announced.

+ I’ve thought about running for office, but I have little to no political experience. Will your workshops be appropriate for me?

Absolutely. Veterans Campaign’s introductory workshops are designed to train participants regardless of past experience. Instructors will cover general topics that apply to all levels of campaigning, from the local school board to federal office.

+ What makes Veterans Campaign's political leadership workshops different from other campaign training programs?

Veterans Campaign is designed to complement other training programs, not replace them. Distinctive elements include:

1. Workshop & mentorship methodology designed to translate your military experiences and service ethos to the civic and political arena, not how to start from scratch at the lowest rung on the political ladder.
2. Curriculum designed specifically for military veterans, including best practices and trends among other veteran candidates, effectively presenting your military background, engaging and mobilizing your local military and veteran community, legal issues that uniquely pertain to veterans, and "bulletproofing your service record" against attacks and mischaracterizations.
3. Non-partisan instruction with bi-partisan perspectives - many campaign training programs are specific to a particular party or ideology. Our instructors come from across the political spectrum and have a demonstrated a strong familiarity with coaching emerging veteran leaders. Indeed, many of them teach in our programs specifically because there is no partisan agenda and they prefer working with service-minded, action-oriented aspiring leaders.
4. Ongoing instruction and mentorship - we encourage and indeed expect workshop alumni to stay in touch with our staff and instructors to build on and apply lessons learned in our programs.
5. Community and networking - for many participants, especially those still on Active Duty, our programs are their first step into the civic and political realm. We are thoroughly familiar with the resistance (and unfortunately sometimes outright hostility) that veterans and transitioning service members can face for doing so from within the military community and from incumbent political players disinterested in welcoming outsiders. Our programs are an opportunity for you to explore your aspirations with like-minded servant leaders and work with civic and political leadership who appreciate the potential veterans and transitioning service members to contribute at a high level once they get familiarized with a new domain.

Additionally, past participants and instructors often report our workshops to be a bit more intensive and technical than other introductory trainings, at the expense of training time devoted to goal setting and personal development, party or ideological doctrine, or time devoted to vendors and interest groups. We can discuss those topics individually if you would like, but our intent is to maximize your opportunities to learn and apply the domain knowledge and develop your skill set in the limited time available.

We strongly encourage participants to gain additional expertise and broaden their network with other campaign training programs. We would be happy to recommend other party, ideology, and demographic/affinity group-specific training programs upon request.

+ I am a veteran running for office. Can Veterans Campaign support my campaign?

Veterans Campaign is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is strictly non-partisan and non-ideological. We are best thought of as an educational organization: we teach veterans and transitioning service members about civic and political leadership, but do not promote specific policies or endorse political candidates. However among other things we do seek to be a personal educational resource for veterans and their supporters who may be running for office or advocating for policies they are passionate about. Please consider attending a workshop, attending a lecture, and learning from the materials available on our website.

+ Can I volunteer to help Veterans Campaign?

Absolutely. Veterans Campaign depends on volunteers and pro bono work. Whether your skills are in mentoring or coaching aspiring veteran leaders, specific expertise in campaigning or civic leadership, assisting in convening our community, promoting our mission and organization, accounting, public relations, or simply elbow grease, Veterans Campaign can use your skills and enthusiasm to help foster the "next Greatest Generation" of America's leaders.

If you are interested in more information on how you can help, please email info@veteranscampaign.org

+ Is Veterans Campaign liberal or conservative?

Neither. Veterans Campaign trains veterans of all political and ideological stripes. Our speakers and trainers come from across the political spectrum and act in a non-partisan capacity.

+ Does Veterans Campaign engage in lobbying of any kind?

No, Veterans Campaign is non-ideological and exists solely for educational and civic participation purposes.

+ Is Veterans Campaign a non-profit organization?

Yes. Veterans Campaign has been granted tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service. All donations are tax deductible. Our EIN is 27-0226287 and our CFC code is 58763.

+ I’m still serving in the Armed Forces or am a military retiree. Can I participate in your programming?

Yes, attending our workshops in a personal capacity and civilian attire is an educational and professional development opportunity, not partisan political activity. In fact, one of the topics we cover our curriculum is what you need to know about Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, which governs partisan political activity by service members and retirees. Most of our staff and many instructors are currently serving Reservists and veterans ourselves--we take these regulations as well as our military and our organization's non-partisan nature very seriously. Any violation of these practices (such as promoting a partisan agenda within our community or politicizing military service) will preclude you from further participation in our programming.

+ I’ve never served in the military. Can I still attend a workshop?

Yes, we absolutely support other individuals and organizations similarly committed to public service. In particular, if you plan to work on a campaign or advocacy initiative alongside military veterans, we expect that you will find our workshops to be quite valuable. Given our mission, veterans, transitioning service members, and other members of the military community (spouses, dependents, Department of Defense civilians, affiliates from other government agencies, etc) receive priority. While Veterans Campaign’s workshops are tailored to students with a military background, we are honored to accept anyone committed to serving their country.

+ How can I get a copy of your guidebook for aspiring candidates?

The Candidate’s Field Manual is intended to be an accompaniment to our workshop curriculum. We understand many aspiring civic and political leaders may not be able to attend a workshop and we still want to make this resource available to them. While we are currently building an online training platform to make the Field Manual's curriculum available digitally, the preview of the Field Manual is accessible here. However, we hope you could understand that the Field Manual cannot substitute for the training we provide inside and outside of our workshops, fellowship program, and formal mentoring process. We would like to further assist you with mentorship and more in-depth instructions and guide you to your success in civic and political services. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at info@veteranscampaign.org.

+ What research does Veterans Campaign do? What veterans are currently in elected office or are currently running for office? How can I find more information about veterans in civic and political leadership?

Our research page is currently under construction, but you are welcome to email us for more information on veteran and military family involvement in civic and political leadership in the United States. Our research index includes general information on trends in public service in the United States, on civic and political interest among veterans and military families, on the pathway to civic and political leadership for aspiring and emerging changemakers, and lessons learned by members of our community in their own pursuit of a 'second service'.

We are most frequently asked about veterans and military affiliates in political campaigns and elected office. We are in the process of tracking all the veterans and military affiliates running for U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and state leadership roles in 2018 and are hoping to roll out a public database with a corresponding data visualization tool displaying this research in the summer of 2018. Additionally, we have compiled information on veterans and military affiliates who have run for national and state-level office since 2010, we have some additional information on veterans in Congressional campaigns going back to the early 2000s, and there are several longitudinal studies on these topics back to the mid-20th century.

We are not a think tank or research organization with a dedicated research staff, but understanding the nature of civic and political leadership in the United States--and the role of the veterans and military family community within that context--is critical to our mission. It's also a 'labor of love' for our staff and supporters, so we encourage you to contact us if you are working on these topics, if you would be interested in collaborating on our research efforts, or if you have questions!