What’s this all about?
Annie’s List Campaign School is a unique program dedicated to politically empowering young people while helping elect progressive, pro-choice Democratic women in Texas. Each year, we train talented individuals just out of college at an intense week-long Campaign School, and then place them on the campaigns of Annie’s List endorsed women candidates for the last 3 months of the election.
 While on the campaign trail, participants receive a monthly stipend, free housing and paid travel expenses to and from the campaign. During their placement period, these trained staffers function as a full-time member of the campaign team – filling whatever role the campaign needs upon their arrival in early August. And after Election Day, Annie’s List helps to find them their next job in progressive politics.
These professionally trained staffers are an invaluable in-kind contribution to our women candidates who, at no cost to the campaign, help them reach their fundraising, communications, and/or voter contact goals. In other words, Annie’s List is changing the face of power in Texas by training the next generation of Democratic activists and electing more women to office at the same time.
What do they learn?
The program kicks off with an intense, week-long Campaign School in Austin (July 31st – August 6th). During the day, participants learn about all aspects of campaigns—voter targeting, field  organizing, fundraising, media strategy, and more— from the best political professionals in the business. At night, participants work in teams and apply their knowledge hands-on in a ‘real-world’ campaign simulation.
The day after Campaign School, the newly trained staffers are dispatched to targeted races around Texas. Because their training is comprehensive, they are able to step in and fill whatever role the campaign may have left to fill in early August: fundraising assistant, field operative, press secretary, volunteer coordinator, etc. And until Election Day, they get hands-on experience, reinforce their top-notch training and play an integral role in the campaign for a pro-choice Democratic woman.
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How do I apply?
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It’s competitive. Start by emailing, faxing or mailing your completed application (available at www.AnniesList.com), two letters of recommendation and a copy of your resume by the deadline. Finalists will be interviewed by phone shortly thereafter.
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How do I pay for all that training?
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You don’t. Annie’s List picks up the tab for training and pays for gas to Austin for Campaign School and the post-election debriefing. You will also receive a monthly stipend and free housing while on the campaign.
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What happens at Campaign School? |
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Think of it as extreme job training. It’s a mixture of lectures and discussions, combined with a simulated campaign where teams compete against each other to win. Campaign School is hardcore – say good bye to free time.
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How big are Campaign School classes? |
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Not big at all. Each student will have plenty of opportunity to get to know your colleagues and instructors.
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What’s it like to work on a campaign? |
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Campaigns are a chance to gain a lot of responsibility quickly and to meet others who share your progressive ideals. Campaigns are LONG hours and HARD work and campaigns are intense, fun and energizing. With the training and experience you gain in this program, you can launch a career in politics, non-profits, business, and more.
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What will I do on the campaign? |
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You will be part of the team, working full time with the staff and candidate. Depending on what the campaign needs when you arrive in August, your position could range from being a fund raiser, field operative, communications, volunteer coordinator and more. After spending a week working closely with you at the training, the Annie’s List staff will match your skill set with the appropriate campaign.
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When will I know if I’m accepted? And if I’m accepted, when will I go? |
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We’ll notify you in early summer if you’re accepted. Campaign School then runs from late July through early August. You’ll be sent out into the field to work on a campaign somewhere in Texas immediately after that, and work through Election Day.
The weekend after the election, you will return to Austin for a ‘Post-Election Retreat’ where you will debrief the Annie’s List staff about your experience. In addition, they will work with you to update and professionalize your resume and interviewing skills and bring in prospective employers to help you get your next job in progressive politics right away. It truly is a win-win for all involved. You get help launching an exciting career while helping Annie’s List change the face of power in Texas politics. |
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2006 class updates
JULY 17th
We are excited to introduce the first annual class of the Annie's List Campaign School program. These five young women and men were picked out of a competitive pool of applicants and they are an extremely impressive group. In just two weeks they will fly to Washington, D.C. for the intensive nine-day Campaign School and the beginning of a life changing experience.
 ANA GABILONDO graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in Political Science. Although she was born in the United States, she grew up on a ranch in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. When she moved to El Paso as a child, she spoke only Spanish and had the unique experience of being American citizen and an immigrant. For the past year, she has served as District Director for State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer. She chose to join the Annie’s List Campaign School to gain the best experience and training possible for a future in politics. |
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 ANNE BRADLEY recently graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Government and Psychology. Even though she grew up in the largely conservative town of Nacogdoches, she adopted a progressive viewpoint at an early age—debating a woman’s right to choose on an online bulletin board when she was a pre-teen. She became committed to the goal of electing more women to public office when she spent a semester studying foreign policy in Washington D.C. and realized how many positions of power were held by white men. |
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 RODERICA ROSS graduated in 2006 from Dillard University, a Historically Black University in New Orleans, Louisiana. At Dillard University she majored in Political Science with a concentration in Urban Studies and was president of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. She worked as an intern for Rock the Vote in New Orleans and has taken part in an Emily’s List Campaign Corps Mini Camp. After Hurricane Katrina forced her to evacuate to Houston for a semester, she dedicated herself to political activism in order to alleviate the social injustices that Katrina exposed. |
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 KELLY FINE is a lifelong resident of Travis County and is graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in Government. This summer she has been interning at Annie's List and has volunteered on number of political campaigns locally. She is also heavily involved with the University Democrats and Voices for Choice on campus. She applied for the training program because she wants to see more defenders of a woman's right to choose on the frontlines. |
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 TOMMY TYNES graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005 with a degree in Government and a minor in Philosophy. He is a first-generation American on his mother’s side, his mother is from Monterrey, Mexico, and is fluent in Spanish. Tommy has interned with State Representative Elliot Naishtat, volunteered on several Austin campaigns, and was the social director for the Beta Alpha Rho Pre-Law Association. He views the Annie’s List campaign school as a launching pad for his future in politics. |
AUGUST 7th
The training was intense with 10 hours a day of instruction and another 4-8 hours of campaign simulation each night. There was a massive amount of information to absorb including message development, research, targeting statistics, voter contact strategy, fundraising theory and methodology, producing and buying TV/Radio ads, cultivating free press coverage, working with the media, crisis management, budgeting, volunteer recruitment, working with consultants and much more.
Kelly, Roderica, Tommy, Anne and Ana did a great job of handling the saturation of information, long hours, lack of sleep and pressure of deadlines in the simulation. There was just a little bit of fun involved as well. Ellen Malcolm, founder and president of EMILY's List had lunch with us one day and impressed upon them the importance of winning back the state legislature.
And we were invited to Capitol Hill for a private meeting with US Senator Barak Obama where he gave the staffers some great insight on what it is like to be a candidate and his predictions for what November holds for Democrats.
We landed back in Texas on August 5th and the five staffers reported to their Annie's List campaigns the next day. We are confident that with their training, they will make a substantive difference on the campaigns of Annie's List endorsed candidates this Fall. We will keep you up to date on their progress as they get settled on their campaigns in the coming weeks.
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