Veterans Campaign’s training is specifically designed to educate, encourage, and motivate veterans to continue their commitment to public service by running for elected office. The instructors are office-holding veterans, campaign operatives, professional fundraisers, and representatives of veteran-oriented political action committees who value and understand the mechanics of electing veterans to public office. Our weekend campaign training workshop is based around the resources of our in-house publication The Campaign Field Manual, the programming of our instructors, and the networking opportunities with event participants, instructors, and staff. Additionally, in summer 2010 we hope to begin producing online 'webinars' on a variety of specific campaign elements to reach a broader audience.

The workshop curriculum progresses in five stages:

Participants come to Veterans Campaign with an idea of serving in government, and this idea needs to be grown into an actionable plan for a candidacy and its campaign. The curriculum will start with a panel of past and current elected officials who know the rigors of campaigning from firsthand experience. The panelists will share their reasons for running for office, and explain the bedrock of any candidacy: learning about the issues that affect their constituency and getting active in their community. The panel will cover the development of seed money for a campaign, and will finish by illuminating the amount of personal sacrifice needed to be a viable candidate for public office.

It is essential for a candidate to understand the tools and resources that are needed to build a strong foundation for a winning campaign. This panel will feature seasoned campaign operatives who have assisted in building successful campaigns on federal, state, and local levels. This portion of the curriculum will help candidates understand the power dynamics of political party organizations, how to build a competent and effective staff, and how to use technology to effectively manage time, money, and personnel—the three most important resources on a campaign.

Asking for money can be one of the most difficult parts of being a candidate for public office. This panel will feature fundraisers and leaders from Political Action Committees (PACs) that will explain the importance of raising money and provide helpful advice on how to fundraise effectively. This portion of the curriculum will assist candidates in building donor lists, perfecting call-time techniques, and making the “hard ask” with big contributors. The panel will also provide insight into the perspective of veterans PACs and what they look for when donating to a candidate for public office.

Keeping a healthy relationship with the press and performing well on the stump are important for a campaign to communicate its message to voters successfully. This panel will feature campaign operatives who work specifically on instructing candidates with public speaking and managing press relationships. The portion of the curriculum will stress the importance of staying on message and give attendees the opportunity to receive constructive advice on effective message delivery.

Campaigns can become very chaotic in the home stretch before an election. The panel for this section will feature campaign managers and field operatives who will explain where and how the candidate fits into the madness of a campaign’s conclusion. This portion of the curriculum is designed to help a campaign develop strategies that can efficiently manage scarce resources, build a strong field operation, and maximize turnout for targeted voters that will secure victory for a candidate on Election Day.