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Pre-Launch Open Beta: We are building this platform with our community. Democracy University materials remain drafts and are open for review and feedback. Check each training or event listing for its availability, organizer, cost, and registration details.

Concept note · Draft · Not launched

For prospective co-founders · November 2026

Build it
with us.

Democracy University is an idea we are inviting people to build: a home where the people who power democracy learn the craft, teach it to each other, and build careers in the work. This note shows what exists today, and the much larger part we still need to build.

Talk with us
01

The idea

Campaign and organizing skills are mostly learned on the job, under deadline pressure, and lost when the cycle ends. Democracy University turns that scattered knowledge into a lasting, open institution, taught by practitioners for organizers, advocates, staff, candidates and everyday citizens.

The design principle is unstructured structure: enough shape that people can find their way, and loose enough that they can wander, mix and invent.

8 courses

Core

A recommended shared foundation: how democracy works, the ecosystem, the legal lines, organizing basics and story.

Where every learner can start
9 schools · 37 majors

Majors

Fields people can build a career in: Digital Communications, Fundraising & Development, Legal Strategies & Voter Protection, Research, AI Integration and more.

15+ courses and a capstone each
18 pathways

Pathways

Suggested routes for one role, like Organizer, Field Director or Election Protection. Each ends in a capstone and a career step.

8–11 courses each
An open catalog.

Like RootsCamp, anyone can suggest a course they want to take or offer one they want to teach. Every course goes through the same practitioner review.

Take what you need.

Nobody has to declare a major. Every course stands on its own.

Skills, not degrees.

Democracy University is not accredited. Majors and certificates recognize skills.

Skills, not positions.

Courses stay nonpartisan. Partisan groups appear only as linked resources.

02

What we have

A real starting point, and early signs that people want it.

Live

democracy.university

In development: a resource library, practitioner directory, community calendar, trainer and co-founder applications, and a bookstore.

Source: democracy.university, Nov 10 2026
12

Training manuals in working draft

Rebuilt from the 2004 Democratic GAIN manuals. Read the manuals (GAIN ID sign-in).

Source: DU pilot proposal, Aug 2026
11

Live courses

Open on the platform, one per manual track. Browse the Training Library.

Source: democracy.university, Nov 10 2026
261

Course topics mapped

A starting list that will grow and change. Browse the course tracker or see the map.

Source: DU Airtable tracker, Nov 10 2026
44

Draft course kits

Each with a facilitator guide, slide deck and bibliography. None reviewed by a practitioner yet.

Source: DU Airtable tracker, Nov 10 2026
3

Pathways drafted

Organizer, Campaign Manager and Candidate, with a draft kit for every course in each. See the pathways.

Source: DU Airtable tracker, Nov 10 2026
95,606

Reached in a soft launch

With no paid promotion: 87 community members in the first days, and practitioners offered to teach, review and donate archives.

Source: DU pilot proposal, Aug 2026
Map

A draft curriculum map

Schools, majors, pathways and the open-catalog process, in the appendix below.

This note, Nov 2026
03

What we need to build

The structure is the easy part. Most of the curriculum does not exist yet, and none of it has been reviewed. Many majors have only two to six courses mapped; a full major needs 15 or more.

What we needWhat it meansWho it takes
Major leadsOne practitioner to own each major: shape its course list, recruit creators and approve coursesUp to 37 people, one per major
Content creatorsWriting the 217 mapped courses with no draft, plus every course the community proposesPractitioners and instructional writers
Expert reviewersA practitioner check of every course for accuracy, current law and real-world practice, starting with the 44 draftsField experts in every discipline
Trainers and facultyTeaching courses live and piloting them with real cohortsExperienced trainers
Instructional design and mediaTurning drafts into strong self-paced courses: video, audio, slides, accessibilityDesigners, producers, editors
Platform and dataCourse catalog, proposal intake, progress tracking and certificates on democracy.universityProduct, tech and data help
Local learning communitiesPlaces where the curriculum meets mentors, host organizations and field placementsPartner organizations and hosts
Program, evaluation and fundingRunning the pilot, measuring what works, and raising the money to pay for itProgram staff, evaluators, funders
The draft funding request for the pilot year is $1,000,000 in two halves: a digital campus and institutional capacity, and local learning communities with field pilots. Either half can be funded on its own.
04

The pilot year

The pilot builds a slice, not the whole map. All 37 majors are the long-term plan.

The core

All eight core courses, reviewed and live.

Candidate Pathway

Piloted with a first cohort.

Two or three next pathways

Strong options: Election Protection, Volunteer Leader, Everyday Citizen.

Open catalog

Course proposals open, so the catalog grows from the community.

Local learning

Two or three local learning communities.

05

What co-founders do

Co-founders shape Democracy University from the start.

Lead a major

Own a field you know, or a school of related majors.

Build or review courses

Put hard-won experience into the curriculum.

Teach

Train in the pilot, or help design how we train trainers.

Host or connect

A local learning community, partner organization or employer.

Open doors

To funders and partners who believe in this work.

Help decide

Which schools and majors to keep, what a major requires, which pathways come next, and how the institution is governed.

We especially want co-founders whose experience and communities differ from ours, so the people building Democracy University look like the movement it serves.

06 · Next step

Tell us which part you want to own.

Start with a 30-minute conversation with the co-founders.

Every offer is a potential faculty member.
Amy Pritchard & Will Robinson · Co-Founders Let's talk. amy@gainpower.org
A

Appendix: the draft curriculum map

A working draft of the catalog structure. It is meant to change, and co-founders will help change it. Seed-course counts are approximate (source: DU Airtable tracker, Nov 10 2026).

The core

  1. 01What is democracy? (And why it's under threat)No kit yet
  2. 02The Declaration of Democracy: our frameworkNo kit yet
  3. 03How U.S. Elections Work: Primaries, Conventions, the Electoral College & CertificationNo kit yet
  4. 04Mapping the Democracy Ecosystem: Who Does WhatDraft kit
  5. 05Nonpartisan vs. partisan work: know the legal linesNo kit yet
  6. 06Source Literacy: How to Evaluate Information in the Age of MisinformationNo kit yet
  7. 07Community organizing fundamentalsDraft kit
  8. 08Your Story: Personal Storytelling for Civic LeadersDraft kit

Schools and majors

Seed courses already mapped15 needed for a full major

School of Campaigns & Elections4 majors

Campaign Management

Strategy, vote goals, plans, budgets, managing the whole operation

~15 seed

Candidate Leadership

Deciding to run, ballot access, story, debates, call time, governing

~8 seed

Field Organizing & Voter Contact

Canvassing, phones, texting, relational organizing, early vote, GOTV

~15 seed

Political Operations

Scheduling, advance, events, vendors, HR, campaign infrastructure

~6 seed

School of Communications & Marketing6 majors

Digital Communications

Social media, content calendars, email, SMS, platform strategy

~16 seed

Marketing

Audience growth, paid media, design, copywriting, brand, direct mail

~8 seed

Storytelling & Narrative

Public narrative, speeches, cultural storytelling, narrative strategy

~9 seed

Press & Media Relations

Earned media, rapid response, op-eds, crisis communications

~7 seed

Content Creation & Civic Media

Video, podcasts, creators and influencers, civic journalism

~8 seed

Public Speaking & Debate

Speaking, debate prep, forums, testimony, presence

~4 seed

School of Research, Data & Technology6 majors

Research

Policy and issue research, opposition and self-research, research methods

~6 seed

Data & Analytics

Voter files, VAN, targeting, modeling, measurement

~10 seed

Polling & Message Testing

Survey research, focus groups, field experiments

~3 seed

AI Integration

AI tools, workflows, ethics and risk for democracy work

~20 seed

Civic Technology

Civic tech, CRMs, no-code tools, open data

~8 seed

Cybersecurity & Information Integrity

Security, privacy, threats, disinformation and synthetic media

~5 seed

School of Organizing & Movements5 majors

Community Organizing

One-on-ones, power mapping, listening, base building

~5 seed

Volunteer Leadership

Recruiting, managing and developing volunteers and teams

~4 seed

Coalitions & Partnerships

Building, governing and sustaining coalitions

~12 seed

Constituency Organizing

Labor, faith, youth, rural, diaspora, disability and language communities

~8 seed

Movement Building & Nonviolent Action

Protest, civil resistance, safety, long-term power

~4 seed

School of Leadership & Management4 majors

Civic Leadership

Leading people, values, equity, conflict, wellbeing

~8 seed

Management

Supervising teams, operations, project management, managing up

~6 seed

Nonprofit Management

Starting, running and sustaining civic organizations

~5 seed

Training & Facilitation

Designing and leading trainings; DU trainer certification

~3 seed

School of Fundraising & Development2 majors

Fundraising & Development

Grassroots, major donors, call time, digital, events, finance committees

~10 seed

Grants & Philanthropy

Grant writing, foundations, working inside philanthropy

~3 seed

School of Law, Rights & Democracy Defense3 majors

Legal Strategies & Voter Protection

Voter protection, election-day legal operations, recounts and disputes

~4 seed

Campaign Finance & Compliance

Federal and state rules, filings, C3/C4/PAC lines, ethics

~6 seed

Voting Rights & Election Integrity

Voting rights, registration, redistricting, election administration

~5 seed

School of Government & Public Service4 majors

Public Service

Working in government, legislative offices, constituent services

~5 seed

Advocacy & Public Policy

Issue campaigns, policy, ballot measures, evaluation

~10 seed

Legislative Affairs & Lobbying

How bills move, lobbying, testimony, bill drafting

~6 seed

Governing & Transition

Transition, first 100 days, hiring a government staff

~2 seed

School of Democracy Studies3 majors

Democracy & Civic Education

How democracy and government work, civil society, authoritarianism

~7 seed

Values & Democracy

The Declaration of Democracy and the Values & Democracy manual

~2 seed

International Democracy

Comparative democracy, election observation, global civil society

~2 seed
Open to everyone · not a majorCareer Center

About 38 career guides, job resources and events (source: DU Airtable tracker). Every pathway ends with a career step.

More majors to consider
Election AdministrationLabor & Workplace OrganizingYouth & Student OrganizingLocal GovernmentBallot Measure CampaignsPolitical Graphic DesignVideo ProductionEvent ProductionOpposition ResearchData EngineeringOrganizational DevelopmentHR for Civic OrganizationsFinance & Accounting for CampaignsCivic JournalismPolicy AnalysisJudicial & Courts Advocacy

Eighteen pathways

Course with a draft kitCourse still to be written
Existing pathway

Organizer

Volunteers and new field staff

Main major: Community Organizing
10/10 kits
Existing pathway

Campaign Manager

Deputy and first-time managers

Main major: Campaign Management
11/11 kits
Existing pathway

Candidate

First-time candidates for local office

Main major: Candidate Leadership
10/10 kits
New pathway

Everyday Citizen

Anyone who wants to vote, speak up and hold officials accountable

Main major: Democracy & Civic Education
1/8 kits
See the 8 courses
  1. Voting 101
  2. How the US government actually works
  3. How to work with your elected officials
  4. Understanding Ballot Measures & Initiatives
  5. Source Literacy
  6. Voting rights: history, threats, and what you can do
  7. The role of civil society
  8. How laws are made
New pathway

Volunteer Leader

Volunteers ready to lead a team or a shift

Main major: Volunteer Leadership
4/8 kits
See the 8 courses
  1. Relational Organizing
  2. Voter Contact
  3. Phone Banking That Actually Works
  4. Volunteer Recruitment & Management
  5. Building a Volunteer Leadership Structure
  6. Running Effective Meetings
  7. Protest Logistics & Safety
  8. Wellbeing and Burnout Prevention
New pathway

Field Director

Organizers moving up to run a field program

Main major: Field Organizing & Voter Contact
3/10 kits
See the 10 courses
  1. Field Plan Development & Turf Cutting
  2. Canvassing Programs
  3. Deep Canvassing
  4. SMS Organizing
  5. Rural Field Organizing
  6. Field Budgeting
  7. Relational Organizing Tools
  8. Early Vote & Vote-by-Mail Chase
  9. GOTV Operations
  10. Voter File Fundamentals
New pathway

Communications Director

Press and comms staff

Main major: Press & Media Relations
3/10 kits
See the 10 courses
  1. Messaging and Persuasion
  2. Earned Media 101
  3. Media Relations
  4. Rapid Response
  5. Narrative Strategy
  6. Storytelling for Press & Media
  7. Paid Media Basics
  8. Content Strategy
  9. Public Speaking
  10. Direct Mail Programs
New pathway

Digital Organizer

Staff running email, text and online organizing

Main major: Digital Communications
1/9 kits
See the 9 courses
  1. Digital Organizing 101
  2. Building an Email List from Scratch
  3. Digital Mobilization
  4. SMS Organizing
  5. Social Media Content Calendars
  6. Digital Advertising
  7. Making Sense of Multi-Channel Data
  8. Digital Organizing Tools in Practice
  9. Using AI in Democracy Work (Ethically)
New pathway

Civic Creator

Creators, podcasters and video makers

Main major: Content Creation & Civic Media
0/10 kits
See the 10 courses
  1. Becoming a Creator
  2. Content That Moves People
  3. Social Media Storytelling
  4. Video Storytelling
  5. Video Production & Editing
  6. Podcast Storytelling
  7. Long-Form Content
  8. Working with Creators and Influencers
  9. Accessibility in Content
  10. AI for Civic Content Creation
New pathway

Fundraiser / Finance Director

Campaign and nonprofit fundraisers

Main major: Fundraising & Development
3/10 kits
See the 10 courses
  1. Fundraising Fundamentals
  2. Small Dollar Fundraising
  3. Call Time
  4. Major Donor Programs
  5. Digital Fundraising
  6. Fundraising Events
  7. Finance Committees, Bundlers & PAC Fundraising
  8. Donor Database Fundamentals
  9. Storytelling for Fundraising
  10. Campaign Finance
New pathway

Data & Research Analyst

Data, targeting and research staff

Main major: Data & Analytics, Research
0/10 kits
See the 10 courses
  1. Data 101
  2. Voter File Fundamentals
  3. VAN/NGP
  4. Advanced Data
  5. Polling and Research
  6. Opposition Research
  7. Self-Research
  8. Message Testing
  9. Data Storytelling
  10. Redistricting & the Census
New pathway

Advocate & Lobbyist

Issue campaigners and lobbyists

Main major: Legislative Affairs & Lobbying
1/9 kits
See the 9 courses
  1. Advocacy Campaigns
  2. Community Listening & Power Mapping
  3. Lobbying 101
  4. Testimony Writing & Delivery
  5. Reading & Understanding Legislation
  6. Bill Drafting Basics
  7. Issue-Based Coalitions
  8. Action Network
  9. Advocacy Campaign Evaluation
New pathway

Legislative & Government Staffer

People working in elected offices

Main major: Public Service
2/9 kits
See the 9 courses
  1. How a Bill Really Becomes Law
  2. Working in a Legislative Office
  3. Reading & Understanding Legislation
  4. Testimony Writing
  5. Managing Up
  6. From Campaign to Office
  7. Hiring a Government Staff After the Win
  8. Open Data & Transparency Tools
  9. Day in the Life: Government Staffer
New pathway

Election Protection

Poll monitors, voter protection and election-defense volunteers

Main major: Legal Strategies & Voter Protection
3/9 kits
See the 9 courses
  1. Voting 101
  2. Voter Protection & Election Day Legal Operations
  3. Recounts, Certification & Post-Election Disputes
  4. Disinformation, Bots & Media Literacy
  5. AI & Disinformation
  6. Protecting Candidates, Staff & Election Workers
  7. Digital & Physical Security
  8. Voting Rights & Election Administration
  9. Nonpartisan vs. Partisan Work
New pathway

Coalition Builder

Coalition and partnership leads

Main major: Coalitions & Partnerships
1/9 kits
See the 9 courses
  1. Coalition Building 101
  2. Building Broad-Based Local Coalitions
  3. Coalition Building Across Difference
  4. Engaging Unions and Labor
  5. Engaging Faith Communities
  6. Managing Coalitions
  7. Coalition Conflict Resolution
  8. Building & Governing Coalition Tables
  9. Endorsement Processes
New pathway

Nonprofit Leader

Founders and directors of civic organizations

Main major: Nonprofit Management
1/9 kits
See the 9 courses
  1. Civic Org Start-Up Toolkit
  2. Nonprofit Financial Management
  3. Nonprofit Operations & Compliance
  4. Grant Writing
  5. Building Sustainable Organizations
  6. HR for Political Organizations
  7. C3 vs. C4 vs. PAC vs. 527
  8. Equity and Inclusion in Organizational Culture
  9. Managing Teams
New pathway

Trainer

Practitioners who want to teach for DU

Main major: Training & Facilitation
1/8 kits
See the 8 courses
  1. Train the Trainer
  2. Building a Two-Day Training
  3. Public Speaking
  4. The Public Narrative Framework
  5. Running Effective Meetings
  6. Conflict Resolution & Mediation
  7. Accessibility in Content
  8. Equity and Inclusion
New pathway

Career Starter

Anyone trying to get their first job in democracy work

Main major: Career Center
0/8 kits
See the 8 courses
  1. Careers in Democracy: Landscape Overview
  2. Working on Campaigns
  3. How to Get Your First Job in Politics
  4. Résumé Template
  5. Campaign Job Interview Prep
  6. Building Your Professional Network
  7. Salary Negotiation
  8. Off-Cycle Employment & Career Transitions

How a course proposal moves

1Submit

Anyone fills out the short form on the DU site

Community member
2Triage

Check fit with the mission and nonpartisan lines, merge duplicates, assign a school and major

DU curriculum team
3Community signal

Others upvote suggestions and say they'd take the course, so demand is visible

Learners
4Major lead review

Approve, ask for changes, or pair the proposer with a co-creator

Major lead
5Build

The proposer, or a recruited creator, builds the kit from the DU template

Content creator
6Practitioner review

Accuracy, current law, real-world practice, and the reviewer checklist

Expert reviewer
7Pilot & publish

Taught once and refined, then published and added to the tracker

Trainer + DU team