Running Start

Elect Her is a daylong training for college women on how to run for student government and beyond and can be held virtually or in person. 88% of Elect Her alums who ran for office reported that their training had informed their campaign strategy. Each year, 45+ Elect Her trainings are held around the country. 450+ Elect Her trainings have been held, in 43 states and 9 countries, with 168+ partners, for 17,500+ participants. Notable Elect Her alum Allyson Carpenter (I) became the youngest-ever elected official in Washington, DC when she was elected to be an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. She was later elected student body president at Howard University.

The Congressional Fellowship includes a semester-long internship with a woman in Congress, free fully furnished group housing on Capitol Hill, a living stipend, and travel to and from Washington, DC. Participants practice real-world campaign skills through a campaign simulation and get weekly training on how to run for office from mentors and alums. 85% of fellowship alums say their training has helped them believe that they can speak about important issues on behalf of others. With Walmart's partnership, Running Start has trained 153 Congressional Fellows who have been placed in the offices of 85+ women in Congress. Notable Congressional Fellowship alum Avery Bourne (R) is the youngest-ever elected official in Illinois. She represents the 95th district in the state legislature.

The Young Women to Watch Awards serve as an annual fundraiser for Running Start and a showcase of its most impressive alums. In previous years, 300+ Washington, DC insiders gathered to hear from Running Start alums who were finalists in a campaign simulation called Run with Running Start. As part of the campaign competition alums seek support online, are given coaching, connected with political mentors, and give a speech at the Young Women to Watch Awards, after which the audience elects a winner who serves as the #ILookLikeAPolitician ambassador the following year. In 2021 we held this same event virtually, with live voting to determine our campaign winner. Notable alum Saira Blair (R) was the youngest-ever elected official at the state and federal level. She was elected to represent West Virginia's 59th district.

Since 2007, Running Start has given 20,000+ young women the confidence, capabilities and connections they need to run and win. 90% of our participants who report running for office win and 99% would recommend Running Start to a friend. At Running Start, we are invested in forming long term relationships with our alums throughout their careers and aim to provide them with additional leadership opportunities after they leave our programs. Each year, we hold 20-30 additional trainings and events, outside of our regular programming. This includes networking events, webinars focused on the skills needed to run for office, and our new Alum Board. Our additional events and trainings are also meant to connect alums to each other so they can build a strong network and support system as they grow their political careers. In 2021 Running Start created an online network via slack and Linkedin for its alums to connect and reconnect with each other, share resources, and find mentors.