Arena Academy

Campaign managers are the chief strategists and the heart of every campaign. They ensure effective coordination of the campaign’s money, messaging, and mobilization to achieve victory. Campaign managers are not just leaders, but also excellent communicators who ensure that everyone is on the same page, working towards the common goal of victory.

On this track, you’ll learn how to be a strategic leader during every part of a campaign—from launch to the last counted ballot. During your sessions, you’ll learn to build a pathway to victory, develop a core message, fundraise, and manage a budget. Great campaign managers are adept at iterating based on research and empowering teams to run values-driven campaigns—at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how. 

Past participants on this track have gone on to manage campaigns up and down the ballot, hold political director or program manager roles at movement organizations, and work as political consultants. 

Applicants for this track should have prior campaign experience or relevant transferable experience.

Communications staff are the voice of the campaign. They are responsible for crafting and amplifying the campaign’s core messaging, running the press shop, and directing the rapid response. Communications staff are not just effective storytellers; they are savvy strategists ensuring the campaign’s message reaches and persuades key voters. 

On this track, you’ll learn how to craft strategic communications plans to win campaigns. During your sessions, you’ll learn to create a message box, prepare your candidate to be an effective communicator, handle rapid response, and use research to shape your strategy. Great communications staff are nimble and values-driven—at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how. 

Past participants on this track have gone on to hold roles such as researcher, press secretary, director of communications, and content creator on campaigns and with movement organizations.

Data staff are the conductors of a campaign. They hold the critical responsibility of harnessing data to target and engage key voters, and play a central role in crafting the pathway to victory. Data staff analyze information to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of voter turnout efforts. Data staff are not just good with analytics and numbers; they are strategic thinkers and effective storytellers. 

On the Data Track, you will learn how to effectively analyze large data sets in an electoral context. During your sessions, you will learn to build a pathway to victory, manage data, target voters, and use SQL, Google Sheets, and Google Studio to win campaigns. You might even write your first line of code! Great data staff are skilled at crafting people-centered and data-informed strategies—at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how. 

Past participants on this track have gone on to hold roles such as voter file manager, data director, and analytics director on campaigns and with movement organizations.

Digital staff are the connective tissue of a campaign. They are responsible for overseeing strategy and content across digital platforms, including email and social media. They play a central role in crafting strategy and executing tactics to raise money and persuade and mobilize voters, including through digital ads. Digital staff are not just savvy creatives; they are strategic thinkers who know how to combine data and storytelling to win campaigns.

On the Digital Track, you learn how to craft digital strategy that reaches donors, volunteers, and voters in the right place at the right time. During your sessions, you’ll learn to create effective paid media campaigns, budget for your digital program, raise money online, and tell powerful stories. Great digital strategists know how to meet people where they are and communicate a cohesive, values-driven message no matter the platform—at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how. 

Past participants on this track have gone on to hold roles such as content creator, digital director, email director, paid media director, digital ads buyer, media planner, social media manager, and digital organizer on campaigns and with movement organizations.

Fundraising staff power campaigns. They are responsible for raising the funds that campaigns need to operate. Fundraising staff play a central role in identifying prospective donors and converting them into campaign supporters through events, phone calls, and other solicitations. Fundraisers are not just skilled at making the ask for donations; they are savvy storytellers and connectors of people. 

On the Fundraising Track, you will learn how to effectively raise money for a campaign. During your sessions, you will learn to craft a fundraising plan, track cash flow, and make the most of call time and fundraising events. Great fundraisers strategically use data and messaging to bring new people into the campaign—at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how. 

Past participants on this track have gone on to hold roles such as call time manager, finance director, and digital fundraiser on campaigns and with movement organizations. 

A note of encouragement: To work in fundraising, you do not need to have a rolodex of donors at your disposal. Fundraising roles are in high demand and are often the first role hired and the last role on the payroll. Organizing skills are highly transferable to this position. 

Organizers are the face of a campaign in the community. They are responsible for creating teams of volunteers who can connect with and mobilize key voters. Organizers are not just effective at talking to voters and volunteers; they are savvy data miners and community builders. 

On the Organizing Track, you’ll learn how to cultivate and lead teams of volunteers, enabling you to persuade voters and turn them out to the polls. During your sessions, you’ll learn to tell your personal story, make the hard ask, write effective voter-contact scripts, and integrate relational organizing into your campaign. Great organizers are culturally competent and lay the groundwork for lasting progressive change—at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how. 

Past participants on this track have gone on to hold roles such as organizer, digital organizer, and canvasser. Many people get their start in politics as an organizer. 

Organizing Directors are the backbone of every campaign. They are responsible for developing the overall organizing strategy to engage and mobilize voters and manage teams of organizers, ensuring the implementation of the strategy on the ground. Organizing directors aren’t just impactful organizers; they are data strategists who are skilled at empowering people to meet goals while building lasting relationships.

On the Organizing Director Track, you will learn to prepare, hire, train, and manage a team of organizers that delivers victory for your campaign. During your sessions, you will learn how to develop a pathway to victory, establish metrics and set goals, write an organizing plan, and adjust your plan as new information becomes available. Great organizing directors are compassionate managers who use data and research to inform their plan—at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how. 

Past participants on this track have gone on to hold roles such as organizing director, regional organizing director, and program manager on campaigns and with movement organizations. 

Applicants for this track should have served at least one cycle as an organizer—on a campaign or in any advocacy, electoral, or community-based organization.

At select Arena Academies, we offer Run Academy, a training for down ballot candidates. 

Candidates are the driving force and public face of a campaign, and often in local races, candidates take on the responsibilities of planning and executing campaign strategy and tactics. Candidates aren’t just powerful speakers and policy experts; they know how to work with their team to make the most of their campaign’s resources. 

During Run Academy, you gain a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of a campaign and the unique opportunity to train alongside other candidates and campaign staff. You spend your time learning from industry experts and past candidates. During your sessions, you’ll learn how to craft a pathway to victory, raise money, and execute paid media tactics. Great candidates empower their campaign team to be their best selves—at Arena Academy at Arena Academy, we make sure you leave with this know-how.

This training is not an endorsement of any candidate or campaign. Candidates who complete this program will not necessarily be endorsed by Arena.