Campaign Camps Overview

If you’re a political organization, state party, or candidate campaign getting geared up for the 2010 election cycle, this is a good time to consider grassroots solutions’ award- winning Campaign Camps. In recent years, more than 16,000 participants have attended our Campaign Camps in 34 states. We come to you to conduct these trainings so you aren’t put off by Minnesota in the winter! Camps are held in the locations of your choice, and we handle the logistical details from A to Z including registration, payment, and participant management, all of which is done online.

Our intensive, highly interactive 2.5-day Camps teach participants the fundamentals of political campaigns, how to effectively run for elected office, and provide them with the tools they need to be effective citizen activists. Campaign Camp alumni have run for offices ranging from local school board to Congress and have contributed to campaign and issue victories across the country.

What training track best meets your needs?

9 Campaign Management for Future Paid Professionals 9 Becoming a Winning Candidate 9 Grassroots Advocacy & Organizing 9 Management for Political Veterans

It’s worth repeating our mantra that ours is not a “one size fits all” training model. grassroots solutions’ experienced Campaign Camp trainers customize our training approaches to speak to the experiences and needs of the participants of each Camp. That said, all of our Camps place a high premium on participation – including a mix of interactive presentations, small or large group exercises and discussions, question and answer sessions, role plays and simulations that reflect real grassroots scenarios, friendly competition among participants, and opportunities for socializing and having fun. At the conclusion of the Campaign Camp, we compile and provide sponsors with evaluations of participants and attendee employment profiles.

We’d like to help you with a winning solution to your grassroots training needs. Take a page from All American Pac, which asked grassroots solutions to design Camp Evan Bayh for recent college graduates in 2007. From a pool of 600 applicants, grassroots solutions recruited, interviewed, and selected 47 of the most promising future political organizers to attend an advanced training program, which prepared attendees for assignments to campaigns in four states over the course of three months to help impact the November mid-term elections. Alumni of this advanced training program then became organizers for seven presidential campaigns during the 2007-2008 presidential primary contests. grassroots solutions received a Pollie Award in recognition of the Camp Bayh Full Immersion Program. grassroots solutions is also proud to have won a Pollie award for our Camp Equality trainings with the Human Rights Campaign during the 2008 election year. Through the Camp Equality initiative, we trained activists in 20 cities, substantially enhancing HRC’s core of organizers working on their program and with their coalition partners.

For more information about the training services grassroots solutions provides, click here. Sign up here to receive more information about upcoming Campaign Camps.

Partial Client List Training/Camp Name

• Camp YellowDog • All-America PAC (US Senator Evan Bayh) Camp Evan Bayh • Democratic Party Victory Campaign Camp • America Coming Together (ACT) Various Camp Wellstone’s (2003 & 04) • BOWL PAC (OR) Camp Kulongoski • Carnahan for Congress (MO) Camp Russ Carnahan • Center for Progressive Leadership Springboard Training • Colorado Democratic Party Camp Udall • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee “Training Individuals in Politics” • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee “Women Making a Difference” • Human Rights Campaign “Youth College” Human Rights Campaign Camp Equality • Camp Kathleen • Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (NJ) Campaign Camp • Lee County Democratic Party (FL) Campaign Camp • Charlie Gonzalez for Congress (TX) San Antonio Campaign Camp • Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party Camp Wellstone (2001 & 2002) • Missouri Democratic Party Campaign Camp • Montgomery County Democratic Committee (PA) Camp Suburban Victory • Moving America Forward (NM) Camp Bill Richardson • Nebraska Democratic Party Camp Connealy • Nebraska Democracy Project Campaign Camp (2001 & 2003) • Democratic Party Campaign Camp • New England Grassroots Environmental Fund (MA) Message & Media • Ohio Education Association Camp Strickland • Oklahoma Democratic Party Camp Leftwich • Participation 2000 (WA & CO) Camp Murray & Camp Udall • Progressive Maryland Camp Wellstone-Maryland • SEIU Heroes Training • SEIU 1199 (New York) Camp Wellstone & Heroes • Sierra Club (New Jersey) Environmental Voter Education Camp. • South Dakota Democratic Party Camp Tim Johnson • Campaign Camp • United Steel Workers of America Campaign Camp • Wellstone Action! Camp Wellstone

From Our Clients

David Waid, Executive Director, , on the Arizona Democratic Party’s Victory Campaign Camp conducted in March of 2006: “We are grateful to Grassroots Solutions for organizing the Arizona Democratic Party's recent Victory Campaign Camp. The training better prepared candidates and campaign volunteers, and provided us with a pool of resumes for our coordinated campaign. I would strongly recommend this training to state parties looking to jump start their programs this campaign season."

Barry Rubin, Executive Director of the Nebraska Democratic Party, on the Camp Connealy training conducted in July of 2005: "Thanks so much to Grassroots Solutions, our campers, trainers, volunteers and staff for an outstanding weekend. I was truly inspired by all of you, and look forward to working with you as we continue to move our party forward."

Marsha Folsom, Executive Director of the Alabama Democratic Party, after the conclusion of the camp training in September 2003: "Thank you for all you did to make Camp Yellow Dog a success. You and the staff of Grassroots Solutions run a wonderful operation. I can't tell you how pleased we are here at the Alabama Democratic Party with everything you did. You listened to our needs, you created a program tailored to our efforts, and you were a pleasure to work with. Let me add that the trainers you provided were absolutely top drawer. We could not have asked for anything better, and the participants were equally as thrilled with the quality of the training program."