It’s been just over a week since I got the dreadful news that my friend passed away, and honestly, I still haven’t fully processed it.

A few days ago, I posted that my dog died in Rwanda and that I had another surgery that felt like a triple mastectomy to address the unresolved infections following my January DMX surgery for cancer. And somehow, neither of those was the worst part of my week. Losing Erin Hofteig was.

I know it was for so many. Erin was everyone’s friend in our community.

I was just with Erin a few weeks ago. We were actually together several times that week doing what so many of us in this work do — socializing, conferencing, networking, reconnecting with friends and colleagues who become family over decades in this movement. She was in good spirits as she always was when out and about with our people.

I first met Erin in 2004 when we worked together on John Kerry’s presidential campaign. She was one of the early digital staffers at a time when digital organizing was still being invented in real time. Our paths crossed constantly throughout the years — at conventions, trainings, organizing spaces, campaign events, social gatherings, and especially through the our community that grew up around progressive politics and democracy work.

One of my favorite memories was going to Netroots Nation in Chicago in 2007, where we ended up backstage at Lollapalooza in hanging out with Ben Harper and Pearl Jam before spending the evening talking politics, music, life, and movement building afterward with them at their hotel bar. It felt like one of those magical moments that only happen in this strange, passionate world we all inhabit.

Over the years, Erin remained one of those people who were always there — deeply woven into the fabric of this movement and the relationships that sustain it.

Two years ago, I hired Erin to help with several communications projects. Not long after, I fell and badly broke my leg while walking my dog, Bruno. Erin was at my house working when it happened. I called her in a panic to come help with Bruno, and she rushed over immediately. In true Erin fashion, she laughed a little, told me not to worry, and said she’d take care of him for as long as I needed. And she did. Mostly still working right next to me while I needed to be in bed for weeks.

That was who Erin was. Fiercely committed to the people she cared about. Generous. Loyal. Present.

Earlier this year, Erin was also one of the very first people to reach out after I shared my cancer diagnosis. Of course, she understood it better than most. Even while carrying so much herself, Erin never stopped showing up for other people with empathy, humor, honesty, and care.

Everyone who knew Erin knew she faced many health challenges over the years. Honestly, I thought she was a bionic woman. But one of the most chronic struggles she faced was something far too many people in our industry experience: instability and perpetual cycles of unemployment that come with cyclical political work. It is its own kind of epidemic in democracy and campaign spaces, and we do not talk about it enough. Though if you know me, you know I do - incessantly.

That’s one of the reasons I’m especially honored that Erin’s family and friends have agreed to let me help create a fellowship and program in her name at Global GAIN. Most of our common friends are likely more familiar with GAIN Power, but Global GAIN is our sister C3, so this is a charitable endeavor.

We’re still working through the many details, but I hope her many friends will support it. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more about how we plan to memorialize Erin by supporting other people who dedicate their lives to this work. You can donate how to a fund we’re building to make sure Erin is never forgotten.

Donate to Honor Erin (zeffy)

Donate to Honor Erin (Actblue)

We’ve set up pages on ActBlue or Zeffy (which I’m biased towards because there truly are no credit card or service fees) and may add others.

And to friends and family who can’t donate - please visit HonorErin.org to share your memories and photos. FB and other socials are great but we’re hoping to aggregate all her stories here so everyone can see them together. The site is still a work in progress, but it will grow over time with your help.

Erin was a passionate Democrat. A passionate progressive. A passionate feminist. A passionate advocate for democracy, health care, public education, voting rights, DC statehood, and home rule. She loved baseball and poker. She loved her family and chosen friend family fiercely.

And she loved this work.

Like so many talented people in our movement, Erin could have pursued more stable work or a lucrative career path elsewhere. But she never stopped believing that this work mattered and that she was needed here.

She helped support communications work for both GAIN Power and Global GAIN, and she absolutely loved RootsCamp. When we brought RootsCamp back in person, she was one of the very first people to volunteer to help make it happen. In many ways, she embodied exactly why I care so deeply about building stronger infrastructure and more sustainable support systems for democracy professionals.

At the end of the day, what I care about most is protecting democracy, winning elections, advancing progressive policy, and pushing back against the authoritarian forces threatening our country right now. Erin cared deeply about all of that too.

I encourage people to read her recent writing and reflections. She had so much insight, humor, compassion, honesty, and clarity to offer.

In one of her recent posts, Erin wrote:

That was Erin. Even through everything she endured personally, medically, professionally, and politically, she kept moving. She kept showing up. She kept fighting for the world she wanted to be part of - and rarely wallowed in her challenges.

I’m devastated that Erin will not be here to continue this work alongside us. But she also personifies why this work matters so much — and why we have to do better at taking care of the people who dedicate their lives to it.

There are so many of us who miss the community spaces we once had in this movement — spaces like NOI built by and for others where people felt connected, trained, supported, and valued. I can promise you this: we are going to keep building those spaces. We are going to keep investing in training, mentorship, leadership development, and community.

Erin, there is so much more I want to say about you. And I’m grateful that through the work ahead of us, I’ll be part of the team tasked with helping keep your memory alive and get to do just that.

I’m heartbroken. I’m angry. I’m grieving.

I’m angry that our politics and our movement too often fail to take care of the very people who give their lives to advancing justice, democracy, and progress. That means we have to take care of each other.

And we will.

Erin I promise your life and your work will continue to inspire people. So many of us who loved you — and who love this work — will continue building something worthy of your memory.

Rest in power, Erin.

There’s nothing quite as pure as the love of a dog.

Yesterday, we lost Bobo.

And in a week already overflowing with grief, heartbreak, surgery, loss, exasperation, and exhaustion, somehow losing her cracked open a whole new chamber of sadness in me.

Sometimes it comes in waves. Sometimes grief arrives all at once. But also, it offers an opportunity to appreciate the love we have experienced.

I first met Bobo about 11 years ago, after she was found on the streets of Rwanda, nursing 9 puppies despite only having 8 teats. Even then, somehow, she was doing the impossible with love.

She was rescued through WAG Rwanda, an incredible volunteer community that cares for street dogs and works tirelessly to find them safe, loving homes. We formally adopted her on August 2, 2015, though she was already about 2 years old. I was renting a large compound in Kigali that felt like it needed a dog. I took Bobo in, along with two of her puppies, to help her and them wean. And from that day forward, she became part of the soul of our home, our family, and my Rwanda story.

Bobo wasn’t just a dog.

She was a greeter, a guardian, a hostess, a comfort, and pure joy wrapped in fur.

At our CoKiyovu compound, she welcomed endless Airbnb guests, family, friends, neighbors, and visitors from around the world. She would proudly give tours of the property — walking guests from one end of the compound to the other as if she owned the place herself. And, she really did. We had so many repeat guests over the years, and I always suspected many of them came back as much for her as for anything else. You were a guest in Bobo’s home, and she made sure you felt it.

Also became the home of our women’s leadership NGO , and Bobo became part of that community, too.

She was there for countless gatherings of young women in digital classes, cooking and baking sessions — from which she benefited enormously — sewing circles, artist gatherings, children’s birthday parties, community dinners, yoga retreats.

She wandered into yoga sessions as though she were part of the instruction team. She was, in all the ways that mattered.

She loved children deeply and gently — always drifting toward them, always gentle with them.

She loved avocados with a passion that bordered on spiritual. The compound had old avocado groves, and during peak season, she would station herself beneath the trees with the patience of someone who understood exactly how time works. She would wait. The avocados would fall. Order was restored.

She loved stretching out in the sunshine for hours, soaking in the warmth of the day as if it were a job she took seriously.

And she absolutely loved moving across the compound — keeping her watchful eyes from several special perches, so she could keep tabs on us all.

She loved every kid she met.

She loved every adult she met.

I don’t think anyone ever met Bobo without loving her instantly in return. That was her gift. That was just who she was.

This past year, our CoKiyovu family endured enormous trauma — our beloved compound egregiously and illegally “sold” out from under us. While we were playing by the rules, a group of thugs raided our space, illegally evicted us, caused tens of thousands of dollars in property damage, and cost us far more than that to fight legally. Costing much of the money we raised to purchase the property with the family that has owned it for generations. I’d jeopardize our case if I said much more — but it launched what has become an ongoing criminal and civil legal battle with no end yet in sight. We should be on that compound right now. We were supposed to take final legal ownership last July. Instead, a fraudulent sale by organized criminals upended our lives, displaced a huge community, and shattered something sacred that meant more to more people than the perpetrators will ever understand.

This is really a story for another day. One day, I’ll make it into the book or film it deserves. And Bobo may narrate the whole thing. She saw more than any of us - really, all of it.

Every arrival, every gathering, every heartbreak, every season of abundance under those avocado trees. She was present for all of it, steady and witnessing, when the rest of us were too busy living it to fully see it. And I believe leaving it cost her life.

Our story deserves to be told, and Bobo is a central character in it — carrying a version of the truth that only she knew, only she saw, and one I know she’d want everyone to know too.

CoKiyovu is our special space — one we are actively fighting to reclaim. When justice is restored and we return, we will properly honor her memory there. The way she deserves.

And through all the heartbreak and upheaval, through the moves and the uncertainty, Bobo remained exactly what she had always been: steady, loving, empathetic, and full of grace.

But I believe, in my heart, that the upheaval of losing her home took something from her. That the move — forced on all of us by people who will never understand what they destroyed — cost Bobo more than any of us wanted to see. She was already about thirteen years old. She was already slowing. And then everything she knew was taken from her, too.

I will never stop believing that.

Maybe that’s part of why losing Bobo broke my heart open the way it did. There are weeks when every new loss reopens everything that came before it.

For the past 11 years, Bobo has been deeply loved by an extended family spread across the world.

Peter, most of all. As the compound’s master security guard, Peter spent nearly every day and every night with her - caring for her. Cooking for and feeding her. I honestly believe he spent more time with Bobo than with his own children. There was no one who loved her or who she loved back more. I mourn for Peter’s loss more than my own.

No one will miss her more deeply. No one.

She was loved by Whinock, Fred, Obed, Janvier, Vestina, Winnick, Kim, Michael, Shema, Hyacinthe, and so many others who became part of her world and whose world she became part of. Five years ago, Dox - aka Max joined her as her partner in crime, and together they ruled the compound hilltop to hilltop.

She especially loved Timothy, who painted her official portrait (at top and bottom) — a beautiful piece that now hangs in my bedroom in Cambridge, where she watches over me every night.

Anytime I arrived in Rwanda, Bobo was there waiting.

Our place will never feel the same without her.

I hate that I wasn’t there on her last day. I hate that I couldn’t be beside her these past months. But I know - she knew she was loved every single day of her life with us. That has to be enough, and somehow it is.

What a lucky life we had with her.

Today I spent hours in photographs, crying, holding my Bruno here close while staring at Bobo’s portrait, and thinking about how much light one dog can carry into the world.

How one small creature can be a home. How losing her can feel, somehow, like losing a place.

Dogs bring out the best in us. They don’t carry what they can’t use. They find the sun. They chase the rain. They love you on your worst day, the same as your best — and somehow, that teaches you everything.

Dogs really are angels on earth.

Bobo certainly was one.

She leaves behind a grieving and grateful family scattered across the globe: the guests she welcomed, the children she loved, the friends she comforted, the visitors she charmed, and all of us who had the extraordinary privilege of being chosen by her.

She will be missed beyond words.

She will never, ever be forgotten.

Rest peacefully, sweet Bobo. Thank you for choosing us.

❤️🐾

PS: Bobo was at the center of something truly special — a community built on love, joy, and connection. If her story moved you, I'd be grateful if you considered supporting either our legal defense fund to reclaim CoKiyovu, or Women GAIN and the community we intend to rebuild there. Because we are coming back. That space is magical. And Bobo will always be part of its story.

Donate

Share Your Hiring Tips

I think about hiring more than most, but I think it's something many people have to deal with.

Right now, I’m hiring across multiple fronts, trying to build teams, reviewing candidates, setting up systems (or realizing where we don’t have them), and running into all the same challenges I’ve seen across the field.

I also see more job postings in our space than even the most aggressive job seekers. Every day. Campaigns, firms, recruiters, nonprofits, PACs, party committees—you name it.

So I come to this from a few different perspectives:

• As someone actively hiring

• As someone watching the ecosystem in real time

• And as someone who has been part of this work long enough to see the same patterns repeat

Despite my knowledge and experience, I’m still not getting it right, and I know most others aren’t either. That’s why we’re working on this project and hope you’ll help.

We hire fast.
We hire under pressure.
We hire for roles we don’t fully understand.

We rely on resumes that don’t actually tell us what we need to know. We default to networks that feel broad to us but are often anything but. We rush processes that should be more thoughtful, and then slow-walk things that should be faster.

And then we’re surprised when:

• The hire doesn’t work out

• The team feels off

• People burn out

• Or we’re back-filling the same role again weeks later

Over the past week, has written two pieces that really get at the structural side of this.

In one I co-authored, we discussed how the progressive movement doesn’t have a passion problem—it has an infrastructure problem. And one of the clearest places that shows up is talent: we’re struggling to hire and retain the mid-level people who actually turn strategy into execution.

Joe Lestingi

The Progressive Movement Is Losing Its Best Talent. Here’s How We Fix It

Across the country, campaigns and advocacy organizations are struggling to hire and retain experienced staff—especially the mid-level managers and operators who turn strategy into execution. The result is predictable: higher turnover, thinner benches, and more institutional knowledge walking out the door after every cycle…

Read more

5 months ago · 1 like · Joe Lestingi and Amy Pritchard, ❌👑

In the other, Joe breaks down something we’ve all seen but don’t always name: the way we’ve patched together employment structures—like putting staff on state party payrolls—can create real risk, confusion, and lack of accountability for everyone involved.

Joe Lestingi

When State Democratic Parties Become the Employer, Everyone Takes on More Risk

For a long time, this is just how our side has handled it. Campaigns need staff. Candidates need support. State Democratic parties and caucuses want to help build the kind of operation that wins elections. So over the years, we made practical choices to solve immediate problems around payroll, benefits, and staffing…

Read more

5 months ago · 2 likes · Joe Lestingi

Both pieces are really about the same thing:

We’ve been solving hiring and staffing problems in the moment rather than building systems that actually work.

And that’s where this becomes more than just a “we should do better” conversation.

That’s why GAIN Power and MPX are partnering in a real way.

This isn’t just about posting jobs or filling roles. It’s about building actual infrastructure around hiring, employment, and talent—so that:

• Employers can hire better and faster

• Workers have more stability and clarity

• And we stop reinventing the wheel (badly) every cycle

But here’s the thing:

We’re not going to solve this just by writing about it.

We need to hear from the people actually doing the work.

So we’re building two new guides:

👉 A Hiring Guide for employers
👉 A Job Seeker Guide for applicants

And we want them to reflect reality—not theory.

That means we need input from:

• Hiring managers

• Campaign staff

• Recruiters

• Consultants and vendors

• Freelancers and content creators

• Job seekers

Because the truth is, some of the most useful insight comes from people who have been on the receiving end of broken systems.

And there are a lot of thoughts—and a lot of feelings—out there.

We’ve put together a form—but it’s not really a survey.

It’s an invitation.

To share:

• What you’ve seen go wrong

• What actually worked

• What you wish people understood

• What needs to change

We’re asking about:

• Hiring practices

• Evaluation and screening

• Tools and systems (or lack of them)

• Onboarding (or absence of onboarding)

But we’re also asking something just as important:

👉 What do you need when it comes to hiring or staffing right now?
👉 What’s making this harder than it should be?
👉 What would actually help?

And directly:

👉 What should GAIN Power and MPX be doing more of to support this work?

Share Your Tips and Feedback

A quick note before you jump in, because it is long, and because we know your time is valuable:

You don’t need to answer everything.

If you have one strong insight, one frustration, one thing you wish people understood—that’s enough.

Short and specific is better than long and vague.

You can submit more than once if you have different ideas or perspectives.

You can be credited—we’d love to lift up your work—or you can stay anonymous. We are asking for contact info so we know who's submitting, but you’re in control of how (or if) you’re identified.

We’re aiming for an initial release in June, so we're asking for your submission by May 15th.

But this will be a living document—updated over time, shaped by ongoing input, and used to build additional tools, resources, and support.

We’ll share some in other formats too.

I know that everyone who has ever hired someone has thoughts about this.

And I know that job seekers have a lot of feelings about this.

We want both.

👉 [Link to Hiring Guide Form]
👉 [Job Seeker Guide Form coming soon]

If we’re serious about:

• Winning campaigns

• Building strong organizations

• Expanding who gets to do this work

• Retaining good people

Then we have to get better at hiring.

Not just faster—but smarter, fairer, and more intentional.

I’m working on it myself.

And with this partnership, we’re trying to build something better.

Let’s figure it out together.

Eight Weeks Later

It’s been almost eight weeks since my double mastectomy, and I realize I haven’t really shared what’s happened since.

The last time I wrote about my health, I was on my way to surgery, terrified, and trying to prepare myself for something I knew would change me, but not yet knowing how. Since then, there’s been a lot to process. Some of it has been incredibly relieving. Some of it has been harder than I expected. And much of it is still ongoing.

This all started months ago with what I thought would be a routine mammogram last summer. That led to more imaging. Then more imaging. Then biopsies. And then more biopsies.

Eventually, I was diagnosed with breast cancer—actually, two different types at once.

In these months, I’ve also learned there isn’t just one breast cancer—there are many, each with its own path.

I have stage II invasive lobular carcinoma and invasive ductal carcinoma. Both were estrogen receptor-positive and HER2-negative. Because the tumors were in multiple areas, it was considered multifocal and multicentric, which meant that a mastectomy wasn’t just recommended—it was necessary. Given everything, I made the decision to have a double mastectomy.

On some level, I always thought this might be part of my story.

Breast cancer has been a throughline in my family. My mother had it. Her mother had it. My father’s mother had it. And at least one of my great-grandmothers as well.

It was never abstract.

That history didn’t make the diagnosis easier—but it did make me vigilant. I’ve always stayed on top of screenings. I paid attention. I followed up.

In ways I didn’t fully acknowledge at the time, I have been quietly preparing for this possibility for years.

Even in small ways. I’ve kept my hair long for a long time, partly because I thought—if this ever happens, I might need it for a wig.

That’s the kind of quiet calculation you carry when something like this runs through your family.

Which makes it all the more surprising that my genetic testing came back negative for known hereditary mutations. Cancer doesn’t always follow clean lines. But awareness—and action—still matter.

The good news—and I know how fortunate I am to say this—is that my final pathology showed no spread to my lymph nodes.

That meant no radiation.

And when my oncotype score came back low, it also meant no chemotherapy.

I am now considered cancer-free. Even writing those words still feels a little surreal. Some prefer to say I’m in remission and ensuring it doesn’t recur requires endocrine therapy for at least the next 5 years, but that is a small price to pay.

Being cancer-free and being healed are not the same thing.

My recovery has been more complicated than I expected—and at times, more difficult than the diagnosis itself. Honestly, and sharing this because so few warned me in advance. It has been incredibly painful. Much worse and much longer than I expected. Having broken my leg a few years ago, I thought I was prepared for this, but I really wasn’t - nerve pain is a whole different experience!!!! 0 of 10 recommend this to anyone! Still, I’m glad I did it, and I’m certainly past the worst of it.

My right side healed relatively normally, but my left side has been much more challenging. I developed a persistent seroma—a buildup of fluid from leaking lymphatic channels—that just won’t resolve. On top of that, I developed a mild staph infection, which added another layer of complication.

What I had hoped would be a straightforward recovery turned into additional procedures, including the surgical placement of a new drain last Friday.

At times, it has felt like my body is working against me—refilling faster than it can drain.

And it hasn’t just been physical discomfort. The fluid buildup and infection have come with flu-like symptoms—fevers, body aches, headaches, and a kind of brain fog that makes everything feel heavier and slower.

Because of all this, I’ve extended my medical leave through the end of March. Healing is taking longer than I expected, and I’m learning—some days better than others—to be patient with that.

That part hasn’t been easy.

What has made all the difference is the care I’ve received.

My teams at Mass General and Newton-Wellesley are extraordinary. I’ve spent more time in hospitals over the past few months than in my entire life combined, and I have to say I could not be more impressed with everyone at both Mass General and Newton-Wellesley.

My surgeon, Dr. Michelle Specht, came into my life through my brother Adam, who has known her since High School. That connection wasn’t incidental—it gave me immediate trust in someone he already deeply respected. She works closely with Dr. Eleanor Thomczyk, my plastic surgeon, and together they are an exceptional team. Not just highly skilled, but deeply thoughtful in how they care for their patients.

My medical oncology care took an unexpected turn when the doctor I initially started with went into early labor—a joyful reason for a sudden transition. I was then placed in the care of Dr. Janice Kim, who stepped in seamlessly. She is steady, thoughtful, and clear in guiding me through this next phase.

The person who has been at the center of my care day to day has been Amy Israelian, the lead nurse practitioner on my team. She has been my advocate in every sense of the word—making sure I got what I needed, when I needed it. When I required an additional procedure and was told it would take a week to schedule, she made sure it happened right away.

That kind of advocacy changes everything.

There’s also a moment I’ll never forget.

As I was being wheeled into the operating room, just before anesthesia, I looked around and realized that every single person in the room was female.

Every surgeon. Every nurse. Every technician. All wearing sparkling pink Dansko clogs.

There was something about that moment that felt deeply grounding—almost like stepping into something ancient and collective. A kind of modern red tent. I felt held in a way I didn’t expect, and I carried that feeling with me as I went under.

Outside the hospital, I’ve been even more supported.

My faithful dog, Bruno, has barely left my side and given me lots of oxytocin to lift my spirits.

My brother Adam and his wife, Lizanne, and my Cambridge roommate and dear friend, Ann, teamed up to make sure I had every need met. They’ve cooked, cleaned, done laundry, helped with wound care, walked Bruno, and made sure I was never alone.

My friend has sent me more holiday gifts than I can count, making sure I remember them all, visited, and called daily. My friends, Michelle, Sasha, and my sister, Marni, have visited.

So many more sent beautiful care packages, flowers, donations to GAIN Power and Global GAIN, meal train meals, called, and messaged. I am very behind on my thank-you notes—but I have felt and appreciated every bit of each of them. Truly.

I’ve also benefited greatly from a few Facebook breast groups that have offered incredible community - ask me about them if you have reason to join.

One thing I’ve done is journal a lot more, which has helped me process all this - thank you for being such an inspiration to me on so many levels through this journey. I’m working through “The Book of Alchemy” prompts still.

I am aware how much privilege is wrapped up in this experience—the access to excellent care, the ability to take time to heal, the community that has shown up for me in such tangible ways.

I don’t take that for granted.

I’m starting to come back now.

Slowly.

I’ve been to a few events. I’ve begun re-engaging with work in small ways.

Healing is definitely not linear - I have good days and bad ones. I fatigue easily, and I’m still very much in recovery.

And, I still have a series of necessary medical appointments and procedures needed throughout this year, but I should be back in full force in early April.

I’m building ideas, supporting candidates, and thinking about what’s next—especially with GAIN Power. We had some staff turnover during this leave, which created new challenges and opportunities. This has meant we’ve been quieter than normal, but our team is still busy, and our career center is active every day. And we’ve got some exciting new partnerships and programs to announce very soon.

There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t thought about the work ahead, about what’s at stake, about how much needs to be done. I’ve been quietly screaming at the news every day since I went under, and losing my mind over the continued and escalated harm unleashed by the authoritarian administration every day.

Sitting on the sidelines has been really hard—but necessary. I was especially sad to miss the BISC Road Ahead conference in Cleveland - an event I look forward to each year. Every day, I have a pressing anxiety about how far behind I feel because of this time off. If you’re so inclined to support my work, please consider a contribution to GAIN Power or Global GAIN - it would mean the world to me. So many organizations depend on our network and support.

Donate to Global GAIN

Global GAIN is a 501 c3 focuced on women’s leadership and democracy building here and around the world - especially in my beloved Rwanda.

Donate to GAIN Power

GAIN Power is a social benefit company that supports Democratic and Progressive organizations and talent working in our elections, advocacy, and government.

I’m looking forward to being back in it—with all of you.

If there’s one thing I want to leave you with, it’s this:

Get your screenings.

Get the mammogram.
Schedule the colonoscopy.
Go to the appointment.

Don’t put it off.

Catching this when I did made all the difference.

Thank you for being part of my life, my work, and my healing.

More soon. Much love.

❤️
Amy

This has been a heavy week.

There is so much happening in this country right now — trauma and violence inflicted by ICE in Minnesota and across the country, the continued horrific disclosures around the Epstein files, and our national leaders actively part of it all, the steady churn of instability and outrage. At the same time, the calendar is layered with meaning — Lent and Ramadan beginning, Mardi Gras, the Lunar New Year, Presidents’ Day, Valentine’s Day. Reflection and celebration share the same space.

And in the middle of all of it, the news that the Right Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., had gone to join his ancestors and Savior rose above everything else for me. I was surprised by my grief.

Part of it is simple sadness. Part of it is nostalgia — for what was and what might have been. And part of it is a deeper sense that this moment, already so fractured, feels even more so without him in it.

He had a way of filling a space without crowding it. A rhythm. A moral clarity. A cultural fluency that always made everyone feel challenged and included. Rev Jackson shaped my politics, values, and faith. I was in Atlanta for his 1988 convention speech. I’ve been in his presence many times over the decades — at conventions, at campaign events, in rooms filled with organizers and clergy and activists. I don’t pretend to have been close to him and, in fact, worried that writing about him might imply that I was - but I did want to pile on in lifting and honoring his legacy.

Eugene Robinson wrote this week that to understand Reverend Jackson’s place in history, look at three photographs spanning forty years: 1968, 1988, and 2008.

In 1968, he stood at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis alongside Dr. King the day before he was assassinated. In 1988, as he stood in Atlanta at the Democratic National Convention, delivering the speech that still echoes. In 2008, he stood in Grant Park, tears streaming down his face as Barack Obama was elected.

That arc alone tells a story. I remember my own tears watching election night coverage in 2008, which turned into ugly crying when I saw Rev Jackson’s tears. I can only imagine his thoughts that night, knowing he was, in so many ways, responsible for Obama’s win.

When Reverend Jackson launched his 1984 presidential campaign, many dismissed it. Donna Brazile wrote that people saw it as “a hopeless quest,” asking, “How could a Black man possibly be elected president of the United States?

He ran anyway.

She described working on that campaign as “a graduate-level education in the struggle to open the doors of the American Dream to all” in her beautiful tribute to him in the Washington Post this week.

He trained people who would go on to create their own powerful impact — including Donna Brazile - and her fellow For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics authors and amazing Democratic leaders Minyon Moore, Leah Daughtry, and Yolanda Caraway. Their leadership, and the institutions they shaped, are part of his living legacy. And this is just naming a few.

I remember meeting Donna and Minyon when they came to the Chauncey Street HQ in Boston as emissaries for Dukakis’s campaign, and being in awe of them then. This week, I have loved reading their and others’ personal stories

So many family and friends — field organizers, advance people, drivers, schedulers, press staff, clergy — have been sharing what it was like to work with him all over the country. The long days. The packed church basements. The airports. The hotel ballrooms. The way he remembered people. The way he pushed them. The way he set a standard.

One friend, after a long day, asked Reverend Jackson, “How do you do so much?” And Reverend Jackson answered, “How do you do so little?”

That question feels like both a rebuke and an invitation.

Reverend Jackson told the country:

“America is not like a blanket — one piece of unbroken cloth… it is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors… all woven and held together by a common thread.”

He named who belonged in that quilt — “the White, the Hispanic, the Black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the Native American… the lesbian, the gay, and the disabled - of course, it was his Rainbow Coalition.

He understood connection, culture, community, and how to inspire like few others. And long before President Obama’s Campaign branded hope, Rev. Jackson told us all to:

Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive.

At the family’s press conference on Wednesday, his son Yusef shared “Rev. Jackson would say, ‘it is my religion that makes me political, not my politics that makes me religious.’”

And he shared that near the end of his life, what troubled him most was not pain — it was not being able to continue serving.

I feel that deeply, as I’m feeling sidelined going through my own illness and pain, and yet I’m not as strong as he is in not complaining about the pain.

If you don’t know him, go watch him.

Watch the 1988 speech in Atlanta.

Watch the powerful speeches — and also watch him having fun. Watch him with children. Watch him on Sesame Street. Watch him read Green Eggs and Ham. I’ve included links to those below, but go find more.

Lift his words. Lift his work. Lift his legacy.

Because in a week this heavy, his voice still cuts through.

“I am somebody.”

“Keep hope alive.”

Rest in power, Reverend Jackson. You have earned.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re sending love to immigrants across the country. As our communities face violence, increased criminalization, detention, and dehumanization, we choose love and solidarity by taking action. Immigrants deserve safety, dignity, and freedom.#ToImmigrantsWithLove #IStandWithImmigrants #IAmAnImmigrant

This week, GAIN Power is proud to partner with To Immigrants With Love. While we are a very small piece of this effort, I see it as part of something much bigger—something rooted in love, courage, and collective care—and, in this moment, more important than much of the other work we do. You too can be part of this, sign up as a partner, or just take an action shift: gainpower.link/tiwl share your own love letter, register to take action, or lift this campaign on social. Here is a toolkit.

This is mine:

Dear friends, organizers & all immigrants,

I want to write you a love letter.

I also want to be honest: I’m scared.

I’m scared to name you.
I’m scared to tag many of you.
I’m scared to say where you work, who you serve, or how you show up—because right now, even praise and love can feel dangerous.

That fear is devastating. And it says everything about the country we are living in today.

I cannot begin to imagine what it feels like to live in the United States as someone who was not born here—or as someone born here who is still made to feel like they must constantly prove it. I cannot imagine the terror of worrying that your name, your job, your address, your family, or your love could be used against you. I cannot imagine having to carry papers to justify your belonging.

And yet, this is the reality for so many.

I think about my friends every day.

I also want to be honest about where I am right now. Over the past year, illness and recovery have forced me to sit more on the sidelines than I want to. That has been deeply frustrating—because I want to be in the streets, in the rooms, and in the fight alongside you. For now, what I can do is use my voice relentlessly: sharing real stories, lifting the truth of what is happening, and refusing to let this violence and dehumanization be normalized or ignored. It is not everything—but it is what I have, and I am using it.

I think about the friend with Temporary Protected Status, watching the clock run out while politicians debate their humanity like a bargaining chip.

I think about the friend who is married to an American, here legally, doing everything “right,” navigating the long and punishing process toward a green card and citizenship—only to wake up to another announcement that the rules have changed again, that visas from his country may no longer be approved, that certainty has once again been replaced with fear.

And I think about the friends whose children are American citizens—kids who go to school here, who pledge allegiance, who know no other home—while their parents live with the constant terror of being torn away from them.

Most people have no idea what immigrants have to endure just to be here. They don’t see the endless paperwork, the arbitrary timelines, the constantly shifting policies, or the cruelty embedded in a system that is clearly broken—and then deliberately made worse by leaders who refuse to fix it.

Trump keeps changing the rules. He keeps sowing confusion and fear. And ICE is terrorizing communities across this country—detaining people, disappearing neighbors, traumatizing families, and inflicting real and lasting generational harm.

A special shout-out—though I wish it weren’t necessary—to the epicenter of so much of this madness: Minnesota. I have immigrant friends there who are here legally and still do not feel safe. Let that sink in.

Right now, no one feels safe.

To all of our immigrant friends: you belong here. We need you. We want you. You are not alone. No executive order, policy change, or campaign of fear can erase your dignity or your place in community. You are part of this country—its families, its culture, its economy, its future—and we will keep showing up to make that truth impossible to ignore.

What I can say—without naming names—is this:

You are extraordinary.

Across this country, organizers are showing up every day—in neighborhoods, churches, schools, community centers, and living rooms—protecting families, building allyship, and refusing to let fear be the final word. Some of you are working directly with immigrant communities. Others are organizing broader coalitions, building solidarity, and helping people understand that an attack on immigrants is an attack on all of us.

What we are seeing in places like Minnesota did not just happen. It is the result of deep, patient, values-driven organizing built over decades. From Mondale to Wellstone and so many others, this legacy has been carried forward by generations of organizers who refused to give up on one another. We have seen it spread nationally—from Minnesota to Re: Power, from the uprising after George Floyd’s murder to movements that demanded this country confront the truth about whose lives are valued and whose are treated as disposable.

I also want to name and thank some of the leaders and organizations helping drive this moment. MoveOn. Working Families Party. The organizers at the Fight Back Table. Leaders like WFP’s Nelini Stamp / and Jessica Morales Rocketto who created and organized getting “ICE OUT” buttons on some of the biggest celebs in our culture—including the Grammys—reminding the country that this fight is not invisible and it is not fringe. There are so many others—too many to list—who are building strategy, shaping narrative, mobilizing communities, and refusing to let cruelty go unanswered.

This is a coalition of strong, independent, brilliant people. And that is exactly why it matters.

This moment is sad.
It is frightening.
It is infuriating.

And still—we show up. In different ways. With different tools. With love, honesty, and courage.

Please know this: even when we cannot say your names out loud, you are seen. You are valued. You are appreciated more than words can capture. Your staff, your leadership, and your communities matter profoundly.

With love, gratitude, and unwavering solidarity,

Amy Pritchard
Founder,

For Immigrants, With Love

Between U.S. escalation abroad, civilians being killed at home by state power, and the daily churn of cruelty-as-policy, it would be easy to miss what happened quietly this week.

But this matters.

Buried in a formal White House memorandum is a sweeping withdrawal of the United States from dozens of international organizations, conventions, and treaties—institutions created to restrain the worst impulses of powerful nations and powerful men.

The administration claims these entities are “contrary to the interests of the United States.”

That is true—if you understand whose interests now define the country.

What follows is the same memorandum, rewritten only to reflect its actual purpose and effect.
No exaggeration.
No added cruelty.
Just the logic made explicit.

Strip away the letterhead and legal language, and what remains is simple:

racism, patriarchy, and grifting for profit—codified.

MEMORANDUM

FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

FROM: Donald J. Trump, President of the United States

Section 1. Purpose.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America—and by my long-standing belief that the United States exists to enrich people like me—I hereby direct the following:

(a) On February 4, 2025, I ordered a review of all international organizations, conventions, and treaties to determine whether they are useful, profitable, or politically convenient to me, my family, my businesses, my donors, or the authoritarian leaders I admire.

(b) After reviewing the Secretary of State’s findings, I have determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or provide support to any organization that:

• Regulates fossil fuels, mining, timber, land, water, or energy in ways that limit profit;

• Imposes environmental, labor, transparency, or anti-corruption standards;

• Treats people in poor, Black, Brown, or so-called “shithole” countries as deserving of dignity, investment, or development;

• Promotes democracy, free elections, judicial independence, or limits on executive power;

• Protects women, children, migrants, or civilians instead of powerful men;

• Challenges patriarchal control, male dominance, or enforced social hierarchy;

• Requires accountability for violence, exploitation, or corruption; or

• Fails to generate direct financial, political, or branding benefits for a Trump-owned or Trump-aligned enterprise.

(c) For the avoidance of doubt:
If an organization does not financially benefit a Trump family business, licensee, donor, or preferred strongman ally, it shall be deemed not in the interest of the United States.

Accordingly, the United States shall withdraw.

Sec. 2. Organizations from Which the United States Shall Withdraw.

(The following organizations are listed exactly as in the official memorandum. Explanations reflect the Administration’s actual motivations.)

(a) Non-United Nations Organizations:

(i) 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
Withdrawn because carbon-free energy threatens oil, gas, and coal profits.

(ii) Colombo Plan Council
Withdrawn because development without extraction is a bad deal.

(iii) Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Withdrawn because environmental enforcement interferes with deregulated development.

(iv) Education Cannot Wait
Withdrawn because educating children in war zones—mostly poor and non-white—produces no return on investment.

(v) European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
Withdrawn because countering disinformation limits preferred political tactics.

(vi) Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
Withdrawn because evidence-based infrastructure planning interferes with privatization and patronage.

(vii) Freedom Online Coalition
Withdrawn because free information makes controlling narratives harder.

(viii) Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
Withdrawn because resilient communities do not need strongmen.

(ix) Global Counterterrorism Forum
Withdrawn because multilateral cooperation slows unilateral force.

(x) Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
Withdrawn because cybersecurity standards interfere with information warfare.

(xi) Global Forum on Migration and Development
Withdrawn because solving migration undermines fear-based politics.

(xii) Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
Withdrawn because climate science is bad for business.

(xiii) Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
Withdrawn because sustainability reduces mining profits.

(xiv) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Withdrawn because climate facts get in the way.

(xv) Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Withdrawn because protecting ecosystems limits land grabs.

(xvi) International Centre for the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Withdrawn because preservation interferes with profitable redevelopment.

(xvii) International Cotton Advisory Committee
Withdrawn because global standards complicate speculation.

(xviii) International Development Law Organization
Withdrawn because the rule of law interferes with corruption.

(xix) International Energy Forum
Withdrawn because coordinated energy policy limits dominance.

(xx) International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
Withdrawn because independent culture undermines nationalism.

(xxi) International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Withdrawn because free elections are inconvenient.

(xxii) International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
Withdrawn because justice limits power.

(xxiii) International Lead and Zinc Study Group
Withdrawn because transparency reduces profit.

(xxiv) International Renewable Energy Agency
Withdrawn because renewables threaten fossil fuels.

(xxv) International Solar Alliance
Withdrawn because solar power is competition.

(xxvi) International Tropical Timber Organization
Withdrawn because forest protection limits logging.

(xxvii) International Union for Conservation of Nature
Withdrawn because nature is in the way.

(xxviii) Pan American Institute of Geography and History
Withdrawn because shared knowledge serves no private interest.

(xxix) Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
Withdrawn because alliances limit unilateral power.

(xxx) Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
Withdrawn because rules interfere with transactional diplomacy.

(xxxi) Regional Cooperation Council
Withdrawn because regional cooperation reduces dependence.

(xxxii) Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
Withdrawn because the future threatens the past.

(xxxiii) Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
Withdrawn because supporting Ukraine offers no personal benefit.

(xxxiv) Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Withdrawn because environmental protection limits exploitation.

(xxxv) Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
Withdrawn because constitutional limits restrain executive power.

Final Clarification

This is not isolationism.
This is not realism.
This is not “America First.”

It is racism, patriarchy, and grifting for profit—codified.

This isn’t my first time paying tribute to Congressman Steny Hoyer, and it certainly won’t be my last—but yesterday’s announcement of his retirement feels like a moment that deserves to be marked with particular love, reflection, and gratitude.

Steny Hoyer has been a friend, a mentor, a supporter, a moral authority, and a guiding North Star in my life for nearly as long as I’ve been doing professional politics. I first met him in 1992—more than 30 years ago—while working on my very first congressional race. But I truly got to know him in 1997 and 1998, when I worked at the DCCC and we traveled all over the country together recruiting candidates and supporting Democratic campaigns.

Those trips shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. I watched him persuade people to run for Congress not with pressure or ego, but with conviction, respect, and a deep belief in public service. I watched him carry bags, hold doors, and treat everyone—candidates, staff, hotel workers—with the same dignity. That wasn’t performative. It was who he is. And for a young woman building a career in politics, it mattered more than I can fully capture.

Shortly after I left the DCCC, Congressman Hoyer asked me to serve as (volunteer) Treasurer of AmeriPAC, his leadership PAC, and Hoyer for Congress, a role I have held since 2000. It’s a volunteer role I have always taken very seriously, and one I remain deeply grateful for. Very few people get to see this kind of leadership up close over decades. I have—and what I’ve seen is consistency, integrity, and care for the people who do the work.

But my deepest affection for Steny comes from his unwavering support for Democratic GAIN—now GAIN Power.

Long before “movement infrastructure” became a buzzword, he understood that democracy doesn’t sustain itself. People do. Outside of a handful of labor unions, Steny has been one of our most consistent, impactful, and generous supporters over the years. Many people whose careers have been shaped by GAIN Power may not realize just how much of that opportunity traces back to him.

That belief in people showed up again when GAIN Power took on the enormous risk of reviving RootsCamp. I was terrified—financially and personally. When I reached out to Steny with what I’ve described as my biggest ask ever, he didn’t hesitate. He called me personally. He stepped up. And that support meant everything. It wasn’t just financial—it was affirming. It was a reminder that this work matters and that the people doing it deserve to be supported.

That’s why it meant so much to me that we were able to honor Congressman Hoyer this past year with our Lifetime Achievement Award. I suspected that retirement might be on the horizon and wanted to ensure we recognized him while he was still serving. I didn’t expect it to be this year, but I am so grateful we did. That moment was deeply personal—and deeply deserved.

Steny Hoyer will rightly be remembered for his legislative accomplishments and leadership in Congress. But his quieter legacy—the one that matters just as much—is the way he invested in people, built infrastructure, and modeled what principled leadership looks like, even in the most challenging moments. He has always cared about staff, organizers, campaign workers, and the often-invisible labor that makes democracy function.

He will be missed in Congress, even as I know he will continue to have an impact in his final year and beyond. I’m also glad he will have time to enjoy life with his beautiful wife, children, and grandchildren—something no one has earned more. And knowing Steny as I do, I’m certain retirement won’t mean retreat. He will always be a champion for Maryland, for this country, and for our democracy.

Congressman Hoyer—gentleman from Maryland, builder of people, investor in the future—I could not love or admire you more. Thank you for everything. 💙

I felt a twinge of guilt that I didn’t write this on Heather Booth’s actual birthday.

And then I realized:
Heather Booth deserves so much more than a single day.

If anything, she deserves a Heather Booth Celebration Month—time enough to honor not just her extraordinary life, but the generations of organizers, leaders, and world-changers who exist because she invested in people, not credit.

December 15th marked Heather Booth’s 80th birthday, and last Saturday, hundreds of us gathered to celebrate her life, legacy, and the profound impact she has had on so many lives. It was joyful, moving, grounding—and deeply Heather.

Choosing a single photo to accompany this post was more complicated than writing it.

I have dozens of photos with Heather across decades of shared work. I ultimately chose one from about ten years ago because it represents something that mattered deeply to both of us: our long, collaborative involvement with the Women’s Information Network (WIN). We both supported WIN, served on its advisory board for years, and showed up—again and again—for young women who wanted to work in progressive politics in Washington, DC.

I’m not sure Heather ever missed an event or a meeting.
She certainly never missed an opportunity to encourage, mentor, or open a door.

Supporting young women finding their way into this work wasn’t a side project for Heather—it was central to how she understood movement building. And it shaped how I understand it too.

Heather Booth is a national treasure. But even that phrase doesn’t quite capture it. She isn’t just someone who changed history—she is someone who taught thousands of others how to change history, and how to make that change last.

If you work anywhere in organizing, campaigns, advocacy, or democracy work today, there’s a good chance you are living somewhere in Heather Booth’s universe, whether you realize it or not.

For me, this is deeply personal.

Heather Booth has been my North Star—my number one mentor and my greatest inspiration. When I’ve struggled with how to lead with integrity, how to balance power with humility, or how to build something durable instead of flashy, I’ve looked to Heather. Often without naming it, I’ve been asking: What would Heather do?

Earlier this year at RootsCamp, Heather reminded us—again—why her voice matters so much right now. I’m sharing that video here because it captures her clarity, urgency, humor, and love for this movement better than any summary ever could.

She named the moment plainly: the attacks on immigrants, unions, reproductive freedom, climate action, and democratic institutions themselves. She didn’t minimize the danger—and she didn’t give in to despair.

She did what organizers do.

She grounded us in history. She told the truth about how hard this work has always been. She reminded us that when change felt impossible—during Freedom Summer, before Roe, in the face of violent backlash—people organized anyway.

And she brought it back to now:

• Love at the center

• Action—defense, protest, and offense

• Long-term organizing that builds real political power

She closed the way she always does—by reminding us that none of this happens alone. That movements are built one person at a time. That it starts when we say we—and mean one more person tomorrow.

That is Heather Booth in her purest form.

How to Honor Heather Booth (the Way She Would Want)

Of course, Heather wanted nothing for herself.

So if you’d like to honor her 80th birthday in a way that reflects her lifelong work, here are two meaningful ways to do that:

Support the institutions that train and empower organizers

• Midwest Academy – the gold standard for organizing training

  Donate to MidWest Academy

• Battleground – building progressive power where it’s needed most

Donate to the Battleground Alliance

Add your voice to her video tribute
They are creating a keepsake video for Heather—a collective expression of love, gratitude, and appreciation. It’s not too late to participate, even though the celebration was last week.

• Please keep your video to 30 seconds (1 minute max)

• Share a memory, a lesson, or a simple thank you

Submit your tribute here:

Share a Heather Booth Tribute Video

And One More Thing

If we really want to honor Heather Booth, the truest way is this:

• Mentor someone

• Share skills generously

• Build systems, not just moments

• Lead with love at the center

• Organize one more person, and then one more

Because Heather Booth taught us something essential:

When we organize, with love at the center, we can change the world.
And because of Heather Booth, so many of us know how.

I’ve been just so sad all week and feel like I lost a family member - someone who has been in my life as long as I can remember and who influenced my politics like few others. Like many people my age, I first “met” Rob Reiner on television.

Like many my age, I grew up watching All in the Family, where Rob Reiner played Michael “Meathead” Stivic—a character who, at the time, felt radically different from almost anyone else I saw on TV. He was unapologetically progressive. He challenged racism, sexism, war, and hypocrisy at the dinner table. He argued with authority. He pushed back. He believed something better was possible.

Looking back, he may have been one of the first openly progressive people I ever recognized in popular culture—not as a caricature, but as someone grounded in values, conviction, and moral clarity.

At the time, I didn’t yet have the language for it. I just knew he felt right.

In the days since Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were so tragically taken from us, I’ve read many tributes from friends, collaborators, and leaders who knew them in ways I never did—intimately, personally, over decades of shared work and friendship.

What stands out most is how many people they touched—not just through film or public life, but through sustained, behind-the-scenes commitment to democracy, equality, education, and civic participation.

Rob Reiner didn’t just play a progressive on television. He grew into one in real life—again and again, with intention.

Together, Rob and Michele Reiner devoted enormous energy to causes that mattered deeply:

• LGBTQI+ equality, including playing a central role in the legal fight that led to marriage equality

• Children and families, through landmark early childhood investments

• Democracy itself, especially the belief that voters should have direct power to shape policy

Rob Reiner understood something that too few people in politics fully grasp: direct democracy matters.

Few know that when and recruited me to launch the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC), part of their pitch was they had recruited Rob Reiner as a founding advisory board member, and I knew that with his involvement, we would take off.

It was just after Prop 10 passed, an initiative he played a huge role in qualifying and passing. He believed deeply in the power of ballot initiatives—not as shortcuts around democracy, but as a form of democracy itself. Tools that enable voters to take the lead when legislatures stall. Tools that build movements, not just laws.

That belief showed up consistently throughout his life:

• In leading California’s First 5 initiative, investing in early childhood development

• In fighting Proposition 8 and helping secure marriage equality nationwide

• In defending the First Amendment, civic engagement, and inclusive democracy

What also matters to say—especially now—is that Rob Reiner didn’t just show up for the visible moments.

Rob Reiner was a Democrats Democrat. Yes, he attended conventions. Yes, he spoke at fundraisers. Yes, he used his public profile to support Democratic candidates and causes. But that was never the full measure of his engagement.

Much of his most meaningful work happened behind the scenes.

Like the best directors, Rob understood that lasting impact doesn’t come from being in front of the camera—it comes from shaping the story, building the team, and doing the unglamorous work that makes success possible. He read memos. He sat in long strategy meetings. He helped build organizations. He lent credibility to early ideas before they were proven winners.

He did the hard work.

He invested time in ballot initiatives, legal strategies, institutional building, and long-term campaigns that didn’t always generate headlines—but did generate real, durable change. In that way, his political life mirrored his creative one: thoughtful, disciplined, collaborative, and deeply intentional.

Michele Singer Reiner was not just by his side—she was a leader in her own right. She served as treasurer and founding board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights and was deeply involved in the strategic, unglamorous work of building institutions that could win lasting change.

They lived their values together.

In a moment when cruelty, misinformation, and dehumanization are often rewarded, I want to remember Rob and Michele Reiner for something else entirely:
for believing in people, trusting voters, and committing their lives to expanding who gets to belong—and who gets to decide.

For many of us, Rob Reiner was the first progressive we ever met.

For millions more, he and Michele helped make progress real.

May their memory be a blessing—and a call to keep building the democracy they believed in. My heart and love go out to all who knew them and were impacted by their work.

Updated November 30 — My Birthday.

This Substack is a place where I combine my work and worlds, and this post does this more than most - it is a bit long for that reason. I am asking for your support today, as I face unprecedented challenges. As always, I use my birthday as an opportunity to spotlight my work and seek support for causes I care about. This past month has been one of the most traumatic of my life, and I need your help. I’m not saying that to be hyperbolic, just honest.

A routine mammogram revealed I have breast cancer, my beloved CoKiyovu home to Women GAIN in Rwanda was illegally raided, and our team members were assaulted this past week.

Meanwhile, witnessing our local communities being hunted and programs I’ve spent a lifetime fighting for being dismantled by this administration daily has been a daily heartbreak. The government institutions we’ve fought to build are run by those actively working to demolish them. Millions around the world are literally dying because USAID was torched, and millions more are suffering because billionaires want to become trillionaires. It is a tough pill to swallow.

These are events I never imagined living through at all, let alone at once. And yet — here we are.

I’m sharing this with you today, honestly and vulnerably, with the deepest gratitude for my friends, family, and community, who have supported me and the causes I care about.

💗 My Breast Cancer Diagnosis

A few weeks ago, I shared here on Substack and my social media that doctors found cancer in my left breast during a routine mammogram. It was caught early, and I am deeply grateful for good healthcare and a supportive community. I hope that sharing this experience encourages others to get tested as well. Six weeks since my diagnosis, and I’m still working on a treatment plan. Nothing is scheduled yet. Yes, I’m losing it a bit.

My career has been marked by instability. I’ve gone years without health insurance, using Planned Parenthood for care. Like many democracy workers today, I often go long periods without a steady income or benefits, as I transition between campaign jobs and consulting work.

That instability shaped me.
It’s one of the reasons I built GAIN Power.

Donate to GAIN Power

🇺🇸 Why This Moment Is So Dangerous for Democracy

Every election cycle, tens of thousands of organizers, strategists, and advocates pour their hearts into defending our freedoms — and then wake up the day after Election Day unemployed, uninsured, and uncertain.

And this is happening at a time when:

• ⚠️ Democratic norms are being shattered

• ⚠️ Political violence is rising

• ⚠️ ICE horrifically targets Black and Brown communities.

• ⚠️ Social safety nets are being dismantled

• ⚠️ MAGA extremists and billionaire-backed actors are attacking truth, rights, and institutions

The people holding the line are:

• Burned out

• Underpaid

• Laid off

• Overextended

• Fighting extremism with shrinking support

Supporting these workers and strengthening our movement is essential right now. Change is urgent and requires immediate action.

🌟 GAIN Power: Supporting the Democracy Workforce

👉 Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/amycares

GAIN Power is the only organization focused entirely on the democracy workforce — the people behind the work.

We are:

🔹 Launching a first-ever Democracy PEO partnership

So campaign and advocacy workers can finally access year-round benefits, payroll, and HR support.
Because fighting for democracy should not mean sacrificing your health or financial security.

🔹 Reimagining RootsCamp

Not in person — but a year-round digital/hybrid platform for training, learning, connecting, and strengthening our movement.

🔹 Supporting political workers hit by layoffs and shutdowns

DOGE, RIFed, furloughed, and shutdown-impacted workers deserve stability — not abandonment.

🔹 Elevating movement talent

Through the Powerful IDEA Awards and year-round recognition.

🔹 Building movement infrastructure

Talent systems, ecosystem mapping, mentorship, and leadership pipelines.

This is the infrastructure behind the infrastructure — the part of the movement that keeps everything else alive.

Donate to GAIN Power

🌍 Global GAIN: Supporting Women & Democracy Worldwide

Women’s health is a democracy issue.
And democracy is a women’s health issue.

Since 2018, Global GAIN has supported civic leadership and women’s empowerment in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Uganda, Gaza, and the United States. Last week, our women’s leadership and wellness center in Rwanda, CoKiyovu, was illegally raided. The property and women’s center I’ve built over 10 years was attacked without warning. Property was destroyed, our team was forcefully removed, staff were threatened and assaulted, and their phones were taken to delete records. Some evidence was saved and shared with me. Our threats include corruption, abuse of process, illegal actions, and violence.

• Corruption

• Abuse of process

• Illegal actions

• Violence and intimidation

These actions are being taken against us, not by us.

It is not just a legal matter.
It is a crisis of justice, the rule of law, and democracy.

As you might imagine, there is more to this story. Unfortunately, I must be cautious about what I share publicly — for safety and legal reasons — but I can share more privately with those who are interested in understanding. This situation is challenging and financially punishing.

Donate to Global GAIN

👧🏾 Monique’s Children — A Decade of Love in the DRC

For 10 years, with help from many friends, I’ve supported a home for orphaned children in Beni, DRC, founded by Monique Kabugho Murandya. After her passing, the orphanage, DRC Home, continues to need support, and we have been their only consistent donors. Now with USAID gone, Ebola back, and and active war continuing their lives are more threated than ever.

Many of the children she raised have now grown into caregivers themselves — supporting the younger kids just as Monique once cared for them.

These young people are leaders, helpers, and healers. They are the future. You can’t even imagine the world they were born into and live in, and every day keeps me grounded.

And they are part of Global GAIN’s heart and legacy.

Your support keeps their home safe, their education intact, and their community strong.

I don’t like to talk about what happens there much in part because I worry I start looking like a white savior and spreading negative stereotypes about people in Africa, but in the words of the brilliant Melani Sanders, we do not care anymore what people think. They need our support. With all they have going on they took time to make this beautiful message for me today!

Donate to Global GAIN

💜 CoKiyovu: A Sanctuary We Are Fighting to Protect

Despite the raid and legal challenges, we are not backing down. Through Global GAIN and our local NGO, 

Women GAIN Rwanda, we remain committed. will be a space where women can:

• Rest and heal

• Learn and lead

• Build and grow

• Organize and advocate

• Create and inspire

• Receive breast cancer education and reproductive rights advocacy

We are also working to raise over $5 million this year to scale this work in Rwanda and beyond. You can read more about their programs and stories like this on our substack:

Women GAIN Rwanda

Building My Future: Aline’s Story of Courage and Determination.

My name is Aline Iradukunda Desange, and I am 18 years old. I come from a large family of eight siblings. My parents live separately, and due to their limited means, I currently live with my aunt, who kindly took me in despite her own personal challenges…

Read more

10 months ago · 4 likes · Rosette Tuyisenge

To achieve our goals, we urgently need your support.

This was our team’s beautiful message to me today

🎁 If You’ve Asked How to Support Me — This Is It

Your support is critical. It makes an immediate difference right now.

Whether you give $5, $50, $100, or $500, your contribution will:

• Strengthen the democracy workforce.

• Protect our programs in Rwanda.

• Support DRC Home and Monique’s children.

• Build CoKiyovu into a sanctuary for women.

• Sustain U.S.-based democracy workers.

• Fund legal protection and program defense

• Help me ensure this work continues while I navigate cancer treatment.

  Donate to Global GAIN

  or donate here.

❤️ Despite Everything, I Am Grateful

This has been a brutal year, especially this month — personally, politically, and globally.
But I am not discouraged. I am not alone. I am not done.

I am grateful for my family, friends, and program teams around the world. And every person who believes in this work

Thank you for standing with me, with the people who power democracy, and with women across the world fighting for dignity, safety, and justice.

With strength, gratitude, and hope,
Amy

Donate to Global GAIN

PS: I recognize not everyone who wants to support can do so financially. Notes of support mean a lot, too - especially when they validate the work I do. If I’ve impacted you or anyone you know, please do let me know. I need all the encouragement I can get right now. Share a story here on GAIN Power or send me a message. Thank you!

It’s time to rethink how we approach sustaining democracy. Rather than blaming funding shortfalls for our losses, let’s recognize that we have the resources. The real challenge lies in our lack of a system to invest money early, strategically, and in the people who sustain democracy. It’s a call to action for all of us—especially those who hold the power to change the course through thoughtful investment.

Last week, I went down a research rabbit hole for a conference conversation on investing in the Leadership Pipeline. As I updated my research, I revisited a question I’ve tracked since founding Democratic GAIN in 2004: how much do conservatives and MAGA groups really invest in leadership and long-term talent?

I’ve followed programs like the Leadership Institute for decades, but taking a fresh look at their funding made the widening disparity impossible to ignore. Today, conservative and MAGA-aligned organizations are spending close to ten times what we are on developing people — not just for campaigns, but for a lifetime of political engagement, cultural influence, and governing.

And unlike us, they invest early, consistently, and with a clear theory of ROI. Conservative investment compounds. It grows. It builds pipelines, identity, and loyalty over decades. It produces governors, judges, media figures, school board members, influencers, and activists who stay.

Meanwhile, too much of our funding arrives late and disappears early.
We scramble to build programs, only to watch them disappear before they take root.
We hire talent but fail to retain them, losing valuable expertise each cycle.
We pour millions into the last 90 days, and when the election ends, the investment evaporates.

The gap is not only financial—ignoring it is dangerous.
It is structural.
It is philosophical.
It is strategic.

They build power like investors.
We spend like firefighters—always reacting, rarely building for tomorrow.

They are growing their market share. This is what the right does right.

Let’s talk about how that looks in practice — with numbers.

Campus and Youth Pipelines: The Farm System

If you want to understand conservative power, start where they do: on campus.

The Leadership Institute: Training at Industrial Scale

The Leadership Institute has been in operation since 1979. It doesn’t just host occasional trainings; it operates a comprehensive leadership development program.

• They offer more than 50 types of training schools, workshops, and seminars in campaigns, fundraising, grassroots organizing, youth politics, and communications. Liberty Seeds

• They operate a national field program that trains conservative students to organize campus groups.

• Since its inception, they report training between 250,000 and 260,000 conservative activists, leaders, and students.

• Their campus network now includes over 2,000–2,300 conservative campus groups and newspapers.

• This is not a scrappy little nonprofit. It’s a $40–50 million annual talent engine whose core mission is to place trained conservatives in movement jobs, government roles, and media ecosystems.

They don’t simply train people and wish them luck. They run a placement service and help move trainees into positions across the conservative world. Liberty Seeds

That is pipeline thinking.

Turning Point USA: Youth Activism as a Scaled Product

Then there’s Turning Point USA, which has effectively productized youth activism.

• TPUSA reports around 900 official college chapters, approximately 1,200 high school chapters, and a reach of roughly 3,500 campuses.

• After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the organization reported receiving more than 37,000 initial requests to start new chapters within days, totaling over 60,000 inquiries.

• Their annual budget is reported between $80 million and $100 million. For 2024, filings show $85 million raised and about $60.9 million in an endowment.

This is a youth organization with an endowment. Let that sink in.

They’ve spun out multiple related entities — America’s Turning Point (a 501(c)(3)), Turning Point Action (a 501(c)(4)), LLC, and PAC and a supporting endowment — that together function as a vertically integrated youth, media, and electoral machine. (source: Paddock Post)

Turning Point Action, their explicitly political arm, has spent millions on independent expenditures and GOTV-style operations, including multi-million-dollar pushes in battleground states and substantial transfers to Turning Point PAC. (source: Factually)

They are building identity, community, and sustained participation from high school to young adulthood — all with eight-figure budgets.

Media + Curriculum: PragerU as the Content Layer

Layered on top of that organizing infrastructure is the conservative media ecosystem, where PragerU is a central node.

• In 2022, PragerU raised $65.5 million in donations, reported $45.5 million in expenses, and saw a net increase of over $77 million in assets.

• In 2024, IRS data indicated approximately $69.7 million in revenue, $68.5 million in expenses, and total assets exceeding $100 million.

• Their videos have garnered billions of views, and as of 2022 they reported over 7 billion lifetime views. (source: Wikipedia)

• They explicitly treat their nonprofit like a business, allocating roughly half their budget to marketing, which saturates social media and YouTube feeds. (source: KQED)

And increasingly, their content is entering public school systems — approved in multiple red states as part of the “civics” or “history” curriculum. (source: Wikipedia)

So when a student walks across campus and sees a TPUSA table, they may already have seen years of PragerU videos, heard daily conservative podcasts, and been nudged into activist communities online.

That is vertical integration of culture and organizing.

The Conservative Legal Pipeline: From 1L to Lifetime Appointment

While we treat judicial fights as last-minute crisis campaigns, the right has spent forty years building a legal talent assembly line.

The Federalist Society: Gatekeeper for the Right

The Federalist Society is widely recognized as the central institutional expression of the conservative legal movement. (source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

• The organization has an estimated 70,000 members, including lawyers, judges, scholars, and students.

• There are more than 200 student chapters at law schools and lawyer chapters in about 90 cities.

• Recent filings show about $21.5 million in revenue and $26.2 million in expenses for 2023.

But the key isn’t just the money. It’s the role they play.

Scholars and journalists have described the Federalist Society as a “gatekeeper” for right-of-center lawyers seeking government posts and federal judgeships. Everything Explained Today

If you want a certain kind of job under a Republican administration, FedSoc isn’t optional; it’s the network you must pass through.

They run conferences, publish legal scholarship, host debates, and create a shared intellectual and social world in which young conservatives are mentored into judgeships, clerkships, and agency roles.

That is what a pipeline looks like when it matures.

Project 2025: Governing Readiness as a Campaign Asset

Then there’s Project 2025, led by the Heritage Foundation and its partners — a plan not just to win power, but to wield it immediately. Most people focused on it’s policies and not that it was a personnel recruitment for conservative candidates for government roles.

This is the right investing years before governing, so that if they win, their people hit the ground running on day one.

Compare that to our side, where we treat personnel like an afterthought and scramble to staff governing roles once the election is over.

The Ideas & Narrative Engine: Think Tanks as Long-Term Infrastructure

Behind all of this stands a network of think tanks that anchors the ideological and policy world of the right, with budgets that rival those of major universities.

A few examples:

• The Heritage Foundation operates with annual revenues in the tens of millions of dollars, supported by a substantial asset base. Its consolidated financial statements show robust multi-year growth and significant investment in policy work, media, and leadership programs.

• The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) reports peak revenue of about $75 million and employs over 700 staff, according to recent analyses and audited financials.

• The Cato Institute reported operating revenue of approximately $79.7 million and expenses of $42.4 million for its 2023–24 fiscal year.

• The America First Policy Institute (AFPI), founded only in 2021, already reports $27.3 million in revenue and around 150 employees.

These are not one-cycle shops. They are permanent institutions, with endowments, research pipelines, media operations, and fellowships that shape doctrine, staff administrations, and define what “conservative policy” even means.

They are also closely tied to electoral and governing efforts — providing ideas and personnel to campaigns, administrations, and judicial nominees.

Turning Out Votes: The Electoral Arms

All of this infrastructure exists so that when it’s time to turn out voters, the right is not starting from zero.

Groups like Turning Point Action function as the electoral tip of the spear for this pipeline.

• Public filings and analyses reveal that Turning Point Action has spent millions of dollars on independent expenditures and GOTV operations in battleground states, including significant efforts in places like Wisconsin. Factually+1

• FEC documents show earlier cycles with at least $1.4 million in disclosed independent expenditures from Turning Point Action alone, with ongoing questions about its donor disclosure practices. FEC.gov+1

On top of that, Turning Point PAC raised over $7.1 million in the 2023–24 cycle. OpenSecrets

The key is not just the sums; it’s that these dollars are layered on top of existing relationships, campus structures, media ecosystems, and leadership pipelines. When they knock a door or send a text, they’re often doing it through a network the voter has already seen — at church, at school, online, or at local events.

Their turnout programs are not just “tactics.” They are the harvest phase of a year-round investment strategy.

Meanwhile, on Our Side…

We have money. In some cycles and sectors, we even raise more than the right. But we deploy it in ways that do not build enduring power.

Across the ecosystem, we:

• Over-reliance on late money. Huge chunks of our funding arrive in the final months of a cycle, when the only thing left to buy is TV, digital, and paid field.

• Treat staff as expendable. We pay people poorly, burn them out, and then act shocked when they leave politics for good.

• Vendor out our organizing. Instead of investing in local institutions that stay, we fly in out-of-state teams — and when they leave, the relationships leave with them.

• Underfund training and leadership. Most cycle budgets treat training as a nice-to-have, not a core strategic investment.

• Let infrastructure wither between cycles. The moment the race is called, the money vanishes and the organizations that carried the work barely hang on.

Every one of those is a talent problem masquerading as a money problem.

We don’t just need more dollars. We need a different theory of investment.

The Real Gap: How They Think About ROI

The right doesn’t just spend more on leadership; they frame it as the highest-return investment they can make.

Look at the patterns:

• The Leadership Institute spends tens of millions of dollars each year to train and place young conservatives in positions across politics, media, and government. That investment pays off over 30–40-year careers. (source: ProPublica)

• Conservative Partnership Institute has $45 million and a prime real estate Capitol Hill Campus that trains and places thousands of staff in DC.

• Federalist Society spends around $20+ million annually building a network that has reshaped the federal judiciary for a generation.

• PragerU allocates half of its $60–70 million budget to marketing, enabling its videos to dominate the feeds of young people — and then uses that reach to recruit them into deeper engagement.

• TPUSA and TP Action combine an $80–$ 100 million youth organizing budget with millions in hard-edged turnout operations.

• Think tanks like AEI, Cato, Heritage, and AFPI spend hundreds of millions collectively producing the ideas, staff, and narratives that frame every policy debate.

They’re not asking, “What moves one poll number this week?”
They’re asking, “What produces 20 years of leverage?”

We, on the other hand, often ask:

• What can we do with the money that finally came in October?

• What poll-tested message can cut through in the last two weeks?

• What tactic can show a short-term win to donors?

We chase transactions. They build compounding assets.

If Every Problem Is a Talent Problem, What Do We Do?

If you peel back almost any challenge on our side — messaging, organizing, data, digital, field, persuasion, turnout — you eventually run into the same reality:

We have not invested enough in the people who do the work, or the institutions that support them.

That means:

• Underdeveloped staff at every level

• Constant reinvention of basic systems

• Little room for creativity or experimentation

• Exhausted organizers who never get the support, training, or pay they deserve

• Shaky leadership pipelines that do not reflect the communities we claim to serve

So what would it look like to actually learn from what the right does right — without abandoning our values?

Here are a few starting points I’d argue for:

1. Set a Floor for Talent & Infrastructure Spending

Movements often reserve “set-asides” for media, technology, or specific constituencies. We need something much more basic:

• A minimum percentage of every major budget — philanthropy, c3/c4, PACs, campaigns — is dedicated to training, leadership development, and staff sustainability.

• Multi-year commitments so organizations can hire and retain talent between cycles, not just in the last six months.

If a project doesn’t have a plan for developing people, it’s not a strategic investment. It’s a bet slip.

2. Move Money Earlier — and Keep It Moving

We should be honest: money that arrives after ballots are out is mostly about making ourselves feel better, not building power.

We need:

• Donors and institutions willing to shift significant portions of their giving into years 1 and 2 of the cycle, not just year 4.

• Funding models that reward long-term metrics — staff retention, local leadership development, base-building — not just short-term “touches”, impressions, or cost per vote.

You cannot build a leadership pipeline in October.

3. Build Our Own Pipelines — and Make Them Reflective

We should be matching and surpassing conservative infrastructure with our own:

• Leadership academies that train young people — especially women, Black, brown, LGBTQ+, immigrant, and disabled organizers — for long-term careers in democracy and governance. To be clear, we have some amazing groups on our side, like Re:Power, Advance Native Political Leadership, Latino Victory Fund, AAPI Victory Alliance, Arena, NDTC, and, of course, GAIN Power, but all are woefully underfunded.

• Legal, policy, and communications pipelines that move people from local advocacy into positions of formal power.

• A media and narrative ecosystem that doesn’t just “respond” but sets the frame, grounded in truth, equity, and multiracial democracy.

This is exactly why I’ve spent years building things like Democratic GAIN, GAIN Power, and now the broader “Democracy U” and talent initiatives: to treat our people as infrastructure, not line items.

4. Stop Treating Organizing as a Service to Vend Out

If your field program leaves town when the contract ends, you haven’t built power. You bought a tactic.

We should prioritize:

• Local, community-rooted organizations with long-term relationships and leadership ladders.

• Training and support that help them become strong employers and durable institutions.

• Partnerships where national orgs underwrite local capacity instead of displacing it.

The conservative movement invests in who stays. We too often overpay those who fly in and leave.

This Is a Choice

The right has spent decades building an ecosystem that treats talent, training, culture, and institutions as its most important investments.

We have the money to do the same — and in some spaces, we already are. But across the pro-democracy movement, we still act like:

• Staff are interchangeable

• Training is optional

• Infrastructure is overhead

• And panicked late spending is a “strategy”

It doesn’t have to be this way.

We can decide that:

• Every major funder will dedicate a real share of their portfolio to talent pipelines and infrastructure.

• Every campaign and organization will budget for training, coaching, and sustainable staffing from day one.

• Every leader will treat people — not ads, not consultants, not one-off tactics — as the primary engine of change.

That is the shift I’m arguing for. That is what I mean when I say:
We don’t have a money problem. We have a talent problem.

A Closing Ask

If this resonates with you — if you see the same patterns I do — I’m not asking you to be outraged. I’m asking you to reallocate.

• If you’re a donor or funder, move real money into multi-year leadership development, training, and local infrastructure. I encourage you to learn more about our programs and initiatives and invest.

• To view our scaling plans and program, please refer to our funder prospectus: gainpower.link/publicprospectus or detailed proposals here: gainpower.link/ScalingProposals

• Donation Pages:

  • GAIN Power Career Center /Jobs That Are Left (LLC)

  • Democracy University (C-3)

  • RootsCamp (LLC) and RootsCamp C3

  • GAIN Voters / Democracy Guard (PAC)

  It is equally important to support a diverse range of leadership organizations across the pro-democracy field, like Re:Power, Advance Native Political Leadership, Latino Victory Fund, AAPI Victory Alliance, Arena, and NDTC. By doing so, we enhance the collective strength and resilience of our movement. However, not all pipeline work is about running for office, which is the focus of most of these. We need talented staff for nonprofits, party committees, campaigns, consulting firms, media, and, of course, government.

If you run an organization, put people and pipelines at the center of your strategic plan and your budget.

If you’re staff or an organizer, demand that our movement invest in you the way the right invests in theirs.

I’ve spent my life building the pipelines our side needs. If you believe our democracy is worth more than another frantic fourth-quarter media buy, then I want you by my side.

Let’s stop pretending we’re broke.
Let’s start acting like talent and leadership are our most precious assets.
Let’s build the pro-democracy ecosystem that does right by our people — and finally matches what the right does right, in service of freedom, justice, and a multiracial democracy that actually works.

We Won Tuesday—Now We Have to Fix What’s Still Broken

Shout out to everyone who made the Tuesday blue wave happen. I spent election day in Cambridge working on my local election while watching the dedication that powers our democracy online. Congratulations to Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield, and so many more Democrats who put their name on the ballot. Thank you to the staff, consultants, volunteers, and donors who called, texted, knocked, monitored, and gave their support. You made the difference.

Democrats won more than the big races. We flipped seats, won court battles, and expanded our influence. Direct democracy worked—from California’s Prop 50 to ballot measures nationwide. These results show the power of organizing.

But here’s the truth we can’t ignore: we didn’t win because voters love Democrats. We won because some leaders broke from our damaged national brand and proved they could be different. We have so much more work to do be rebuild our party to win in 2026 and beyond.

That’s why rebuilding infrastructure and developing leadership must be our obsession.

Learning from the Past to Build the Future

I care a lot more about what we’re doing right right now than what we did wrong in the past, but as the adage goes…those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Since last year’s election, I’ve read every useful post-mortem, article, and podcast about why we lost (see partial list of what has informed and inspired me). My analysis is also based on forty years of experience in this fight and thousands of conversations within the GAIN Power, Jobs That Are Left, and RootsCamp communities.

Moving forward requires developing people and building lasting infrastructure. Better messaging won’t save us. New ads won’t either. Success comes from strong leadership and solid organization—the unglamorous work that compounds over time.

The False Choice Holding Us Back

Too many debates dissolve into left versus right, progressive versus moderate. That’s not what voters care about.

The real choice is forward versus backward. Trustworthy versus corrupt. Fair versus rigged.

Voters don’t obsess over ideological labels. They want leaders who make life better—who solve problems with courage, compassion, and skill. They want bold, creative leaders who deliver results, not endless internal debates.

Our job is to prove we can lead with competence and care. That’s how we restore trust and offer a real alternative.

What Real Leadership Requires

Real leadership isn’t just about who’s in charge. It’s about building systems that empower the people behind our campaigns and movements.

Right now, we have it backwards. We treat campaign staff as disposable and consultants as essential. We ignore organizing until we need it. We chase trends while burning out the people who make progress possible.

We have a broken leadership pipeline. We promote people too quickly without proper mentorship. We push aside experienced professionals as “too old” or “overqualified.” Our workforce is exhausted, undervalued, and underdeveloped.

Winning means prioritizing investments in people—through pipeline talent recruitment, training, mentorship, and retention—over ads and polling (but we still need them too).

We need to be more like professional sports, treating our teams like the heroes, elevating their winners, and championing our leaders, not tearing them down. I love sports, but democracy is far more serious and vital.

Building Infrastructure That Lasts

For twenty years, I’ve worked to strengthen the professional side of our democracy. I founded Democratic GAIN, which became GAIN Power in 2020, to build and support the people powering this movement. I’ve done this work on shoestring budgets because supporting democracy professionals matters more than profit.

I’ve worked in every state and more than 30 countries, helping movements survive authoritarian threats. I’ve seen how democracy weakens without strong pipelines for recruiting, training, and supporting the people who sustain it.

That’s why we’re not just talking. We’re building. We spent much of the past year reflecting, learning, reorganizing, writing, and planning. We have bold and ambitious ideas that will transform our democracy when we’re able to scale.

Through the GAINiverse—comprising GAIN Power, Global GAIN, and GAIN Voters—we’re building infrastructure for a stronger, more people-focused democracy. Our plan includes:

• Convenings – RootsCamp, Powerful IDEA Awards, Career Fairs, and Trainings

• Democracy Hubs and Activist Spaces – Brick and mortar community spaces

• The Talent Table & Hiring Hub – Connecting talent with opportunity

• Democracy University – Training the next generation

• Democracy Guard – Deploying thousands of organizers nationwide

• Movement Mapping – Identifying gaps and redundancies

• Consultant Class & Political Trust Initiative – Organizing and accountability for technology, products, and services driving our democracy

• Powerful – Storytelling and communications about the innovators, entrepreneurs, organizers, and other creative leaders

We’re raising $25 million to scale these projects. More than 6,000 organizations and 100,000 people are part of our network. Here is a link to our prospectus, which provides more information about it all. This is a link to much longer, detailed concept notes and plans.

But we can’t do this alone. We require our community to bring these visions to fruition.

Who’s With Me?

Tuesday showed what’s possible when we organize. To keep winning, we need to invest in teams, not just tactics.

Join me in building the leadership infrastructure our democracy needs. Whether as a partner, adviser, or funder, your involvement matters.

How you can help:

• Invest. Donate to GAIN Power, Global GAIN, or GAIN Voters today.

• Join Our Advisory Council (read more about it here)

• Endorse our programs and work. We need validators, testimonial, and storytellers to let folks know why this work is important.

• Engage. Join our Slack community online.

Now is the time to stop fighting each other and start building together. Let’s invest in leadership, innovation, and care. Let’s build the human infrastructure—such as the Democracy Guard and other critical initiatives—that our democracy needs to thrive.

Here are just a few of the sources that have informed our thinking and planning (alongside our own research and extensive member feedback). Please do read and share:

• Movement Voter Project’s 2026 Strategy - and really all the Movement Voter Project work.

• Project Enduring Majority — Scott Anderson, Stephanie Schriock, Marc Solomon, Michael Frias, Joe Hill; summary: How Democrats Can Win Again (Anderson & Schriock)

• Civic Power — We Choose Us

• Will Robinson’s Substacks (all of them)

• Signal Break — Rynn Reed & Ravi Mangla

• Deciding to Win — Welcome (The Welcome Party) — Principal author: Simon Bazelon; co-authors: Lauren Harper Pope, Liam Kerr (Oct 27, 2025)

• 2024 Political Tech Landscape Report— Higher Ground Labs

• What Happened in 2024 — Catalist

• The Connector — Micah Sifry

• Christy Quirks The Smart Authoritarian’s Guide to Undermining Your Opposition

• The 2024 Election: A Crowdsourced Bibliography — curated by Eli Pariser

We’ve turned these lessons into practical plans aimed at long-term success.

Disclaimer: I’ve used Grammarly as my AI editor.

Support GAIN Power

Happy Election Day to all who are working, voting, and celebrating it!

This is my favorite day of the year — better than Christmas, New Year’s, or even Halloween (and I really love Halloween).

I actually voted early this year, on Halloween, and as if the universe wanted to make the day even better, I ran into my shero and favorite senator, Elizabeth Warren. Of course, she was happy to take a selfie with me :-).

That moment reminded me why I love this day so much. Election Day is joy and purpose and power all rolled into one. It’s the day we show up — not just for ourselves, but for each other and for democracy itself.

🗳️ To Everyone Making Democracy Work

Today, I want to express my gratitude.

To the campaign staffers, volunteers, poll workers, election officials, consultants, advocates, and civic leaders who keep this process alive — thank you for showing up. You are the quiet, determined force that keeps democracy breathing.

And to those wrapping up campaigns tonight — I see you. I know the exhaustion, the adrenaline, the heartbreak, and the pride. I’m right there with you, doing last-minute GOTV for my friend Tim Flaherty, who’s running for City Council in Cambridge.

❤️ A Shout-Out to the GAIN Power Community

To the GAIN Power community — from folks organizing in Virginia legislative races to those working on ballot measures in California, local elections in Maine, Pennsylvania, Texas, and beyond — I see you.

You inspire me. You are democracy in action.

And to Zohran Mamdani and everyone involved in his campaign — you’ve inspired young people and Democrats in ways we haven’t seen since Obama. For those feeling discouraged, look at what Zohran’s campaign has done. You can debate policies and strategy, but don’t attack character. His integrity and authenticity are precisely what our politics needs more of.

Support GAIN Power

🗺️ Thousands of Elections, One Democracy

What I love most about Election Day is that it’s everywhere.

Today, voters are showing up in literally thousands of elections across the country — not just for presidents or senators, but for city councilors, school board members, mayors, judges, and ballot measures that shape our daily lives.

There’s a special election in Texas’s 18th Congressional District, elections in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and municipal contests from coast to coast.

In 2025 alone, 30 statewide ballot measures have been certified across California, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin — and that doesn’t even count the hundreds of local ones that matter just as much.

From Prop 50 in California to the Red Flag referendum in Maine, this is what democracy looks like — millions of people making thousands of decisions that together shape our shared future.

Every single one of these votes matters. Every single one of you who’s working to get them cast matters.

⚠️ What We’re Up Against

We also need to be clear-eyed about what we’re up against.

There are powerful MAGA forces in this country working to silence dissent, consolidate power, and undermine democracy itself. They are rewriting laws, spreading disinformation, and trying to discourage participation — because they know that when more people vote, their power fades.

But here’s the thing: they can’t stop us when we show up.

They can’t drown out millions of voices rising together for freedom, fairness, justice, and equality. And they can’t kill the hope that drives us to organize, volunteer, and vote — again and again — because we know what’s at stake.

💔 Remembering Setti Warren

I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the unexpected passing of Setti Warren. He was a pillar in the Massachusetts Democratic family, a former mayor of Newton, an Iraq War veteran, and, most recently, the director of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. Setti deeply believed in public service, in the potential of government to do good, and in empowering young leaders. Our community deeply feels his loss — and his legacy of service, mentorship, and hope will endure.

To his wife Tassy, his children Abigail and John, and everyone who counted on Setti’s leadership: you have all of our gratitude, admiration, and support.

🌊 Hope for What’s Ahead

I’m hopeful that we’ll soon see two more women governors — Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia.

Their leadership, courage, and compassion represent the kind of politics that lifts people up rather than tears them down. These women — and so many others across the country — remind us that this movement isn’t just about winning elections. It’s about building a government that reflects and serves the people.

⚖️ The Bigger Picture

I want to share this message untainted by tonight’s results. We’ll have plenty of postmortems tomorrow.

But today — today is about showing up.

We’re part of something far bigger than any one race or campaign. We’re standing up against those who want to suppress votes, silence opposition, and consolidate power. This is a battle for ideas, for truth, and for the future of our democracy.

It’s a David versus Goliath moment — and like David, we know what we’re fighting for:

• Reproductive freedom and justice

• Immigrant rights and safety

• Workers’ dignity and economic opportunity

• Health care for all

• A thriving, inclusive democracy

We won’t always agree on everything — and that’s okay. That’s democracy, too. But we cannot let our differences divide us while the real threats grow stronger. What we need now is unity, courage, and relentless optimism.

🌟 What Comes Next

For those of you whose campaigns end tonight, remember — your journey doesn’t.

GAIN Power is here for you.
We’ve got upcoming career fairs, RootsCamp, and webinars to help you refresh your resume, connect with new opportunities, and continue growing in this movement.

We want to help you stay engaged and supported — because your experience, your voice, and your leadership are essential for what comes next.

💗 A Personal Note

On a personal note — last week I shared that I’ll be beginning breast cancer treatment over the next few months. I’m feeling strong, optimistic, and surrounded by love and support.

My biggest worry isn’t for myself — it’s that I’ll be limited in my fundraising and organizing for the work that so many people depend on through GAIN Power and Global GAIN.

If you’re reading this and want to help sustain our work, please consider contributing:

• 💙 Support GAIN Power

• 🌍 Support Global GAIN

Every dollar goes toward strengthening this community — helping campaigns, organizers, and change-makers thrive. Your support means everything to me right now.

💪 Final Words

Whatever happens when the results come in tonight and tomororrow, remember this: you’ve already done something extraordinary.

You’ve built communities. You’ve inspired others. You’ve defended democracy.

Thank you for what you’ve done, for what you’re doing today, and for what you’ll keep doing tomorrow. Will be back atcha with details on our support at GAIN Power for staff whose jobs end tomorrow. Till then if you’d consider supporting us I’d be grateful.

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Let’s go! 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

With love, gratitude, and endless faith in you —
Amy Pritchard
Founder, GAIN Power

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A Routine Mammogram That Changed My Month

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, I wanted to share something personal that I’ve been processing privately for a few weeks.

During a routine mammogram — one I almost postponed because I was traveling — doctors discovered cancer in my left breast.

I’m still in the discovery and planning stage, meeting with specialists and undergoing genetic counseling, but I feel incredibly fortunate.

Gratitude for the Good Hands I’m In

I have access to excellent medical care, good insurance, and an extraordinary team of doctors who give me confidence that I will be fine.

I also have a strong support network of family and friends who have shown up for me in the most beautiful ways.

I am one of the lucky ones — and I don’t take that lightly.

My diagnosis was caught early because of a routine mammogram. It’s the kind of test so many of us put off or forget, but it can truly save lives.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at almost exactly my age, and her mother — my grandmother — was as well.

I’ve always known this was part of my family story, but I’m still stunned by the timing and generational symmetry of it. Today, I’m meeting with a genetic specialist to learn if there’s an inherited factor and what that means for my future care.

Prevention Matters — Please Don’t Put It Off

I also have several friends facing their own cancer battles right now — including one dear friend (Luke) courageously navigating Stage 4 colon cancer who wishes he had gotten a colonoscopy sooner.

These experiences, mine included, are sobering reminders that preventive care matters.

If you’ve been putting off a mammogram, colonoscopy, or any recommended screening, please make that appointment. Encourage someone you love to do the same.

I’m sharing this not for sympathy, but to help normalize talking about these things — and to keep learning out loud.

Despite my family history and years of advocacy work, it’s amazing how much I still don’t know about these diseases.

The Anxiety Beneath the Gratitude

While I feel personally at peace and supported, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious.

My anxiety is through the roof — not about my health, but about the work I love and the people I serve through GAIN Power.

I’m in great hands medically, but I’m deeply worried about our country, our democracy, our movement, and our people.

So many are struggling right now. Federal workers aren’t getting paychecks. Families are about to lose access to SNAP benefits. Hundreds of campaign and advocacy professionals will find themselves out of work next week, regardless of election outcomes.

People are disappearing at the hands of masked forces acting under the guise of “security.”

This is what keeps me up at night.

The Work That Keeps Me Grounded

I’m grateful to work on projects that build and support the talent that powers democracy.

The work itself is my anchor — connecting, supporting, and celebrating the people who dedicate their lives to creating a freer, fairer world.

💗 My Shameless Plug (and a Few Ways to Help)

Support GAIN Power

If you feel moved to send love, prayers, or support — please consider turning that energy into something tangible:

• Support GAIN Power and or Global GAIN — the organizations I’ve poured my heart into. We’re raising resources to sustain the people and programs that strengthen democracy here and around the world - and support health and wellness, especially for women, especially through . I’m working on a women’s healing retreat center in Rwanda, which is also home to . Your support would mean the world to me.

  Support Global GAIN c-3

• Or, if you’re called to help closer to home, donate to your local food pantry.
  They’re going to be overwhelmed when Trump cuts off SNAP benefits in his cynical effort to create more pain for Democrats who are trying to protect health care subsidies — policies that keep millions of families from bankruptcy.

  There are many amazing ways to make a positive impact in this world to support women in need. One thing I know about my community is its extraordinary generosity. That spirit is needed now more than ever.

Honestly, I’ll be sidelined more than I’d like in the months ahead, and as the primary fundraiser for our work, that worries me.

If you’ve ever wanted to contribute, this is a meaningful moment to do it.

Your support won’t just lift me up — it will help sustain the incredible people who make democracy, advocacy, and justice possible.

Holding On to Gratitude, Health, and Purpose

I’ll share more when I have more information, but for now, I’m focused on gratitude, health, and purpose.

Please take care of yourselves and one another.

Schedule that screening. Check in on your friends.

And remember that life — even when it throws you a curveball — is still so precious, so interconnected, and so worth showing up for. 💗

Support GAIN Power

Support Global GAIN (a c-3)

Chris Hayes ( ) is right in his recent NYT op-ed, “The Democrats’ Main Problem Isn’t Their Message.” Democrats don’t just have a messaging problem—we have an attention crisis, and we haven’t adapted to a radically changed communications landscape.

But the crisis runs even deeper. It’s not just about what we pay attention to—it’s about who we listen to, how we lead, and what kind of culture we’ve built inside our party and progressive infrastructure.

We have a leadership vacuum—and it’s rotting us from the inside out.

We’ve dumbed down our work, built systems that prize compliance over creativity, and rewarded loyalty to norms rather than boldness. We treat courage like a liability and risk-taking like a character flaw. In too many corners of the Democratic Party and progressive movement, we’re not building leaders—we’re breeding lemmings.

This applies to our elected leaders, candidates, staff, and consultants. When a candidate breaks away from the mold, the establishment goes out of its way to avoid them—look at Zoran Mamdani for the best evidence of this—but he is far from our only example. The party rushing to recruit and support Governor Mills is another.

We punish those who lead—and reward those who stay in line.

We say we want innovation, inclusion, and energy, but we slam the door when people show up with new ideas or challenge the status quo. I know this firsthand. Years ago, I worked on Ayanna Pressley’s campaign when she challenged and defeated long-time Congressman Mike Capuano. It was a defining victory, but many of us were punished for daring to challenge the establishment instead of being embraced.

When the DCCC enacted a policy in 2019 to blacklist any vendor working with a primary challenger, it sent a chilling message: Challenge incumbents and we’ll end your career. We stopped hiring based on values and started enforcing loyalty oaths. That policy, designed to protect power, hurt women, people of color, and anyone trying to break into the system with new energy and leadership. I spoke out. I lost my job and party clients. Others stayed silent out of fear—and I don’t blame them.

Our culture of conformity is killing creativity and trust.

This culture doesn’t just affect candidates. It affects every part of our work. Take voter contact programs. One tactic that gets used widely is “social pressure”: mailers that tell you we know if you vote, your neighbors know, and they’re watching. We even assign made-up “scores” comparing your turnout to your block. And yes, it works. But it’s also creepy, unethical, and trust-eroding.

Voters don’t know this data is public. My brother got furious with me recently when I told him I knew he hadn’t voted in a municipal election. He thought I had violated his privacy. Voters don’t know we’re trying to motivate them—they fear we’re spying on them. And just because fear moves some votes, does that mean we should do it? I want to inspire people to vote, not scare them into it.

Last cycle, a party committee told my firm that I wasn’t hired because I dared to challenge the ethics of this tactic—and they didn’t want a senior professional challenging them.

Or look at our fundraising tactics: manufactured emergencies, fake donation matches, phony membership expirations. We lie to people to get them to donate. And then we wonder why trust in the Democratic Party is broken.

We’ve let metrics eclipse meaning.

We’ve let “what works in a test” become the only metric that matters. We’ve let strategy eclipse soul. We’ve built a machine that values results over relationships, conversion over integrity.

Some things are hard to teach—like courage, vision, creativity, and leadership—but they can be nurtured, encouraged, and rewarded. Yet we do the opposite. We shame people for thinking critically, silence people for stepping out of line, and then wonder why the most creative, committed people leave this work entirely.

Attention without leadership is just noise.

Chris Hayes is right that attention is the coin of the political realm. But attention without leadership? Attention without trust? That’s just noise.

We need to build a party that doesn’t just chase attention but earns it—through moral clarity, authenticity, and real leadership—the kind that moves people, not just metrics.

We must rebuild our party’s professional infrastructure around values, vision, and accountability. We must stop rewarding what’s worked in the past and start investing in what will carry us into the future.

Primary challenges aren’t disloyal—they’re necessary.

I’m proud to support my friend as she challenges Dianne DeGette in Colorado’s First Congressional District. Although DeGette has consistently voted in line with many of my values, she hasn’t demonstrated real leadership on any significant issues.

While it’s important for Democrats to defeat Republicans everywhere, we also need bold new leaders willing to challenge long-time incumbents who’ve become comfortable as backbench seat warmers, coasting on past votes instead of leading with present urgency.

We need fighters for our people, our party, and our country—not placeholders. It’s time to stop normalizing the practice of rewarding incumbency over courage and leadership. That needs to change.

We are in a democracy crisis—and the clock is ticking.

Donald Trump and his MAGA enablers aren’t just a political threat—they are an existential one. They’re dismantling government, torching democratic norms, and cheering each other on as they try to rebuild this country in their own image.

We can’t fight authoritarianism with stale tactics and scared consultants. We need a new generation of leaders—candidates and the people who power them—bold, imaginative, ethical, and unafraid to challenge convention.

What we’ve been doing isn’t working. The stakes are too high to keep playing it safe.

We can’t just call for new leaders—we must build the infrastructure to support them.

That’s why I’m scaling our work at GAIN Power. We are launching new programs to support visionary leaders who are ready to reimagine how we do politics—not clinging to what once worked, but creating what’s needed now.

For over twenty years, I have volunteered my time to help people find careers in democratic politics and work.

I founded organizations (Democratic GAIN and GAIN Power) dedicated to recruiting, training, and retaining talent. GAIN Power is used by over 6,000 campaigns, party committees, consulting firms, unions, official offices, and advocacy organizations.

I know our party and larger movement ecosystem better than most. I was the political director for the DNC and the regional director for the DCCC. As a consultant and staff member, I’ve organized and conducted voter contact for dozens of other allied organizations.

This is why I’m scaling our work at GAIN Power and launching new initiatives—to challenge our status quo and lift leaders who are ready to reimagine what power, politics, and public service can be. This is an urgent crisis we must address immediately.

To save democracy, we must stop looking for followers and start backing leaders.

RSVP

🍎 Coffee, Cider, Conversation & Caitlin Dube + Learn About Ranked Choice Voting

Saturday, October 25 | 10:00 – 11:30 AM
Huron Village, Cambridge

Join your neighbors Amy Pritchard and Ann Davlin for a cozy fall Neighborhood Coffee & Conversation — with cider, coffee, apples, and donuts!

We’re opening our home for an informal get-together to meet Caitlin Dube, candidate for Cambridge School Committee - and Huron Village neighbor, and to help demystify ranked-choice voting — what it is, how it works, and why it matters in our local elections.

Did you know that Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the first city in the United States to use ranked-choice voting (RCV)?

The city adopted the system in 1941 for its City Council and School Committee elections, making Cambridge a national leader in democratic innovation. But even though we’ve used RCV for over 80 years, many voters still find it confusing — and that’s okay! This is a friendly, relaxed space to ask questions, learn how it works, and feel more confident casting your ballot this fall.

Whether you’re passionate about our schools, curious about local government, or want to enjoy a fall morning with your neighbors, come by for good company and conversation.

Since early voting starts that same day, we’ll invite anyone who's interested to head over together afterward to vote.

RSVP

💬 About Caitlin Dube

Caitlin Dube is a lifelong educator, CPS parent, and proven leader running for the Cambridge School Committee. She believes we can create the best public school system in the world — right here in Cambridge.

As the only candidate in the race who works in education professionally, Caitlin brings both vision and hands-on experience. She knows how to combine educational excellence, transformative ideas, and community care to strengthen our schools.

She’s a teacher, a leader, and a collaborator who cares deeply about our students, families, and community — and she’s ready to help Cambridge lead the way once again.

Caitlin’s priorities include:

• Exceptional Education for All Students: Learning that fosters critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration — preparing students for lives of purpose and impact.

• Educators Who Thrive: Investing in teachers to attract and retain the world’s most passionate and effective educators.

• Family and Community Partnership: Engaging families as co-creators of strong schools and thriving communities.

• Brave, Accountable Leadership: Transparent decision-making and responsive governance that always put students and families first.

“Critical Thinking. Courage. Collaboration. And Care.
These are the foundations of joyful, just, and excellent public education — and the path to the best schools in the world.” - Caitlin Dube

🗳️ Early Voting in Cambridge

For the November 4, 2025 Municipal Election

Any registered voter can vote early — no assigned polling location required!
You can vote at any of the three early voting locations below during the times listed.
(Note: the Election Commission office at 689 Massachusetts Ave will not be an early voting site this year.)

Early Voting Locations

• Cambridge Water Department – 250 Fresh Pond Parkway

• Main Library – 449 Broadway

• Valente Library – 826 Cambridge Street (side entrance on Berkshire Street)

Early Voting Hours

Date Day Time

Oct 25 Saturday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Oct 26 Sunday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Oct 27 Monday 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM

Oct 28 Tuesday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Oct 29 Wednesday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Oct 30 Thursday 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Oct 31 Friday 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM (noon)

Learn more at the Cambridge Election Commission’s Early Voting Page

Donate Today

This week says everything about the state of our democracy — who we value, what we invest in, and how we show up for the people who hold the line.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump awarded the late Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him “a fearless warrior for liberty.” The White House proclaimed October 14th a national day of remembrance for him. A few weeks ago, they filled a stadium for his memorial — tens of thousands of people honoring a 32-year-old political organizer who built a movement from scratch.

I disagree with nearly everything he stood for. His politics were racist, sexist, homophobic, and deeply harmful. But what struck me wasn’t the award — it was the recognition.

The right honors its organizers. We ignore ours.

I can’t think of an organizer that our side would celebrate in this way. It isn’t the culture of our side to recognize people in this way. Yet we certainly have many worth honoring.

This week, we hosted GAIN Power’s Virtual Career Fair for Democracy, Elections, and Advocacy — and the contrast couldn’t be clearer. We struggle to get leaders in our party and movement space to care about those who want to be part of it. It is like pulling teeth to get our leaders in organizations to care about the talent who wish to dedicate their lives to this work.

183 people joined live, and another 102 signed up to make sure their résumés were included. Nearly 300 democracy professionals — organizers, strategists, communicators, fundraisers, policy minds — all ready to work, to serve, to help build a freer and fairer future.

They showed up despite many being unemployed, underpaid, or between campaigns. They showed up because they believe in democracy, and because this is their calling.

That same day, I kept thinking: imagine what could happen if we honored our organizers with the same level of respect, investment, and national attention.

And tomorrow, as the No Kings Protests take to the streets demanding accountability, democracy, and justice — many of the same people at our Career Fair will be out there again, doing what they’ve always done: showing up for our values.

This is the heartbeat of democracy.
These are the people who keep it alive.

They don’t need medals. But they deserve stability.
They don’t need stadiums. But they deserve investment.

At GAIN Power, we’ve spent years connecting, training, and supporting the people who make this work possible. We’re now ready to scale our efforts in a big way — to build a real infrastructure for the professionals behind democracy, elections, and advocacy.

If you want to honor the people who make democracy work — the organizers, staffers, and advocates who rarely get the spotlight — help us grow this work.

🔗 Contribute to GAIN Power today

Donate to GAIN Power Today

Because we can’t just fight for democracy at the ballot box.
We have to fund the people who make it possible.

🌼 Why I’m Turning My Profile Picture Yellow

As an ally and partner to the No Kings protests, I’m joining their campaign to wear yellow — a color of hope, visibility, and resistance.

From the organizers:

Throughout history, people who have come together in protest against authoritarian regimes have united under a shared color as a symbol of movement identity. Yellow is a high-contrast, high-visibility color symbolizing optimism and courage. It has been the color of pro-democracy movements from Hong Kong to South Korea, Ukraine, and Thailand.

By choosing yellow, we align ourselves with this proud tradition. It’s a visible, optimistic banner that carries the legacy of democratic struggle and nonviolent dissent, and a reminder that power must always come from the people — not from crowns.

Yellow Your Profile

🟡 Join the movement:

• Add a yellow filter to your profile picture at ResistanceYellow.com

• Or use #ffec14 yellow to tint your own image

• Post your new profile photo with the hashtags #NoKings and #ResistanceYellow

• Wear yellow to the No Kings protests and events this weekend — October 18th

• Get more resources and find an event near you at NoKings.com

Let’s make yellow the color of hope, unity, and democracy — and show up together to defend the future we believe in. ✨

Urgent Help Needed

The situation in Gaza is absolutely heartbreaking, and it’s been hard to know how to help. That is why I was happy to engage when the Gaza Aid Collective reached out for support. Now, our partner nonprofit, Global GAIN, is supporting the incredible organizers leading the Gaza Aid Collective, who are also part of our GAIN Power community. Their urgent work is ensuring resources reach families, frontline medical workers, and organizers on the ground.

Gaza Aid Collective is issuing an urgent call as its On The Frontlines Auction enters its final week. Run by a global team of dedicated organizers, activists, and volunteers, Gaza Aid Collective (GAC) is a humanitarian initiative dedicated to amplifying the voices and needs of Gazans on the ground.

The On The Frontlines Auction raises critical funds directly for families, frontline medical workers, and Gaza organizers facing dire conditions. These funds mobilize resources quickly: essentials like food, clean water, medicine, and emergency supplies.

By rallying global supporters to contribute through auctions and monetary donations, GAC ensures that aid bypasses barriers and goes straight to sustaining families and communities under siege. Their mission is clear: transform global solidarity into tangible, immediate relief for the people of Gaza.

Can you support? Today, September 30th, is the last day to participate in the auction

Click here to view the auction + place your bids.

Prefer to give directly? You can donate here.

Can’t donate? Share GAC’s flyer.

Every supporter plays a vital role in this work – the collective effort of many creates meaningful change. By donating or inspiring others to give, you become part of a global community committed to sustaining families and frontline responders in Gaza.

Bid on Auction Items