A woman came up to me after a recent meeting for a local political committee. She had recently been elected to a leadership position in her local women's auxiliary organization and had never before held an elected position in a political organization.She asked me, “How can my organization run a good meeting?”In the world of political activism and organization, meetings serve as the backbone of a successful organization. However, not all meetings are created equal. To truly galvanize your members and ensure productivity, your meetings must be more than just gatherings — they must be experiences that leaves participants energized and ready to take action.Here are seven essential strategies to run an effective meeting for your political or civic organization:Start on Time and End on Time: Respecting your members' time is fundamental to maintaining a professional and productive environment. Starting and ending meetings on time sends a clear message that you value the time of your members and understand the importance of their commitments outside the meeting. This practice not only help keep the agenda focused but also builds a culture of punctuality and respect within the organization. Have Name Tags Available: You never know who is going to walk into your meeting, and you can bet your members don't know everyone there. People who have never attended your meetings may not know anyone else, and people who do attend your meetings may not know the names of the people they meet there, so make it easy for new people to make friends and for regulars to remember the names of the people they meet. Work from a Prepared Agenda: A well-prepared agenda is the roadmap for a successful meeting. It outlines the topics to be discussed, allocates time for each item, and sets the stage for a structured and focused discussion. Circulating the agenda before the meeting prepares the members, which enhances engagement and ensures that the meeting stays on track. A clear agenda allows for the efficient use of time and makes sure that all necessary topics are covered without unnecessary diversions. Keep It Interesting: Invite Speakers and Give Members Valuable Updates: The monotony of routine meetings can be a motivation killer. To keep the energy high and your members engaged, introduce elements that spark interest. Inviting guest speakers who are experts in areas relevant to your political or civic goals can provide fresh perspectives and valuable insights. Providing updates on the organization's achievements, ongoing projects, and future plans keeps members informed and invested in the shared mission. These practices not only make meetings more interesting but also educational and inspiring. Make Your Members Want to Come Back: Creating an environment that members look forward to being a part of is crucial. This means fostering a sense of community, respect, and mutual support. Acknowledge contributions, celebrate achievements, and ensure that every member feels heard and valued. When members feel a strong connection to the group and its cause, they are more likely to remain active and enthusiastic participants. “Give ‘em a title, and get ‘em involved.” Law #6 of Morton's “Laws of the Public Policy Process” is very important in volunteer organizations. Involvement encourages commitment. By assigning roles or titles to members, you empower them to take ownership of the organization's activities. These roles can vary from leadership positions to responsibilities for specific tasks or projects. This not only helps in distributing the workload but also gives members a sense of purpose and belonging. An involved member is a motivated member. Have a Call to Action: Every meeting should end with a clear call to action. What steps should members take before the next meeting? How can they contribute to the organization's goals in the meantime? A call to action provides direction and keeps the momentum going. It ensures that the energy and ideas generated during the meeting translate into tangible progress for the organization.Running an effective meeting for your political or civic organization requires careful planning, respect for members' time and contributions, and a clear focus on the organization's mission. By implementing these seven strategies, you can ensure that your meetings not only serve their purpose but also inspire and mobilize your members towards achieving collective success.View and share the booklet version of this article here.Matthew Hurtt is Director of Professional Services at Leadership Institute. You can find more resources and training for political activists at LeadershipInstitute.org. A version of this publication first appeared on Matthew Hurtt's Substack. You can read other strategies for activists there, as well.

Meet Robert Ordway, a successful conservative public policy advisor for Senator Mike Braun of Indiana. In our recent interview, Robert and I discussed his experience, how he ended up working on the Hill, and some tips on what to expect once you're there.Can you tell me a little about yourself and your background?I grew up in the small mill-town of Lake Station, Indiana, a bedroom community to the more historically famous Gary which is located in the Chicagoland area. I was in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) with the U.S. Navy when the war in Iraq started in Spring 2003. But after I received from the Eli Lilly Endowment a four-year scholarship to any university in the state, I ended up completing a BSBA in Finance at Valparaiso University.You have been working with Senator Mike Braun for some time now. How did you initially get involved, and what does your position involve?I had no intention of ever working in Congress after moving to DC in 2017. But like most things in this city, you can't plan out your career, and you never know what opportunities might present themselves. After Mike Braun's election to the U.S. Senate in 2018, I knew his senior staff were pursuing people from the home state along with people who shared his principles and values.My title is Senior Policy Advisor, but that just means I've been around too long. My portfolio includes 'all things numbers' such as issues within the Budget, Finance, Appropriations, and Banking Committees. I also perform all the coalition work for the office, which is what I enjoy most.Why did you decide to get involved in conservative politics?I really fell into it. Graduating in December 2007, my finance degree went from being prized to near worthless overnight. During school, I studied risk and randomness in nature as a philosophical pursuit/hobby, which later led me to research the housing crisis. After my gap year, I enrolled in grad school, joined a local political party, and the rest is history. Whether it's Jesus' testimony by changing hearts and minds or observing our entire galaxy, I see culture and evolution as a 'bottom-up' exercise which is driven by hyper localized decision-making. My politics and religion both are channeled through that framework.What is one challenge you have faced during your time in politics, and how did you overcome it?I ran for local office in 2015 and despite the job paying merely $6,000 a year, it was amazing to see how many people (on the internet) came out of the woodwork to say false and ridiculous things about me. The teaching moment was acknowledging that not everyone will like me and other than getting a majority of votes, that's not the point of the exercise. Being principled means you're going to ruffle some feathers from time to time, but that is the cost of leadership. Without taking risks, it's hard to move the ball forward in any aspect of life.How has the Leadership Institute (LI) helped you during your time in public service?LI was one of the first organizations I interacted with after attending an America's Future event at The Heritage Foundation. A few of the classes I took at LI helped prepare me to retool the way I write for my current role. One thing I love about the organization is the diversity of options for training - it feels like there's a class or seminar for everything under the sun. Do you have any advice for others who want to get involved in local politics or a movement that matters to them?I think there are many ways to serve your community and politics/public service is just one avenue. To me, it's always about building a team and uniting people around a common goal with the pursuit of moving your community forward. Remember that there is no 'self-made' person. We all have mentors who have helped us along the way, and we have a duty to pay it forward by developing others. That's exactly what LI has done over the past few decades.

Working-class Bremerton drives Kitsap County, Washington's Democratic politics. You may remember Bremerton from the Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which reversed a 9th Circuit decision prohibiting a high school football coach from praying on the field after football games. The free exercise of religion guaranteed in the 1st Amendment is part-and-parcel of a wide range of issues galvanizing parents to take back school boards across the country. Meet parents Joy Gjersvold, a military spouse, and her partner-in-crime, AnnMarie Adams, who have collectively attended a handful of Leadership Institute trainings and co-founded a Moms for Liberty chapter in Kitsap County. Gjersvold was featured in POLITICO coverage of Moms for Liberty's national conference in Tampa in July of this year, at which Leadership Institute training played a central role: The moms flocked to Tampa from all over the U.S., including Joy Gjersvold, who leads a Moms for Liberty chapter in Kitsap County, Washington. Like many others, Gjersvold was inspired to get more involved in education by the pandemic — the closing of schools in her area, a “lack of preparedness” to go virtual, masking and vaccination requirements for students and teachers. Gjersvold found out about Moms for Liberty through a Facebook post and last August founded a local offshoot in Kitsap, which spans five school districts in Western Washington. In the time since, the group has expanded to include an executive team and district “captains” — parents who keep everyone posted on education happenings in their district. The group sees about 12-20 people at their regular meetings, Gjersvold said. “It spoke to me,” Gjersvold said in an interview. “I realized, with a daughter who is still in high school, I had to do something.” …. Moms for Liberty is clearly inspiring parents to take action locally as the movement continues to expand. In Washington, for example, Gjersvold said there are 15 local school board seats up for reelection soon that the local Moms for Liberty group is targeting. “There are red voters — there are conservative voters — who know what is happening is wrong,” Gjersvold said. “We need to empower them to have a voice.” Joy and AnnMarie are using their unique skills to advance pro-parent policies in Washington. Dena Espenscheid, LI's Director of Grassroots Coalitions, writes: “Joy is using her crafting skills and imagination to find new ways to introduce liberty principles and GOTV messages to the parents in their area. Joy and AnnMarie made a GOTV Photobooth for a massive Trunk or Treat event in late October. They are also using their Trunk or Treat space as an official Moms for Liberty ballot drop-off location for secure voting.” These political newcomers are using “this kind of out-of-the-box thinking,” as Dena puts it, to engage voters on important issues. Great work, Joy and AnnMarie!

Meet Emily Berning, Leadership Institute (LI) grad and faculty member. I recently talked with Emily to ask about her role as a pro-life woman and as the founder of Let Them Live. She shares how she got where she is today, her struggles, and advice for conservatives unsure of their next steps.What motivated you to get involved in conservative politics? I first became involved with the conservative movement in college. I had grown up in a conservative and pro-life household and college was really the first place that I started exploring my own personal beliefs on politics and culture. I am someone who is strong-willed and when I really believe in something, I put all my energy and effort into it. Many conservatives on college campuses prefer not to get involved or make noise about their beliefs for fear of being ostracized. But that's just not who I am. People who know me know that I am extremely passionate and vocal and will stand up for what I believe in. I believe in many conservative principles, especially the right to life. The crux of why I got involved in the first place is that I saw so many things wrong on my campus at Colorado State, in my state, and in our country specifically related to abortion. I felt motivated by my need to do something about it. There is too much at stake to leave to someone else the role that I am supposed to fill.As President and Co-Founder of Let Them Live, what inspired you to start your organization? I have always been pro-life and during college people started to know me as “Pro-Life Emily.” I lived and breathed (and still do) advocating for the pro-life stance and when I met my husband through the Leadership Institute, he noticed that in me. He said, “You should start a pro-life nonprofit.” Having no clue how to do that or what my mission would be was scary but slowly the pieces started coming together. I came up with the name Let Them Live on a late-night car ride to Indiana from Virginia and then our true mission came about two months after Nate and I got married. Nathan stumbled across a pro-life Facebook page one night and saw a comment from a woman who was asking for advice on how to talk her cousin out of getting an abortion. After messaging back and forth, he found out that it was a financial burden that was causing her to feel like abortion was her only choice. She lost her job, was evicted, and was living in her van outside in the December weather. Nathan and I knew we had to help her so we sent her all the money we had, $1250, so she could get back into her apartment, and then she canceled her abortion! It was at this point that we started to realize that we had found our mission. We knew there were probably more women with abortions scheduled because of financial burden (73% of women in the US have abortions because of finances according to Guttmacher Institute) and we wanted to help. We knew we didn't have enough money to keep doing it ourselves, so we started reaching out to our friends and family for help. Three-and-a-half years later and we have helped almost 500 moms cancel their abortions and our staff has grown from just the 2 of us to over 70 staff members and over 200 volunteers!As a former Leadership Institute (LI) Field Representative and current LI faculty, how has LI helped you with your career in pro-life activism? I love LI. I cannot say this enough. LI was my first job out of college, where I met my husband without whom I could not have started Let Them Live (LTL). LI is where I met some of my greatest friends and where we have been given so much support. LI has been an amazing partner for Nate and me and Let Them Live. From supporting me and covering costs for me to speak on college campuses to spread the word about LTL to having me guest lecture and share LTL with new LI grads, LI has given us the tools we need to grow. On top of that, most of the knowledge we used to build and grow LTL came from LI trainings. Thanks to LI we know how to properly cultivate and steward our donors, partake in media interviews, grow our teams, and ultimately be the absolute best we can be so we can continue to create jobs for people in the pro-life movement, help women, and save lives from abortion.What are your thoughts on the importance of speaking out about your beliefs? There is nothing more valuable than being vocal about your beliefs. We live in a world where people are encouraged to be part of the status quo and not rock the boat. But my advice is to rock that boat. Speak up. There are people depending on your voice. In my case, it is the most defenseless human beings and their mothers who need me to speak on their behalf.What are you most eager to do at Let Them Live now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned? I am obviously eager to just continue showing up for women and giving them the support they need. I am also really excited for our new campaign called “I Fund Life.” This is our new peer to peer fundraising project which allows our donors to continue supporting us by creating GoFundMe style campaigns for LTL and having their friends and family donate. This will help us to grow our donor pool and keep raising as much money as possible for our cause. With Let Them Live specifically, the money we raise goes to help women pay their rent, car payments, utility bills, etc., so that they can confidently choose life. We are 100% donor funded. Without donations, we can't support women, and if we can't support women, we can't save lives from abortion. We have some direct competition from organizations that raise money for abortions, and we want to outraise them and show them that we can tangibly support women in choosing life. I am especially eager to substantially increase our fundraising because women are turning to the abortion funding organizations to cover the cost of their travel or their abortion itself, but we want women to know that they don't have to have those abortions because we can walk alongside them. But it takes money to make those commitments!Do you have advice for others who want to get involved in the pro-life movement or a movement that matters to them? My advice is to just go for it. I think a lot of people have huge hearts for this work and this mission but they aren't sure about the impact they will make or they are afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone. My advice is to step out of your comfort zone. It's a hard place to be but there is nothing more worthwhile.You can learn more about being an effective pro-life advocate at LeadershipInstitute.org/ProLife. If you want to start your own conservative organization, read Morton's advice in The Conservative Organizational Entrepreneur and reach out to learn more at the Leadership Institute's Conservative Organizational Entrepreneur training.

“The late Andrew Breitbart implored us to be happy warriors, and I am grateful for the opportunity every day to be a happy warrior for our principles. If you're not having fun saving the country, you're doing it wrong.” Meet Matthew Hurtt, the Director of Professional Services at Leadership Institute. He is an internationally recognized fundraiser, organizer, writer, and public speaker. I interviewed Matthew to hear more about his background and draw on his vast political and fundraising experience. What motivated you to get involved in conservative politics? My parents were never politically inclined before I ran for office at age 19 in 2006. My interest in current events intersected with a local property issue that was affecting people in my church, and I decided to jump in head-first by running for local office. That interest stuck, and I remained very involved through college. I co-hosted a conservative talk radio show on 88.3 WMTS with my best friend, wrote editorials for the school newspaper, and was elected to Student Government. Off-campus, I worked alongside my elected state representative and senator and was a fixture in the state capitol before moving to Arlington to work at Leadership Institute in 2009. You currently serve as the Director of Professional Services at the Leadership Institute. Can you tell me more about your work? The Director of Professional Services oversees LI's Careers Training, ConservativeJobs.com, our Internship Program, and provides additional resources and support to LI's 250,000 trained activists across the country and across the globe. I tell people my role is the “switchboard” into the conservative movement. If you're looking for activist training, employment opportunities, and other movement resources, I'm your guy. What would you like our readers to know about Leadership Institute?Graduates of Leadership Institute training have an underutilized resource at your disposal – LI's vast network of other trained activists! I speak every day with people who benefit from that one introductory email to another LI-trained activist to help them advance their conservative policy, campaign, or professional goals. If you've taken LI training of any sort at any time, reach out to Leadership Institute and allow us to maximize your efforts.Before coming on as LI staff, you were a distinguished faculty member for LI. Why did you decide to teach for LI? What have been some of your favorite topics to talk about?I started teaching for LI almost by accident. When I worked as one of LI's Regional Field Coordinators in 2009, I began offering to help other departments and divisions teach their programming.I taught a Youth Leadership School at the University of Kentucky in August 2009 and a Campaign Management School during D.C.'s “Snowpocalypse” in December 2009. Once I left full-time employment with LI in early 2010, I continued to teach as guest faculty.My undergraduate degree actually includes a minor in secondary education. I wanted to be a high school history and civics teacher, but professors told me I'd hate the red tape and bureaucracy. Serving as guest faculty allowed me to scratch the itch to be in the classroom with almost no bureaucracy or red tape with an audience of students who truly wanted to learn.What is, in your opinion, the most valuable Political and Fundraising training, workshop, or school someone can take here at LI?I think the training that really has the most potential to produce the most generational benefit for conservatives is the brand-new Conservative Organizational Entrepreneur training.This training is designed to teach conservatives how to start your own nonprofit or issue advocacy organization.Our movement would greatly benefit from more organizational entrepreneurs who establish local, state-level, and even nationally oriented groups to advance conservative principles, and Leadership Institute training can point you in the right direction and empower you to launch your own organization.As the Communications Director of the Arlington GOP, what are you most looking forward to in the upcoming elections?I love crafting messages that excite our activists and get them off the couch. Conservatives don't win a lot of elections in Arlington, but our activists are engaged because I help drive a narrative that keeps them involved.Our 4,000-person email list always engages with our updates, and people turn out to our events because they read about them in our emails or across social media.We don't win a lot, but we certainly can't win if we don't show up. So, I really enjoy crafting messages that get our activists to show up.How has LI helped prepare you to serve as the Communications Director for the Arlington GOP?I think knowing LI's headquarters is within the boundaries of my local political engagement forces me to be a more effective activist; it allows me to test activism ideas because Leadership Institute is the incubator of conservative activism.To that end, I feel a certain responsibility to be the best and most effective activist I can be. I can't teach people about it in LI trainings if I haven't gone out and done it myself.Having managed numerous political campaigns, what would you tell a first-time campaign manager?Your candidate should be knocking on doors and raising money. If you outwork the other guy – especially in a small primary – you can win. Knock doors. Raise money. Spend that money effectively. Nothing else matters. Many people seem to be disillusioned with the country's current political climate. What would you say to them to encourage them to get involved?As a conservative activist in a community where 80% of my neighbors voted for Joe Biden, I tell people, “I'm the kid in the room full of horse manure, saying there's got to be a pony in here somewhere.” The late Andrew Breitbart implored us to be happy warriors, and I am grateful for the opportunity every day to be a happy warrior for our principles. If you're not having fun saving the country, you're doing it wrong.If you're interested in the Conservative Organizational Entrepreneur or any other Leadership Institute training, visit LeadershipInstitute.org/Training to explore your options.

Meet Rick Tyler, the Director of Core Schools at the Leadership Institute (LI). He is also a thought-provoking Political Analyst for the MSNBC Cable News Network offering a conservative perspective to unfolding political events. As a professional political strategist, Rick has helped hundreds of candidates prepare for the rigors of campaigning for public office. He is Co-Founder of Foundry Strategies, a strategic, communications firm specializing in helping candidates and campaigns hone their communications skills. Rick was the National Spokesperson for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign. In the 2012 election cycle, Rick was a senior advisor and spokesman to the Winning Our Future PAC, a pro-Newt Gingrich for President Super PAC. Prior to joining the PAC, Rick was a key member of the former House Speaker's team for more than a decade serving as Gingrich's advisor and spokesperson. A gifted communicator, Rick has appeared thousands of times on national television news shows including MSNBC; Fox News Channel; CNN; CBS News; NBC News; ABC News; PBS; HBO; CNBC; CBN; Bloomberg News; BBC; CBC; RTE; and Al Jazeera. I interviewed Rick to hear more about his background and draw on his vast political experience. Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your background? I came out of the hospitality industry working in hotels and restaurants. I started my political career when I volunteered for the gubernatorial campaign of the mother of one of the waitresses in a restaurant where I worked in coastal Maine. I've worked in politics ever since. I've worked on campaigns. For five years, I was the executive director of the Maine Republican Party. In that position, I engaged GOPAC to come to Maine and conduct political training for our House and Senate candidates. Soon after, I became a political trainer for GOPAC teaching all over the country. For more than a decade, I trained thousands of candidates and activists to win elections including three trips over six years to train California Republican Assembly members at the request of then-leader Kevin McCarthy. You were the national spokesman for Ted Cruz for President as well as a personal advisor and spokesman for Newt Gingrich. What motivated you to work for these men? In 1994, I was just getting started in politics, but it was Newt Gingrich who grabbed my attention when he organized the Republican Party with a Contract with America that led to the Republicans gaining the majority both in the House and the Senate for the first time in 40 years. I followed him closely. When the opportunity came to meet his closest advisor, Joe Gaylord, I made clear my desire to work in what was then affectionately known as Newt-world. I had never met Senator Cruz when the call came asking me to work on his presidential campaign. But I soon met him, and we hit it off immediately. In Newt's case, I was motivated to work for him because he was a leader with a proven track-record having seized the speakership; in Cruz' case, because he had the potential of a future conservative leader. Are there any insightful stories that you can share from your time working on campaigns or with candidates? Everyone has a story. The key to developing a great candidate is telling their unique story that is relatable to voters. I have found that most candidates are bored by their own story because, well, it is their story. But people are fascinated with stories. Our stories connect us to the hearts of voters, not only getting them to like us. That will inoculate you as a candidate from criticism. We tend to defend people with whom we have made an emotional connection. Stories allow voters to know what the candidate is about and their character. This provides a solid foundation for putting their trust in that candidate. So, developing the candidate's story and personal brand is the most important part of a successful candidacy. You are the Director of Core Schools here at the Leadership Institute (LI). Tell us a bit about your position. My main goal as the Director of Core Schools was to create the Campaign Leadership College (CLC) as the most comprehensive course LI has ever offered. The purpose of the course is to develop campaign leaders who work at the senior level of campaigns for conservative candidates. For a candidate, being conservative is not enough. You must have experienced people to run a winning campaign. The CLC seeks to fill the current, severe shortage of trained conservative campaign managers and directors so that conservative candidates can have competent managers and directors to run their campaigns. What is, in your opinion, the most valuable Political and Fundraising training, workshop, or school someone can take here at LI? I think that all depends upon what your goals are. LI offers so many quality programs from the Youth Leadership School, to the Conservative Organizational Entrepreneur, to the Campaign Leadership College. However, I would say that everyone should take the public speaking course because even if you don't plan to become a public speaker, having the ability to communicate your ideas in a clear and persuasive manner will help you in any career goal. If you're interested in the Campaign Leadership College, Public Speaking Workshop, or any other Leadership Institute training, visit LeadershipInstitute.org/Training to explore your options.

As they saw their school boards dominated by Covid-19 fearmongers and leftist activists politicizing the classroom and corroding educational integrity, the founding members of Moms for Liberty quickly organized. They got advice from my boss, Morton Blackwell, and used Leadership Institute trainings and sheer determination to quickly become a national force.Started in January of 2021 by three concerned moms, Moms for Liberty quickly became a force to be reckoned with, with 195 chapters in 37 states and more than 95,000 members.Earlier this month, hundreds of concerned mothers gathered in Tampa Bay for the Moms for Liberty National Summit. In three days, these moms learned how to run for school board and effectively defend their children's rights to a proper education.Attendees learn how to influence public policy from Leadership Institute staff at a breakout during the Moms for Liberty National Summit. Since the early months of 2020, Americans have seen their rights violated on a scale rarely seen in American history. Despite children being at a very low risk of suffering ill effects from Covid-19, K-12 schools across the country were immediately shut down by bureaucrats, without any input or say from the parents of children who'd be directly affected.Children were isolated from their peers for two years and forced to learn through a screen.My elementary school years were some of my most enjoyable and foundational years. I learned how to socialize with others. I learned how the concepts of fairness and kindness work in practice. I learned the foundations of English, science, and math, establishing the basis of my knowledge.It absolutely devastates me to think of how many children missed out on these opportunities and were instead isolated from friends, forced to go through the motions of "learning" by staring at a screen for hours every day. I don't have any kids, but I can't imagine how especially devastated I'd be if I had been actively watching my children deal with the side effects of bureaucratic overreach, knowing it was all for no good reason.Now, American parents face a new threat. Covid-19 made leftist activists realize how much power they hold over America's education system. These activists quickly shifted their attention to capitalize on this newfound power. They work to establish and entrench many new curriculums that border on brainwashing.Rather than learning how to write a sentence correctly, many of America's children are exposed to relativist gender ideology. Rather than learning how the weather works, many of America's children are taught that the color of their skin makes them guilty of being racist.By gaining exposure to the minds of our innocent children, leftist activists seek to fundamentally shift the future of the country towards their nihilist beliefs.It's a massive understatement to say that things must change. They must change now for the sake of our future.Thankfully, parents are taking action as we speak. At this summer's first Moms for Liberty National Summit, notable conservative speakers showed up to offer their support, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and former HUD secretary Ben Carson.I'm proud to say Leadership Institute partnered with Moms for Liberty and supported the Summit as the top sponsor, official photographers/videographers, trainers, and all-around support. LI held training for attendees on Candidate Vetting, Grassroots Lobbying, Communications, Running for Office, Strategic Research, Vote Goals, and four hours of Media Training. Now, 150 more conservatives are trained to advance their principles in their local communities. LI's new Director of School Board Programs, Bridget Ziegler (center), discussed School safety with Senator Rick Scott on the mainstage at the Summit.I had the opportunity to attend this conference, and what I saw was deeply inspiring. The two greatest forces in existence are God's love and a parent's love for their children. Both were on display this weekend.I'm only 24, and don't have children just yet, but thanks to Moms for Liberty, I feel much more optimistic that my children will have access to an unbiased and wholesome education, one that lifts them up, rather than trying to indoctrinate them. I can only imagine where Moms for Liberty will be a year from now!Are you interested in becoming part of a Moms for Liberty group in your area? Visit their website here. Do you want to learn more about how to change your school board and protect the future of America? Visit LeadershipInstitute.org/Training for training to help you become a more effective activist or candidate.

On Friday, June 24th, I attended Leadership Institute's inaugural Campaign Leadership College. It's a day I'll never forget. When I woke up on the 24th, I didn't expect it to become a historic day, a day I'll tell my children about. It started out typically. As always, I made breakfast and went for a brief "wake-up walk," as my grandfather calls them. I got dressed and headed to the Campaign Leadership College venue, looking forward to attending LI's newest (and most comprehensive) training, a bold nine-day project designed to develop conservative activists into senior campaign executives. In a representative republic, ideas alone don't win elections; it takes a competent team of campaign staffers to elevate these ideas into elected office, where they can then be translated into tangible policy victories. The current state of our government is a prime example. Leftists hold the legislative and executive branches, despite having absurd and philosophically unsound beliefs. They're not elected to office because they're right; they're in office because they've benefitted from skilled campaign workers running effective campaigns. For decades, the left has excelled at this. The Campaign Leadership College was created to alleviate this problem. Over nine days, campaign experts teach forty conservative activists how to build a winning campaign from the bottom up. Upon graduation, these graduates enter the political field, taking their newfound expertise from campaign to campaign. They learn how to analyze districts, interpret and apply voter data, budget, fundraise, conduct opposition research, and find and keep good staff. An hour into day seven of the College, an attendee jubilantly stood up and blurted out some major news; the Supreme Court had officially overturned Roe v. Wade, revoking the long-standing federal right to an abortion. The room, filled with conservative activists of all ages and backgrounds, erupted in celebration. It was a beautiful moment, not only because it was a step towards abolishing abortion, but because it symbolized what can be accomplished when conservatives effectively organize. For years, many thought Roe v. Wade would never be overturned. Thanks to effectively managed campaigns, in the face of all odds, the conservative movement had its most significant victory in living memory. As future Campaign Leadership Colleges continue to send highly trained conservatives into the political field, I can only imagine the conservative victories America will continue to enjoy.

Meet Andrew Loposser, a Leadership Institute (LI) grad and grassroots activist. For the past decade, Andrew has been politically active in the Northern Virginia community, Chairing the Arlington GOP and 8th District GOP Congressional Committee - taking the challenge directly to progressives in deep-blue Northern Virginia. Andrew is President of APL Consulting, where he helps new Republican candidates navigate how to run for office and win. For more than 15 years, he's worked on the ground with candidates at the local, state, and federal level — from strategy and messaging to organizing and voter targeting. In my recent interview with Andrew Loposser, we discussed his background and how he decided to become active in politics. He even offers some advice for conservative activists and candidates. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?I'm originally from Charlotte, NC, but I've been in Virginia for the past decade, and I consider it home. I've spent all ten of those years in Arlington County. I'm one of those rare people who came to the DC area and stayed. I live in the Ballston neighborhood with my wife, Emily, and black lab, Lucy.? As a leader inside the conservative movement, who are some of the people who aided you most in helping you get to where you are today? Hands down, Matthew Hurtt. Matthew was the first conservative activist and GOP party member I met when I moved to Arlington County. He helped get me involved with the local unit committee and introduced me to individuals who would become some of my closest friends and mentors. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mr. Morton Blackwell. I credit the Leadership Institute for much of my professional success, and none of that would have been possible without Morton. What is a valuable lesson you have learned from being the President of APL Consulting?Growing a company requires dedication. As a small business owner, you are constantly working to grow your business and develop yourself professionally. Since starting my company, the most valuable thing I've learned is that you have to invest in yourself and have a growth mindset.Have Leadership Institute trainings helped you in your career and activism?I've taken several trainings at the Leadership Institute, so it's hard to be concise with this answer. I'll narrow it down to three areas: campaign management, coalition building, and public speaking. I use the lessons I've learned from LI trainings on those issues weekly and implement them into my campaigns with clients.The Campaign Management School and the Public Speaking trainings with Rick Tyler are two of my favorite LI trainings.What is one piece of advice you would offer to conservative grassroots activists? Keep showing up. Keep on the pressure. Keep learning how to fight for our principles and philosophy. This fight is never over. As Morton always says, "You owe it to your philosophy to learn how to win."

Meet Nicole Neily, a successful conservative organizational entrepreneur who saw a problem on a college campus and took action to be the solution. In our recent interview, Nicole and I discussed her experience founding two conservative non-profits – Parents Defending Education and Speech First.Can you tell me a little about yourself and your background?I'm originally from the Chicago suburbs and went to graduate school at Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy, where I read Milton Friedman and realized that the free market was a more effective way to help people with dignity. After moving from California to DC, I worked at a series of advocacy organizations including the Cato Institute, the Independent Women's Forum, and the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. In 2017, I launched Speech First, a campus free speech organization that defends students' First Amendment rights primarily through litigation – and in March 2021, I launched Parents Defending Education!As the founder and president of Parents Defending Education, what inspired you to start your organization?While running Speech First, it struck me that a lot of the problems on campus seemed to start a lot earlier – for example, students arriving on campus didn't really understand the First Amendment because they hadn't received a proper civics education in high school. At the start of the pandemic, a number of my friends who are parents reached out from across the country to express their frustration with school closures, and I was really struck by how disenfranchised parents were – and how little they knew about how to effect change. From there, the thing that really flipped the switch for me was reading a July 2020 Wall Street Journal interview with the superintendent of a district in the Chicago suburbs – near where I grew up – who said he would allow “black and brown” students to return for in-person education before white students in the name of “anti-racism.” I told a friend that I wanted to start Speech First for K-12 schools and to sue the district, because such a practice would be unconstitutional! He was supportive of the idea but countered “unfortunately most people don't know that's unconstitutional – you might need to start from a different place.” So, we started building things out from a slightly different place – to tell people what their rights are, so they know where the red lines are. That way if (or more likely, when) those lines are crossed, they know that something has to be done – and then we walk them through options on how to engage constructively!Do you have any insightful stories about leading Parents Defending Education?I'm a firm believer in the saying “sunshine is the best disinfectant,” which is why we've seen outlets like Leadership Institute's Campus Reform make such an impact! We have a tip line and receive 100-200 tips each week from across the country, which is absolutely astonishing. Nearly every single person who sends us information wants to be anonymous, because they fear retaliation not only against themselves, but also against their children. We vet and fact-check everything and tell their stories – that way WE get the hate mail, not them! An interesting trend that we've noticed is that after we expose an incident at a school and it's publicized, we often have other people from that community reach out to us and let us know that there are other problems too – which is how we ended up compiling enough evidence about a district in Massachusetts that we filed a federal lawsuit, which was settled in early February. Unfortunately, many administrators are used to getting away with murder behind closed doors. We want to change that equation. By exposing what's really going on, we are able to hold those individuals accountable for their decisions – and change the risk calculus for others who might want to get away with similar hijinks in the future.You have worked at many limited government-focused organizations. How has the Leadership Institute (LI) helped prepare you for your important roles in public policy organizations? Without a doubt, I could not have been successful at Speech First without the Leadership Institute's help! The regional coordinators' knowledge of the landscape at each university was invaluable – they knew the heads of every student organization and each leader's strengths and weaknesses, and were able to make introductions and suggestions as issues developed. I think of LI as being the early warning system thanks to their on-the-ground knowledge – and of course, we cited LI's Campus Reform articles in Speech First's lawsuits repeatedly! Over the years, I've worked with a number of people who have participated in LI trainings and workshops, and I so appreciate how the Leadership Institute has helped to professionalize early-career staffers to make them more effective advocates!You were the president of Speech First, what experience did you gain from that position?Speech First was the opportunity of a lifetime. I was able to be an entrepreneur for freedom and build a 501(c)3 from scratch – what could be better? I'm married to a constitutional litigator, so I'm definitely a fan of leveraging the courts to protect our freedoms – but also to fight these battles in the court of public opinion as well. I got to be a jack of all trades – raising money, speaking to students, working with phenomenal appellate attorneys, and going on TV & radio to raise awareness about the problems plaguing our country's colleges & universities.Many people seem to be disillusioned with the country's current political climate. What would you say to them to encourage them to get involved?Many conservatives have focused so exclusively on the federal level that they've neglected state and local politics – but as the past two years of the pandemic has shown us, your state and city have a huge amount of power over your day-to-day life! Dick Armey used to say “politics goes to he who shows up,” and it's time for everyone to show up and get involved. That being said, “being involved” means different things to different people – and that's ok. Even doing something as minor as keeping an eye on what's happening in your local school district and passing on an anonymous tip to us helps to improve accountability and oversight in our schools – which will lead to better outcomes for ALL children.If you, like Nicole, see the problems our nation faces and you want to make a difference, take a look at the Leadership Institute's new training How and Why To Start Your Own Conservative Organization. This intense, one-day training will be hosted in Arlington, VA on April 20th, and is designed to equip you to take your idea for an organization from your imagination to successful implementation.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport to be watched from the sidelines. It is participatory and a civic obligation to be involved at some level. We have ceded the battlefield to the left for too long. It is time to take it back.” - Steven SuttonMeet Steven Sutton, Senior Vice President of the Leadership Institute.In my recent interview, Steven and I discussed his 30+ years of political experience, on both conservative campaigns and non-profits. He gives his advice on everything from fundraising to campaign leadership and offers stern words for conservatives who aren't involved in the political process.What motivated you to get involved in conservative politics?As a junior officer in the Navy stationed at the Pentagon in the mid-1980s, I began to research different investment opportunities, for example, real estate and stocks. Almost universally, professionals I spoke with or read about cautioned that whatever might seem like a good investment could be turned into a bad investment by politicians who might change the laws, sometimes retroactively, governing various types of investments.That concerned me and led me to learn more about politics. The more I learned, the more I concluded that electing conservatives to public office was important.You currently serve as the Senior Vice President at the Leadership Institute (LI). Can you tell me more about your work? What would you like readers to know about the Leadership Institute?As Senior Vice President, my focus is to use my 30+ years of political, campaign, Capitol Hill, and conservative non-profit management and leadership experience to train and mentor future conservative leaders. Whether it's one-on-one or as part of an organization, I'm available to help anyone who is interested...just contact me at 703-647-3340.Regarding the Leadership Institute, there is no finer organization which exists to help conservatives advance their personal and professional goals. LI is truly the human resources department of the conservative movement.When you were the Vice President for Development, revenue rose from $7 million per year (2010) to $24 million (2020). What was the key to that success?Learning and implementing best practices and creating a culture of respect for LI's donors. Any organization with a record of successful programs can have similar success in fundraising if they do the same.Having managed numerous political campaigns from city council to U.S. Congress, what would you tell a first-time campaign manager?It is almost certain that a first-time campaign manager will not be taken as seriously as someone with more experience. That will lead to much frustration as your recommendations may not be followed by the candidate. Try to make allies on the campaign's steering committee and finance committee and work closely with them to implement your ideas. If you can't convince someone close to the candidate that your ideas have merit, you will be unlikely to convince the candidate on your own. Have the senior-level ally who is close to the candidate advocate for your ideas.Many people seem to be disillusioned with the country's current political climate. What would you say to them to encourage them to get involved?If smart, capable, conservative people refuse to get involved, they will be governed by stupid, inept, liberal people...and deserve to be.Democracy is not a spectator sport to be watched from the sidelines. It is participatory and a civic obligation to be involved at some level. We have ceded the battlefield to the left for too long. It is time to take it back.If you're interested in learning more about campaigns, fundraising, or leadership, go to LeadershipInstitute.org/Training and take your next step to get involved in the political process.

In early September, I found myself driving down the New Jersey turnpike towards Virginia. My car was loaded with suits, toiletries, and most important, my collection of tattered G.K. Chesterton books. I was unusually stressed, not just because I was surrounded by the turnpike's notoriously aggressive drivers, but because I was on my way to start a fall internship at the Leadership Institute (LI). Like anyone who's starting a new job or internship, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect. I was somewhat familiar with LI, having taken their (excellent) Youth Leadership School, but accepting an internship there had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Eventually, I pulled into the driveway of LI's intern house and started my journey. Four months later, I'm beyond blessed to be working here at LI full-time. As an intern who transitioned into a full-time role, I've become intimately familiar with LI. The fifth-floor coffee maker is by far the best. Kirsten Holmberg, our Deputy Director of Political and Fundraising Training, always has a bowl of gourmet sweets on her desk. There's a faucet in the third-floor Men's restroom that randomly runs scalding water, so always be careful. But most important, I've become familiar with LI as an institution, and what exactly this organization does. The year 2021 was a great year for me (except for the fact that I got blown out in my Fantasy Football playoffs), and it was an even better year for LI. In 2021, the Leadership Institute (LI) prepared 18,195 trainees - from college students to campaign managers - to advance and act on their conservative principles. Each week, LI provided an average of 57 hours of live training, boosting the conservative movement towards electoral successes in 2022 and beyond. My journey with LI started when my friend invited me to attend LI's Youth Leadership Workshop (YLW), a three-hour training that equipped 1,606 young conservatives last year with tactics and tools they can use to advance conservatism on campus and beyond. After I attended the Youth Leadership Workshop, I was hooked and wanted to learn more. Being a conservative student on a heavily left-wing campus just outside of Seattle was extremely intimidating, but the YLW sparked an epiphany in me. Remaining quiet meant that I was letting the radicals on my campus win. Remaining quiet is exactly what they were hoping I would do. This epiphany motivated me to take the LI's two-day Youth Leadership School (YLS), an intensive 29-hour training that extensively expands upon the content taught in that first three-hour workshop I took. It teaches young conservatives how they can win. In 2021, 532 student leaders were trained in the YLS. Sixty-four YLS grads organized efforts for conservative candidates across the country, enabling candidates to capture the youth vote and drive a youthful image that has become increasingly important in elections.Some Youth Leadership School graduates eventually become interns at LI, like me!Over the course of 2021, 32 interns came through LI, including 11 in my fall class. We came from all over the country, from the urban megalopolis of NYC, to rural Georgia. Despite coming from different regions and cultures, we became incredibly tight knit. I've made lifelong friends and I know many of us will be attending each other's weddings. One highlight of the internship was our Book Club, where we read a classic work of conservative literature each week. From Hayek to Goldwater, LI interns collectively read more than 45,600 pages of conservative literature. My personal favorite was Douglas Hyde's Dedication and Leadership, which I'd highly recommend to newer conservatives.I'm currently in the External Affairs division, but my time at LI started as an intern in the Career Resources department. Helping fellow conservative jobseekers was important to me during my internship. My supervisor went out of his way to train me how to help others secure employment and jumpstart their careers. Ultimately, I was able to use what he taught me to land my own full-time position here at LI! In 2021, LI released an updated version of ConservativeJobs.com. The website attracted more than 33,800 unique visitors in 2021 and helped job-seekers streamline their job searches. On top of that, LI's careers team also met one-on-one with 451 conservatives for personal career consultations, offering conservatives customized advice and guidance to help them navigate the often-turbulent job market. While I lived in the intern house, one topic that continually came up during our conversations, other than whether the North or the South had better food, was the dramatic growth of Critical Race Theory within the halls of our schools. 2021 was the year when the encroachment of divisive left-wing ideology into every aspect of American society, even into the classrooms of our children, was made abundantly clear to conservatives. Unfortunately, many school boards are now used as social engineering tools instead of focusing on preparing our children for higher education and the workforce. Parents knew that they couldn't simply stand by. Thanks to the generosity of LI's donors, LI supported these parents through the creation of the on-demand School Board Campaign Training, which more than 1,500 concerned citizens have registered to take. This training provides parents with the skills to wage and win successful campaigns for their local school board, where they can help protect the integrity of their children's education. LI also offers other on-demand courses, a diverse array of training that educates conservatives on both principles and practice. The History of the Constitution and Conservative 101 on-demand trainings both had more than 1,000 registrants this year. Many also took the Social Media Bootcamp, where they learned how to translate their conservative principles into action. It's not just parents who are standing up for education, college students are too. Being openly conservative on a college campus is a difficult task. I attended college in Washington State, just outside of Seattle. Though I was surrounded by gorgeous mountains and enchanting evergreen forests, I was also surrounded by leftist students who lacked any tolerance for even the slightest differing opinions. Once, when I was reading Ronald Reagan's diary on campus, I was so afraid of being confronted by these leftists I replaced the book sleeve with a sleeve from one of my Harry Potter books, just so I could read in peace. LI's Campus Leadership Program (CLP) directly supports conservative students like me, who feel as if they must remain undercover. Thanks to LI's generous donors, LI gives students the resources and training they need to speak up and restore balance on American campuses. LI's CLP program now includes more than 2,000 active student groups. In 2021, CLP added 816 new student groups and newly identified more than 96,900 conservative students. With CLP's support, conservative students were able to put on 2,583 public events on their campuses; each event promoted conservative ideas and values to students. Just a few decades ago, the average college campus was a bastion of intellectual openness, a place where students of all political stripes could freely discuss their beliefs without any fear of judgment or retaliation. Now, campus institutions are saturated with left-wing bias.This left-wing bias is exactly what motivates the Leadership Institute's Campus Reform (CRO), a team of journalists who identify and expose left-wing bias on America's campuses. CRO uses a nationwide network of investigative student reporters to expose these institutional left-wing biases, restoring integrity to American campuses in the process.In 2021, local and national television programs featured LI's Campus Reform students, staff, and stories 994 times.Online, the Campus Reform stories and YouTube channel garnered 27.2 million views over 2021. Campus Reform's popularity is a testament to the fact that America's conservative students have had enough. Unfortunately, what is happening on our college campuses is just a microcosm of what is happening across the country. From Alaska to Alabama, and everywhere in-between, institutions are slowly being captured by left-wing bias. Thankfully, conservatives are standing up for their rights. The effort to safeguard America's principles is a multi-faceted effort, and that's why LI offers a diverse array of political trainings, both online and in-person. While I was an intern, I was granted free access to these trainings, and I can attest to the fact that they are a huge tool in the toolbelt of the conservative movement. In 2021, the Leadership Institute (LI) expanded the number of trainings offered, ultimately training more than 18,195 conservatives. LI now has 51 different trainings available. Each one equips conservatives with a range of skills necessary to make a difference in communities across America. For selfish reasons, I wish LI had a training on how to meet conservative women in a heavily liberal region, but given that there are more pressing issues at hand, I doubt that training will be created anytime soon! Currently, three US senators and 27 members of the House of Representatives are graduates of LI's political trainings. Having met some of the motivated individuals attending these trainings, I'd bet my entire savings account that this number will only increase. As the midterms approach, and as liberal politicians continue to lurch even further leftward, it's more important than ever to become involved. If you are motivated in 2022 to use your talents for conservative activism either on campus or in your community, visit LI's website for the complete list of 2022 trainings available. Thanks to LI's generous donors, they are low-cost or no-cost, and can be found here: LeadershipInstitute.org/Training.

Meet Andrew McIndoe, a former Leadership Institute (LI) intern, current LI faculty, and the highly successful Vice President of Development at The Heritage Foundation.In my recent interview with Andrew McIndoe, we discussed his experience working for Morton Blackwell and how Andrew sees the trajectory of conservative politics. Andrew left me reenergized to further the principles of faith and freedom, not just in my professional life but in all that I do.Can you tell me a bit about yourself?I was born and raised in Oak Ridge, North Carolina. I spent 18 years there before making my way to Grove City College in western Pennsylvania. Then I moved to DC right after graduation, and after doing a few internships I landed at The Heritage Foundation where I have worked for almost ten years. As a former LI intern and now Vice President at one of the leading conservative think tanks, when did you become interested in the world of policy and politics?My earliest political memory is doing “kids' voting” with my dad. We went into a little kids' booth that's much shorter than a regular booth. And I just thought it was so cool that we could go and have a say. It was neat because you felt like you were able to contribute. Even at a young age, I could feel the weight of fulfilling one of the most important civic duties.I don't remember a ton of political conversations around the dining room table. Though we must have had some, because I ended up working on a congressional campaign in high school. I attribute that to the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School (YLS).I took a YLS binder from the Leadership Institute and basically ripped it off and presented it to this candidate and said, “You need to have a youth campaign.” Working on a campaign plus doing a lot of speech and debate is how I entered electoral politics.I remember finding Heritage Foundation research and reading it over and saying, “Wow I agree with a lot of this stuff. This is cool.” It quickly became my go-to source for evidence in the speech and debate world and later in my studies. I never dreamed or thought about working at Heritage someday.What important skills were you able to develop through your Leadership Institute internship?During my time at the Leadership Institute, I was fortunate to be Morton Blackwell's intern. Morton is an exemplar of good character in the conservative movement, and through him I learned the importance of having integrity in all that you do.This experience working for Morton showed me that I could have a career advancing freedom, liberty, and the principles that make this country great. If it wasn't for that realization, I'd probably be out selling widgets and figuring out how to make a certain product faster or better. But instead, I found that there is great fulfillment and opportunity in supporting the free market and limited government and winning new audiences over to our side.And then the actual vocation and the actual work too. To realize that you could get paid to advance the cause of freedom was a remarkable lightbulb moment. I'm a lot more fulfilled working in the conservative space than I would have been if I had started in the private sector like a lot of my classmates.What were the most useful LI trainings for you? Getting to go to every single training that LI offered during that summer was a great perk of the internship, and I did my best to take as many as I could. Certainly, the Comprehensive Fundraising Training was an important one. I wasn't thinking about development as a full-time profession at that point, but looking back, that is one that I think is great even if you don't think fundraising is in your future. I learned what good donor relations looks like. Again, I think about Morton's rule: You can't save the world if you can't pay the rent.As a leader within the conservative movement, who are some of the people who helped you most to get where you are today? I'll just praise Morton Blackwell. He lives out his laws of the public policy process. What he says about "expanding the leadership” and “giving them a title and getting them involved” is great. I believe that he exhibited that advice well with me as an intern. While getting to work on special projects for him, he would share his wisdom and advice. He played an instrumental role in guiding me into the conservative movement and taught me some of those early lessons that have made all the difference in my career. I'm particularly grateful to Morton for that.As the Vice President of Development for The Heritage Foundation, what has your position taught you about the conservative movement?It wouldn't be a surprise for you to hear me say that the best ideas and solutions don't come from inside of DC – they don't come from the swamp – they come from outside the beltway. They come from people who have met payroll before, who have invented something, who made something of themselves. We need to bring more of those ideas and more of those people into the solutions here in DC.I think that too often our movement is focused on what happens inside of the beltway. And so, with 500,000 Heritage members across the country, a couple thousand in every congressional district, you need to speak into what's going on in the policy-making process and get them a channel or vehicle to do that. Are there changes we should be on guard for as a movement looking forward? First, I think the movement is about a lot more than just one person. It's about policies, and we need to winsomely articulate what those policies mean and tell really great stories about what it means for people on an individual basis.We've got a huge opportunity in a post-Covid education space, and if we don't take advantage of that we will have missed a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the conversation about education. That's something I'm concerned about. So, if we can't present an alternative that's compelling and empowers parents to make good decisions for their own kids, I think we've done a disservice to the moment that exists right now.Second is a tendency to preach to the choir. I think the Leadership Institute does a great job of training people to not do this. We need to go out to non-traditional audiences, people who aren't in the pews already, and bring them into the fold. And we've got an opportunity with the wide variety of issues to do that. We need to speak to people about what's happening in their local communities. A lot of apolitical people are fired up right now, and we should look for more opportunities to highlight the contrast between the bankrupt policies of the left and the policies on the right that advance freedom and prosperity.What is an underutilized resource that we have as conservatives? I think that conservatives should be proud to put bumper stickers on their cars and yard signs in their front yards and not be ashamed of those things. We need to just embrace who we are and be willing to step out and say, “No, conservatives are not three-headed monsters. Just because I believe in school choice and believe in lower taxes doesn't make me a crazy person.” But too often I think we feel self-conscious because of the way that the mainstream media portrays issues, the way we are taught in our schools, the way that conservatives are portrayed in Hollywood. It's easy for us to feel like we are a silent minority. But we are really just a more silent majority.The Leadership Institute believes that all politics are local. And LI, before anyone else, understood the importance of school board elections and city council races, mayoral races, state senate races, etc. More of these battles are happening at the local level, and so the Leadership Institute's focus on training local leaders to step up and to serve in more of these important races is a massive comparative advantage and is of huge strategic importance to the conservative movement. Those are reasons that I am a donor to the Leadership Institute as well.What would you say to the people who feel apathetic about politics?I think it's easy to look around and be discouraged. You look at inflation and prices soaring, and it hurts people at the gas pump and grocery stores. It especially hurts the people who are having a hard time making ends meet. You look at a botched withdrawal in Afghanistan that was completely avoidable. You look at all the legislation being passed that contains hundreds of billions in wasteful spending, at critical race theory and transgender ideology permeating culture in schools and it's understandable for people to feel discouraged. But then, on the other hand, you look at what happened in the Virginia gubernatorial race. One candidate said that parents should have a say in their children's education, that you shouldn't have to wait for hours in line at the DMV, and that decisions shouldn't be made solely in Richmond.This candidate won dramatically in a state that has not been trending in the right direction. So, I think there's great reason to be encouraged by the fact that Americans are waking up. They don't believe in critical race theory. They believe that America is an exceptional nation and that our founders should be appreciated and revered.We should expect great things in 2022, and I think at this point it's ours to lose. And so, I hope that for those who have felt apathetic or discouraged in the past you can look at some of these things that have happened lately and get a bit more pep in your step and be encouraged because there are great reasons to be. If Andrew's words encouraged you to get involved in your local elections next year to send America back in the right direction, sign up for a Leadership Institute 2022 training. You'll learn how you and your conservative community can make a difference.

Conservatives have the potential for great victories in 2022.Proper training will secure those victories.In addition to the hundreds of events that the Leadership Institute (LI) will conduct across the country, you'll find 20 fundraising and political trainings already scheduled at LI's Arlington, VA headquarters in 2022. Many additional trainings will be added during the year.Take a look at the 2022 calendar. You'll find everything from campaign management and candidate training to direct mail and high-dollar fundraising training. Pick the Leadership Institute training that's right for you and register now.Coming up, the Future Candidate School will run from January 13-15, 2022, and will help prepare you for your candidacy. If you plan to run for office in 2022, this training will show you the ropes, whether you're running for school board or Congress. And LI can help you even more if you're considering a run for office in 2023 and beyond.Check out the calendar above to find the right training for you! Then, register here for your favorites.

Conservatives are learning to win everywhere these days!In addition to its 48 different types of online and in-person trainings, Leadership Institute (LI) also produces podcasts to help reach and train conservatives where they are. These high-quality, accessible podcasts are educational and entertaining. They further the movement by training conservatives to win.The Leadership Institute provides trainings in so many areas and the additional podcast content produced is top notch. But, you don't have to take my word for it. Here are a few comments from LI's podcast fans.“I started with Tech Talk #8,” said one Instagram listener. “I enjoyed it so much, I have been working myself backwards to watch them all.”“This is great!” said another.Here are three Leadership Institute podcasts I subscribe to, that I think you'd enjoy too:Learn Right: School Board Campaign Training Podcast -- listen in every other week to new content and dive into political technology for conservatives to use in School Board campaigns. You'll learn how to campaign, how to raise funds, and what to do once you are elected. You can listen on Apple, Amazon, Acast, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.Tech Talk -- watch this weekly podcast about new digital technology and effective strategies to support your online activism. You can watch on YouTube.Campus Countdown -- watch this weekly podcast to get the top campus stories of the week, straight from a student who's a Campus Reform reporter. Campus Reform, a project of the Leadership Institute, is America's leading site for college news. As a watchdog to the nation's higher education system, Campus Reform exposes bias and abuse on the nation's college campuses. You can watch on YouTube.Make sure to hit the subscribe button, so you'll get each new episode!

"Learn about what is happening in your community and get to know your neighbors. National politics attracts the most attention, but big decisions are being made in your backyard by city and county leaders."Meet Natalie Brown, a Leadership Institute (LI) graduate and Legislative Assistant for Florida State Senator Danny Burgess. I recently interviewed Natalie and heard about her experience as a Legislative Assistant, her advice for conservative activists, and how the Leadership Institute's internship and training helped her become the political activist she is today. Can you tell me a little about yourself and your background? I became interested in politics in high school while participating in a program called Youth in Government. In 2016, I graduated from Florida State University with a degree in economics and moved to Arlington, VA, where I participated in the Koch Associate Program and worked in communications for Concerned Veterans for America.After surviving two blizzards, I returned to Florida. I've been with the Florida Senate as a Legislative Assistant since 2018. I live in Lakeland, Florida, with my husband Ethan and our dog Spock. You currently work as a legislative assistant for Florida State Senator Danny Burgess. How did your work with the Leadership Institute (LI) help prepare you for that job?This year will be my sixth Legislative Session and my second with Senator Danny Burgess. Since my time at the Leadership Institute, I have seen all 45 Laws of the Public Policy Process in action. One of my favorites is Rule 33: "Governing is campaigning by different means." Everything we do at the state level is scrutinized by other elected officials, the media, and most importantly, our constituents. As an LI intern, I was able to attend a variety of Leadership Institute schools and workshops. I use lessons from LI's Public Relations School every day. I even have the sample press release from PR School to show my interns every year. Do you have any insightful stories about working in the Florida Senate? As one Senator often says, the Florida House is an Army with a few leaders and a large infantry, but the Senate is 40 warlords forced to work together to accomplish anything.It is the truth. With only 40 members, the Senate is a small, collegial body. Some of the smaller committees have five members, so every vote matters. Every Senator has to work with their colleagues, and it's a very collaborative environment. Unfortunately, most Floridians don't know that and expect Democrats and Republicans to be at each other's throats on the Senate floor. You used to work as a Digital Communications and External Affairs Intern for the Leadership Institute. What experience did you gain from that position? My time at the Leadership Institute taught me so much about public service, but being the Digital Communications and External Affairs intern gave me the chance to develop specific skills. I learned graphic design, public relations, and social media management. I also wrote blog posts and email copy for the different training divisions. In my current role, I use much of that experience. I regularly write and send newsletters and press releases. I manage my Senator's social media accounts and write speeches and talking points. Many people seem to be disillusioned with the country's current political climate. What would you say to them to encourage them to get involved?I encourage everyone to log off of social media and get involved at the local level. Learn about what is happening in your community and get to know your neighbors. National politics attracts the most attention, but big decisions are being made in your backyard by city and county leaders. Use your voice to improve your community and develop relationships with other community leaders through civic and service organizations. Make it personal. Share your experience. Why do you care about this issue? If you are sharing your opinion with your state legislators or your congressman, do a little research. Do they sit on a committee where the bill will be heard? Have they already voted on the issue? If so, did they share why they voted for or against legislation? (You'd be surprised how many calls we get asking us to tell a senator to vote against their own bill.) Share how the proposed legislation affects your livelihood or your family. Sending a form letter via email is a drop in the bucket, but a personal email detailing your experiences or concerns will get attention, sometimes even a phone call. This interview is from the Leadership Institute's Political and Fundraising Monthly Newsletter. When you sign up for this newsletter, you get articles on the latest in politics, interviews like this one, and you'll be the first to know about LI's political and fundraising training opportunities. Don't miss out! Sign up here.

Social media will continue to play a huge role in 2022 and beyond. In fact, more than 80% of Americans use social media to stay connected and informed. A strong social media presence is essential for successful politics at any level. But many political organizations, brands, and campaigns still lag in reach and engagement. So how can you gain more influence on social media? Here are three ways social media can easily improve your political efforts. 1. Capture More Young Voters Did you know TikTok has 1 billion monthly active users? A billion users is a big deal. The short-form video platform is now on par with Instagram in terms of overall users – and growing much faster -- a key consideration for your social strategy. Woody Allen famously said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” You don't have to use TikTok, but you should consider showing up on a new social media platform this year. If you want the conservative movement to capture more young voters, then you and I have to play offense. About 4 million people turn 18 each year in America, and many young voters want to feel heard. Leveraging platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube will enable you to reach and capture Millennials and Generation Z with your message. 2. Steer the Conversation I forgot where I first heard this but it's 100% correct: “He or she who frames the issue wins the debate.” This quote rings true – especially on social media. Imagine a voter typing into Google/YouTube, “What do conservatives believe in?”, and then the search results returning videos from AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. You and I must not let this happen. There is plenty of room on the internet for more conservative content creators, podcasters, and storytellers to help steer online conversation in effective ways. If you've thought about creating conservative content for the web, it's time to act. 3. Connect in Real-time Social media lets you gauge sentiments in real-time and react. Do you remember when Hillary Clinton used the term “basket of deplorables”? Within an hour, there were t-shirts, coffee mugs, and updated Twitter profiles. Personally, I remember when Joe Biden fell while walking up the steps of Air Force One. That viral moment reached almost every corner of social media. Being able to connect and react in real time is important, especially in moments of crisis. The right social media strategy, tactics, and technology will make you more effective in everything you work to achieve.If you're interested in learning more about how to use digital tactics to grow your audience and advance your conservative principles, sign up for Tech Talk, my monthly email newsletter, and check out the digital trainings currently available from the Leadership Institute.

“My town was in desperate need of honest, careful, and principled leadership. So, I put my hat in the ring, ran the race as a local political unknown, and — by God's grace and a lot of hard work — won a seat on the council.” Meet Joel Grewe, Leadership Institute (LI) graduate and faculty, and Executive Director at Home School Legal Defense Association Action.I recently interviewed Joel to learn about his background, what drove him to get involved in local politics in Purcellville, Virginia, and his work as Executive Director at Home School Legal Defense Association Action. Can you tell me a little about yourself and your background?I am just a farm kid who doesn't like farming, has a strong justice streak, and cares about people who are hurting. I grew up in Spokane, Washington, got married in 2004, and now my wife and I have three amazing, rambunctious boys. I worked in demographic research and got interested in politics back during Newt Gingrich's Contract with America. My dad is a local lawyer, and my grandpa was connected with local politics, so I had a ring-side seat to the work of unseating House Speaker Foley. I've been involved in the conservative political movement ever since. Is it true that in the 6th grade you convinced your mother to homeschool you? Could you tell me a little bit about that?Absolutely! My mom is an awesome lady, though she was a bit intimidated at the idea of homeschooling me. At the end of 6th grade, I was bored in school, and I asked my mom to homeschool me. She said she thought she wasn't up to the task. I responded that I would homeschool myself if needed, but I desperately needed to be let out of that school building. We struck a deal, and I never went back. Homeschooling was an incredible advantage for me growing up. You're currently the Executive Director at Home School Legal Defense Association Action; tell me a little about that organization and why you decided to get involved.Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is the national legal defense and advocacy organization for homeschoolers—they help make homeschooling possible. HSLDA Action is the sister organization of HSLDA: we handle the federal advocacy, political work, two Political Action Committees, and Generation Joshua, our youth civics education and engagement program. As a homeschool graduate, I feel privileged to help ensure homeschooling is free and possible for future generations. What inspired you to run for city council in Purcellville? It was actually one of my Generation Joshua students, who, as I recall, is also a recipient of Leadership Institute training. My wonderful little town of Purcellville, VA, went through a cascade of scandals back in 2016, all the way through 2018. Purcellville ended up on the front page of the Washington Post—twice—and not for good reasons. As the scandals mounted and the problems facing the town grew, that student—now my friend—asked to chat with me. He came to my house with the copy of the Washington Post and asked me a question. He said, “Joel, you talk a lot about how important it is that good people be involved in government, and how if they don't, bad things happen.” I responded: “Yes I do.” He continued, “Well, considering the situation that Purcellville is in, is that just something you say, or do you actually believe it?” It was a blunt challenge, and it wasn't like I hadn't put my time in. I'd helped train more than 25,000 students and coordinated political efforts to reach more than eight million voters. But he was right: my town was in desperate need of honest, careful, and principled leadership. So I put my hat in the ring, ran the race as a local political unknown, and—by God's grace and a lot of hard work—won a seat on the council. How did the Leadership Institute (LI) training you received help you in running for public office?The first LI class I ever took was the Future Candidate School, back in 2008. The class was the crucial step I needed to think about what my life would need to look like in running for office: it gave me the perspective to understand what the commitment of campaigning for office requires. That was a crucial part of both assembling my team for office (with other LI graduates) and communicating what taking this on would mean for my wife and boys. I couldn't have done this without their support — and without a clear view of what it would take, we couldn't have been ready to weather the challenges we faced. I regularly quote lessons from my LI training to my interns, my policy staff, and myself. I have taken a host of LI classes, and although it does not make me, as the candidate, the expert in every part of my campaign, I understand what each part does, why it is important, and how to prioritize it and discuss every issue with understanding. Many people seem to be disillusioned with the country's current political climate. What would you say to them to encourage them to get involved?I would first tell them that freedom is messy, that we don't get it right all the time, that we often don't get it right the first time, but that we never get it right if people don't engage. I know it seems like engaging our civic—well, I would say “discourse,” but that is too polite a word, so let's call it our civic “arena” — feels like it's fraught with peril. And that's not always a wrong assessment. It's messy and dangerous and rather vicious as of late. But in times like these we must engage – because these moments in history are when freedom needs its defenders the most. If you are ever going to get involved, get involved when the fighting is hot, and the need is dire. People who work for freedom only during smooth seas and fair winds are, at best, fair-weather friends of freedom. We need people committed to the virtue of freedom — the idea that it is better to be free than unfree, always — and who are willing to stand in support of it. Our country and our future deserve nothing less.This interview is from the Leadership Institute's Political and Fundraising Monthly Newsletter. When you sign up for this newsletter, you get articles on the latest in politics, interviews like this one, and you'll be the first to know about LI's political and fundraising training opportunities. Don't miss out! Sign up here.

“The world is run by those who show up…. America has plenty of critics. What the country needs are conservative men and women in the arena.”Meet Ron Nehring, Leadership Institute (LI) graduate, faculty, and Director of International Programs. I recently interviewed Ron to hear about his experiences running for office and his time as Spokesman for Ted Cruz for President. Last year in the 2020 general elections, Ron won local office in his hometown in California.Can you tell me a little about yourself and your background?Shortly after I became the President of my College Republican club at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, I learned of the Leadership Institute and Morton Blackwell. After attending seven LI trainings, I used those skills to become Chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County, Chairman of the California Republican Party, Republican nominee for Lt Governor of California, Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign spokesman, and a local office holder. You were the national spokesman at Ted Cruz for President. What motivated you to get involved in the campaign?As 2016 approached, I wanted to be involved in the presidential election. Senator Cruz was a solid conservative and first-time presidential candidate. While more established candidates like Jeb Bush had large organizations already around them, there were greater opportunities with a candidate who was building his national organization, and I was motivated by his clear and unapologetic conservatism. Do you have any insightful stories from your time on the campaign or as a candidate? In politics, you get to define what victory means. If victory only meant winning the office, no one would run for any office where the odds are against him. But, the movement needs candidates who will step up for a battle that's uphill. When I ran for Lt Governor, the odds against me were overwhelming. And yet, the campaign further raised my profile and was helpful in my becoming Senator Cruz' California chairman, and later his spokesman. The benefits of stepping up for a campaign may not be immediately apparent. Yet a solid effort can open important doors in the future. How has the Leadership Institute helped you during your time in public service? I hold a Political Science degree, yet most of what I learned about winning a campaign came from LI — both as a student, and later as a faculty member. If you really want to master a topic, try teaching it. It forces you to delve much deeper into the subject and understand its relationship to other areas. When I ran for local office in 2020, the campaign was designed exactly to match what we teach at LI. The strategy was developed from the same methods we teach, and implemented using the same tactics. While victory can never be guaranteed, I'm grateful to the voters for the overwhelming support I earned through this effective campaign. You are the Director of International Programs at the Leadership Institute. Tell us a bit about your position.Leadership Institute brings literally world-class quality training in organizing and communicating to conservative leaders, parties, and groups around the world. Many of the leaders and potential leaders LI has trained have gone on to successfully win public office, and from there put conservative ideas of free markets and individual liberty into action. I work diligently to take proven techniques and adapt them to different countries, cultures, and political systems. Center-right organizations worldwide know when they need high quality training to improve their effectiveness, to call on the Leadership Institute. Many people seem to be disillusioned with the country's current political climate. What would you say to them to encourage them to get involved?The world is run by those who show up. We are blessed to live in a country which welcomes political involvement. Americans of any background can be involved in shaping our government, and advancing ideas to improve the human condition. As Morton Blackwell has observed, being right in the sense of having the best ideas is not enough to win. America needs leaders who want to do something, not just be someone, to maximize their effectiveness with the skills necessary to win. Teddy Roosevelt put it this way: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."America has plenty of critics. What the country needs are conservative men and women in the arena. This interview is from the Leadership Institute's Political and Fundraising Monthly Newsletter. When you sign up for this newsletter, you get articles on the latest in politics, interviews like this one, and you'll be the first to know about LI's political and fundraising training opportunities. Don't miss out! Sign up here.

“If we're going to maintain our republic, we must get involved in the political process and school boards are key to preventing the wholesale takeover of our country.” - Chris King, School Board Member in Vail, Arizona.Meet Chris King, Leadership Institute graduate. I recently interviewed Chris to hear about his election to school board. Last year in the 2020 general elections, Chris earned his seat on the Vail Unified School District Governing Board in Arizona. Can you tell me a little about yourself?I am a combat veteran and alumni of the University of Arizona with a Bachelors in Government and Public Service and a Masters in International Security. I attended LI's boot camp and Field Representative training while working on my master's degree and a campaign. You currently are a member of the Vail Unified School District Governing Board in Arizona. What inspired you to get involved with your local school board? As a conservative, I recognized years ago that if we're going to maintain our republic, we must get involved in the political process and school boards are key to preventing the wholesale takeover of our country. Prior to filing to run, I reached out to the board members who were up for reelection to see if they were running. I researched the other candidate who had filed and determined that he wasn't who we would want to represent our district and made the decision to run.What is one challenge you have faced during your time on the School District Governing Board and how did you overcome it?The largest challenge we have faced during my time on the school board has definitely been Covid and the subsequent issues surrounding it. Since before assuming my position on the board, I made my position clear in not supporting mandatory mask-wearing as I believe it should be an individual choice. I agree with former Justice Scalia in that it is not the government's duty to protect us. There have been many other challenges which have presented since my election, but most of them have stemmed from Covid.How has the Leadership Institute helped you during your time in public service? Leadership Institute was key in preparing me for several aspects of serving. Morton Blackwell's Laws of the Public Policy Process hangs in my living room and is referred to often. The ability to talk to others regarding sensitive issues was something LI helped me with. During LI's Field Representative training, I was assigned to gather signatures on a pro-life petition. This was by far one of my weakest skills. Since then, I have become more educated on this issue in addition to more vocal in my support for pro-life issues.Another area LI has helped me is the area of Social Media. The law of not arguing on social media has kept me from being pulled into the mud puddle of local politics.Many people seem to be disillusioned with the country's current political climate. What would you say to them to encourage them to get involved?More than 90% of politicians/public servants self-select and are not recruited by a political party. When people say the party did this or that, I let them know that they ARE the party and they can make a difference if they get involved. Politics is a game with very confusing rules that seem to be designed to keep the average person out. Find a mentor, work with them to become knowledgeable, and donate one of the 3Ts: Time, Treasure, or Talent. That is how we can really make a difference. The grassroots folks who get involved, can and will eventually rise to the positions where they can make decisions on the direction of the parties.This interview is from the Leadership Institute's Political and Fundraising Monthly Newsletter. When you sign up for this newsletter, you get articles on the latest in politics, interviews like this one, and you'll be the first to know about LI's political and fundraising training opportunities. Don't miss out! Sign up here.