Running for office is a job just like any other. You wouldn’t walk into an operating room and expect to be allowed to operate without getting trained first, would you? Running for office is no different— it takes some research, some training, some practice, and some folks to instruct you along the way! Sign up below for our incredible training opportunities and let’s get started!

Who should sign up for this?
Anyone considering a potential run for office who has not attended a LEAD NC training yet.

What will I learn?

This training is the first stop on the journey to civic leadership with LEAD.  We discuss the moment we are in and what kind of leadership we need to meet this moment, how to tell your story, and provide an introduction to fundraising principles and building your base, and provide factors to consider when deciding to run for office. Participants leave equipped with the ability to assess their readiness to run, a to-do list of things to tackle before they put their names on the ballot, and a template for the conversation they need to have with themselves, their loved ones, and community members before they make the decision to run.

Who should sign up for this?
This is for folks interested in building on the knowledge from Get Ready to LEAD who are either committed to running or thinking about running in the next two years.

What will I learn?

Joining the LEAD NC Running Club is an opportunity for folks considering running for office in the near future to join others like them on a monthly basis for conversation, support, and education.  While the content of each session varies, it includes a deeper dive into subjects like fundraising and messaging, as well as glimpses behind the curtains into topics like what does the actual day to day of the office look like?  Or: how do sitting elected officials balance the demands of their office, their work and their families and sometimes their campaigns? The goal is to provide a supportive, collegial space to foster the next group of LEAD NC alum into public service. And we have T-shirts and medals for when you get to filing day!

Who should sign up for this?
Candidates. People who are 100% running this year or next year.

What will I learn?

Get Elected is an intensive weekend of training where people who have firmly decided they plan to run learn what a good campaign looks like and skills like targeting, fundraising, budgeting, field, messaging and media. We encourage candidates to bring their campaign managers with them!  We offer this training for local, judicial and state legislative candidates. 

Who should sign up for this?
Candidates who have filed and are currently running for office and their staff.

What will I learn?

In this training you’ll learn how to successfully communicate with voters by approaching messaging through a values based lens.  Participants leave understanding how to formulate messages on any issue and with a handy guide full of talking points. This training has been offered to School Board and State Legislative candidates, and will be expanded to include Judicial candidates in 2026.  

Our Cyber and Privacy Safety & Security Training, in partnership with Democracy Security Project (DSP), is designed to help participants increase their security awareness around cyber and online threats, equipping teams and volunteers to protect their personal information online and respond to digital crises. This training will provide specific tools and tips to effectively defend against digital threats, and provide action steps along with insights on how you can increase your privacy both on and offline.

Our Physical Safety & Security Training, in partnership with Democracy Security Project (DSP), helps to build situational awareness for a wide range of risks as well as shares skills and resources needed to plan and respond to situations like harassment, work disruptions, and threats at home, in your office, and while traveling. We work to empower participants with practical and pragmatic solutions to a broad range of physical vulnerabilities and threats. 

This virtual academy will have six sessions during the summer of 2026 and is designed for attorneys who are interested in exploring a run for the North Carolina Court of Appeals and/or Supreme Court in 2028 and beyond.