In order to win in 2020, progressives need unprecedented mobilization. The only way to scale that mobilization is through technology and people power. We need the best and the brightest in technology to step up — and Cultivate has the tools to help you find a job in progressive politics.
American politics are being transformed by technology every single day, yet progressives are falling behind. Facebook’s own executive in charge of ads said the Trump campaign ran the “single best digital ad campaign I’ve ever seen from any advertiser” and said Facebook’s ads could have been responsible for Trump winning the election.
We are not falling behind because progressives lack the will to innovate. We are falling behind because we are facing an unparalleled talent crisis.
Progressive organizations desperately need tech talent to solve some of the most important challenges for mass mobilization. More importantly, we need to be building tools that are inclusive and accessible to a diverse constituency.
As an organization that specializes in hiring and training for the progressive movement, we talk with people in tech every day that want to build a career in advocacy — but they find it nearly impossible to land jobs. They face significant barriers because they don’t have personal connections, they don’t have experience navigating political recruitment, and they don’t have the proper campaign training to understand how best to leverage their skills. To make matters worse, many job opportunities are short-term and require relocation — making them inaccessible for many talented people.
We want to change that by investing in our most valuable resource: people. And we need to do that by democratizing access to full-time, long-term jobs that build inclusive infrastructure for our movement.
Today, we’re announcing two initiatives to make it easier for tech workers to find jobs in progressive politics and, once they find those jobs, to succeed in them.
First, the Compass Fellowship will invest in building a pipeline for diverse tech talent to build long-term careers in the movement. Second, All Hands will launch in early March as a talent matchmaking service designed to pair tech talent with open job opportunities.
The Compass Fellowship will select 25 fellows and provide free training and mentorship, and access to full-time, salaried job opportunities at some of the leading organizations on the left. The fellowship will place early career talent with product and engineering experience into roles in progressive politics — whether that’s non-profits, political tech vendors, or other organizations doing progressive work in this country.
We’re looking for folks with 2–7 years of product or engineering experience who offer a perspective that has been historically under-represented in tech. Here’s how the 12-week fellowship will go:
- Fellows have until Feb. 28, 2020 to apply.
- Fellows will be selected in March 2020.
- Fellows will attend a convening in New York City in early April to understand the career landscape in the progressive movement, practice job interviews, and learn about campaigning.
- They’ll then spend the next six weeks attending one class per week taught by some of the leading experts on campaigning. They’ll also join peer-to-peer groups led by mentors that have already made the career transition from tech to politics.
- Our recruiters will work hand-in-hand with each fellow to introduce them to job opportunities and work to place them in roles at progressive organizations.
2020 will be a pivotal year for our country, and a perfect opportunity to build a career doing work that matters. It’s time to get to work.
