About This Class

  • Ever wondered how campaigns and progressive movement-building organizations get their data? Or what do they do with it once they have it? More importantly, how does all this strengthen our democracy, help achieve progressive electoral victories, and build power for Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, other marginalized groups, and working-class Americans?


    Introduction to Progressive Data (IPD) is a 25-hour course covering some of the foundational tools and analytical frameworks in progressive data that will help you answer the questions above and launch or advance your career in the progressive data and technology space. Students will also receive access to significant one-on-one office hour time, complete a voter canvass data final project, receive professional development support, grow their networks, and have access to multiple Generation Data career fairs.

    This upcoming cohort of IPD will take place in Washington, DC from Wednesday July, 26 - Sunday - July 30. There will be a Welcome Event the evening of Tuesday July 25 and we’ll wrap the training the morning of Sunday July 30 with a debrief and recap so participants can travel home.

    Training sessions will take place at and accommodations will be provided at the Kellogg Conference Hotel on the campus of Gallaudet University. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each full training day along with refreshments throughout the day.

    The staff of the Kellogg Conference Hotel are proud to be represented by UNITE HERE Local 23.

    A special thanks to our sponsors The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Movement Voter Project, and NGP VAN for helping make this class free / very low-cost for the majority of participants.

What You’ll Learn / Gain

  • Big picture view of data, organizing, and using data to tell compelling stories that drive organizing decisions

  • NGP VAN Admin

  • SQL

  • Spreadsheets

  • Data Visualization

  • Overcoming Racial Bias in Data

  • Dismantling White Supremacy in Progressive Politics

  • Data based canvass simulation final project

  • Career support and professional development

  • A career fair

  • Certificate of Completion

Time Commitment / Schedule

  • This upcoming cohort of IPD will take place in Washington, DC from Wednesday July, 26 - Sunday - July 30. There will be a Welcome Event the evening of Tuesday July 24 and we’ll wrap the training the morning of Sunday July 30 with a debrief and recap so participants can travel home.

    Students can expect 5-6 hours of instruction each day. Students should also expect to put in an additional 8-10 hours of work on independent exercises and the final project and presentation. There will also be social events, opportunities to hear from and network with progressive data & tech professionals, a career fair and more.

    We’ll accept up to 30 students for this program.

What If I Have to Miss a Class or Two?

  • You’ll need to be available full-time the week of the training to participate. If you have to miss a session or two because you’re not feeling well that is fine and we’ll help you catch up. But you will not be able to do this training while also working your full-time job.

    We strongly encourage individuals who are interested in the training who are employed full-time to work with their supervisors to all them to use professional development time / funds to participate in this training.

Who Should Apply?

  • We’re particularly interested in

    • Individuals with advocacy, labor, and campaign field experience who like working with data / technology

    • Individuals with existing skill sets in areas including data analytics, computer programming, software development, statistics, and more

  • Black, Indigenous, other People of Color, women, queer, trans, those with disabilities and other individuals from underrepresented and marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply

    • Our students are 60% Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, 60% female or non-binary, and 35% LGBTQIA+

Learning Accommodations

  • We’re continually trying to make our trainings as accessible as possible to all styles of learners and those who may have specific learning challenges. That said, we’re a small organization and don’t currently have any experts in learning accessibility design on staff. During the application process, we’ll provide space for you to let us know of any accommodations you may need, and we’ll let you know if we are able to accommodate you.

Can This Help Me Get a Job in Progressive or Social Impact Data?

  • To date, we’ve had over 200 students complete a Generation Data training

  • Nearly two-thirds of our graduates have landed new roles or added skills to make a greater impact in their current roles

How Much Do Data People Earn?

  • As of 2020, entry-level employees in the progressive political space earn a median salary of $68,000, mid-level employees $82,000, and senior / department-head employees $110,000. The overall median salary is $88,000 and the overall average salary is $94,571. Check out these comprehensive Progressive Data, Analytics, and Technology Salary Surveys form Progressive Data Jobs for more info.

What Do I Need?

  • A Mac, Windows, or Linux laptop with at least 4GB of RAM. All course materials will be provided

Questions / More Info

  • admissions@generationdata.org