Talk:National Democratic Training Committee

Carey Committee

That's according to Open Secrets. –MJL ‐Talk‐^☖ 20:23, 6 September 2020 (UTC)

Citations behind paywalls

This applies more widely, but footnote 20 cannot be accessed due to the Washington Post's paywall. Non-pay walled sources are preferable, along with more complete and clear statements about the information in the cited source. In the case of footnote 20, the reader is unable to find more detail about the vaguely referenced fundraising criticism. ClathrateRemonte (talk) 01:11, 29 December 2020 (UTC)

For future reference, this is footnote 20. –MJL ‐Talk‐^☖ 04:47, 30 December 2020 (UTC)

I've resolved the issue by adding a link to an archived copy of the article that's free to access. Historical-idealist (talk) 14:29, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

More sources:

https://newrepublic.com/article/143615/democrats-emails-strategy-haywire

But Their Emails

How the Democrats’ online outreach strategy went haywire.

Sarah Jones

The New Repubic

June 29, 2017

Kenneth Pennington, the former digital director of Senator Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, calls this a “churn and burn” approach that exploits voters. “A dirty secret in the email fundraising industry is that most of the people giving are senior citizens,” he told the New Republic in an email. “For a less net-savvy generation some of these emails that put you on ‘FINAL NOTICE’ are confusing and scary enough. The prospect that your donation will be quadruple-matched may also be enticing, if you really believe it.”

https://www.influencewatch.org/for-profit/mothership-strategies/

Influence Watch

Mothership Strategies

--Nbauman (talk) 19:01, 17 September 2021 (UTC)

Open Secrets

I was trying to figure out how much of the NDTC revenue went to programs, and how much of it went to overhead. I couldn't figure it out.

https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/national-democratic-training-cmte/C00603084/summary/2018

In 2017-2018, they spent a total of $6,557,222, and $2,708,002 (41.66%) on fundraising. That seems pretty high.

They gave Mothership Strategies $2,398,561. Is that the same as "fundraising"?

Can anybody confirm that? --Nbauman (talk) 21:44, 18 September 2021 (UTC)

Proposed Format section additions

Hi there! I'm proposing changes on behalf of my work at Footnote Fixer for the National Democratic Training Committee. I've written a full proposed draft here, but I'm submitting requests section-by-section for ease of review. This request covers only the Format section to start.

• Reason for the change: The changes are proposed to give a more full overview of their training formats and partners. The current section cites six sources across three sentences, with several redundant to each other. The primary source URL is antiquated (traindemocrats.org → traindems.org) as well. I'm also proposing two new sentences: a characterization from Vice, information about their digital and AI trainings from Wired, and a 2026 figure on training volume sourced from Politico.
• References: All sources are shown in the proposed version below.

Proposed section

Format

NDTC offers both on-site trainings and self-paced virtual classes, with students ranging from candidates and their staff to campaign volunteers and activists. Vice noted in 2019 that it was the only major organization providing free in-person trainings to Democratic candidates nationwide. NDTC partners with state Democratic parties to offer trainings. The organization also partners with other Democratic-leaning groups like Run for Something, The Pipeline Fund, and EMILYs List. NDTC trainings cover topics like campaign finance, canvassing, and communications. It has additional trainings on website strategy and digital content creation, social media strategy for campaigns, AI, and other voter outreach topics.

Starting in 2019, NDTC began offering virtual and in-person staff training for Democratic campaign workers. The NDTC conducts hundreds of in-person and virtual trainings each year across all 50 states.

References

References

Current section

Format

The training has taken the form of on-site as well as online classes with students ranging from activists, campaign volunteers and staff, and candidates. The group partners with state Democratic parties, as well as similar groups like Run for Something and EMILY's List. NDTC trainings cover topics like communications, campaign finance, and canvassing.

References

References

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks so much in advance for your review! Footnote Pete (talk) 15:14, 17 July 2026 (UTC)

Reply 29-JUL-2026

   Go ahead approved  

• An impartial editor has reviewed the proposed edit(s) and asks the COI editor to go ahead and make the suggested changes.
• Please ensure all added references are formatted according to whichever system is already in use with the article. (See WP:CITEVAR.)

Regards,  Spintendo  20:58, 29 July 2026 (UTC)

Confirming that I have made the changes to the article, following the WP:PAID disclosure guidance and linking to this request. Thanks for reviewing the additions! Footnote Pete (talk) 14:38, 30 July 2026 (UTC)

Proposed Reception section additions and changes

Hi again! I'm proposing additional changes on behalf of my work at Footnote Fixer for the National Democratic Training Committee. I've written a full proposed draft here, but I'm submitting requests section-by-section for ease of review. This request covers only the Reception section.

• Reason for the change: The current Reception section omits significant coverage of who has engaged with NDTC's work (Underwood and Frost, honorary co-chairs Porter and Williams, a Sanders partnership, a statement from ten Democratic governors, and candidates describing their use of the training). Separately, the Mothership Strategies passage is the section's longest item right now, and much of it describes the firm's commission rates and business model rather than NDTC, which should be covered at a dedicated Mothership Strategies article instead. I propose trimming that part back while keeping the core criticism itself intact.
• References: All sources are shown in the proposed version below.

Proposed Reception section

Reception

NDTC claims its trainings helped elect more than 170 Democrats in the 2018 United States elections, including three congressional candidates. Notable alumni of the organization include Representative Lauren Underwood and Representative Maxwell Frost, who headlined a candidate cohort training in March 2026. Underwood also served as an honorary co-chair of NDTC, alongside Katie Porter and Nikema Williams. The NDTC has also partnered with Sen. Bernie Sanders on training progressive candidates to run for office. The group has been generally welcomed by state Democratic parties, with former head of the North Dakota Democratic Party Kylie Oversen stating the group has helped state parties encourage potential candidates to run for office. Gov. Tom Wolf and nine other Democratic governors released a statement that announced their support of NDTC's work. In news profiles, some state legislative candidates, including candidates in Indiana and Pennsylvania, said they used NDTC's training resources during their campaigns and credited it as helpful to their programs.

The Washington Post reported that some Democrats have criticized the group's former primary fundraising consultant, Mothership Strategies, for aggressive and sometimes misleading tactics, raising concerns that such fundraising could erode trust among small donors. Its current fundraising consultant is now Sapphire Strategies.

References

References

Current section

Reception

The group claims its trainings helped elect more than 170 Democrats in the 2018 United States elections, including three congressional candidates.

The group has been generally welcomed by state Democratic parties, with Kylie Oversen, former head of the North Dakota Democratic Party, stating the group has helped state parties encourage potential candidates to run for office.

The Washington Post said that some Democrats have called the group's primary fundraising consultant, Mothership Strategies, "unethical," because of its "aggressive and sometimes misleading tactics," and because of the high commission rates they charge their clients. Their fundraising tactics are effective in raising large amounts of money, but the Democratic critics of Mothership Strategies worry that the company’s profits are built on exaggerating fears, and could erode trust among small donors needed in the future.

References

References

Diff for Reception changes

−

The group claims its trainings helped elect more than 170 Democrats in the [[2018 United States elections]], including three congressional candidates.The group has been generally welcomed by state Democratic parties, with [[Kylie Oversen]], former head of the [[North Dakota Democratic Party]], stating the group has helped state parties encourage potential candidates to run for office.The ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' said that some Democrats have called the group's primary fundraising consultant, [[Mothership Strategies]], "unethical," because of its "aggressive and sometimes misleading tactics," and because of the high commission rates they charge their clients. Their fundraising tactics are effective in raising large amounts of money, but the Democratic critics of Mothership Strategies worry that the company’s profits are built on exaggerating fears, and could erode trust among small donors needed in the future.

+

NDTC claims its trainings helped elect more than 170 Democrats in the [[2018 United States elections]], including three congressional candidates. Notable alumni of the organization include Representative [[Lauren Underwood]] and Representative [[Maxwell Frost]], who headlined a candidate cohort training in March 2026. Underwood also served as an honorary co-chair of NDTC, alongside [[Katie Porter]] and [[Nikema Williams]]. The NDTC has also partnered with Sen. Bernie Sanders on training progressive candidates to run for office. The group has been generally welcomed by state Democratic parties, with former head of the [[North Dakota Democratic Party]] [[Kylie Oversen]] stating the group has helped state parties encourage potential candidates to run for office. Gov. [[Tom Wolf]] and nine other Democratic governors released a statement that announced their support of NDTC's work. In news profiles, some state legislative candidates, including candidates in Indiana and Pennsylvania, said they used NDTC's training resources during their campaigns and credited it as helpful to their programs.The ''Washington Post'' reported that some Democrats have criticized the group's former primary fundraising consultant, [[Mothership Strategies]], for aggressive and sometimes misleading tactics, raising concerns that such fundraising could erode trust among small donors. Its current fundraising consultant is now Sapphire Strategies.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I'm very happy to make tweaks here. And as always, thanks in advance for the review! Footnote Pete (talk) 15:27, 30 July 2026 (UTC)

@Footnote Pete The edit looks like an improvement over the current section. The only thing that needs to be changed is the final line that says its current consultant is Sapphire Strategies, since it involves original research, as the source at Open Secrets does not necessarily indicate the change.

Y Partially approved by an impartial editor for all additions and changes except for the final proposed sentence related to Sapphire Strategies. You are free to make the changes yourself, following the current citation style, so long as you note your COI in the edit summary. AaronNealLucas (talk) 17:21, 30 July 2026 (UTC)

Completely understand on that piece. I've removed the Sapphire Strategies sentence and implemented the rest, using the current citation style. Really appreciate your review here, thanks so much! Footnote Pete (talk) 19:36, 31 July 2026 (UTC)

Aaron, would you be able to update the tag as "partially completed" for the edit request above? Was going to do it myself, but realized that it might log me as the person who reviewed the edit request then somewhere. The edit has been implemented per your instructions. (Thanks, and sorry for the ping here.) Footnote Pete (talk) 13:03, 3 August 2026 (UTC)

Proposed History section additions

Good morning! I'm proposing the third set of changes on behalf of my work at Footnote Fixer for the National Democratic Training Committee. I've written a full proposed draft here, but again, I'm submitting requests section-by-section for ease of review. This request covers only the History section.

• Reason for the change: The current history section is very truncated, and ends in 2019, not reflecting any recent developments. The updated section below expands on their work greatly, and adds several sources to back up the programmatic shifts that they have done. I tried to add in sources that explain both its purpose for its founding and the actual work that it's done since it started.
• References: All sources are shown in the proposed version below.

Proposed History section

History

The NDTC was founded in 2016 by Democratic strategist Kelly Dietrich, who described the organization as a resource for candidates and local leaders involved in down-ballot races that may not receive attention from or be able to afford guidance from other political organizations. Dietrich said the impetus for the organization was recognizing that candidates "were forced to reinvent the wheel every time on their own," noting that resources that would support candidates were unintentionally siloed off for down-ballot races. Dietrich described the NDTC's core mission as "lowering the barrier of entry for anyone who wants to get involved in Democratic politics" and building long-term Democratic power at all levels of government. In its first two years of operation, more than 10,000 Democrats signed up for NDTC training, and by 2018, Dietrich said that more than 18,000 Democrats had signed up.

In 2017, the NDTC announced plans to invest $4 million during the 2018 election cycle in an effort to get 50,000 Democrats to use its services to run for office. Representative Cheri Bustos supported the effort, which was aimed in part at helping Democrats compete for some of the 518,000 elected official positions across the country. The investment included funding for an estimated $600,000 for in-person training sessions.

Program expansion and staff training launch (2018-2019)

In 2018, the organization launched the first online training platform for NGP VAN's "VoteBuilder," the voter database used by the Democratic Party, to help candidates and their campaigns identify and reach voters. That year, the NDTC trained 679 candidates during the election cycle, 511 of whom won their primaries; 275 of the nominees were women. NDTC held more than 50 in-person training sessions across all 50 states, including a training in Idaho that drew 200 attendees and a day-long event in rural Alabama that attracted hundreds. The NDTC also partnered with Rust Belt Rising, a nonprofit led by Illinois State Senator Daniel Biss, to focus training efforts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

According to its FEC report, the NDTC raised $7.35 million during the 2018 election cycle. During the week of Brett Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation hearing, the NDTC raised $240,000, its best seven-day fundraising period since launching in 2016, with a record $40,000 received the day before the Kavanaugh vote.

The NDTC launched its Staff Academy program in 2019 to provide training for Democratic campaign staff. The NDTC trained a group of 60 new Democratic campaign staff through an eight-week training, which featured both in-person and online components. The NDTC partnered with state and national party committees to recruit trainees for the program, which saw more than 600 applicants. More than half of the participants were women, more than half were people of color, and more than one-third were members of the LGBTQ community. The program was developed to provide Democratic campaigns with "high-quality, diverse, and trained staff members" for the 2020 election cycle.

In 2019 alone, the NDTC coached more than 17,000 candidates for federal and state office. By mid-2019, more than 7,000 people had already signed up for in-person and online programs for the coming year, on pace to surpass 2018 enrollment. In December 2019, the organization raised $651,802 in a single month, with an average contribution of just over $12.

Partnerships and work during the Biden era (2020-2024)

In 2020, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) announced a partnership with the NDTC to provide state legislative candidates access to more than 70 online courses on running a campaign. The Guardian noted that the NDTC was further focused on down-ballot races because of concerns of a potential "red wave" in the 2022 midterm elections. In 2023, the NDTC raised $6.3 million in revenue from donations. By the mid-2020s, the organization reported having trained more than 128,000 candidates, campaign staff, volunteers, and local Democratic leaders, with an annual program budget of more than $5 million.

Second Trump era work (2025-present)

In 2025, the NDTC released what was described by Wired as the first official AI playbook for Democratic campaigns, accompanied by new online training designed to help candidates leverage artificial intelligence to create social content, write voter outreach messages, and research their districts and opponents. The free course was developed in collaboration with Higher Ground Institute and was targeted primarily at smaller campaigns. The New York Times noted that the course said campaigns should not create AI-generated content because it "undermines democratic discourse and voter trust." The course drew 250 enrollees within days of its launch. Senator Bernie Sanders also partnered in 2025 with the NDTC and Run for Something to support a broader effort to recruit progressives to run for down-ballot offices.

In May 2026, more than 100 Democratic candidates across Illinois gathered at Illinois State University for a campaign bootcamp organized by the NDTC in partnership with the Illinois Democratic County Chairs' Association, part of the NDTC's broader national effort to prepare down-ballot campaigns in an increasingly fragmented media and political landscape. It held a July session in Atlanta that trained Georgia state legislative candidates.

References

References

Current section

History

The NDTC was founded in 2016 by Democratic operative Kelly Dietrich.

In 2018, the group launched online training for NGP VAN's "VoteBuilder", the voter database used by the Democratic Party.

In 2019, the NDTC launched their Staff Academy program to provide training for Democratic campaign staff. The NDTC trained a group of 60 new Democratic campaign staff through an eight-week training, which featured both in-person and online components. The NDTC partnered with state and national party committees to recruit trainees for the program, which saw more than 600 applicants. The program was developed to provide Democratic campaigns with "high-quality, diverse, and trained staff members" for the 2020 election cycle.

According to its FEC report, the NDTC raised $7.35 million during the 2018 election cycle.

References

References

Diff for Reception changes

−

The NDTC was founded in 2016 by Democratic operative Kelly Dietrich.In 2018, the group launched online training for [[NGP VAN]]'s "VoteBuilder", the [[voter database]] used by the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]].In 2019, the NDTC launched their Staff Academy program to provide training for Democratic campaign staff. The NDTC trained a group of 60 new Democratic campaign staff through an eight-week training, which featured both in-person and online components. The NDTC partnered with state and national party committees to recruit trainees for the program, which saw more than 600 applicants. The program was developed to provide Democratic campaigns with "high-quality, diverse, and trained staff members" for the [[2020 United States elections|2020 election cycle]]. According to its [[Federal Election Commission|FEC]] report, the NDTC raised $7.35 million during the [[2018 United States elections|2018 election cycle]].

+

The NDTC was founded in 2016 by Democratic strategist Kelly Dietrich, who described the organization as a resource for candidates and local leaders involved in down-ballot races that may not receive attention from or be able to afford guidance from other political organizations. Dietrich said the impetus for the organization was recognizing that candidates "were forced to reinvent the wheel every time on their own," noting that resources that would support candidates were unintentionally siloed off for down-ballot races. Dietrich described the NDTC's core mission as "lowering the barrier of entry for anyone who wants to get involved in Democratic politics" and building long-term Democratic power at all levels of government. In its first two years of operation, more than 10,000 Democrats signed up for NDTC training, and by 2018, Dietrich said that more than 18,000 Democrats had signed up.In 2017, the NDTC announced plans to invest $4 million during the 2018 election cycle in an effort to get 50,000 Democrats to use its services to run for office. Representative [[Cheri Bustos]] supported the effort, which was aimed in part at helping Democrats compete for some of the 518,000 elected official positions across the country. The investment included funding for an estimated $600,000 for in-person training sessions.In 2018, the organization launched the first online training platform for [[NGP VAN]]'s "VoteBuilder," the voter database used by the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], to help candidates and their campaigns identify and reach voters. That year, the NDTC trained 679 candidates during the election cycle, 511 of whom won their primaries; 275 of the nominees were women. NDTC held more than 50 in-person training sessions across all 50 states, including a training in Idaho that drew 200 attendees and a day-long event in rural Alabama that attracted hundreds. The NDTC also partnered with Rust Belt Rising, a nonprofit led by Illinois State Senator [[Daniel Biss]], to focus training efforts in [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Michigan]], [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Wisconsin]].According to its FEC report, the NDTC raised $7.35 million during the [[2018 United States elections|2018 election cycle]]. During the week of [[Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination|Brett Kavanaugh's]] Senate confirmation hearing, the NDTC raised $240,000, its best seven-day fundraising period since launching in 2016, with a record $40,000 received the day before the Kavanaugh vote.The NDTC launched its Staff Academy program in 2019 to provide training for Democratic campaign staff. The NDTC trained a group of 60 new Democratic campaign staff through an eight-week training, which featured both in-person and online components. The NDTC partnered with state and national party committees to recruit trainees for the program, which saw more than 600 applicants. More than half of the participants were women, more than half were people of color, and more than one-third were members of the LGBTQ community. The program was developed to provide Democratic campaigns with "high-quality, diverse, and trained staff members" for the [[2020 United States elections|2020 election cycle]]. In 2019 alone, the NDTC coached more than 17,000 candidates for federal and state office. By mid-2019, more than 7,000 people had already signed up for in-person and online programs for the coming year, on pace to surpass 2018 enrollment. In December 2019, the organization raised $651,802 in a single month, with an average contribution of just over $12.In 2020, the [[Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee]] (DLCC) announced a partnership with the NDTC to provide state legislative candidates access to more than 70 online courses on running a campaign. ''[[The Guardian]]'' noted that the NDTC was further focused on down-ballot races because of concerns of a potential "red wave" in the [[2022 United States elections|2022 midterm elections]]. In 2023, the NDTC raised $6.3 million in revenue from donations.In 2025, the NDTC released what was described by ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' as the first official AI playbook for Democratic campaigns, accompanied by new online training designed to help candidates leverage artificial intelligence to create social content, write voter outreach messages, and research their districts and opponents. The free course was developed in collaboration with Higher Ground Institute and was targeted primarily at smaller campaigns. ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted that the course said campaigns should not create [[AI-generated content]] because it "undermines democratic discourse and voter trust." The course drew 250 enrollees within days of its launch. Senator [[Bernie Sanders]] also partnered in 2025 with the NDTC and [[Run for Something]] to support a broader effort to recruit progressives to run for down-ballot offices. In May 2026, more than 100 Democratic candidates across Illinois gathered at [[Illinois State University]] for a campaign bootcamp organized by the NDTC in partnership with the Illinois Democratic County Chairs' Association, part of the NDTC's broader national effort to prepare down-ballot campaigns in an increasingly fragmented media and political landscape. It held a July session in [[Atlanta]] that trained [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] state legislative candidates

Please let me know if you have issues with the above content, happy to make changes if folks have edits for me. Thanks so much for your review in advance! Footnote Pete (talk) 12:58, 3 August 2026 (UTC)