This week's Democracy Notes
Hello from Copenhagen!
Welcome back!
This week and next week I’m in Copenhagen for the Copenhagen Democracy Summit. (Narrator: it’s a two-day conference, he’s on vacation.)
What other democracy conferences do you have on your radar? Add them to this collaborative spreadsheet or share them via the usual submission form (or email me).
Btw, we’re on Twitter now. Right now it’s the same content as the newsletter, but that may change. You can follow @DemocracyNotes or here.
As always, if Democracy Notes is useful to you, share it with a democracy friend or colleague!
Democracy Notes 5/15
What’s happening in philanthropy:
($$$)
What ~should~ be happening in philanthropy? Research that identifies what pro-democracy interventions actually work. Great argument for that here.
Omidyar Network is deliciously transparent about their investments. New investments in 2024 include: CivicLex, Healthy Democracy (deliberative democracy org), and the Tech Oversight Project.
Full list of investments here. (I wish they included a description of each project!)
Last week was the National Council on Foundations ($2K per ticket) convening: Building Together, focused on pluralism. All-star slate of speakers here and recap here.
What to read:
(The big news)
Faced with more legal, political, and security threats (doxxing, threats of violence, harassment by tax authorities, etc.), what should U.S. democracy organizations do?
In this Clerk Appreciation Week letter, you’ll find (in the logos) an excellent landscape of who’s working on election administration in Wisconsin.
Convening recaps! There have been some great ones posted on LinkedIn (and elsewhere) lately.
Building Together (aforementioned Council on Foundations convening), from the perspective of the Trust for Public Land’s Director of Community Strategies.
The Aspen Institute What Democracy Needs from Tech. LinkedIn recap here.
Future’s Happening: Democracy Edition (weirdly inconsistent on their website about the apostrophe…). Event website. Summary on LinkedIn.
MIT Center for Constructive Communication and Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society convenings, recapped by Claudia Chwalisz of DemocracyNext here.
(Very) brief recap of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit from…me!
PACE recap of Kettering’s recent Kettering Conversation on Democracy.
Official readout from the 2024 Local News Summit, an annual gathering hosted by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Aspen Digital.
Btw, I’d like to compile a spreadsheet of upcoming convenings in the democracy space. If you know of one, let me know here (or via email).
What to watch/listen to/attend:
(Events, podcasts, and more)
Really neat convening coming up next month in Tulsa focused on rural journalism as a community convener.
I’m almost as excited about this approach to journalism as I am about libraries. Read more about it (and how it ties to democratic health) here.
Speaking of libraries (and rural)…what do rural libraries have to do with democracy? Learn more tomorrow (!) 11am-12:30pm PT from the Rural Funders Peer Network.
Registration required here.
Journalism funders! Check out this year’s Media Impact Forum (put on by Media Impact Funders) in NYC on May 22nd.
Hear from Press Forward’s leadership, Steve Waldman of Rebuild Local News Coalition (how policy can help rebuild local news), and more.
Are you applying for Press Forward’s open call? You can get fundraising coaching on your application (or your strategic approach) courtesy of the Lenfest Institute!
Interested in helping with voter protection in 2024 in a full-time capacity?
Last week, I highlighted TED’s new collection of Talks focused on democracy. One stood out to me, in particular: Gabriel Marmentini’s talk, How to be an active citizen and spark change.
It’s great (and not just because we’ve got the same name).
Where to work:
(Jobs, jobs, jobs!)
PEN America Senior Manager, Freedom to Learn — DC or NYC, $75K-$90K
Civic Alliance Fellow — remote, $28-$32/hour (depending on location)
Generation Citizen Director of National Expansion — remote, $87K-$97K
Brennan Center Associate Accountant — remote, $62K-$67K
Welcome.Us Graphic Designer (contractor) — remote, $85/hour, 20 hours/week
The Carter Center Senior Program Associate, Democracy Program — Atlanta, no $ listed
Press Forward Virtual Assistant — remote, $26/hour
Youth Engagement Fund Program Manager — remote, $70K-$80K
Justice Funders Senior Director of Member Organizing — remote, $121K
Princeton’s Bridging Divides Initiative Threats and Harassment Dataset Dataset Researcher — remote, no $ listed
Citizen Data Head of People and Operations — remote, $95K-$110K
The League of Women Voters:
National Development Director — DC, $170K-$180K
Advancement Manager — remote, $98K
Development Associate — DC, $65K
Even more open roles here.
The Impact Project Vice President of States — remote, $160K-$190K
Military Veterans in Journalism Research Consultant, Emerging Trends in Conspiracy Theories and Disinformation — remote, $25-30/hr, 20 hours/week
Wallace Global Fund Global Director of Communications & Strategic Engagement — DC, $220K-$235K
Election Reformers Network, all roles remote with no $ listed:
Thanks, as always, for your attention. If you found this valuable, please forward it to a democracy friend or colleague!
Take care,
Gabe
Another useful issue. Thanks.