Amy Pritchard’s Substack

I created the GAINiverse to combine my passions and work. It’s hard to explain what I do most days so I’m putting it all here. I aim to democratize democracy, making it more appealing, attractive, and accessible. Ultimately, I want to see more women and underrepresented leaders achieve their power for their communities in elected positions and everywhere else. My theory of change is that we’ll live in a more equitable, just, free, and fair country and world when this happens.

For over 30 years, I've worked at the intersection of democracy, grassroots power, political strategy, and progressive change in 26 countries and 40+ U.S. states. From the streets of South Sudan to state capitols in the U.S., from training youth party leaders in Rwanda to launching PACs in Washington, DC, I've lived inside the machinery of democracy, and I've fought to rebuild it where it's broken.

I've organized in neighborhoods devastated by gun violence and mass incarceration, on Native American reservations, in Texas oil fields, and alongside leaders in the witness protection, political prisoners, and genocide survivors. My issue work spans gun control, gay marriage, abortion access, public education, health care, tax reform, and union organizing—all with one goal: to build real power for people who've historically had the least of it.

I've launched political ventures big and small—GAIN Power, Global GAIN, Amplify Power, and the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center—and I've helped elect bold leaders like Jared Polis, Elizabeth Warren, and Ayanna Pressley. I'm a paid media strategist, a grassroots trainer, and a political entrepreneur. And I've helped more people find jobs in the progressive ecosystem than anyone else, which is the work I’m most proud of doing.

I'm an insider who's not afraid to call out our own.

In 2019, I took a public stand against my own party when Democratic leaders introduced a loyalty oath banning consultants from working with challengers to incumbents. It was a policy designed to protect power, not values. I wrote about it in The New York Times, exposing how it would harm women, people of color, and new voices challenging the status quo.

The fallout was real. Clients left. Colleagues stayed silent. But I spoke up anyway—because democracy demands dissent, even from within.

You'll see that fire here, too.

I understand the complex progressive ecosystem better than most, except perhaps the donor world, much to my chagrin, or I'd be raising more money. Right now, I have a unique lens into what's happening: I see the overlaps, redundancies, and gaps. I believe we can and must do better, and I want to play a role in all this. I'm eager to change what we do and how we do it so we can win more. I'm sad and angry about mistakes that have been made, and I have a lot of ideas—some of which I'll share here—about changing them.

Why Subscribe?

This Substack is where I write raw and unfiltered—especially when I'm frustrated, fired up, or feeling the weight of what's at stake. This isn't the place if you're looking for glossy political spin. If you want truth from someone who's fought in the trenches, this is your home.

Here's what you'll get:

• Real insider stories behind campaigns, movements, and elections

• How to build power for progressive causes and underrepresented communities

• Global democracy insights drawn from decades of international work

• Career coaching for anyone wanting to break into or level up in politics

• Intersectional strategy that weaves feminism, anti-racism, and electoral power

We need more women and people of color running the world, because the current crop of men in charge are failing us spectacularly. If you're ready to change that—or just want to learn from someone who's spent her life doing this work—subscribe.

This is where democracy-building meets real talk. Welcome to the GAINiverse.

I split my time between Boston, DC, and Kigali, where I'm building CoKiyovu: Women's Leadership & Democracy Center and living my ikigai: doing what I love, what I'm good at, what the world needs, and—when the stars align—what pays the bills.

To learn more about me visit amypritchard.com

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