Progress Isn’t Promised
2024 Impact Report from She Should Run
If there is one thing history has shown us it is that progress is never guaranteed. Meaningful change is both challenging and slow. While we did not elect our first woman president in 2024, this election, in its other gains for women’s equality—a woman of color leading a major party ticket, two Black women elected to the Senate, the first transgender woman in Congress, and a record number of women state legislators and women governors—showed us both the power and the fragility of progress.
At She Should Run, our mission isn’t tied to whether a woman wins or loses—it’s about helping her see herself as fully capable, qualified, and motivated to run in the first place. This is no small task in a polarized landscape that leaves so many women feeling disheartened, disenfranchised, and perhaps forgotten.
Still, despite the ups and downs, pivots, and u-turns, She Should Run has been here. We were here before the election, and we are still here to remind women that they have what it takes to lead in elected office.
Right now, women’s political power is at significant risk of stalling—even sliding backward. If we want to see more women stepping up to lead in the future, we must help them see the possibility now.
The year was packed with initiatives to help us reach tens of thousands of women taking their first steps toward elected leadership. And, while we celebrate all that has been accomplished in the lead-up to the election, the full story of this year is still being written. She Should Run is here, and ready to show up as we always have; ready to test and respond nimbly to an ever-changing landscape that needs us. The future is ours to write, even if we don’t have all the answers just yet.
Starting conversations and planting seeds for future elected leaders.
Resource Center
In direct response to the needs of the women we serve, we developed an open access, digital hub of resources for women to explore their political power on their own time and at their own pace. We reduced barriers to participation for tens of thousands of women taking their first steps in exploring their leadership potential.
57,723
first steps taken
54.53%
of new women from underrepresented communities
45.85%
women of color
As a nonpartisan nonprofit, we drive public dialogue about women’s representation and offer first-step resources designed for women whose formidable leadership potential would go otherwise untapped in conventional political recruitment.
Election Webinar Series
Webinar Partners
Since 2022, She Should Run has reached over 136,241 women from diverse backgrounds, many of whom hadn’t considered running before. After engaging with our resources, nearly half say they’re more likely to run.
She Should Run x Barbie
Women who have run for office say mentorship is one of the most common resources they use when deciding whether or not to put their names on the ballot.
Mentoring & Leadership Development
We matched 29 women considering running for office with a mentor who had run from Feb through May 2024 for a virtual 30-minute informational interview as part of our first Ask Her Anything initiative.
100% of participants reported feeling more encouraged to run after the meeting with their mentor
“This program has given me a clear roadmap to pursue public office confidently.”
“I left my session inspired and well-equipped to plan my journey to [elected] office.”
“While a majority of women are increasingly disengaging from political news and citing a decreased likelihood of running for office due to political dysfunction, they continue to actively support and take action for their communities.”
Research
“While 66.3% of women indicated that they are less likely to consider running for office because politics seems toxic, almost the same proportion–63.43%–ranked either bringing change to their community or pursuing issues they care about as the top reason that would motivate them to consider running for office.”
Connecting your everyday actions to your political power.
VOTE, AND
Meeting women where they are.
In-Person Events
We held multiple confidence-building workshops linking improvisation and political leadership with partners at Funny Girls and the Harnisch Foundation.
She Should Run X Suffs
She Should Run Town Hall
More than 300 women signed up to participate in a brief town hall we hosted on November 13 with Indiana Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn and Tennessee Senator Raumesh Akbari to answer top questions we received about how to move forward post-election.
“If other women have the strength to do it, so should I. We need to rise together.”
“I believe women can lead effectively at every level. It’s up to us to create the future we deserve.”
“The feeling of ‘we’re all in this together’ motivates me to make this world a safer place for everyone.”
Media Coverage
“We grieve as a society, as a community, and then personally—that’s why you need to gather in community and lean on others who might have a little bit more in their energy tank on any given day. People would feel so isolated otherwise.”
“This is the reality of our system, there’s a double standard for women,” Cutraro said. “Men have a perceived and built-in assumption of qualification. If they can crack likeability, they’re well-positioned.”
“They’re coming to us because somebody has said to them [that] they should think about running for office. And they have then said to themselves, ‘I have no idea where I would start,’” she told The Examiner. “And we have to make a case, in this increasingly toxic and polarized environment, why would somebody even think about running for office?”
“We need to build community,” Cutraro said. “Tackle the many barriers, and stick together in this movement.”
“By lifting up women’s voices, celebrating every win, celebrating what it took even when it’s a loss, and showing they’re part of something bigger, we can keep the momentum going for real change.”
Within 24 hours of the election being called, we saw a staggering 743% increase in the number of women taking first steps to explore elected leadership.
Women coming to She Should Run took 8,000 first steps toward elected leadership in just the first 15 days post-election.
Happier
As our community acknowledged in real-time pre-election the need to prioritize mental health, we stepped-up as we always have with resources to meet women where they are.
COALITIONS
We served as original co-signers to RepresentWomen’s 2024 Seneca Falls Declaration, a presidential pledge and collaboration to amplify the inclusion of women in the next (2028) presidential election.
We are who we serve.
As a women-led nonprofit, we pay special attention to the care and support of our team as we try to embody the values we hold dear. Collectively, our lived experiences represent the women we’re trying to serve, and we need to work together to get them in office.
She Should Run is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit working to drastically increase the number of women considering a run for office by helping them realize their potential. We envision a future where our government is fully representative of the people it serves. Learn more at sheshouldrun.org.
Donate today to support our 2025 impact.