Unofficial Sister Races

DC Policies: Unofficial Races

The Sister District Project (SDP) identifies and curates particular races throughout the year to officially support. These are called “official Sister Races.” Before taking on an official Sister Race, SDP goes through an extensive evaluation process, which includes researching campaign finance laws, vetting campaigns and candidates, speaking to local groups on the ground, and assessing resources and capacity. SDP then matches races to volunteer teams and supports the teams as they support their official Sister Races.

We recognize that sometimes teams want to support campaigns that are not official Sister Races, and we are always happy to see volunteers following their passion and taking initiative. However, because of the legal implications related to supporting races, SDP does not have the resources to complete the legal compliance check and vetting process for races other than the ones we select at HQ. For that reason, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when supporting “unofficial” Sister Races.

Teams may select and support “unofficial” races. Teams are welcome to identify and support campaigns that are not official Sister Races curated by SDP.

SDP will not provide legal or compliance information or support for unofficial races. It is up to the team and volunteers to ensure that all actions in relation to unofficial races are in compliance with all applicable laws.

Communications regarding unofficial races should make clear to volunteers and the general public when the race is not an official Sister District HQ race. When communicating about an unofficial race via email or in any printed or published content (i.e. flyers, brochures, handouts, published essays or articles, etc.), the following disclaimer should be used, either as a footer or in the body of the communication:

“[name of campaign] is a race selected by [local team] and is not officially supported by Sister District HQ.”

Teams should use their individual team logos when communicating about an unofficial race. To obtain a team logo, please fill out this form.