HAE-365 Campaign 2013-2014
How to Host a House Party *
Many of the changes in our community we would like to see require raising awareness of a problem or need before
people will become involved. This is true whether you are supporting a cause, non-profit organization, or political
candidate.
The challenge is how to best share what you've learned with your friends and acquaintances. While forwarding an e-
mail to friends is one way to share your views, frequently that's not personal enough to motivate people to take action or
appreciate your views.
A more effective way to influence people is to gather a group of people together who want to learn about an issue or
political candidate, and then share how you feel and why.
In other words, it's time for a house party.
A house party is a gathering of people at a home so you can influence several people at once face-to-face. Hosting a
house party is a great way to bring together friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers in a comfortable environment to
talk about an important cause or political candidate that you support.
Some organizations encourage their volunteers to hold house parties to raise awareness and recruit other volunteers.
Some organizations also have a guest speaker attend and make a presentation. At many house parties the host or the
presenter asks for donations toward the end of a house party. Whatever the format, the main goal is to help your guests
understand (and hopefully adopt) the views presented about your issue or candidate.
An additional benefit of hosting a house party is that you have an opportunity to introduce friends and associates to
each other, which increases your network in the community.
Planning Your House Party
House parties are very simple to hold, but a bit of planning helps ensure that guests are comfortable and receptive to the
purpose of the house party.
Start planning about four weeks before your event. Once you've decided on a timetable, plan the agenda or schedule for
the house party itself.
* Adapted from Sure To Meet Event Registration Tracker – www.suretomeet.com
Timetable
The first step is to choose a date and time for your house party.
When choosing a date be sure to consider holidays, local events, and traditions such as sporting events and celebrations.
If you are a volunteer for a non-profit organization or political campaign, see if the organization can provide a guest
speaker for your house party. If they can't provide a speaker in person for your house party, see if a representative can
call in and talk to your guests over your speakerphone. If so, you'll need to consider that person's schedule when
choosing the date for your house party.
Also, ask how much support your organization or political campaign can provide. Ask if they have a house party
planning guide and promotional materials, such as a DVD, that you can use. The more materials they can provide, the
easier it will be for you to host a successful house party!
It's best to schedule a house party for a two-hour time slot. Commonly chosen times include weekday nights from 6-8
or 7-9 PM, or Sunday afternoons from 12-2, 2-4, or 4-6 PM.
Four Weeks
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Write your invitation
Make a list of people to invite
Three weeks
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Ask a couple of friends to be "greeters" to help people sign in or register
Two weeks
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Plan the food and drinks you will serve
Call people who were sent invitations via postal mail
Send e-mail reminder to people who received invitations via e-mail
Set the agenda for the event’s presentation
Decide who will introduce the topic and who will make the appeal for support
One Week
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Purchase and prepare all food and drink items
Remind your greeters of the time you need them to arrive
Prepare or finalize information packets
Print sign-up sheets
* Adapted from Sure To Meet Event Registration Tracker – www.suretomeet.com
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Decide who will give the introduction
Prepare and practice the introduction
Read and highlight brochure information so that you’re able to answer questions
Call people who were sent invitations via postal mail
Send e-mail reminder to people who received invitations via e-mail
One Day
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Send final e-mail reminder
Building an Invitation List
It's a fact that not everyone you know will be interested in your issue or political candidate. Even those who are
supportive may have schedule conflicts and be unable to attend. This means you need to invite 4 to 5 times as many
people as you would like to attend.
When preparing your invitation list gather all of your directories, committee lists, holiday card mailing lists, stacks of
business cards -- anything with contact information about people who will recognize you.
Here are a few sources of invitees:
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Family and friends
Neighbors and members of your homeowners association
Co-workers and former employee
School alumni and parents groups
Social clubs, hobby groups and community organizations
Holiday card list
One of the side benefits of sending invitations to a house party is that you have a great reason to reconnect with people
you haven’t talked with in a while.
Creating Your House Party Invitations
There are several ways to send invitations to your house party.
If you decide to send invitations via postal mail you can send a formal invitation, a simple postcard, or a full-page flyer.
However, there are several challenges when using postal mail beyond the obvious problem of timely delivery. Since
people need to hear about your house party as many as 4 or 5 times, you will need to telephone each person 3-4 times
after mailing the initial invitation, manually track RSVPs, and probably send individual e-mails with follow-up details.
A better way to send invitations is to use a free invitation and RSVP service. Services like “Sure to Meet” and “Evite”
automatically e-mail invitations and reminders to your list, track who received and viewed your invitation, and track
* Adapted from Sure To Meet Event Registration Tracker – www.suretomeet.com
the RSVPs so you'll know who's coming to your house party. In addition, many of these online services offer an "online
community" for your event that allows your guests to see who is coming. Attendance increases when they see that
several people they know are coming, too.
Another benefit of using an invitation service is that you need to make fewer follow-up telephone calls. This can save
you a lot of time, especially the day before your house party.
Don't forget to include the following details in your invitation:
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The date, time and location of your house party
The reason you are hosting the house party
Donations are greatly appreciated
The type of food or meal you will be serving
Name and role of your special guest speaker
Description of the DVD you’ll be showing
Directions to your home, including a link to a map service (or a large printed map if you're using printed
invitations)
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Phone number so guests can call you
Arranging the House for the House Party
As you plan your house party, think about how to make people who have not been to your home feel comfortable and
enjoy learning about the organization you're supporting:
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Is parking clear and easy?
Is it easy to find your home?
Will it be easy and obvious how to move from the registration table to the food and refreshments table?
Do you need to serve food in more than one location?
Can the food be eaten with fingers or while standing up?
Are there places to set food and drinks?
Are there enough chairs?
Will it be easy for everyone to dispose of their plates and glasses?
Should drinks be on a separate table away from the food table to encourage people to move around and mingle?
* Adapted from Sure To Meet Event Registration Tracker – www.suretomeet.com
Event Agenda
It's helpful to have an agenda of what is supposed to happen and when. As your house party gets going you'll find this
planning makes things go more smoothly.
Here is an example of a house party agenda:
1. Registration - 30 minutes
2. Introductions - 20 minutes
3. Presentation - 30 minutes
4. Discussion - 20 minutes
5. Call for Action - 10 minutes
6. Wrap Up - 20 minutes
Registration
As your guests arrive they should be welcomed by your greeters and escorted to your registration table.
Each guest should be given a name badge, packet of materials, and shown where the food and other refreshments are
located.
Be sure to have guests register on the sign-in sheet so there will be a record of who attended. Many organizations
request registration sheets from house parties so they can follow up with party attendees. On your sign-in sheet ask for
each person’s name, addresses, phone number, and e-mail addresses. Also, ask guests if they'd like to be added to your
organization's master mailing list to receive postal mailings and e-mails. It’s important that there be a place on your
sign-in sheets where they can "opt-in" for these mailings.
Introductions
Having each person introduce themselves is a great way to build a sense of community among your guests.
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Introduce yourself
Have all guests introduce themselves giving their name and how they know you and any co-hosts
Thank people for attending
Explain the purpose and agenda of the party
Let them know why you decided to host a house party
Presentation
The presentation is where you provide educational information about the non-profit organization or political candidate.
The organization may provide a DVD to show or a speaker to present. Or, you might present the case for the issue or
candidate using materials provided by the organization.
* Adapted from Sure To Meet Event Registration Tracker – www.suretomeet.com
Your speaker might like to take questions during the talk, or if there will be a discussion period afterwards it might be
better to hold questions until after your speaker finishes. When the speaker is introduced, it is helpful to let people know
if they should hold their questions until the end of the presentation.
Discussion
During the discussion you (or your speaker) ask open-ended questions that encourage your guests to share thoughtful,
detailed answers.
You're goal is to help people learn about and accept your organization or candidate! At the same time you will want to
identify guests who still have questions that need answering before they accept the message that was presented.
Here are a few questions you can tailor to your situation:
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Did the material presented change how you feel toward the organization's mission (or candidate's position)?
Do you have unanswered questions about the organization (or candidate)?
What did you see (or hear) that you agree with?
What did you see (or hear) that you don't agree with?
Call for Action
This part of the house party is sometimes called “the pitch" or "the ask" because this is when your guests are asked to take
action to help the organization or candidate being featured.
It's important that your call for action be specific so your guests will know exactly how they can help.
For non-profit organizations this is frequently a request for money. If raising funds is their current priority let your
guests know how the money will be used (e.g., “Tonight we're raising money to provide 72 at-risk kids with supervised
after school exercise and study facilities."). And, let them know what your financial goal is for your house party.
Instead of asking for money, some organizations prefer to start a relationship with a new supporter by asking them to
volunteer a few hours of time so the recruit can actually see the good work done by the organization.
This is usually followed up later with opportunities to contribute financially, perhaps by mail or by staff fundraisers.
Whatever the organization's needs are, they also need more people holding house parties to spread the word. So be sure
to mention this as a way your guests can become involved right from their own home. Let them know how easy it was
and how much fun or enjoyment you are having. Make a special note to let the organization know who is interested in
hosting a party.
* Adapted from Sure To Meet Event Registration Tracker – www.suretomeet.com
If you're asking for financial donations at your house party, your organization has probably provided donor envelopes
for checks or pledges.
If the organization is seeking volunteers, try to obtain a sheet that lists all of the opportunities to donate time. Pass out
individual sign-up sheets, or pass around a single sign-up sheet and encourage guests to mark all of the areas they
might be interested in volunteering.
Encourage your guests to take action by either becoming members of your group, making a financial contribution to
your campaign/organization, or something else of value to the organization.
Wrap Up
Following the pitch and a short period for people to write checks or complete volunteer sign-up sheets, the host should
thank everyone for coming and encourage them to stay, have more to eat and drink, and enjoy themselves.
Follow Up
After your house party, be sure to send the donor envelopes, contributions, and attendance sheet to the organization for
processing.
Send every guest a note, thanking them for attending your party and taking whatever action you asked them to take. Be
sure to send your thank you notes within two to three days after your party.
Enjoy the party — you are helping both your guests and your cause to build a stronger community — one person at a
time!
* Adapted from Sure To Meet Event Registration Tracker – www.suretomeet.com