Conducting a Candidate Coffee
An American Institute of
Architects Advocacy Toolkit
Introduction
Any candidate for elected office wants, and
needs, to find venues to connect with voters
and potential supporters. Campaigns rely on
advertising, direct mail, websites and other
media tools to get broad messages out to the
voting public, but a different set of tools are
required to engage with voters more directly.
One of the most effective tools for bringing
candidates and voters together in a direct and
personal way is the candidate coffee. These
events are distinct from, and offer their own
advantages to, other candidate engagement
venues like fundraisers or debates.
In general, a ‘candidate coffee’ refers to a
private event hosted by an individual, small
group or organization that allows a candidate to
meet a small, select group of voters in an
informal and personal setting. There are
several different variations on the candidate
coffee concept. For example, some coffees are
specifically aimed at bringing together
supporters and potential funders or volunteers
for a single candidate. Other coffee events
imply no endorsement of a candidate and offer
just a forum for getting to know the candidate.
Coffees can be organized by motivated
individuals without specific reference to any
group or organization or they can be hosted
directly by an association, civic organization or
interest group.
Each type of coffee brings its own set of
organization and logistical challenges, as well
as protocols for hosts, guests, and candidates.
Regardless of the format, candidate coffees
provide a valuable opportunity to highlight
important issues and build long-term political
influence. Candidate coffees allow you to
encourage candidates for office to support the
agenda and interests of architects and AIA.
This toolkit will discuss the basic types of
candidate coffees, provide guidance on
organizing and hosting these events, and offer
suggestions for maximizing your impact and the
effectiveness of your event.
In this document:
•
Types of Candidate Coffees
o Endorsed Candidate Events
o Non-Endorsed Candidate Events
•
Coffee Format
•
Scheduling and Inviting Candidates
•
Sample Agenda/Program
o Welcome
o Candidate Comments
o Questions and Answers
o Support Pitch
o Closing
•
Planning and Key Considerations
o Who’s Hosting?
o Endorsement or NonEndorsement?
o Who’s Invited?
o Venue
o Materials and Information
o Candidate Expectations
o Guest Expectations
•
Coffee Planning Checklists
•
Other Considerations
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Types of Candidate Coffees
Endorsed Candidate Events
As the name implies, the endorsed candidate event
is one in which the host is making an explicit
statement of support for the invited candidate. The
host at an endorsed candidate event would usually
provide, or allow the campaign to provide, not only
general information about the candidate but also
resources that more directly encourage people to
contribute time or money to the candidate. It is also
typical that the host would make a statement, in
opening remarks or writing, in support of the
candidate.
Coffees, even those where the candidate is being
endorsed by the host, are not typically formal
fundraisers. Rather, the coffees are opportunities
for guests to meet and engage with the candidate
without an express or advance request for funding.
Be clear with the campaign whether you are
hosting a fundraiser (where there is an expectation
of raising a specific amount of money) or a coffee
(where contributors may ultimately be identified but
no dollar amount is required or guaranteed). Keep
in mind, however, that campaigns will want contact
information for those attending and will usually
follow up with guests.
For legal and tax code reasons, many
organizations are prohibited from making an
explicit endorsement of a candidate. However,
organizations can encourage members to host
candidate coffees in which that individual is
endorsing a candidate provided that the
organization is not suggesting that a specific
candidate be endorsed. Organizations can provide
materials related to their issues and agenda for
hosts to use in conjunction with a coffee.
Discussed below are more ideas about how to train
and prepare member hosts.
Non-Endorsed Candidate Events
For these coffees, hosts are not making any
explicit endorsement of a candidate. Instead,
the host is simply allowing a candidate to
discuss his or her ideas and engage with
voters. The host can set groundrules with the
campaign staff regarding what sort of materials
can be provided and whether fundraising or
volunteer recruitment is allowed. As noted
above, campaigns will want access to the guest
list.
Sometimes hosts or organizations running nonendorsement coffees will want to invite both (or
multiple) candidates. This can be a very
effective way of promoting an issue agenda and
encouraging candidates to adopt a position on
a topic. However, a coffee is not a debate.
Don’t ask both candidates to appear at the
same time at the same event. The purpose of
the coffee format is conversation in a relaxed
and informal setting. If you want candidates for
the same office to attend coffees, separate
events should be held or the timing managed
carefully to avoid overlap. At the same time,
unlike media outlets which are required by law
to give both candidates equal time, coffee hosts
are under no obligation to invite all candidates
to attend. Just be mindful that this can often
give the impression of implicit support.
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Coffee Format
One of the most important things to keep in
mind as you plan and structure your event is
that the candidate coffee should maximize
direct contact and engagement between the
candidate and the guests. Typically, you
should avoid lengthy presentations in favor of
opportunities for dialogue and conversation.
While the purpose of the coffee is engagement,
the event isn’t purely social. People attending
want a chance to learn about the candidate and
express their concerns or ideas. Candidates
will want to present themselves and their ideas
to the guests. This exchange of information and
ideas should be facilitated by the agenda and
the host. In addition, candidates will want to
distribute campaign information and often
solicit funds or volunteers. Hosts may also
want to have on hand printed materials.
Usually, these materials would highlight special
issues or policy concerns.
These events are called “coffees” for a reason.
Typically, some light fare is available. It seems
that people naturally engage better when
sharing food and drink. That said, this event is
neither a full meal nor a reception. Luncheons
and dinners with candidates can also be
effective but require a greater time commitment
from the candidate; usually involve a longer,
formal speech; and often involve a larger
audience that a coffee. Receptions also
usually involve a larger audience than a coffee
and carry little expectation among participants
that they will have direct contact with a
candidate. A key advantage of the candidate
coffee format is that the venue, program, and
size all promote direct and personal
engagement in a relaxed environment.
Scheduling and Inviting Candidates
campaign. The first step is to make contact with
the campaign and send a letter offering to host
the coffee and inviting the candidate to attend.
You should suggest a target date but indicate
flexibility in scheduling based on the candidate’s
availability. Expect from the outset that you will
have to follow up by phone -- perhaps more than
once -- on your letter.
Your letter of invitation should contain the
following:
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Who is hosting the coffee
Who is likely to attend / Who is the target
audience
Who, if anyone other than the host, is
sponsoring the event
When and where you propose holding the
coffee
Acknowledgement of scheduling flexibility
If the coffee is part of an endorsement of
the candidate
If the coffee is designed around a
particular issue
Request for the candidate to speak (and
for how long)
After your invitation, you will need to clarify a
range of other issues with the campaign staff.
See the section below on “Candidate
Expectations.”
Typically, weekday evenings work well for
candidate coffees. Another good option is a
morning / breakfast timeframe.
While negotiating and confirming an exact date
and time for your coffee, go ahead and prepare
your invitation list, identify a venue, draft a
budget, draft your invitation (except for the date
and time), and write a list of all on-site materials
you will need. Once you have a confirmed date
and time, get out your invitations.
Scheduling any events with a candidate
during a campaign can be challenging. Your
best bet is to start early. Candidates will be
most open to attending coffees early in a
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Month Day Year
Sample Agenda/Program
Coffees, by design, don’t usually feature an
extended program. However, you will want to
carefully plan an agenda so that you can
manage time and message effectively. The most
valuable resource for any campaign is a
candidate’s time so an agenda will help you
better coordinate scheduling. with the staff or
candidate. A good agenda will also help you
focus on maximizing some of the inherent
benefits of the coffee by keeping the audience
relatively small, the speeches relatively short,
and the information and conversation rich and
meaningful.
Below is a typical program for a candidate
coffee. The entire event can often be conducted
in an hour. As a general guideline, it is hard to
have an effective event in less than 45 minutes
or more than an hour and a half. You will need to
provide time at the beginning and end for
general mingling and conversation. Be very
clear with the campaign when the candidate will
arrive and depart. In some cases, the campaign
staff may come earlier and stay longer than the
candidate. That’s OK. You just want to ensure
that you are both respectful of the candidate’s
schedule and mindful of maximizing your window
of time with the actual candidate.
Welcome
This is usually done by the host. A good
welcome demonstrates appreciation for the
candidate, the guests and those who helped
support the event. Welcome remarks should also
lay out the format for the rest of the coffee. Since
you aren’t usually providing any sort of written
agenda, it is useful to set people’s expectations.
The other primary purpose of introductory
remarks is to highlight important issues or set the
issue context for the candidate. This is an
opportunity to subtly promote your agenda. Of
course, if the host is an active supporter, that
would be noted here. The welcome also serves
as the introduction of the candidate so the host
should be prepared with appropriate information
for the introduction. A welcome must also be
brief. The candidate and the guests will
appreciate a succinct, well-prepared opening.
Vol. 1 Issue 1
Candidate Comments
This portion of the program allows the
candidate to make remarks directly to the full
assembled audience. The host and the
campaign should jointly agree in advance about
how long to set aside for these comments. As
with all aspects of establishing the format and
the program, make sure that the candidate and
staff know what to expect. Avoid surprises.
Usually, the remarks are fairly brief with most of
the time reserved for Q& A and interaction with
the audience. Candidate coffees are “off the
record” events. So, no media. You want to
preserve and enhance the intimate and
informal nature of the event and allow everyone
-- guests and the candidate -- to be open and
candid in conversation. If you have guests who
run a blog that focuses on local news or
politics, be sure to make it clear whether the
coffee is “fair game” for online coverage. If it is,
make the campaign aware of that.
Questions and Answers
The host may want to moderate this but it likely
won’t require a great deal of facilitation. The
host should ensure that there are questions.
This can be done by preparing in advance
some questions to ask in the event that there
aren’t a lot of immediate questions from the
audience. Often people are reluctant to be the
first to ask a question but are more likely to
engage once others have done so. Hosts may
also want to identify some individuals who can
be prepared in advance to ask questions. If the
group has a specific issue agenda that they
hope to promote, well-prepared questions and
questioners will be an important part of your
advance work.
Support Pitch
Following audience questions, the candidate will
want a chance to close and ask people for their
vote ... and likely for their time or money too. If
the host is endorsing the candidate, this pitch
might also come from the host. If the host or
organization isn’t endorsing the candidate, there
may be an opportunity for the host to encourage
guests to continue their engagement or support
for an issue.
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Closing
Closing remarks should be very brief. Simply
express thanks to the candidate and guests. If
people are going to be encouraged to mingle
afterwards with the candidate or staff, the
closing should expressly open up that part of
the event.
Planning and Key Considerations
Below are some key questions and
considerations that need to be addressed in
event planning and preparation.
Who’s Hosting?
It should be clear to everyone involved from the
candidate to the guests who is the host of the
coffee. The invitations and event material
should note the host or hosts. Selecting a host
or host committee is important. This person or
group will be vital in determining the guest list
and, often, the venue. The host does not
necessarily need to be a VIP or prominent
leader (although those are certainly benefits),
but the host does need to be willing to actively
engage their network (could be social,
professional, community, religious, etc.) in the
event and take ownership of the coffee.
The host may or may not be fully involved in
the planning and coordination, but the
expectations for their role should be clear to
them and any others working on the event.
Sometimes hosts will be more ‘honorary’ and
staff or other volunteers will coordinate the
event. A second approach is to have the host
also serve as the primary organizer and point
person for the coffee. For most candidate
coffees, it is useful for the host to be fully
engaged and involved even if they aren’t
handling every aspect of event planning.
Hosting a coffee is different from formal
fundraisers or events like galas. Given the
more personal nature of the event, the host will
need to be more actively involved and help set
the tone and context for the event.
A third alternative is to recruit a small group of
hosts. This approach still requires a clear
delineation of roles and responsibilities. As with
individual hosts, a committee can either be
selected to raise the profile of the event or
expand the network(s) being tapped for guests or
chosen to actually work together on planning the
event.
Endorsement or Non-Endorsement?
As mentioned above, one of the most basic and
essential determinations for any candidate coffee
is the issue of whether the event is an express
endorsement of the candidate or not. Even if an
individual candidate is not endorsed, the host(s)
and event will usually provide a platform for
endorsing or supporting a specific issue or
agenda.
Regardless of whether the event endorses a
candidate or advances an issue, every aspect of
the program should convey the desired message
and lead people to further action. If the coffee is
for a host-endorsed candidate, guests should be
provided with ample opportunities to volunteer or
contribute during the event. If the event is
intended to promote an issue, then the organizer
should have on-hand plenty of promotional
material supporting the cause.
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Who’s Invited?
The guest list should be kept relatively small.
Remember, you want people to feel like they’ve
had a chance to talk with the candidate and like
they were just in a crowd at a rally. The optimal
number of guests will vary depending on your
venue, but a typical range would be 15 - 25
guests in attendance. (Note that you need to
draft a guest list above the targeted number to
accommodate people who have conflicts or
otherwise cannot attend. You should also plan
for a small percentage of people who cancel at
the last minute or don’t show up.)
Identify people that are likely to want to be
actively engaged on behalf of the issue or the
candidate. As you think about your guest lists,
consider who you want as “audience
messengers.” These are individuals who through
their questions and interaction can persuasively
advance your issue agenda to the candidate or
the candidate’s staff. Similarly, you may want to
also think about key local ‘influentials’ for your
guest list. These presence of influentials signals
to the candidate that the reach of your group
extends to many other voters. These influentials
may be undecided on the candidate.
It is okay if there are people in the crowd who
aren’t already sold on a candidate. In fact, that’s
often part of the point ... to expose people to
information that will encourage them to support
the candidate that supports your agenda.
Manage the RSVP list carefully to ensure that
you have firm commitments from people. You
want a solid idea of exactly how many people to
expect. A good RSVP process with pre-event
follow up for guests will also ensure that you
avoid the dreaded ‘empty room.’
Venue
Location is an important part of setting the right
context for the coffee. It should be private and
promote comfortable discussion. Often coffees
are held in private homes. Of course,
sometimes space and audience size will dictate
that they be held in a hotel, restaurant or other
facility. Your location also sends a message -make sure it is the one you want to convey. In
choosing space, keep in mind these do’s and
don’ts:
Do:
• Comfortably accommodate everyone
• Allow space for mingling and informal
conversation
• Accommodate presentations without the
need of microphones or other A/V
• Seek privacy
Don’t:
• Use a space with the potential for
excessive ambient noise
• Use an open space in a restaurant
unless it can be closed off
• Use microphones or A/V
• Choose a space that would make the
candidate, the host, or the organization
uncomfortable
Materials and Information
Candidates will usually bring campaign
materials to the coffee. Discuss with them in
advance what they plan to bring and make sure
that you are comfortable with the items and that
your space can accommodate them. In addition
to materials from the campaign, the host or
supporting organization will want to have some
information available as well.
Don’t forget
•
Name tags
•
Sign-in sheet
•
Acknowledgement of sponsors or
volunteers
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Other Ideas
• One-page fact sheet on any issue being
promoted
• Volunteer recruitment sheets (for issue
involved or the campaign, if endorsing)
• Contribution forms (for issue, PAC, or
campaign, if endorsing)
• Posters or other visual aids (depending on
the issue)
• Signs or logos (if sponsored by an
organization)
• Lapel pins, buttons or stickers (promoting
your issue or the campaign, if endorsing)
• Voter guides
• Voter registration and polling place
information
Candidate Expectations
Managing expectations is a big part of planning
and conducting a successful event. The
candidate and the candidate’s campaign staff
need to know the following:
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Who is hosting
Who is invited or attending
Is it a private (e.g., closed to the media)
event
Is the candidate being endorsed
Will other candidates (even those for
other offices) be attending
How long do they have to speak
Will the event be recorded or
photographed
What materials will be available to guests
What materials can the campaign provide
Can they bring contribution forms
Will they get a copy of the sign-in sheet or
guest contact information
Who will be making remarks in addition to
the candidate
Whether any organizations or individuals - other than the host -- are formal
sponsors
and related communications can provide useful
guidance in what guests should expect. It is
especially important that people are informed if
there is an expectation that they will make a
financial contribution. Almost always, candidate
coffees do not carry the expectation of a
contribution (unlike a fundraiser event).
Invitations should note not only when the event
begins but when any remarks are slated to begin
since some people will not arrive at the beginning
of the event. Guests should know if they are
being invited based on a particular issue or
membership in an organization. Likewise, it
should be obvious to the guest who is hosting or
sponsoring the event. Invitations can be formal
letters or informal emails. All invitations should
include an RSVP. If your event is invitation-only,
that should be made clear. Likewise, if you event
is an open-invitation that should also be
communicated. For open-invite functions, it is
best to note that space is limited and RSVPs are
strongly encouraged so that you know in
advance who’s coming and how to prepare.
Open-invites are most commonly used when the
event is focused on a neighborhood or
membership in a group or organization.
No surprises!
Avoid any surprises for your guests, the
candidate, and the host(s). Of course, not
everything can be anticipated in advance, but do
your best to make sure that everyone is wellprepared. Focus on preparation and advance
communication, particularly with the candidate’s
staff.
Guest Expectations
Just like the candidates, guests at the coffee
need to know what to expect. Your invitation
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Coffee Planning Checklists
Month Day Year
Vol. 1 Issue 1
Budget
One of the appealing things about a candidate coffee is that it is an inexpensive, yet high-impact
event. Costs are usually minor and relate largely to whatever food and beverage is offered. Again, the
food and beverage are intended as means to conversation, not an end in themselves so don’t
overspend on extensive food and beverage. Expenses for the event will obviously vary depending on
the number of guests. But, these expense items should be part of event budget:
Food (appetizers or other light fare)
Beverage
Food Service supplies
Printing or copying of on-site materials
Name badges
Invitations
Post-Event Follow-up
Thank you letter to any co-hosts or sponsors
Thank you letter to the candidate
Follow-up communication (letter, email or phone call) to guests thanking them for
attending and reiterating opportunities for on-going involvement
Post photos and a brief article on the web or in newsletter (just be sure to inform the
campaign that you plan to do so)
Follow-up the campaign to provide them with any promised additional information
Moderator / Host Responsibilities
The exact responsibilities will vary with the requested level of engagement for the host (see discussion
above), but here are some suggestions for basic responsibilities:
Lend name to invitations
Help draft invite list and make personal contacts
Contact candidate / campaign staff and issue letter of invitation
Conduct or ensure pre-event communication and planning with campaign staff
Identify the lead staff person handling the event for the campaign
Identify who from the campaign staff will be on-site at the event
Make welcome remarks and introduce the candidate
Prepare and ask questions during discussion
Facilitate conversations and introductions with candidate at the event
Make closing comment
Assist with post event follow-up and ‘thank yous’
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Other Considerations
Month Day Year
Preparing Hosts
A well-prepared host is a tremendous asset.
Hosts should prepare draft remarks for the
introduction and closing, and make time to
rehearse in advance. Hosts should spent time
examining the RSVP list and think carefully
about how people can be introduced to the
candidate and how to connect people during
the “mingling” elements of the coffee. Hosts
should prepare questions in advance and be
ready to launch the question and answer
discussion. Organizations coordinating and
supporting hosts of candidate coffees can
assist preparation, particularly with
customizable resources (i.e., templates for
invitations) and on-site issue materials.
Vol. 1 Issue 1
The Non-Candidate Candidate Coffee
So, what to do if you can’t get a candidate to
appear? Don’t despair; there are actually a
number of options that are available to you.
Consider asking a campaign aide or surrogate
to participate in a coffee. This might be
supplemented by a video message from the
candidate or even a connection via the web.
You can also invite people to come together to
discuss the issue and provide information from
the campaign. The web has opened up an
array of ‘virtual’ options for connecting
interested voters and campaigns. So, consider
supplementing your coffee with things like
pages or “groups” on social networking sites
like Facebook. Local blogs and neighborhood
email lists can also be good vehicles for linking
people to information about candidates and the
issues you want the candidate to consider. You
can also convene supporters or interested
voters for “watch parties” for key events like
debates or social gatherings before or after
candidate town halls or debates.
The American Institute of Architects
Government & Community Relations
1735 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-626-7383
[email protected]
www.aia.org/designvote
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