Neighborhood Leader house party logistics

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Q: I have not been contacted by staff from the state party and have not received materials to host the house party (DVD, Neighborhood Leader Pledge Cards, literature and lists of voters in your neighborhood) what do I do?

A: Contact your state party and ask to speak with the staff person responsible for assisting house party hosts in your county.

SUGGESTED TIMELINE

Two Weeks Prior to Your Event

•Set attendance goals, 10 -15 people is great. 20 or more is even better. Keep in mind that you always have to invite more people than you expect to attend
•Create a list of friends, family and neighbors, perhaps colleagues from work, school or a group or organization you belong to.
•If your list is long and seems overwhelming, invite a friend or two to co-host and help share responsibilities.
•Make calls to your list and back up the calls with email reminders. Be sure to include the link to your event I your email. Request that your guests RSVP online to ensure that you have enough material for all of your attendees.

One Week Prior to Your Event

•Check your RSVP list. If fewer people are coming than you planned for, now is the time to make phone calls encouraging people on your list to sign up to attend.
•If you have more people attending than you can accommodate, consider finding a larger venue nearby, like a library or community center. If you change the location, be sure to notify everyone on your list as soon as possible so no one shows up at the wrong place.

Three to Four Days Prior To Your Event

•Make sure that you have received the Neighborhood Leader Pledge Cards, maps, walk packets and literature from your state party to give to your guests.
•Look for an email from the DNC with final details and the call-in number for the conference call with Governor Dean. There are three conference calls scheduled to accommodate different time zones. You may want to start your house party 30 minutes prior to the call. Also, you may want to join Governor Dean’s conference call after your guests to come back from going door-to-door and return their material and lists.
•Watch the DNC’s DVD and study the FAQ document so that you are prepared to answer questions about the Neighborhood Leader Program.
•Make any last minute phone calls needed to recruit more people to attend your event.
•Finalize your agenda. (See sample agenda)

Day of Your Event

•Be prepared to accommodate for more people than those who sent an RSVP. Its better to be over prepared than under prepared.
•Be sure to have any technological needs set-up and ready to go.
•Have sign-in sheets ready and make sure you get your guests’ contact information
•After watching the DVD, distribute Neighborhood Leader Pledge Cards and encourage people to fill them out on the spot.
•Distribute the walk packets, maps and literature.
•Go over the “Tip’s for Canvassing” so everyone feels comfortable going door-to-door.
•Make sure everyone knows to come back to your event AFTER going door-to-door. It is critical that they return the data when they finish.
•Make arrangements to return the pledge cards, sign-in sheets and walk packets to your state party.