Host a House Party!
Help MLCV get more environmental champions elected!
House parties are a great way to build the MLCV community
and raise funds to help elect pro-environment candidates in
close races around the state.
We'll provide you with invitations, materials to distribute
at your party (including our 2005 Environmental Scorecard
and list of endorsements), and a speaker from MLCV to talk
to your guests.
You'll invite your friends, co-workers, family, and neighbors
to learn about MLCV and what we need to do to get more environmental
champions in the 2007 Legislature.
Please contact Pam at 734-222-9667 or pam@michiganlcv.org
for more information!
Six Steps to a Successful
House Party
Hosting an MLCV House Party is an easy, fun way to help MLCV
spread the word about the urgent need to elect more pro-environment
leaders to office in Michigan.
By helping MLCV raise funds, house party hosts play a critical
role in building our organization and funding our campaigns
for a greener Michigan
Here are Six Simple Steps to Hosting a MLCV House Party:
1. Choose a location and date for the party
Choose a place to hold your party. Your home, or that of a
friend with lots of room or a nice garden, will probably be
the best and easiest place, although your office could work
too. Pick a date convenient for you and communicate with Pam
Bierzynski, MLCV’s Special Projects Manager, to make
sure MLCV staff can attend on that date.
2. Set a dollar and guest target for your party
Our goal is to raise $700 per house party, but feel free to
set a higher goal for your party. You can determine your fundraising
goal by estimating the maximum number of people you can invite
to the party location, and the amount your guests are likely
to contribute. For example, if you could accommodate 50 people,
and you think your guests will give $20 each on average, you
could easily raise $1,000! Or, you could raise $1,000 with
only 25 people if they each gave an average of $40. Similarly,
if your guests gave $100 each, you would need 10 to attend…
and so on.
You can also raise money from invited guests who cannot attend.
Please encourage them to write a check to MLCV and send it
to you, or to contribute on-line at www.michiganlcv.org.
Don’t forget: invite three to four times as many people
as you would like to have attending. Many people may not be
able to come and others may not show up the day of your party
(though calling to confirm will help prevent no-shows).
3. Put together your guest list – 4-5 weeks
before the party
The most important part of a successful event is the invitation
list. Brainstorm a list of 75-100 people you can invite to
your party.
Potential guests include:
- People in your rolodex or address book
- Neighbors
- Parents of your children’s friends
- Your holiday card list
- Co-workers
- Family members
- People in your book club or on your sports team
- Members of civic, political, or religious groups to which
you belong
Think broadly. People may decide to come because they are
interested in MLCV or just because they like you. You may
want to ask enthusiastic guests to help you by invitingtheir
friends or preparing food, etc.
4. Send out your invitations – 3-4 weeks before
the party
MLCV will provide you with print house party invitations,
and a sample e-mail invitation.
If you use the print invitations, you’ll need to write
in your name, address and phone number, and a little information
about your party (i.e., it’s a barbecue; it’s
a dessert party; it’s kid-friendly; come taste some
of my favorite wines; etc). Set an RSVP date of a week before
your party, and write that in the invitation.
If you use the e-mail invitation, it is even more important
that you follow-up with a phone call (see Step 5).
5. Follow-up phone calls – the most important
step!
Generally speaking, about 25% of people who RSVP “yes”
to a printed invitation, but do not get a phone call, will
not actually make it to the party. And closer to 90% of people
who RSVP “yes” to an e-mail invitation and do
not get a phone call will end up not making it.
The best way to ensure a good turnout is to make follow-up
phone calls at least 10 days to two weeks before your party.
Your guests may have lost your invitation (this is especially
true if you have sent e-mail invitations), or forgotten to
write the date in their calendars, and will appreciate the
reminder. It happens all the time!
Making an additional, second round of reminder calls a couple
of nights before your event to everyone who said they would
attend will greatly improve your attendance.
Remember to remind your guests that this is a fundraiser
for a very good cause!
6. Throw the Party!
On the day of the event, have a table near the entrance to
hold:
- Donation slips/envelopes
- Volunteer sign-up cards
- Pens
- MLCV literature
(The MLCV staff person will bring these materials with them.)
After the MLCV staff person speaks to your guests, it is
very effective if you can tell your guests why you support
MLCV. The best way to raise money is simply to ask for it.
Since the people at the party are your friends and acquaintances,
they will respond best to your request for contributions to
MLCV and your example. People like to be included. You may
be surprised how pleased people are to give!
Please contact Pam at 734-222-9667 or pam@michiganlcv.org
for more information.
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