SUCCESSFUL House Party

CompassionAndChoices.org

Throwing a

SUCCESSFUL

House Party

Table of Contents

House Party Goals

Simple Steps to Hosting a Successful

House Party

Getting People to Your Party

Structuring Your Event

House Party Ideas and Supply List

Inspiring Action

Frequently Asked Questions

How do my guests and I benefi t?

You and your guests will have the opportunity to partic-ipate in an engaging discussion about end-of-life choice and decision-making. You will learn more about Com-passion & Choices and what you and your friends can do to help further the cause whether by making a fi nancial contribution, volunteering, or both.

What is involved in being a host?

Nothing more than the usual party-planning responsibil-ities: picking a date, inviting your friends, preparing your favorite party dishes, planning the event and enjoying your party.

What is the Evite?

An Evite is an electronic invitation sent via the Internet. This allows for distribution and RSVPs to be handled as e-mail. We have designed a Compassion & Choices house party Evite for you to use. All you need to do is fi ll in your specifi c party information, and we will do the rest.

Why so many reminders to guests?

As a general rule, for every reminder you give, you will double the number of people who attend.

Is it OK to have the party be just a friend-raiser

and not ask for donations?

Yes. But we fi nd that when people donate, even if they give just $5, they are more likely to become actively involved because they are invested.

FAQs

How many people should I invite?

Figure out how many people you can fi t comfortably in the space you will be using for your party. The general rule of thumb is to invite three times as many people as you hope will attend your party.

What are the reasons for having a co-host?

A co-host’s primary purpose is to expand and diversify your guest list, as well as share the tasks involved in planning and preparation. If you have a great space but not much of a guest list, a great guest list but a small space, or a great space and great list but limited time to plan, co-hosting may be just the thing for you.

Who should I invite?

Your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, members of other groups you belong to or participate in, and anyone who you think is concerned about end-of-life care. Keep in mind that one of the main functions of your party is to reach out to a diverse audience, including people who may not be familiar with Compassion & Choices or its work.

How does Compassion & Choices benefi t?

We gain donations, volunteers and activists. House parties are an important component of educating people about Compassion & Choices and its work. By hosting a house party, you and your guests express your fi nancial and emo-tional support for Compassion & Choices, inspiring others to do the same.

House Party Goals

A Compassion & Choices house party serves a

variety of purposes:

It’s a fun opportunity for fundraising and

friend-raising. We hope attending your event will be

the fi rst in a series of steps that guests take to

support — and ultimately become a part of — our

work.

At the party, guests will be invited to make

donations to Compassion & Choices, sign

up to receive important e-mail notifi cations,

and volunteer for a variety of projects and

opportunities including hosting their own house

party. Our goal is to raise at least $500 from each

party, but we also recognize the importance of

friend-raising. House parties give us the chance

to meet your friends and to build a base of

Compassion & Choices supporters.

Hosting a house party is also a great way for you

to unite with your friends, express support for

end-of-life choice, and help raise awareness of

Compassion & Choices and its work. Your guests

will have the opportunity to meet and speak with

a member of the Compassion & Choices staff .

Simple Steps to Hosting a

Successful House Party

Pick a Date:

Confi rm it with me at:

[email protected]

Build Your Guest List and

Send Invitations:

Go through your address book, e-mail lists and Facebook contacts. Invite friends, neighbors and co-workers. You can also ask each guest to bring a friend. Keep in mind that house parties are a great mechanism for reaching out to a diverse audience. Consider recruiting a co-host who can also supply an invitation list. Decide whether you want to send out snail-mail invitations, electronic invitations or both.

Plan the Event:

Before your party, plan out the afternoon or evening to ensure things run smoothly, and so you can relax and enjoy the party with your friends. Think about set-up, what supplies such as food and drinks will be needed, and how you would like to structure your party. Make sure you have planned how you will ask your guests to contribute or get involved.

Make sure your invitations note that your house party is also a fundraising event. A simple line such as, “Remember to bring your checkbook,” or, “Join me in supporting the work of Compassion & Choices,” are two such approaches. The person who makes the “ask” should also indicate how to donate. For example, “I’ll pass around contribution en-velopes; please fi ll out your information, place your check inside, and then give it back to me.” We know that asking for donations may not be your favorite part of hosting the event, but it is donations that allow Compassion & Choices to make a diff erence in the donor’s community.

Inspiring Action

The goal of your party is to generate support for aid in dy-ing. Inspiring someone to become involved is the fi rst step. Sharing a personal story is the most eff ective way to commu-nicate why no one should suff er at the end of life, why you support Compassion & Choices, and what about the organi-zation’s work is compelling enough for you to host this party. This should be done before you introduce the Compassion & Choices representative.

The most important part of your party is to capture the interest generated from your story and the presentation. The Compas-sion & Choices representative will provide one or more ways to take action. Decide before your party whether you will make this request or whether you would prefer to have our representative make it. The request should be made immediately following the Compassion & Choices presentation.

Action items may include:

• Signing a petition

• Submitting a letter to the editor • Hosting a party

• Contacting a politician • Making calls or canvassing • Liking us on Facebook

• Donating to Compassion & Choices

Enjoy Your Party:

Relax with your friends, supporters and prospects. Pre-pare an introduction that explains why you support end-of-life choice.

Follow Up:

We will provide you with petitions, which also serve as sign-up sheets. Please urge your guests to fi ll them out and take a few with them; it will also help you make sure that you thank your guests for attending the party and for supporting Compassion & Choices. We will also provide you with personal thank-you cards to send to each donor. Be sure to identify guests who are particularly interested in becoming involved. Make the Compassion & Choices staff member aware of this person because, although we always follow up, it is important for us to capture new energy right away. Please also encourage your guests to contact Com-passion & Choices about hosting their own house party.

Getting People to Your Party

1

Create a guest list. Attendance is critical to a successful house party. Our experience suggests that you invite three times the number of people you hope will attend. Base this number on how many guests will fi t comfortably in your home or gathering location. If you are hosting a larger party or wish to build your guest list, consider co-hosting the event so that you can share the planning and invitation responsibili-ties with another person.

2

If you know the date of your party well in advance, send out a “save the date” e-mail announcement.

3

Create and send invitations. We can design and send your Evite or snail-mail invitations for you, directing RSVPs your way. Please provide me with party information and your guests’ addresses (mailing or e-mail). If you would rather send the invitations on your own, feel free to ask for help with editing and design.

Whichever type of invitation you go with, it is important that you include the following information:

• Directions to your house • RSVP information

• A brief explanation of Compassion & Choices’ work and why you support our organization

• A request that guests bring their checkbooks

Compassion & Choices

will supply:

A Compassion & Choices representative to

meet and talk with your guests

A Compassion & Choices

PowerPoint presentation

Petition forms

Handout materials (membership and donor

brochures, referral cards, magazines, etc.)

An opportunity for you and your guests to

get involved, take action, and become a

driving force in improving end-of-life care

and choice.

House Party Ideas & Supply List

The following is a list of supplies typically needed for a house party, as well as some set-up suggestions. Again, feel free to customize them for your party.

Food and Drink:

Finger foods are great and involve less clean-up. Food preparation can be simple and should not be extravagant. A fi nancial gift of your own will motivate your guests to follow your lead more than a lavish spread. If planning a buff et-style event, try to choose an area that is easy to access, and have food that guests can eat while mingling. Also make sure there is an area to place used glasses, plates or utensils, as well as a readily visible trash container.

Some buff et and serving ideas:

Fruit and veggie platters Chips and dips

Cheese and crackers Cold cuts

Sub sandwiches cut into small portions

Pizza cut into small squares Pita and hummus

Pasta or potato salads Breads or rolls

Skewer-style grilled veggies,

Soups

Cookies, brownies or other sweets

Selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages Plates Cups or glasses Napkins Utensils Condiments if appropriate based on foods you provide

4

Facebook events are a useful tool for generating excite-ment and reaching a wider audience. However, they are easily overlooked so should only be used as a supplement to your offi cial invitation. Creating a Facebook event helps us get more “likes” on the Compassion & Choices Facebook page, which is an important part of reaching our broader goal.

5

Send out a reminder e-mail or text message to all your

guests the week before the party.

6

Make reminder phone calls a few days prior to your party to invitees who have not responded to your invitation. Feel free to ask Compassion & Choices to help with this.

7

Maintain your RSVP’d guest list so you know who and

how many to expect.

Consider inviting:

Friends Family Neighbors Co-workers

Legislators & other community leaders Your doctor or other

health care provider

Book club members Civic organizations Sports teams

Members from your church

Members of other groups you are active in

Structuring Your Event

Generally, a house party should last about two hours. The following is a rough timeline for a typical evening house party. Feel free to make the party your own by changing the timeline to fi t your needs.

Sample Party Timeline (can start at any time):

6:00-6:30 Host welcomes arriving guests. Compassion & Choices staff representative sets up the pre-sentation equipment.

6:30-7:00 Guests mingle, meet each other, enjoy food and drink, etc.

7:00-7:30 As host, you explain your support for Com-passion & Choices and introduce the staff representative, who will make a 15-20 minute presentation about Compassion & Choices and its goals within your community. Guests can then ask questions and engage in conver-sation about Compassion & Choices. You and/ or the Compassion & Choices representative will then invite guests to take action.

7:30-8:00 You and the Compassion & Choices represen-tative thank your guests for coming and for their support. At your discretion, you can in-vite your guests to stay for more refreshments and conversation.