Join our Slack community! Slack is our virtual office where you can connect with other community leaders, ask questions, and get support. We have a channel dedicated specifically to hosting parties — #letter-writing. Join Greenpeace USA Votes on Slack. New to Slack? Get an introduction here.  

Pick a date and time for your party. Consider who you want to invite to your party and what would work best for them, for example if you are a college student inviting classmates, pick a weekend or an evening date. Give yourself plenty of time to recruit and prepare — ideally two weeks before your party.

Pick your location. While in person parties that bring people together can be a fun way to build your activist community, parties can be hosted in person or virtually. The choice is yours.

For in-person parties, pick a location with enough space for everyone to comfortably write letters. Think coffee shops, parks, libraries, homes, community centers, restaurants, bars, etc.

For virtual parties, pick the platform you feel most comfortable with — Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, whatever! Remember, you need an upgraded Zoom account to host parties longer than 40 minutes. 

Greenpeace USA Votes may be able to set up a Zoom event for you if you put in a request. Email gpusavotes@greenpeace.org and include the date and time of your party.

Make sure to add your event on Mobilize, Greenpeace USA Votes’ online event management platform, so your guests can RSVP! It is a great way to expand your invite list to the Greenpeace USA Votes network, track who is attending, send automated reminders, and follow up with them after the party. Remember, we aren’t asking people to take one action with us just once. We are building a people-powered movement and your party could be someone’s first step in becoming a climate leader themself!

What to include in your Mobilize event:

1. Title. 
2. Description. Here is an example: “Join us in writing personalized letters to voters in __________! Personalized letters are one of the most effective ways to get voters out to the polls. We hope you will join us in our mission to elect officials who will put people and the planet over corporate profit!”
3. Visibility. You can make the event public (listed on Greenpeace USA Votes’ public feed) or private (viewable only by those who have been sent the link). It’s just your preference.
4. Location. An address (or a note saying you will share the address upon registration) or the link to your virtual event.
5. Date and time.
6. Communications. Your phone number for any follow up questions.
7. Additional Information for attendees (optional). Mobilize will tell you this section is optional, but it’s mandatory. In this section, include how each event attendee should go about requesting letters from Greenpeace USA Votes BEFORE the event! 

For virtual events, include the link for attendees to request letters from Greenpeace USA Votes and our how-to guides in the “Private information sent to supporters (optional)” section. Copy and paste the text below exactly how it is.

# Request your letters now:
– Letter Request form

# Check out these how-to’s:
– Letter Writing toolkit
– Letter Writing slidedeck guide
– Join our slack to ask questions!

For in person events, we recommend you personally request enough packets for everyone by filing out the form yourself. (If you can’t print, and need them mailed, make sure to request letters at least 10 days before your event to leave time for mailing!)

Need help? Check out this guide or email gpvotes.vols.usa@greenpeace.org

Set a goal of how many people you want to attend your event. 

The sky’s the limit! To reach your goal, make sure you get DOUBLE that number of people to RSVP for the party. Why? Drop-off is entirely normal and good to account for. For example: 20 people should say “yes” and RSVP for your party on Mobilize if you want 10 people to actually show up. Remember: You can also host a successful letter-writing party with just a couple of attendees! We suggest recruiting additional party hosts for groups larger than 10.

Brainstorm your network and make a plan. 

You can invite anyone to your party that you think might care about mobilizing the climate vote. Start with people you know. People are more likely to say YES to taking action when they are invited by someone they have a relationship with. Make a list and decide how you want to reach out to each person — in-person, phone call, text, email, etc. Check out the appendix for some of our tips on making effective asks. In general, remember to make your invites as personal as possible! Just like personalized letters, personalized invites are way more effective than generic invitations. 

Cast a wider net.

Letter writing parties are a great way to expand our network and build a larger movement. There are more people out there that share our values just waiting to be asked to take action. Consider doing wider outreach if you feel comfortable and have the capacity. Some tactics include: 

• Posting on social media platforms and sending your invite out on listservs
• Asking to make an announcement at an event or to a group you are part of (church group, book club, civic engagement organization, class, etc.) 
• Door knocking and inviting your neighbors
• Flyering your local community at related events, high traffic areas, or where anyone like-minded might be gathering

Consider recruiting helpers. 

People are more likely to turn out to an event when they are brought into the planning or given a role. It gets them invested and creates a sense of responsibility. Plus, it expands your capacity as a party host by taking work off your plate (and can make things more fun!). Some asks you can make of others: 

• Can you help me recruit and post on social media / hand out flyers?
• Can you print out letters for the party? 
• Can you look over my agenda? 
• Can you come early and help me set up the room? 
• Can you think of and facilitate an icebreaker for the beginning of the party? 
• Can you bring water and snacks? 

Make sure letters have been requested. Use this universal link for requesting letters, you will want to request one packet for every person attending. If you request digital letters to print, it can take up to 30 minutes to receive letters. Letters can also be mailed, but there is a wait time of up to 10 business days. 

• In-person parties: As the host, make sure you request a party packet of letters. Print the letters the day before the party. Let us know if you have any printing challenges. If requesting letters to be mailed to you, make sure to do so at least 12 days before your party.
• Virtual parties: When you do your confirmations (see step six), make sure every person has individually requested a batch of at least 30 letters. They can either print them on their own the day before or request they be sent by mail — but remind your guests that it can take up to 10 days to receive their letters by mail.

Other materials for in-person parties:

• A way to share training slides: computer or phone connection to a tv for the slides or copies of the letter-writing 101 toolkit (one for each person) 
• Copies of sample messages
• Letter sized envelopes
• Lots of pens!
• Snacks and drinks (makes the event more fun) 
• Sign-in sheets for in-person parties (the most important information to collect is name, email, and phone number so you can properly follow up) 
• Clipboards or other hard surfaces for writing, if needed 

Mobilize will send out reminders before the party, but personal follow up will make it more likely that people will come. Reach out to your attendees via phone and/or text at least 24 hours before the event. Want to go the extra mile? Text them the morning of the event with a brief “Hey [insert name]! Look forward to seeing you later today at our letter writing party at [insert time]!”