House Party Fundraising Kit

House Party Fundraising Kit

Getting Started WELCOME Dear League Member, Supporting your local League of Women Voters chapter can be as easy as inviting a few of your friends and neighbors together to hear about your experience. By sharing your own story about what brought you to the League and outlining a few of the ways to get involved, you can increase awareness about our organization and help your contacts make connections of their own. Bringing friends together is a great way to help raise a few extra dollars for your local League chapter. Fundraising helps local chapters cover room rental charges, speaker fees, and food costs for meetings and events. With so much going on in North Carolina in 2017, there is increased demand for events related to education and advocacy. Your interest in supporting these efforts is welcome and appreciated. We hope this House Party Fundraising Kit will help you launch a successful gathering of your own. Sincerely, Janet Hoy and Margaret Salinger Co-Presidents LWVNC

www.lwvnc.org SIMPLE STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR EVENT 1. Create Your Guest List. Invite friends and neighbors who share your interest in education and advocacy related to voting and the issues of emphasis at the center of our work through the League. Ask your guests to bring a friend. Invite your book club or scrapbooking club, making the invitation list easy to compile. To ensure good attendance, invite twice the number of guests you hope will attend. 2. Set a Date. Consider your guest list, selecting a date and time that will work best for most of your attendees. Plan on a 2- hour time- frame for your event. Offer a reminder call or e- mail to your guests a few days before your event. 3. Create Invitations. Invitations can be as simple as a paragraph within an email or as elaborate as an E- vite or other on- line organizing site. 4. Offer Light Refreshments. Arrange for a small selection of snacks and beverages for your guests. Consider co- hosting to share the expense of refreshments or offer the event as a pot luck, asking everyone to bring some food or drink to share. 6. Event Itinerary. Guests arrive: Offer name tags and sign in sheets. Food & Friends: Give guests 30 minutes to meet and eat. Host Introduction: Explain to guests why you are involved with the League of Women Voters. Offer League Handouts: Help your friends explore opportunities for involvement. Q&A: If possible, show guests our new LWVNC.org website to help answer questions. Accept Donations: Invite your guests to join you in contributing to your local League. Wrap- Up: Thank guests and invite them to stick around to get remaining questions answered. 7. Congratulate Yourself. Hosting your friends may not feel like a big task, but house party events offer an opportunity for new people to connect with our organization. Fundraising is an intimidating word, but these member- driven events provide a great way for small donations to add up to big impact for upcoming events and activities. 8. Submit Donations and Sign- In Sheets. Seal your checks and donation forms in an envelope and mail them to your local chapter president. Include copies of the sign- up sheets from your event to help your guests get quickly connected with the League newsletter for more opportunities to engage with upcoming events. www.lwvnc.org

Voters Service/Citizen Education ABOUT THE LEAGUE We present unbiased nonpartisan information about elections, the voting process, and issues. Action/Advocacy We are also nonpartisan, but, after study, we use our positions to advocate for or against particular policies in the public interest. The League of Women Voters, a membership organization, conducts action and advocacy and is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) corporation. The League of Women Voters Education Fund works to encourage the active and informed participation of citizens in government and to increase understanding of major public policy issues. The Education Fund is a 501(c)3 corporation. Our Vision, Work, Goals The goal of the LWV is to empower citizens to shape better communities worldwide. THE LWV IS A NONPARTISAN POLITICAL MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION WHICH acts after study and member agreement to achieve solutions in the public interest on key community issues at all government levels builds citizen participation in the democratic process. engages communities in promoting positive solutions to public policy issues through education and advocacy. THE LWV EDUCATION FUND IS A NONPARTISAN PUBLIC POLICY EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION WHICH builds citizen participation in the democratic process studies key community issues at all governmental levels in an unbiased manner enables people to seek positive solutions to public policy issues through education and conflict management. WE BELIEVE IN respect for individuals the value of diversity the empowerment of the grassroots, both within the League and in communities WE WILL act with trust, integrity and professionalism operate in an open and effective manner to meet the needs of those we serve, both members and the public take the initiative in seeking diversity in membership acknowledge our heritage as we seek our path to the future.

LEAGUE CONTRIBUTION FORM We welcome and appreciate two types of donations. Donations that are not tax deductible are used for advocacy and action on issues. Donations that are tax deductible are used for educational activities, including registering voters. Please complete this form and attach it to you donation. Name Address City State Zip Code Amount Enclosed $ Phone (opt) Email Address I wish my contribution to remain anonymous. I wish my contribution to be tax deductible where allowed by law. My check is made out to the "Citizen Education Fund" which is a 501(c)(3) organization. I wish to support the League's action priorities. My check is made out to the "League of Women Voters" and is not tax-deductible. Comments www.lwvnc.org