Throw a House Party to Support GLSEN
Jan 01, 2000
Get your friends and family together to raise awareness about anti-gay bias in schools, inspire new activists and raise money!
Contents
Your House Party Guide: An Introduction
Thank you for volunteering to host a house party for GLSEN. Parties are a crucial element of our effort to raise awareness about the damaging effects of anti-gay bias in schools. Each party also produces significant contributions and new members, including some who will volunteer to host house parties of their own. For planning purposes, it's important to establish fundraising and attendance goals for your event. Your goals can depend on how many people your home can accommodate, how much your guests can afford to contribute, and other factors. As an example, and for the purposes of this guide, let's say that your goals are to raise $1,000 and get 40 people to your home to learn about GLSEN. By submitting the Houseparty Registration Form [INSERT LINK], GLSEN will provide you with a House Party Kit which will include an informational video about anti-gay bias in schools, GLSEN promotional materials, and information about volunteer opportunities. Envelopes for your guests' donations will also be provided in the kit. Once you submit your registration form, we can even try to arrange a special appearance by a GLSEN representative, schedule permitting. To ensure that GLSEN can get your kit to you in a timely way and/or make arrangements for a guest speaker, please submit the registration at least five weeks in advance of the event. Please read on! Soon you will be talking about how you threw a great house party that helped GLSEN work to end homophobia in schools in this generation. Thank you in advance!
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Sample Event Program
House parties are most successful when scheduled for a two-hour time slot. Commonly chosen times include weekday nights from 6 to 8, or from 8 to 10 - or Sunday afternoons from 12 to 2, 2 to 4, or 4 to 6. The first hour is for the arrival of guests and conversation. As guests arrive, ask them to sign in. This way, you'll be sure to have their name and current address, so they can be added to the GLSEN mailing list. To prevent a back-up of guests at the door, we recommend you have a couple of sign-up sheets available. This is also a great time to distribute "donor envelopes," as found in your House Party Kit, for guests to enclose their gifts. Should anyone need to leave the event early, they will already have a donation envelope. At the beginning of the second hour, the program begins. The key components of the program are an explanation of what GLSEN is and does, as well as "a pitch." If available, you may also wish to feature a speaker or informational video. Here's a sample program:
1. Introduction of GLSEN. 3-5 minutes long, usually done by the host. 2. Optional Program. This can be the showing of a short GLSEN video, or remarks by a GLSEN Representative if one is available (10 minutes). 3. The Pitch. 5 minutes, given by the host or a guest - the "pitch" asks people to get involved and tells them how they can help. For best results, the person making the pitch should personalize it by describing why GLSEN is important to him or her. Here's a sample: "(Explain why GLSEN is meaningful to you.) I want you join me in supporting an organization that's making it safer for LGBT kids in school; an organization that's teaching students, teachers, parents, and school administrators that it is NOT okay to hate. I hope you all received a donation envelope when you came in. If not, I have more here. You can support this work by enclosing a check payable to GLSEN, or write your pledge and hand it back to me before you leave. Credit card gifts are also accepted. And . . . I have pens! If you have already given, thank you, but you can feel free to give more." Collecting donations is, of course, of great importance. After the pitch, you should pass out pens (and distribute donor envelopes if that has not yet been done). The envelope should be filled out completely by the guest so that GLSEN can properly acknowledge him or her. This is especially important if their checks bear incomplete contact information or guests choose to pay by cash or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express accepted). Please make sure that everyone is asked for a contribution before they leave.
After the pitch, the formal program is over and guests go back to mingling.
Here's a sample agenda for a house party where the invitation requests that people arrive at 6 p.m.:
6:00 - 7:00PM\tGuests arrive, sign in, mingle and have refreshments 7:00\tIntroduction of GLSEN by the host(s) - 5 minutes 7:05 - 7:15\tGLSEN Video or speaker - 10 minutes 7:15 - 7:20\tThe "pitch" is made - 5 minutes 7:20\tGuests write checks, fill out donor envelopes, go back to mingling By 8:00\tMost guests are leaving
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Timetable and Checklist
Five Weeks Before the Event Submit the House Party Registration Form to GLSEN Four Weeks Before the Event 1. Draw up your invitation list (see enclosed sample for ideas) - The general rule is you need to mail 120 invitations to have 40 attend. So, expect one-third of the people invited to actually attend. 2. Draft your invitation (see enclosed sample) and make 120 or more copies Three Weeks Before 1. Mail out invitations 2. Ask a friend to serve as a "door person" - they'll help buzz people in, answer the door, take coats, sign people in, collect checks, help with last-minute details Two Weeks Before 1. Call everyone who has not RSVP'd; ask if they're coming 2. Call people who have RSVP'd; thank them in advance; ask them to bring a friend! 3. Keep a list of who's coming One Week Before If not the host, choose a person to do the pitch; the pitch person should strongly believe in the work that GLSEN does, be articulate and persuasive. The Week of the Event 1. Remind your door person of the time you need them 2. Purchase cups and paper goods 3. Ready your refreshments The Day After the Event 1. Send all donations and attendance sheets to the GLSEN Development Office in New York. 2. Let us know how it went! 3. Pat yourself on the back for a good deed done! 4. Start planning next year's event.
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Your Invitation List
How can you make sure your house party will be well-attended? In our experience, it's not complicated - all you have to do is: a) send out 120 invitations, and b) ten days later, follow up with phone calls.
The first question, then, is who to, invite? Here are some ideas that have helped other house party hosts pull their invitation lists together, Family: Consider inviting your parents, kids, aunts, uncles and cousins. Friends: And don't forget about your partner/spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend Social Acquaintances: Old friends you only see occasionally. Friends from college/school. Your old professors or teachers. Friends from your old job. Or from the group where you used to volunteer. Neighbors: Next door, upstairs, downstairs, down the hall. The whole building. People on the block who you always run into when you go jogging, or with whom you walk the dog, or who you run into at the grocery. Your co-op board. Your tenant's association. Your landlord. Your tenants. Your super. Your baby-sitter. Your child care collective. Your carpool. The parents of your children's friends. From Church, Temple or Mosque: Your clergy person, minister, priest, rabbi. Church activists. Regular attendees. Friends who may be not-so-regular attendees. The people you always share holidays with. From Your Labor Union: Union leaders. Activists. People who stand up to the boss. Your steward. Your business agent. Other union staff. People in the union. From Work : Your co-workers. People who do the same work you do. Other people in the office. Your partner. Your clients. Your supervisor. Old partners. Old clients. Co-workers from your old job. Your old supervisor. People who used to work in the office but recently left. Colleagues from community work or from charity work. Other like-minded do-gooders! Members of: Your block association, your political club, your community group. Your food co-op. Your local peace or environmental group. The PTA. Your local school board. Your community board. People You've Met While Recreating: Members of your bowling league, volleyball team, cooking group, pick-up basketball folks. The bridge club. Your poker buddies. Night classes. Lamaze class. Aerobics class. At the gym. Your housemates from ski weekends. From beach trips, camping trips. From traveling together. People you sing with. Choir. Jamming. Go caroling with. People you shop with. Garden with, vacation with. Professionals You Know Personally: Your lawyer, dentist, doctor, pharmacist, broker, butcher, dry cleaner, baker. Pull Out Lists You've Made in the Past: The invitation list to your last party. Your Christmas card list. The program from your last reunion. Your rolodex, at work and at home. Your personal phone book. Finally, think about interesting people you've met, but may not know well, who are active in their communities- Who Do You Know: In the African-American communities. The different Latino/a communities. Caribbean. Dominican. South American and various immigrant communities. The women's movement. The lesbian and gay community. Teachers. Seniors and retirees. College and high school students. The disabled community. Anyone who's made the observation that schools should be better places for LGBT kids. After all this, if you still don't have enough people to invite, what do you do? Ask a friend to co-host the party with you - they invite half the people, you invite half the people, and together you'll have a good invitation list.
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Invitations
Enclosed in this packet is a sample letter of invitation. Feel free to use it as is, or change it as you see fit. When you mail your letter of invitation, please include an RSVP card and reply envelope, so it will be easy for people to respond. The RSVP cards work best when accompanied with self-addressed reply envelopes. The simplest way to make these is to purchase inexpensive letter-size envelopes, and affix to the front of each envelope a return address sticker. This way your friends can respond directly to you.
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Sample Invitation and Reply Card Invitation
Dear Friend,
We hope you will join us on [Event Date] to learn about an important organization making a difference in schools nationwide. GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, is working to end the cycle of bigotry in K-12 schools. Some of GLSEN's successes include:
Assisting local groups to pass legislation to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in states including California and Connecticut
Creating the Student Organizing Department to provide resources and technical support to over 700 high school-based Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA)
Producing high quality educational resources for teachers, administrators, and students, including the Sundance Award-winning documentary Out of the Past and accompanying Teacher's Guide
Establishing the Back to School Campaign, which documents programs and policies protecting LGBT youth in schools, and educates leaders on the pervasiveness of anti-gay bias in schools
Helping to establish October as National Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual History Month
Working with Matthew Shepard's parents and MTV to produce and air public service announcements teaching how anti-gay language may lead to anti-gay violence
We think you will have a wonderful time and look forward to seeing you:
Date and Time March 28, 1997; 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Place 1024 Eagle St., Apt. 4-B; Springfield
RSVP Use the enclosed card and envelope
We'll serve refreshments. Please bring your checkbook with you. We think you will be as impressed as we are.
Sincerely,
Reply Card
_____ I will attend the event for GLSEN. _____ I cannot attend, but enclose a donation. _ $25 _ $50 _ $100 _ $250 _ $500 _Other __ Check enclosed. Checks can be made out to GLSEN. __ Charge my: ___ VISA ___ MasterCard ___ AMEX Name on Card ________________________________ Card Number _______________________ Exp. Date ___ Name ________________________________ Address ________________________________ City, State and Zip ________________________________ Telephone and Email _______________________ GLSEN is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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Follow-Up Phone Calls Two weeks before your house party, please call everyone on your invitation, list who has not RSVP'd, to confirm their attendance or to secure a contribution. Only a small number of the people you invite will RSVP before they get a phone call; many more will come if you give them a call. We can guarantee from long experience: If you mail 120 invitations, and follow up with calls to everyone, you will have 40 people in your living room to learn about GLSEN.
The following is a suggested script for the call: "Hi, this is (your name). I mailed you an invitation to learn about GLSEN at a small fundraiser I'm having at my home on (date of event). I hope you can join us - will you be able to come?" If They're Coming "Great, I'll see you then." If They're Not Sure "I hope you can come - GLSEN is a great organization, and I think you'd enjoy learning about it. GLSEN is making schools safer for LGBT students in schools, and has very ambitious plans. You should check out their website at www.glsen.org. It would be great to have you there." If They Can't Come "I'm sorry you can't come-GLSEN is a great organization, and is making schools safer for LGBT students in schools, and has very ambitious plans. You should check out their website at www.glsen.org. I hope you'll write a check to "GLSEN"- if you send it to me, I'll forward it to them. Would you like to do that?"
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Refreshments
Refreshments at your house party can be plain or fancy, as you wish. Easy and inexpensive refreshments There are many types of food and drink that are easy to provide, easy on your budget, and just right for a house party. Remember, people don't come for the food - they come because they respect you and want to learn more about the organizations you think are valuable. Other hosts have had successful house parties and served one of the following menus: 1. Cheese and crackers, and wine and soda 2. Coffee and cake 3. Vegetables and dip, guacamole and chips, fresh fruit, and soda and beer 4. Sweet rolls, tea, milk and coffee 5. Tea and cookies If you prepare the refreshments yourself, you can budget $1 per person and offer any of the above menus. Coffee and cake can cost just fifty cents a person. The bottom line is: you don't have to spend a lot of money on refreshments to have a house party that will really help GLSEN. Serve whatever refreshments you like, and they'll be fine.
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When the Party's Over
At the end of the event, guests should walk away with GLSEN information. A good idea is to have a volunteer hand out literature at the door, or else create a display table from which guests can take information as they please. Be sure to thank everyone for attending and supporting GLSEN. Now that the event is done, Thank You So Much! You've done great work and helped us take another step forward in our work to end anti-gay bias in schools.
The only thing left to do is send the donor envelopes, contributions and attendance sheet to the GLSEN Development Office in New York. Our mailing address is GLSEN, 121 W. 27th Street, Suite 804, New York, NY 10001. Be sure to mark it to the attention of the Development Department.
We especially welcome your comments and feedback on your event. What worked well? What could have worked better? How can we better assist you? Please do drop us a note at arosche@glsen.org on how it went!
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