What is a House Party or a fundraising event?

House Parties and Events can be a big production at a public location or a small gathering of people in someone’s home. They can have a program that features a musician, an author, visual artist or speaker or they could be a gathering of neighbors in a Legislative district. The best house parties and events uniquely reflect the hosts or planning committee and are ones that are planned with a specific target audience in mind.

Why organize a House Party or fundraising event?

House Parties and Events do not only do the important work of raising funds to carry forward our work, they are an important organizing tool. To put it simply, there are five foundational elements that are necessary for any event: they are great for new people, they are fun, the impact is lasting, they can help you to build your base strategically and they are an opportunity for donations:

• They are an easy way for new people to engage in this work. House parties and events are fun and often attract people who aren’t the usual suspects. Information about an issue is typically broken up by good music, delicious food or other attractions. It’s a non-threatening way for someone to get more information.
• They are fun. Since these aren’t meetings or lectures, they have the potential to be really fun. This means that they are a good way to introduce new people to the work as well as an opportunity for people who are already engaged in the work to re-energize.
• The impact is lasting. This is true for any event. If it is a large event and there is press coverage, we have the opportunity to communicate with far more people than can be in attendance. For smaller house parties people will walk away with a closer connection to KFTC and talk about it with others.
• We really do care about this work. Lets face it. We’re a passionate bunch and we care deeply about progressive change. Events and parties are a good way to do the much needed work of building our base and staying relevant. They are also an opportunity for us to hear from people and improve our organizing.
• They are an opportunity for donations. We can’t do this work without the investment of a base of people. House Parties and Events are a great opportunity for people to make an investment of time and money in the work. We can’t build a movement on only money and we can’t build a movement on only time. We need both, so structure your event with an emphasis on the donations of time and money.