Green Party House Parties

Do you want to grow your local, state, and national Green Party?
Do you want more and better choices on the ballot when you go to vote?
Do you want elected officials who are responsive to your community, not corporations?
Would you like to more about issues that are important to people in your community?
Would you like to make friends and allies in your support of the Green Party values?

Organizing a house party is a great way to bring together supporters of the Green Party, newcomers who want to learn more about our mission, and build funds and other resources to spread the word farther. Thank you for volunteering your time and energy to raise awareness and funds for our continuing mission.

If you answered YES to any of these questions, you should hold a house party!

Here some easy steps to building the Green Party by holding a successful house party:

We would like to know about your plans so we can help you gather materials for your event and follow up afterward to find out how it went. Call us at 1-866-41-GREEN or e-mail to give us your contact information, date and time of the party, and how many guests you are expecting.

2. Gather Materials

You probably want your house party to be both informative and fun. You should gather party materials such as food, games, and movies, as well as Green Party materials such as flyers, candidate information, and Green Party materials for sale or auction.

This pack includes a volunteer sign-up sheet so you (and we) can stay in touch with your guests after they leave, a contribution form so you can accept donations, a Green Party tabling kit order form, an order form for “Card-Carrying Green” cards, a “Green Party Sustainer” form, and a sample invitation. You can also download and print informational materials and flyers from the Green Party of the United States' website at www.gp.org/organize/flyers.shtml. Make sure to have enough copies for everyone you invite to take home – even better, make sure each guest can take several copies home to hand out to their friends, family, and co-workers.

You can also order informational materials, stickers, and apparel at www.gp.org. If you can only order a few items, use them as prizes in a raffle or auction to bring in extra contributions.

3. Set A Fundraising Goal!

The best thing about hosting a house party is that you know most of the guests and what is likely to get them to contribute to the Green Party. Think about setting a minimum contribution, such as $20 per person. Of course, everyone should be free to contribute more than the minimum amount. Set your fundraising goal as high or as low as you'd like – the most important thing is to get people together, talking about growing the Green Party, and planning for future action and contributions.

4. Invite Your Guests

In order to have the best impact possible, you will need to invite as many people as possible – but not more than can comfortably fit in your home. Because not everyone you invite will be able to make it, we recommend inviting 2-3 times as many people as you can fit. Tell guests to bring friends of their own, so everyone will get to meet somebody new.

Invite your family, friends, classmates, co-workers, neighbors, members of your place of worship, members of your union, and members of local environmental, peace and social justice organizations.

E-mail an invitation or call your guests a few weks ahead of time. You can also create a flyer that you can hand out at work, school, or around the neighborhood. Don't forget to include your address, phone number, directions to your house, and date and time of the event. Ask guests to RSVP so you'll know who is coming. Don't be afraid to call people a few days before the event to remind them. And don't forget to remind guests to being their checkbooks!

5. Plan the Party!

The Green Party tackles many serious issues, but your house party needs to be fun! Plan to play some games that your guests will enjoy or watch a movie. You can rent movies such as An Unreasonable Man about Ralph Nader and his 2000 Green Party candidacy, American Blackout about Cynthia McKinney, Sicko by Michael Moore, or a film about issues in your community. In between activities, spend a few minutes talking to your guests about the key values of the Green Party, local initiatives the party has taken part in, or upcoming campaigns for local or state office. Invite your local Green Party leader, current or past candidates for office, and other experienced speakers to liven things up with stories and inspirational ideas. Don't forget party foods and drink!

6. Report Back!

Please let us know how your house party went – how many people showed up, who volunteered to continue working on behalf of the Green Party, what materials you found you needed, any activities or movies that your group really enjoyed, or anything else. Please call us at 1-866-41-GREEN or e-mail at .